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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Breathing a little easier...

Whew! I'm exhausted! But I'm also very pleased with the results of my most recent projects. On Saturday I hosted a baby shower for my cousin Khanni at my house. Kevin and I have been working like crazy on the house for months. During the tile floor fiasco we basically moved everything from our house into our garage. It was a nightmare! We have been moving back into our house ever since then. We got the main pieces put back in but inside cabinets, under sinks, on shelves, they were all a disaster. Trying to find the right size sheets, a certain size batteries, the lightbulbs, just anything that would have been put away and organized...couldn't find it. We've been busy this week putting back on baseboards, fixing our broken ceiling fans, moving books and shelves back into the office. Several nights we stayed up very late working on it. On top of all of it I managed to have a severe allergy attack last weekend and ended up with a SEVERE sinus infection. I couldn't even function. I was prescribed an antibiotic and a steroid. I started feeling better slowly during the week but the steroid made me very light headed during the day. I was also scheduled to substitute on both tuesday and thursday this week so I didn't have any down time to recuperate. We managed to get our house so organized I can't believe it. I can find anything in a flash. Kevin was a huge help getting everything together. My mom came into town and help picked everything up for the shower. It turned out really cute. Everyone fit into the house really well and Khanni got lots of cute presents. She is expecting baby Liam sometime in January. Her husband Jeremy is scheduled to deploy to Iraq for a year just one week before her due date. We are all hoping that she will move back down to San Angelo while Jeremy is gone. Her mom and the rest of us would be close enough to help with the baby. Today has been so relaxing! Kevin and I slept late and then watched several of our DVR'd shows. (We have like 30 hours of shows! We haven't been able to watch any TV in weeks!) My mom and dad came over just after noon and I could a mock Thanksgiving dinner since we will be gone next week. Turkey breasts, green bean casserole, mashed potatos, and stove top stuffing. It wasn't nearly as good as the real dinner my mom makes but it worked.

I really need to start blogging regularly again. I did much better on my diet and was overall really happier when I got my thoughts down on paper. I am at 38 pounds lost now. I've danced around that number for the last month. Kevin is at 55 pounds! He is almost done and will be going on maintenance in the next couple of weeks. I will post pictures from the baby shower and the pictures from our sears photoshoot for our 6th wedding anniversary. Until I'm back again...
Love,
Katy

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Testing this out...

Lots has been going on since I last posted! Kevin and I had our 6th wedding anniversary on November 9th! I know it sounds crazy but it doesn't seem like it has been that long. We celebrated by staying at the Hilton hotel in Midland and going to a drive in movie. It was so much fun!!! I wish we had a drive in theater here. I would never go back to a regular theater again! Kevin sent me a beautiful bouquet of daisies and roses! Our trip turned out having a surprise special treat when found out the building two doors down was being imploded the next morning. I was kinda shocked at first but room service brought us a fantastic breakfast just before it happened so we were able to eat and watched the amazing sight right from our room! It was really cool! Let's see....what else...I've been subbing and sick quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. My allergies have been acting up causing a couple of infections. I'm now on my second round of antibiotics and 1st steroid set. I also no longer have my cheap phone that I bought on Ebay. I needed something temporarily while we decided what cellular service we were going to change to. Sometimes when the price seems too good to be true...it is. The phone would randomly call and start to text people when not being touched! It was possessed! We decided to go with AT&T so I took my dad to the store so he could talk to the salesmen while I translated because honestly sometimes he doesn't know what kind of technology he owns. Mostly I was trying to keep him from buying a $400 blackberry he had been watching because it had big buttons. Instead the salesman hooked him by saying that if he wanted big buttons and the best Internet experience he needed to focus on another phone. He pulled up Youtube and downloaded a video of my dad in his racecar doing a burnout in an amazing view and sound and it was over. Now matter how many cheaper phones I showed him he didn't listen. And then he and my mom decided that everyone needed this phone so we could all email each other! I protested saying they would break it and I would spend all my time trying to explain how to use it over the phone. But in the end I didn't win...so I along with my dad, mom, brother, and husband are now proud owners of an iPhone 3G!!! I love it!!! It is fantastic! They said "Merry Christmas" and went on their merry way. I really do have awesome parents. (I still think they will break it and I have spent a lot of time explaining stuff over the phone but I love them so I'll help.) And now I've typed this entire post on my iphone! We leave for Washington D.C. in less than a week!!! I'm so excited! I will now be able to post and keep up to date while I'm there! Post again later!
Love,
Katy

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Pictures!

I'm going to add a few picture from the last few weeks...lets see what I find...


Here is a picture of me and my adorable husband Kevin at Lacy's wedding! Kevin looked so handsome in his tux!












I tried to take a picture of myself to update my myspace, facebook, and blog profile pictures. The last one I had was from like 2002! This one turned out okay. I cropped it and used sepia tone color to mask how splotchy my skin was from being nervous at the wedding!













A picture of the beautiful Bride (Lacy) and Groom (Dusty)! The wedding was beautiful! I had a ton of fun but was completely exhausted. My feet hurt for days afterward! They honeymooned on a cruise to the Bahamas! I spent the entire week at work wishing I was in the Bahamas instead!











This is my take on artistic photography! I didn't have much time to take pictures at the wedding but I managed to get this one before hand. Lacy loved it and so did I!











Josh, Marlayna, and Maddie dancing at the wedding!















Eric came in from California to visit at the beginning of September! It was kinda a whirlwind trip but Kevin and I picked him up the airport in Midland! This is a picture of Kevin and Eric when he finally got off the plane!













A quick picture of me and Eric at the airport. I look goofy but there have been much worse pictures taken of me!








Well that is it for now I guess! Now I'm going to get ready to go shopping for curtains to match my new rug! Pictures of the new furniture and floors soon to come!
Love,
Katy

Friday, October 10, 2008

Quit being so negative!

That is what I've been telling myself...after I got that long rambling gripy post out of the way I started telling myself that I needed to count my blessings. My mom always tells me that when I'm feeling sorry for myself. So that I what I'm going to try to do right now...
The Many Blessings in My Life
1. Kevin - I have the world's best husband. He is more than I ever could have asked for and works so hard to make my life wonderful. He says I'm beautiful and has supported me in every decision I've made even if it may not have been exactly what he wanted me to do. He will be a wonderful father and if God sees fit to bless me with his children someday I can only pray that I will be half as good a parent as he will be.
2. My Parents and Brother - I have amazing parents and a fantastic brother who accept me despite all my flaws and still make me feel like a beautiful person no matter what.
3. My Lord and Savior - He has forgiven an utterly imperfect person like myself over and over again even when I wanted to hate him for taking my grandmothers or decided it was easier to hide from him behind my fat body than face the problems in my life.
4. My in laws - Morris, Judy, and Eric try to make me always feel at home even though they probably aren't used to my quirks.
5. My fantastic friends - I have a wonderful best friend in Lacy who I know gets frustrated with me but will be there when I need at any moment! Dusty is a great guy who has made her so happy and still accepted her baggage of weirdo friends. I also have great friends in Josh and Marlayna, Brittany, Anna, and Rebecca, and tons of others that really make Kevin and I happy!
6.The good health of my loved ones because life is so precious and can be taken away at any minute.
7. I have a beautiful home with beautiful things that are in good condition and could house me and my family for many years.
8. I have a reliable car with plenty of room for moving anything and anyone I could ever need.
9. Perfect puppies that love me unconditionally and each have unique personalities that bring such joy to my life. They have their own quirks just like I do but still manage to be the best they can be!
10. My job and opportunities - God provided me with an education and a job in which I can do what I love and still have time for my husband and weight loss efforts. Not many people can up and quit and hope that they find something and have the perfect job fall in their lap.

I could go on and probably should go on but I'm getting tired now. I'm going to call my adorable husband who is right now working hard to provide for me and tell him I love him.
Good night for real this time...
Love,
Katy

To say things have been crazy would be a HUGE understatement...

Hello again...yeah yeah I know it is has been forever! I only thought my last absence was a long one...almost 2 months this time! Like my title says things have been pretty crazy around here. School got rolling right away and has kept me pretty busy. I love working with the little ones although I definately know that I have a sensitive gag reflex when it comes to little noses with boogies. lol I've subbed for San Angelo and Eden several times. I really enjoyed getting to see everyone in Eden and the SAISD jobs were fun. I have been in a kindergarten class and at the high school so far in San Angelo.

The weeks building up to Lacy's wedding were CRAZY! The weddding turned out beautifully and we had so much fun! I'll try to take the time to figure out to post pictures again. I've forgotten during my absence. I was so stressed out. It hasn't really helped speed up my weight loss but I am still losing. At my last weigh in I had lost a total of 33 pounds. I've had ups and downs but things are getting better now. I hadn't been able to get to the gym for a while especially since I've been sick. I've caught every disease that those little hands bring into my computer lab. All during this time we had Dustin and Amanda living with us. I was worried about how I would do since I've never had roommates but I really impressed myself. We didn't have the "no one did the dishes problems" and such but it definately was a stressful time for other reasons.

Let me explain this a little better. In January, Kevin's older brother Dustin called. He lived in Georgia and I've seen him about 4 times since Kevin and I got married 6 years ago. Dustin said that he wanted to move back to Texas and wanted him and his girlfriend to stay with us for awhile when he got here. He said in return for staying free of all costs he would install tile floors and tile shower surrounds in our house. We of course would have to purchase all of the tile and supplies but he would put the tile in place. I was adamant, "No way... No How... Not Ever..." Dustin had offered to install tile in our first house for us and while he was in the middle of the project (with the fridge in the living room and the only toilet and shower inoperable) he disappeared for a couple of days. He didn't tell us anything about where he went. It was terrible. We had to go take showers at my friends house and use the bathroom at the Town & Country behind our house. Dustin does really good tile work but every time we counted on him to get something done...he doesn't. He kept calling and calling asking Kevin to "think it over" and that he would take the entire 1st week he was here and only work on our house and get it done. I said "No, we don't have the money to buy the tile and he won't get it done." After about a month Kevin finally talked me into it. He really wanted to help his brother because he hadn't seen him except a handful of times since Dustin graduated HS. Kevin said we could finance the tile interest free and that Dustin promised to get ours completely finished first. I reluctantly agreed saying that I had two conditions...He finish ours completely first and that the project was finished and they were moved out before school let out for the summer because I had lots of projects I wanted to do during the summer.

In February the tile went on sale and we purchased it interest free for one year from lowes. It was really stretching our already tight budget because I was spending so much on gas driving back and forth but Kevin said it was worth it. The tile cost about $3000 dollars and in March Kevin ripped up our carpet to show me how bad the carpet was and that the tile would make it look a ton better. Dustin was supposed to be here on April 1st. Well of course April rolls around...no Dustin. His court dealing weren't being resolved like they were supposed to so he couldn't leave. To make a really long story a little shorter...we lived on concrete floors until the middle of August. 5 1/2 months! During this time period Dustin called saying that if we could pay him something for doing the floors then he wouldn't need to stay with us when he got here. We did NOT have the cash but I thought it would be better in the long run if they just got their own place... so Kevin and I finally agreed to pay his first months rent at the apartment they had chosen. So a month later Dustin calls saying that if we could just send him the money now he could pay his fines and be able to leave so Kevin sends him $600 and put $100 hold deposit down on his apartment in San Angelo. He still didn't get to leave but finally he just decides to come down anyway and go back for his last court date. When they get here we're told that they don't have the money to get into an apartment and now they are going to have to stay with us again. Isn't that nice after we originally agreed on the money so they wouldn't stay with us? Sorry I need to quit sounding so bitter. It was just so frustrating!

Dustin and Amanda were fine roommates. I had a lot of fun with Amanda really enjoyed getting to know her. I had a little bit of a hard time talking to Dustin because I'm very straightforward most of the time and Kevin had me scared that he would just blow up on anything I say (which in the end Kevin was right). I got really frustrated because Dustin didn't respect anything Kevin said. If Kevin said No to something Dustin would just keep on and keep on until Kevin gave in. He even told me that he knew Kevin would never tell him no to anything because he was his older brother! If he knew that...then he should respected Kevin's word the first time. Needless to say six weeks later our house still wasn't finished. We didn't expect Dustin to work on the house after work but when he said he would work on it on the weekends we thought that was reasonable. Several weekends went by when he would say that and we would change our plans so Kevin could be around to help but then Dustin would disappear off to band practice or wherever for almost 12 hours sometimes and not a thing would get done! We went through several weekends like that and then it finally reached a boiling point when Dustin didn't have work for a week and it still didn't get finished. Kevin and I decided to remind Dustin that he said he would be out by October 1st and he needed to make sure he had all his apartment things in order. It had really gotten to the point where we didn't believe anything he said because he never followed through with anything. We decided to remind him so he could get the credit check and all the paper work in order. Kevin called his mom to ask how we should do it because he thought she might have a good suggestion on how to avoid him getting mad. She suggested she tell him that they would come down and help him move into his apartment because it was right around his 30th birthday...but that wasn't any good either. He still blew up about it. He came home that night yelling and cussing. He asked "what the "F***" I wanted from him" and I told him that "I wanted him to just follow through with things he says he is going to do." He went completely ballistic! I told Kevin that Dustin wasn't going to be able to talk about this...that he was just going to keep making excuses and I was just going to go to bed." He stood up and started screaming some more and I finally lost it. I told him that we had tried to talk to him but he wouldn't stop talking long enough to listen to what we had to say and that when Kevin did tell him what he wanted that he didn't respect it. I said I was tired of watching his family especially my husband walk on eggshells around him constantly because no one knew when he would blow up next and that he needed to leave that night. I guess I can handle people yelling at me all day long but when he started to yell at Kevin I lost it. I'm not going to let someone talk to Kevin that way and treat us like that. We practically broke our backs driving them around town, making sure there is food in the house, and being good hosts and have spent all of our savings on this stupid project and he still acted that way! We did everything we can to make it a good situation and it still turned out wrong.

Whew...I kinda feel better now that I've had a place to vent...lol We ended up with about 2/3 our house that still needed grout, no shower wall work, and a closet and our bathroom with no tile. We asked Lacy's new husband Dusty :) if he would come grout the remaining floor and said that Kevin would help him. We intended to pay him but he wouldn't let us! He was there the next day and got all the grouting done! We have amazing friends! I don't have intention of being around Dustin again. His family may have just let him act that way his whole life but I'm not going to. I don't have to and I won't. It really hurts me to see Kevin and his parents hurt this way. Please, please pray for Kevin and I right now. I want to find a way to make Kevin and his family happy but I'm also not going to let Kevin be treated that way. I want to forgive him for Kevin's sake but I also know that people have to act like grown ups. Kevin and I's relationship has improved dramatically since Dustin left. We're still having money trouble in terms of cash flow. I look at our budget and we really should be doing fine even with the unexpected brand new AC sytem and new furniture but it seems that we don't have the cash at the time that we need it. We are making efforts to eat at home more and use our credit card less. We were not able to pay off our credit card bill last month for the first time since we were married almost 6 years ago. We had a bad couple of months between Lacy's wedding and the tile supplies costs. Pray for wisdom for Kevin and I to get through this tough time and that God will place on my heart what he wants from me. "Dear Lord, I cannot lead myself through this life on the right path. Please show me what you want from me. Not my will but thy will be done. Amen."
Love,
Katy

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Looooonnnggg Absence...

Hello Again,
Well it has been a LONG time since my last post but things got a little crazy around here. We had a great time in Shreveport! We had a total of 18 people go. We gambled, ate, ate, and ate some more. I actually got up the nerve to play some blackjack and I doubled my money! Kevin tried it too but I had to make up for his losses! lol Things got SOOOOOOOOO busy as soon as we got back. I've been up at Trinity Lutheran preparing for the year and squeezing in prepping for Lacy's showers in between. I've also taken my bridesmaids dress in to get altered because it was too big when it got here and I went to SAISD sub orientation. It has been something every single day! We've also had another garage sale...this time at Lacy's house. IT WENT WONDERFUL! We were busy all day! We sold so much stuff and ended up with over $500! We need it to finish buying the materials for our floor. This week was the first week of school. I didn't have students until Friday. I had 1 class of 4 year olds and then K - 8. I really liked it! I think I'm going to enjoy this year. Lacy and Dusty's couples shower in Sterling was on Monday. The location of the shower was amazing! They had lots of good stuff and we had a really good time. Dustin and Amanda got here last Sunday. It has been pretty fun getting to visit with them. Amanda helped me with some last minute errands for Lacy's bridal shower! The shower was today and it went really well I think. They got tons of cute things and nothing went wrong. I've been terrified something would go wrong and Lacy would get mad at me. Well that doesn't even come close to what all has happened since my last post. But it will have to do because I'M TIRED! I'm going to bed early because tomorrow is Trinity's teacher rededication morning. Maybe things will slow down for a while and I will be back regularly again! Oh yeah, I've had a few up and down weeks with my weight loss. I haven't been very good since I got so busy. I am currently at 26.2 pounds lost! I have bounced around for a while but am getting back into my routine. I need some encouragement to get back on the right track! TTYL!
Love,
Katy

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Really Quick Update! BIG NEWS!

Well it is 1 am and I have to be up at 5:00 am to get ready to leave for Shreveport at 6! UGH! This will have to be short and sweet since I'm ready for bed! What I do for my friends! lol No I'm actually looking forward to getting away.

BIG NEWS! Weighed in at WW today so we wouldn't miss this week while we were gone. Their scales showed that I lost 2.2 pounds since Thursday! 4 days! I think I actually lost more last time but they read it wrong and now it is just fixing itself but it is still great! I am now at 25.4 pounds total! I finally made my 25 pound mark after jumping around for a few weeks! I'm very excited! Kevin weighed in also and of course lost a ton like 3 + pounds. He is now at like 36 pounds total!

BIGGER NEWS! (Short Version...long version after I get back.) When we got home this evening I had a message from Mr. Fritsche with Trinity Lutheran School...I GOT THE JOB! I got the part time computer teacher job! I can't believe it. I had completely written it off since I didn't hear from him. I'm thrilled. It will be nice to do what I love part time and have time to take care of myself and my husband. I'm also looking forward to working with the little ones and subbing at Lakeview and Central to see if I like it. I can't keep my eyes open so I'm off to bed now...MORE INFO LATER! Wish us luck in Shreveport! Be back Thursday night!
Love,
Katy

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Way too much to do...

Well I am super stressed right now trying to get a million things done at once! I have been printing and addressing over 100 invitations for Lacy's wedding shower and trying to get ready for my garage sale at the same time. At this point...neither is finished! The invitations turned out looking really cute but I still have a lot of addressing to do. I'm also trying to get everything ready for our trip to Shreveport next week. I've been obsessing over getting Lacy a shirt, sash, and veil for the trip but I think we've decided to attempt to make them ourselves since none of the store bought ones were perfect. I am going to make the shirts for Lacy and Dusty and Marlayna is doing the sash. I forgot who is supposed to do the veil so I guess we need to figure that out. We've also been planning Lacy's Lingerie shower and that has added to the mess. I'm enjoying it but time seems to be closing in on me. I've been dreaming about wedding stuff. Like nightmares...Lacy is making us do a wedding party dance at the reception. I CAN'T DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot emphasize this enough. Having to dance with Kevin was going to be bad but someone I don't know! The poor guy is going to have to lug my fat butt around the dance floor and will want to die!

I went to a Photoshop workshop on monday that I really enjoyed. I talked to Traci (Region Technology Coordinator) about giving my notice at Eden and she was really helpful! She is going to talk to the head of the business department at SAISD so they will put me at the top of the list for substitutes. That will help me get more of those classes than others.

Blood test results came back this week. No celiac (I didn't think it was) but they actually have no answers for me right now. They just recommended having a high fiber diet (25-30 grams a day) and metamucil. So for the time being I still can't really eat vegetables or salads...it was really disappointing...

I didn't hear back from the private school that I interviewed at so I guess I didn't get the job. I think the thing that hurt me the most is that I was really interested in full time employment. I don't think he thought I would stick around for more than a year. I am disappointed but I guess it wasn't in God's plan. I mean I kept feeling like I needed to focus on my weight loss this year and maybe this is his way of telling me that is what I need to do.

Weighed in today at WW...I lost 1.8 pounds. I was hoping to completely recoupe my gain but I guess it is at least something. I did get to eat Taco Bell with Kevin, Lacy, Dusty, Marlayna, and Maddie last night. My total loss now is 23.2. Kevin lost 3.6 pounds this week bringing his total loss to 32.6 pounds. He got his 6th gold star this week! I'm very proud of him but still disappointed in myself. I really don't know how I gained that much last week. I tracked my points and looked back on what I ate. I really can't spot a problem area. I was just really hoping to beat the 25 pound mark this week. Oh well I've got to get back to addressing invititations. I probably shouldn't have stopped for this long to give a WW update!
Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

PS: My brother in law was supposed to be here in April to lay tile in my house. As of today...July 31st, 2008...I still have concrete floors and no baseboards. I'm getting really upset. I wanted to be able to host Lacy's lingerie shower at my house. I've been wanting to host something here since we finally have a house big enough and now mine is destroyed when I finally get the chance. I feel really crappy yesterday because I had to ask Lacy if we could have her lingerie shower at her own house. AHHHHH!!!! Sorry...I just needed to get that out... :)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Lazy Sunday...

Well as busy as this weeks seems to have been...I'm having trouble remembering what went on! Lets see if I can start from where I left off...Tuesday and Wednesday are kinda a blur...nothing really big happened except Kevin and I have been going through everything in our house! I mean everything! Emptying closets, drawers, boxes, shelves...everything! We are moving more and more of our house out to the garage in anticipation that Dustin will get here to lay our tile...(which still might be months for all I know). I am getting better and better at putting stuff in the garage sale pile. I'm hoping to use whatever money we make as our money for the Shreveport trip.

Thursday is when I guess everything got more exciting. Kevin's parents came into town on their way to Junction to float the river. They took a little trip for their 34th anniversary. They dropped by and saw our torn up house and then we went into town and ate lunch at Subway. It was nice visiting and then they headed on to Junction. When we got home Kays had called and said that my rings were back from being repaired and ready to pick up. So we headed to the mall and picked them up (they looked gorgeous of course!) before heading to our weight watchers meeting. Just before we walked in the meeting my mom called and said that my Aunt Jo was in the ER and being admitted to the hospital for breathing problems and she wanted me to head up there. So we went and weighed in...(which you can probably tell didn't go great for me or else I'd be more excited)...I GAINED 2.6 pounds. UGH! I can't say I wasn't expecting it though. We weighed in the morning last time and the evening this time and I wasn't completely perfect this week. Not 2.6 pounds worth but not completely perfect. I figured after the 4 pounds from my colonoscopy that something would have to even out a little. Kevin lost 2.6 pounds this week so I'm really proud of him. After weighing in we headed straight over to the hospital to check on my Aunt. When we got there my Aunt Sheila needed to leave so I had to stay to listen to the doctor and get Jo situated. It was a very interesting afternoon to say the least! My Aunt Jo is very funny and even more funny after she has had a couple breathing treatments with a nebulizer. (The stuff kinda makes you jittery, talkative, and anxious.) The doctor decided that it was just some kind of late onset asthmatic flair up and gave her LOTS of medicine. It was kinda funny because I had heard of all of them before when I had bronchitis. I'm really glad they admitted her overnight so that she would relax and they could make her take her medicine. She is just like my mom and if she was at home she wouldn't have relaxed. So several hours later we were finally able to get home and feed the puppies.

On Friday morning I had my appointment to try MysticTan finally. I've been wanting to test it for Lacy's wedding but have been scared it would make me turn orange. The hardest part was holding your breath while the machine sprayed! It turned out okay I guess. I mean I'm not orange but I think I rubbed off my legs too much right away. That is where they said streaking would occur and I was overzealous! (Yeah big word!) I think I'll know how to apply the barrier creams better and how much to pat dry. I'm going to try the extended next time to see if make me too orange. I got a terrible sinus headache that day and ended up sleeping with a heating pad for HOURS! It finally went away after I took advil and tylenol! About 10:00 friday night Kevin and Justin got a water damage in Bronte. My mom had crashed their computer and asked if I would ride over with the guys to work on their computer. So Justin, Kevin, the dogs, and I all headed to Bronte. I wasn't about to leave the dogs at home because everytime we come home late at night one of them is sick and has to go to the emergency room! While they worked on the water damage I managed to save my mom's music on itunes which really was the thing she was worried about most. It took me a while though because to download the program on their ancient internet took FOREVER! Kevin and Justin got back and ate dinner while I finished. We finally left a little after 1 am to head home. Just about 10 minutes outside of Bronte my dad called and they had gotten ANOTHER water damage. This one was in Angelo. Thank goodness they had to go pick up equipment from our house because otherwise they were going to leave me and the dogs stuck in the truck for hours. I took a shower when they dropped me off around 2 am and then couldn't fall asleep. Finally I think I went to sleep around 3:30 and Kevin got home sometime around 5 am. We were both exhausted and I wasn't even up for nearly as long as him.

Saturday we managed to sleep in a little but Kevin's parents were headed back from Junction and we had planned on eating lunch together. They got here about 10 am and we visited before going to lunch at Cheddars. We visited some more at our house after lunch. We really enjoyed getting to see them. Since they moved to Haskell we don't get to see them as much as we used to. Kevin and I were so tired still after they left we watched some DVRd Army Wives and then went to bed!

That brings us to today which was really enjoyable. We slept late and then Justin came over to hang out with us! We had a lot of fun! We tried to use my new camera skills to take some pictures of Justin but I didn't do that well. I took the classes with the schools camera because mine was in the shop and now I'm having trouble changing the settings on ours. I've got to get the book out and read about it. We made fajitas for lunch and I was pleasantly suprised to learn that an entire can of fat free refried beans is on 3 1/2 points! I never eat that much so that makes bean burritos not too bad on points! After lunch we fell asleep on the couches while watching TV. Kevin worked the day away removing baseboards all over the house. He RARELY takes naps. When Justin decided to go home I came in here. I figured it had been way too long and I needed to update this thing. Tomorrow I'm going to finished Lacy's wedding shower invites and some stuff for the Eden yearbook. Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

Monday, July 21, 2008

And the results are in...

Well sorta anyway...lol! Dr. Stokes office called today with the results of the biopsies they took during the colonoscopy. They said there was not any cancer (which actually suprised me cause I didn't know they were looking for it) which was good but that there was definately inflammation so I had to have more tests. I had to go in to the office today and get blood drawn so they could do a celiac sprue panel. Of course I had no idea what this was so I turned to my trusty internet to figure it out. Apparently it is testing for celiac disease which from what I gather is the inability to digest gluten. I don't think I have it from reading the description but it sounds like they have to rule it out. So some good news...no cancer! lol but bad news...they still don't really know why I'm sick all the time.

I've spent this afternoon and evening folding clothes and picking up stuff around the house. I've been trying to gather up things to sell in a garage sale. I want to get rid of some stuff and have some money to take to Shreveport. Well that is all for today. Have a goodnight everyone!
Love,
Katy

Sold!

Well Sunday was pretty lazy but nice...Kevin met the man that was buying Eric's truck at noon today. He got the cash and handed over the truck!

I got an email from Cassandra today. She lost the baby while she was visiting her dad in Lubbock. It is so sad. She says she is doing ok but I really worry about her. It breaks my heart...

I talked to Lacy while she was at work today. She said that her wedding shower in Sterling City is going to be on August 18th (Justin's 21st Birthday!) and it would be a boy/girl shower. Kevin is going to be really excited that he gets to go! He's wanted to go on everything we've done so far but I wouldn't let him. She decided for sure on Diamond Jacks for our Shreveport trip so I've got to make a reservation now! I'm so excited!

Daisypath Vacation Ticker

He spent the rest of the afternoon breaking up the ugly tile in our front entry. Everytime he hit it, tile went flying EVERYWHERE! I covered the furniture and worried that a stray piece was going to hit the television. The dogs were terrified by the noise! At one point I had all three in my lap! They were shaking! I kinda swept up behind him but it still went everywhere.

I finished my butterfly paint by number last night. It looks ok. Later on Justin came over! We made a jello pie and just hung out in the living room. I really enjoyed it! He brought half of a wrap he bought at Albertsons from the deli. I didn't know they made those there. It was really good!

We didn't get to bed until like 1:00 but that is ok because I was really having fun! I'll leave you for now...until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Weigh Ins, Diamonds, Popsicles

Well since I had the procedure on Thursday we didn't get to attend our WW meeting. We decided that we would weigh in and attend a saturday morning meeting. We got there just before 10:30 and the weigh in line was HUGE! There was only one receptionist that day so it was taking longer and we were a little late getting into the meeting. I lost 4 pounds this week! I was happy but kinda expected it because of the colonsocopy prep and procedure. The pain so wasn't worth the 4 pounds though. I lost 3.6 the week before with not nearly as much pain. I hope it wasn't a false weigh in though. It was a morning weigh in when we usually weigh in the evening. That brings my total weight loss to 24 pounds! This was our 12th week of dieting so my average is now 2 pounds per week. Poor Kevin gained 1 pound this week. I know its really my fault because he ate the same as I did but I had a colonoscopy. His total weight loss is now 26.4. I've almost caught up to him! He is really determined this week though so he'll probably lose like 5 pounds in one week now! It is Sunday and he is going to the gym today...(yeah I'm not!) We saw some of our friends at the meeting Saturday. We saw Angie our neighbor and Stormy and Stephanie White. It was nice to see them!

After the meeting Kevin and I went to the mall to see about sending in Kevin's sunglasses for the chip in the lens. He dropped them on our kaliche truck driveway. When you buy Oakleys they have a one year warranty if they get broken. We had to walk by Kay Jewelers to get to the Sunglass Hut. We decided to stop in and asked about my ring since the tiny diamond inside my band fell out while the Kay's in Abilene was cleaning it. I had them check all my diamonds and they found that one of my side stones on the other band was also loose! So now both of my rings have been sent off to be fixed! UGH! I feel so naked without my rings! They have a warranty so it doesn't cost anything but still its annoying. They won't be back until like the 30th!

After we left the mall we did some more running around town. We got the car washed, ate subway, and went to WalMart to buy Kevin a new belt. His old belt is way to big now. He is still losing so we didn't want to get him an expensive belt. And he HAS to have one at all times or he just cannot deal. We found a nice one that will work for the time being. I also wanted to get some more popsicles because we have run out of my weight watchers treats. When we were leaving WalMart a lady called about my brother-in-law Eric's truck. Her father (who did not speak english) was at Discount Tire looking at the truck and wanted to know if Kevin would go show it to him. So we drove over there and Kevin got a guy from Discount Tire to translate. The guy decided to test drive the truck and I sat in the car forever with my popsicles melting! I guess it was worth it though because the guy decided to buy the truck! They didn't get as much as they wanted for it but it was a fair deal. It was been for sale for a while so now Eric can put the money in savings to build toward another truck.

We finally got home (after I ate three zero point popsicles in the truck!) and spent the evening being lazy. Kevin worked on the bill of sale on the truck for HOURS and I worked on the paint by number I bought. My painting isn't looking terrible but it doesn't look good. It doesn't really matter though...I'm just doing it for fun.

Before I forget...again...My brother was asked to be in the new commercial for Concho Bike Shop. It shows on KLST and looks really awesome! Here is the commercial...



I am finally going to post a blog I started the other day with some new puppy pictures in about 5 minutes. Whew! I can't believe I'm finally caught up. I'll be back TONIGHT! I swear I won't get behind again. Until I'm back to ramble again... Love, Katy

Finishing Friday's News...

So...I was going to finish up on Friday night since I had so much news for the week and hadn't posted...BUT...we ended up getting invited to go see "Grease" at the Angelo Civic Theater at the last minute. It was so much fun!

Lets see...where was I...Ok so on Friday I had an interview with Trinity Luther School! They have had my resume for weeks so I had finally assume they didn't want me and suprise they call on Wednesday and want me to come for an interview on Thursday. Well obviously because of my procedure I couldn't come on Thursday. So we schedule the interview for 1:30 Friday afternoon. I'm still a little sore and worried I might get sick on Friday but I felt fine through the interview. Friday morning Mr. Fritsche (the principal) calls to see if I can come in earlier. I get there about 11:30 and we start the interview. It was actually one of the strangest interviews I've ever had. It was more of an informational setting. He only asked me like 3 questions. He mostly told me all about the school and position and showed me the classroom. It was kinda like the first visit back after you accept a position and the principal shows you around. I would be teaching computers to ages 3 and 4 through grade 8. Elementary will be different but I kinda like the idea. I did find out that the job would definately only be part time (8-3:30 Monday and Wednesday, 11-3:30 Fridays). That is okay because I could substitute on the other days of the week to test out the big schools in town. The curriculum and grading is completely automated so that would be a piece of cake. He said I would mainly be there to add in assignments for students that need more stimulation and finish quickly. The pay is hourly and was a little disappointing but I just keep reminding myself that it is only part time. I like the small school atmosphere and I would be getting to do computer at least three days a week. He said that he had one other applicant and a current teacher who had asked to be considered for the position. He did say that I had the best qualifications and he liked the additional resources I already had for the kids. He said I would find out if I got it on the 28th when they have their board meeting. God does seem to provide opportunities when we need them. I left Eden because I was spending too much time and money at the job. I was afraid that between driving back and forth and the extra time on yearbook I would fall off my diet and exercise routine. I wanted the extra time to spend on myself. This job would definately give me the time for that. I hope this is what God has planned for me and I get the job.

After the interview I went and turned in my substitute application for SAISD. I was talking on the phone in the parking lot when Josh and Marlayna pulled up! She was dropping off her ESL certification for her application so we went upstairs together. We decided to go to the substitute orientation together on Aug. 6th but then I remember the trip to Shreveport so I will have to tell her the 13th.

After I left SAISD I called Lacy to see about getting the cards to print wedding shower invitations. She and Sue were about to go eat so I went to Henry's with them. We had the craziest waiter who kept saying all these weird things and like sitting down at our table with us! It was definately weird! I enjoyed lunch and getting to talk to them.

After lunch I decided to go get my nails done. I have not done that in FOREVER! One of my students told me about just getting an overlay done instead of adding tips so I decided to try it out. My nails flake and break whenever they start to get long so this will make them stronger to grow out. I love them! I feel so pretty! I chose a pink color but now I wish I had gotten a french mani finish. I will have them put that on there next time. By the time I finished my stomach was finally getting to be a little more than I could bear so I came home, chilled out, took some medicine, and started this ridiculously long blog!

Right before 7 pm my Aunt Sheila and Aunt Jonelle invited Kevin and I to watch "Grease" the play. They had called my parent to see if they wanted to go but they had up and decided to go to San Antonio on friday to sleep at a hotel with Temperpedic beds. lol (My mom couldn't sleep the night before because of their bed so she got this idea in the middle of the night!) Sheila's nursing home were the executive sponsor of the play so they had an awesome reception with food, drinks, decorations, Elvis, and even an ice sculpture! The play was fantastic! It is amazing how well those kids can sing. My aunts are hilarious! We got back pretty late and went to bed because we were exhausted.

I'm going to end Friday here and start a new blog for Saturday...ahh! I've got to get better at doing this everyday or stop being so long winded!
Love,
Katy

Friday, July 18, 2008

Puppy Pictures

I took some new pictures of my puppies the other day! I tried to use some of the tips from my photography class but I think I ended up just using the automatic settings. Look at my beautiful girls!

 

Reese Lynn Johnson-2 years 11 months

 

Tootsie Roll Johnson-5 years 8 months

 
Posted by Picasa

Gracie Carol Johnson-7 years

Sore but perfectly safe...

Well I'm alive! My fears were unfounded! I did actually wake up during the procedure but I couldn't feel anything and then they put me right back to sleep. I think the prep was worse than the actual procedure...well wait...lets back up a few days so I don't lose my train of thought.

Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I've been obsessing over this stupid colonoscopy and it has dictated everything I've done. Last Friday was a pretty lazy day. The only thing I did that was productive was go into town with Marlayna to pick up stuff for Lacy's Lingerie Shower/Bachelorette party. It was a lot of fun and we found a few cute things. We finally settled on a date for the shower, September 4th. I also talked to Doris about Lacy's wedding shower and we got a few things worked out.

On Saturday I went to my final photography and we got to test out our new skills. I didn't really take anything inspiring but now I have a few skills to perfect. I will try to post some pictures of my dogs that I took after this. When I got home my dad and Kevin were pouring concrete in our dining room to prep out floors for tile. It turned out really good and we were so glad my dad showed up to help! Kevin said he was way in over his head and it would've been terrible if my Dad hadn't shown up. We have concrete dust ALL OVER OUR HOUSE. I'm not kidding. I spilled the dogs water bowl and a small concrete spot showed up on the floor. I keep dusting and sweeping and it still keeps showing up! I guess we will be cleaning it up forever.

Sunday was my favorite and least favorite day this week!!! Let me explain...My brother competed in a Triathlon at Lake Nasworthy that morning! They swam, biked, and ran for what seemed like forever! Justin did so good! I can't believe he can do that so well! I'm soooooo not athletic. I got a ton of good pictures and will post those also. We got up really early to go watch the triathlon. It was over by 9:00 am so we decided to find something fun to do. We ate lunch at Cheddar's and went back to Justin's house. Our friends Brigitte and Dusty wanted to cook out so we went swimming and had awesome barbeque. That is where the fun day ended though. We got home just before 10:00 pm that night. I walked into kitchen where the dogs stay and there was a large dark red pile of blood in the middle of the floor. We didn't know whose blood it was so we let the dogs outside and found that it was Gracie's. She was trying to use the bathroom and blood was just going everywhere. Kevin calls the vet emergency room and they tell us to bring her right in. The next afternoon and about $460 later Gracie is stable and being sent home. She lost a lot of blood but is doing better. She now has special dog food called Science Diet I/D for intestinal disorders. Of our three little dogs each now has a different kind of dog food. Reese has special L/D for liver function and Tootsie is on adult science diet light. We CANNOT afford for these dogs to keep getting sick. The last three months we have had HUGE bills from the vets office. Between Reese's seizure, Tootsie's growth on her leg, and now this...we're going under! Our vet needs to dedicate a new wing called the Johnson Wing of Critical Care. She's doing much better now.

Monday was a very emotional day for me. I dealt with Gracie and her doctors visits and I worked out in the morning but the even was the big deal. Monday evening Kevin and I went to Eden to clean out my classrooms. It took us several hours. I'm so thankful Kevin went to help me because it would have taken days for me to get it out by myself. It is amazing how much stuff I have managed to acquire in my first year of teaching. I would buy supplies when I saw them on sale and other teachers would give me items that they did not want anymore. It packed my Tahoe from the back window up to the front seats. I still have a few items I have to take back and I need to get some check stubs and lesson plan files off my computer so I will have to go back for those.

Tuesday was really a blur because I was so worried about my colonoscopy. I know I worked out and went to Wal-Mart for some last minute colonoscopy supplies. I was on the phone for a long time that day with the nurse from Shannon and working on Lacy's showers stuff. I did make an awesome chicken spaghetti recipe that I found on the internet. My last meal I guess you can say. I will type and post the recipe tomorrow. Then came the worst day...

Wednesday was the prep day for my colonoscopy. The doctor requires a complete colon cleansing the day before. I had a liquid diet (broth, popsicles, and jello) all day long and at noon I had to take these two pills. A little while after you take the pills you are supposed to start drinking this two liter jug of supposedly lemon lime flavored liquid. IT WAS HORRIBLE! I was literally drinking it as fast as physically possible and it took HOURS. I was gagging so much that it was hurting. After drinking the 2 liter jug then you have to drink two 10 oz bottles of lemon lime flavored magnesium citrate. It was even worse than the first stuff! I got to my second bottle and couldn't even get it down. I would take a sip and throw up twice as much liquid. I got about half the bottle down and finally quit because I was throwing it all up.

I was starving and sore when I woke up on Thursday morning. We had to be at the surgery center at 8 am. My mom and dad met us at the center. I was so glad they all were there with me. I had 4 people in front of me so I had to lay around hooked up to all these IVs and monitors for a while but eventually I got in and was in my Tahoe being driven home by 11:30. I think I woke up during the procedure but it didn't hurt. My parents and Kevin said I was talking crazy when I was waking up in recovery but I don't think I was. The thing I remember the clearest though was about 4 minutes after I got in the car we were stopped at a the light behind best buy on sherwood way when I started getting nauseous. I couldn't find anything in the car to use so I just check to make sure no one was coming...opened the door...stuck my head out and vomited Sprite all over Sherwood Way. I'm sure the people behind us got an extremely funny show. Story of my life I guess. I napped and sat around doing paint by number for most of the afternoon. If I got moving too fast I got sick again. My parents came over and hung out with us which made me really happy and best of all my brother came over to see me that night! He even brought me a sonic blast! I'm going to tell ya'll about his Concho Bike Shop News later. Well I leave yall here for now and when I get home tonight finish with today's news. TTFN!
Love,
Katy

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Scared

I'm about to leave for my colonoscopy. Kevin is taking me. The prep yesterday was absolutely horrible. Please pray for me. I'm terrified I won't wake up.
Love,
Katy

Thursday, July 10, 2008

A Milestone

Well this has been a busy week! I'm exhausted and there is still one day left! I'll start with the most important news...
I have a happy milestone today! I just got home from the Weight Watchers meeting this week and I lost 3.6 pounds this week! That is absolutely amazing! I hit exactly 20 pounds of weight loss this week! I'm very excited! I've been craving Ichibans for days and wanted to go celebrate since I have 27 points left for dinner but no one could go with me tonight. My mom said that we will go celebrate tomorrow! I don't really feel any different yet with the exception that exercise is getting easier I guess but I haven't really noticed a difference in clothes or how I feel yet. My clothes were pretty tight before so maybe they are just actually fitting now! ha

The last time I blogged was Monday so lets start with Tuesday! On Tuesday morning I got up bright and early to pick up Lacy and Marlayna. We drove out to Bronte and picked up Cassandra and Tasha then headed out for Abilene! We were going shopping for bridesmaids dresses...dum dum duuuummmm...overall I'd say it was a good day. After trying on pretty much every dress in the store leaving and then coming back we finally all agreed on a dress! It is a plain black strapless dress with a pink ribbon. Lacy tried on a couple of dresses and found two she liked. She hadn't planned on looking at dresses but they said we would get a discount if she bought hers first so she decided to look. She got kinda frustrated because half of the people there liked one dress and the other half liked another. Finally she just decided against both and we ordered our dresses anyway. She looked beautiful in both of them. We had a good time talking and comparing dresses. I looked like crap in pretty much everything but at least we found something. I was worried I wouldn't fit into anything at all. When I got home I had a message from Stormy on myspace. She and Henry had gone up to the school and their principal told them that their BCIS teacher had resigned. They didn't know if they were going to replace her yet but he said if they knew anybody good to get their resume so they called me! Isn't that nice?! I'm not going to get my hopes up since they haven't actually posted the job but it does kinda seem like a blesssing! Christoval is only 20 miles from my house when Eden was 48 miles. It is still a drive but it takes me the same amount of time to drive to Christoval as it does across town. I'm also still worried if driving will cause my weight loss to slow down but I'm not going to freak out about it until the job is actually open. I emailed the principal my resume and he was really nice and said that he would certainly let me know if the job opened up and would keep in touch with me. So I'm just going to have this attitude that if it happens...it happens...if it doesn't...it doesn't...no big deal. If God means for it to be it will happen.

Yesterday I did a couple of things around the house and then ate lunch with Rebecca, Delese, and Brittany (one of my previous students). We ate at Double Dave's pizza so I was really concerned but I limited how many pieces I allowed myself and waited a long time before eating each piece. After lunch I worked out for a long time. I did 2 1/2 miles on the bicycle and 2 miles on the eliptical. When I got home Marlayna called and we were talking about substituting for next year and wedding stuff. She made me feel a lot less nervous about substitute teaching. It was really nice that she answered all my questions! We decided to go swimming later at my brother's house. It was so much fun! We got to talk with Maddie slept and then Marlayna, Kevin, and I played with Maddie in the pool. We made ourselves so hungry swimming that we went to Taco Bell afterward...I hadn't been there in forever since I'm dieting but had been craving it for weeks. We didn't go over board and it tasted soooo good. I got sick later that evening but I've come to expect that. That is why I have to have the colonoscopy...ugh!

That brings us back to today...I've been on the phone ALL DAY LONG! We've been trying to figure out when to have Lacy's wedding shower and lingerie shower. Since Lacy works weekends it has made it a little hard but we were finally able to agree on a day and get some stuff accomplished. Now we just have to find a day for the lingerie shower. I'm going to handle invitations so I can make sure they get out. My colonoscopy was also causing scheduling problems because it was right in the middle of August so I decided to take a chance and just call the doc to see if they could get me in earlier. This was also a little motivated from getting sick last night. I called and the nurse said they could get me in next Thursday the 17th! I'm not excited but I'm kinda glad to be getting it over with and now we don't have to worry about scheduling around it. I also filled out my application to substitute teach today. I just have to get a copy of my transcript from ASU and then I can turn it in. I know I haven't covered everything in the past few days but my hands are getting tired...he he...I'm sure I'll be back sometime soon...
Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

Monday, July 7, 2008

Life is too short...

Kevin and I just got back from a funeral this morning. Our friend Billy Arthur passed away on Monday June 30th. He had been battling Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma since sometime last year. It was very suprising for us. In April we had heard that he was doing much better and would be released from the Navy and moving back home. He was only 28 years old. He had a beautiful wife named Sarah and three little girls ages 10, 4, and 2. He was always one of the healthiest people I knew! He was always in shape and took care of himself! It is scary how someone in good health can go down so fast. What if it was someone like me who is in such bad health? He had a beautiful funeral with military honors. There was a 21 gun salute and a bugle player. I held up okay until it was time to exit the church. I brokedown passing the casket. He was so young. It makes me realize that my decision to get healthy is that much more important. Life is so short...I've got to be healthy and enjoy it. I've got to be the best wife, daughter, sister, and friend that I can be.

Kevin and I have been discussing my plans for next year for months now. I know that several of you have had to listen to me obsess about it for a while. We had finally decided last Tuesday that I would resign from Eden and apply to substitute teach full time next year. I had a workshop on Wednesday so I decided I would tell Mr. Siler afterward. He knew I had been thinking about it since I talked to him a while back. Mr. Siler was absolutely wonderful. He was very understanding and said if I needed any references to have them call him. When I spoke to him he said that they hated to lose me but that he understood. He also said that he appreciated the time I was there and that I had been a wonderful teacher. It was so nice but kind of made it that much harder to leave. That morning before I left we got the news that Billy had died. It didn't make my decision for me but it definately reinforced it. I was blessed enough to have my husband return from war in one piece. I think that God's wants me to be the best wife I can be and focus on my relationship with God and my husband.

One of the saddest parts of the funeral for me came after we were driving away from the cemetary. I'm not good at showing emotion in front of other people. About a minute away from the cemetary Kevin finally turned on the radio to fill the silence in the car. A song was just starting on the radio. It was called "If You're Reading This" by Tim McGraw. I had never heard the song before but just the first few words caught my heart and I was at complete attention.
Sometimes I think God places events or people in our lives to let us know that he realizes how bad things are but that everything will be okay. Billy didn't die in a war zone but served faithfully in the navy for 9 years and he fought a battle against a cancer that weakened his body.

I'm going to miss my students and coworkers terribly but this is something I have to do. I will substitute in San Angelo and hope that I can learn enough about big schools that I will feel completely confident if a position in town ever opens up.

Here is a link to a video of the song I talked about earlier.

"If You're Reading This" By Tim McGraw

It's beautiful...I hope you enjoy it...
Love,
Katy

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July!

Glitter Graphics

Well today is a very special day for Kevin and I! We celebrate America's Indepence day like everyone else but we also have several other reasons to celebrate! Six years ago today Kevin asked me to be his wife at a gazebo here in San Angelo and I said YES! It was the best decision of both of our lives! It was the day he made me the happiest woman on earth! It is also very special because 5 years ago today I had just picked Kevin up in Hawaii when he was returning from the war in Iraq. I arrived in Hawaii on July 2nd and met my friend Sarah Elenes. Sarah's husband is Juan Elenes. One of Kevin's best friends from the Marine Corps. We stayed the night and the next day picked our husband's up on the dock in Pearl Harbor. We waited for HOURS for the ship to dock! We were both sunburned by the time they got there but it was well worth it! On the 4th we drove around the island looking at beaches and visiting parks. Our last stop was at Hanauma Bay where we played on the beach and in the water a little. That night there was a big 4th celebration on base at Pearl Harbor that we got to go to. There was a carnival and a huge fireworks show over the harbor. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! The next day we visited the Arizona Memorial before flying back to Texas. It was a short trip but nothing could have made it better!

This 4th of July really pales in comparison. Kevin had to work most of the day and all of our friends have other plans so we're just sitting at home with the puppies. Not the most exciting day but I'm still happy. I have a wonderful husband, awesome friends, and a loving family that are all healthy and happy. I'm proud of my husband and the sacrifices he and his friends made for our country. So while we might not be having a huge party...we will count our blessings and thank God for Robert Zurheide, Aaron Austin, Brad Shuder, Jose Gutierrez and the many others who paid the ultimate price for our country. I am a very lucky woman because my husband did return safely when many other's husbands did not. So tonight while we sat on the back porch watching people in our neighborhood shoot fireworks I thanked God for my husband and asked God to remind me of the really important things in life so I won't worry so much. I will stop rambling for tonight and leave you with one of my favorite quotes...

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."
-President Ronald Reagan, 1985

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!
Love,
Katy

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Good News and Bad News

Well today was a good and a bad day...Good news! Today I went to lunch with Lacy, Tasha, Cassandra, and Marlayna to talk about wedding stuff! It was so fun! We got several things decided and got to visit for a while. It was kinda funny because Cassandra brought Brayden, Marlayna brought Maddie, Lacy had Jensen....I was like..."When did we get old?!" People with kids were the majority and the ones without were the minority! We've become the grownups and that is soooo weird! I'm excited for next Tuesday. We are all going to go to David's Bridal in Abilene to look at bridesmaids dresses. I'm going to drive my Tahoe since everyone will fit the best. It is exciting but I'm also kinda dreading it in a way. I'm the hugest bridesmaid on earth and it really limits what we can get because I don't fit into everything. I know they don't mean to make me feel bad about it but I do it to myself I guess. It is Lacy's wedding and she is kinda stuck to see if I can even fit into what she wants. The girls kept saying that I will probably have lost a lot more weight by the time the wedding comes but I kept telling them not to count on it. I don't want them to buy dresses counting on me to squeeze into and then what if the weight comes off but I'm still not small enough or if I hit a plateau. She probably would've been better off to pick a different bridesmaid so she could have what she wanted. If I was a good friend I would've told her to do that.

The diet did okay this week. I only lost .8 pounds but I guess I should say...at least I didn't gain! Kevin had to work this evening so he did not get to go to the meeting this week to weigh in. He probably lost like 5 pounds this week. I ate worse the week that we went to Albuquerque and lost more! I don't get it! I guess I was walking around more do stuff in NM so that probably help. Being sick on Monday I only worked out on Tuesday and Wednesday this week so that probably didn't help. I guess I can only hope for better next week.
Love,
Katy

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Once again a liar

Well in my last post I said I would be back the next day...it didn't happen and made a liar out of me again. I guess I just need to stop saying when I'll be back. We had a pretty nice weekend. Slightly lazy with a little work sporadically throughout.

On Friday I worked out with Lacy and then headed back to the house. My mom and dad came over to my house for a while. I've been meaning to clean out my pantry in forever because it is so deep and I am sooooo short that things get lost in there. So my dad got comfortable watching television and using the internet while me and my mom got to work. Since we are about to begin laying tile in a few weeks we had a few things we needed to do. We took down most of the decorations in my living and dining room and packed them away until after the tile is finished. Kevin helped us and did a good job of following orders! ha ha He was a big help. He and my dad even started pulling up the wood floor in our dining room. Then we cleaned out my fridge and pantry of stuff that we didn't need anymore. Since we have been on our diet we have been switching to reduced calorie or light versions of almost anything in our house. It is amazing how many points can be saved and most of the stuff tastes just as good! We packed up all of the really good tasting fattening foods and took it to my cousin Kendra. Her kids will be able to eat it and with their metabolism it won't affect them at all! We got to see her and the kiddos which was a lot of fun. She has asked us to be godparents to her fourth month old Callen and we said yes. He sure is a cutie!

On Saturday we were pretty lazy until the afternoon. We did some more picking up and what not but it wasn't a real concentrated effort. That evening my mom called and said they were going to go eat at Applebees and to a movie and wanted us to go. So I looked up the times for the shows and then we went to eat. I love the grilled shrimp from Applebees! You can eat so many for not nearly as many points as chicken or beef. After Applebees we went to the movie theater and saw "Get Smart"! I had been waiting for it to open! I was a huge fan of the show when it used to come on Nick at Night when I was a kid. It was VERY funny! I laughed the entire time! And it wasn't completely perverted like most movies have to be nowadays to get laughs. It also leaves then ending open like their might be another one. I hope so!

Sunday we decided to head to Bronte for the day. My mom had called and said that my brother was headed over there and she was making lunch. It had been a while since we just went out their to visit so we decided to go. Lunch was good and then we watched s0me rented movies called "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" and "10000 B.C." I like the first one but the second one stressed me out. I have to admit that it was pretty good but I don't like movies that stress me out. We enjoyed our time there and then headed home just after 10.

Yesterday I strayed off of my usual weekday routine. I've been doing pretty good at getting up in the morning and going to the gym first thing except for the times I've been sick. With my stomach right now that isn't that rare. I got on the phone and started calling private schools to see if they had any openings. There still hasn't been any at SAISD so my mom had said it could hurt. I called Cornerstone Christian but they did not have any openings and then I called Trinity Lutheran School. I asked if they had any openings and she said yes for a COMPUTER teacher! I was thrilled! I don't know anything about working at a private school and what the requirements are but heck it is better than having to drive so far everyday! They said I needed to come in and fill out an application. I decided I need to update my resume before I went so that I would have the information handy and it is always nice to be able to leave one with the application. It took me most of the morning but I got it updated. Not my best work under pressure but it will do. I got dressed and drove to the school. When I got inside I met the princial, Mr. Fritsche? I believe. He was pretty nice. He said that the resume would give him all of the information he needed and thank you for bringing it by! He said he would look it over and give me a call to set up an interview...well...that was yesterday...and I still haven't heard anything! I was hoping he would call today to setup an interview but nothing. Maybe it was already filled and the secretary didn't know. I'm not going to get my hopes up. It just seemed like God was finally giving me a push in one direction because a position opened up. If I don't get it I will just substitute next year and focus on getting healthy. I have a service learning workshop in Eden tomorrow so I plan on speaking with Mr. Siler again before that. I am completely torn but it justs feels like the right thing to do. I need the experience in San Angelo or I will never feel ready to take a job here. Today I have been sick to my stomach again. The story of my life. I'm really dreading this colonoscopy but I'm ready to not be sick anymore. I mean this is ridiculous. I spend the majority of my life feeling terrible! No I'm not pregnant for those of you who automatically assume that. That will not be possible until I've lost a lot of weight and probably begin infertility treatments. I'm finally feeling better so I'm going to attempt to workout. I won't eat anything until afterward just to make sure. Until I'm back again...
Love,
Katy

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Weight Loss Update!

Well I was certain that I had gained this week...being sick has made me feel miserable so I didn't work out on Monday or Tuesday. AND...my scale at home told me so...BUT I lost 1.8 pounds! I'm very happy! I am now at 15.6 pounds! I received my third 5 pound star at the meeting today. I have actually been losing much more rapidly since school let out! Who would've guessed?! lol I received my first star at 6 weeks, second star at 8 weeks, and third star at 10 weeks! Kevin lost .8 this week bring his total to around 23 pounds. Even though this is week 10 at weight watchers the first meeting is the start of the diet so it is actually 9 weeks of dieting. I'm average 1.75 pounds a week. Kevin averages 2.5 pounds a week. If I could lose like Kevin I could possibly look halfway presentable at Lacy's wedding but I know that isn't going to happen.

Well I've got to get to bed. I am exhausted. I'll be back tomorrow...
Love,
Katy

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Standard Teaching Certificate!!!

Well I have some good news! As of today I am completely totally certified on a standard texas teaching certificate! I completely finished my teaching certification! I'm very relieved and excited! I feel like I graduated from college all over again! This year teaching was harder than college ever was but it was 100 times more fulfilling! That is what makes my decision about staying in Eden next year even harder to make. Speaking of which...

I went to Eden yesterday morning. I wanted to talk to my principal, Mr. Siler. He is a wonderful principal and I needed to let him know what I have been dealing with. I was able to talk with him about gas costs and time to take care of myself. He said that I did a great job this last year and they would hate to lose me. He also said he would support me in any decision that I make and he completely understands. He said that I have to make the decision that will be the best for me and my career in the long run. That makes me feel better but I still have guilt about leaving. I'm lucky I found a job when I did and there are probably many others who are having problems finding jobs. I've been praying constantly about the right decision and substituting next year seems so right. What I really want in my life is to get healthy so I can enjoy life and someday be able to have children. I don't want to spend the next year working tons of hours again and not taking care of myself. I cannot have children at my current weight and state of health. I have to make that the priority. I'm going to make my decision and call Mr. Siler tomorrow. Pray for me to make the best decision.

Kevin and I visited Belmore Baptist Church on Sunday. It seemed like a pretty nice place. Not too big but not too small. The regular pastor wasn't there so I was kinda disappointed by that but it was okay. I didn't see very many young couples either. I really wanted to meet other people our age. I'm hoping we can visit again sometime when the regular pastor is there and see what sunday school classes they offer.

I've actually been feeling pretty sick this week. The medicine my doctor put me on to regulate my hormones has really kicked in and I feel like crap! It should get better as times goes on but for now this is ridiculous! It has made me feel so bad that I haven't even been to work out this week. I'm going to go tomorrow and see if maybe it will make me feel better.

I'm sure I'll be back to write tomorrow but for now...I'm going to bed! Good night!
Love,
Katy

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Office 07

Weight Watchers Update! We attended our meeting and weighed in on last Thursday. Even after our vacation (where we ate VERY badly), my hormone medication, and only working out once last week we both still managed to lose. I lost 1.8 pounds and Kevin lost 1.4 pounds. The first time I have ever beaten him on weekly loss! That brings my total to 13.8 pounds. Kevin also reached a very important milestone though. His total is now 22.4 pounds. He has now lost over 10% of his total starting weight. He received a keychain from weight watchers for his accomplishment. I never thought I would be so jealous of a cheap keychain. Its not really the keychain though...it is what it represents. It will be a very long time before I reach my 10% goal. My weight loss really has increased since school has been out. I guess it really makes a difference when I have the time to eat better, exercise more, and focus on myself a little. I also started taking a nutritional supplement this week that my doctor recommended. It is called JuicePlus and it gives you all of the fruit and vegetables you need for the day. This should really help since I'm not able to eat vegetables very much.


I had two workshops on thursday and friday of last week. They were over Microsoft Office 07 which is VERY different than the previous versions. Old versions used menu bars and dialog boxes. The new version uses tabs, ribbons, groups, and command buttons. It takes some getting used to the new locations of some of the functions but I think it is a good upgrade. It is more icon based so students won't have to read as much. Not that they can't...they just choose not to.

I think that I forgot to mention that we had a good visit last Thursday with Dwight, Crystal, and their girls. They just came in town for about 2 days for Dwight's work and we went to eat at Ichibans. It was soooo good! I actually ate all the vegetables on my plate and enjoyed them! The best thing was that I didn't get sick afterward!!!

Kevin is finally thinking about college and it makes me so excited! He has money available to his through his GI Bill and I think it would be such a waste for it to disappear. Even if he never gets another job I think he will be so proud of his accomplishment and make him feel better about the his current work. Even an associates degree will help him so much!

I'm going to go work on the picture CDs that I'm making for my seniors last year. I'm still yet to finish them. Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Road Trip!

Whew! We have had a busy couple of days! I last posted about my onery little puppy Tootsie. Well she has had the e-collar (sattelite dish lol) on for almost a week now and her staples are healing nicely. She gets to go have them taken out tomorrow.

I was going to post about our trip before we left but since Tootsie kept me so busy the day I was supposed to be getting ready...I ran out of time. The VA had requested that Kevin go to their large VA hospital in Albuquerque, NM to undergo some testing for TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) related to his time in Iraq. So we decided he would go up there this summer when I could go with him. A few weeks ago we received an invitation to Kevin's cousin's wedding on the saturday before his appointment so we decided we would drive up to Kevin's parent's house in Haskell stay Friday night in Haskell, go with Morris and Judy to the wedding, stay the night in Haskell, and then drive on to Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon. Cody and Sarah's wedding was so beautiful! We enjoyed spending time with Morris and Judy. Sunday was Father's day and Monday was Morris's 55th birthday! Judy made an amazing dessert called dump cake and I got the recipe! I'm kinda excited to see if I can take the recipe and make it more weight watchers friendly!

8 1/2 hours in the car on Sunday! It wasn't too bad though because my dear sweet husband drove and I napped, played my Nintendo DS (I know...I know! It is for kids but I love it!), and read my magazines that I haven't had any time for during the school year. Driving in to Albuquerque on the interstate you have to go down some EXTREMELY large mountains which make me very nervous! I just focused on my solitaire game and Kevin told me when I could look up so that helped a lot. I'm really afraid of heights.

Big towns are nice to visit but I never want to live there. Before we even got into the hotel we had a guy begging for money at the hotel entrance and then the next morning I was woke up by a guy pretending to be guest services about delivering flowers and wanting to know if we had heard anyone having sex too loudly! We called the front desk and apparently they are having problems with people calling trying to get personal information out of guests.

Kevin's appointment went well. Thankfully there is no indication of TBI though the doctor did tell him he has above average short term memory loss. He said that this is common in Marines who come home and suffer from PTSD. A little disappointing but nothing to fret over. I told him that now we know why he keeps losing his sunglasses! The appointment was over quickly (by 10 am) so we decided to go down to Old Town Albuquerque and look around. We ate lunch at an adorable little restaurant in Old Town called the Church St. Cafe. It was built in the early 1700's making it one of the oldest buildings in Albuquerque. After eating we walked down to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. We had a ton of fun walking around looking at all the exhibits! Well I'm a big dork and love this stuff and Kevin went along for the ride. I actually think he enjoyed himself though. On Monday we drove home (8 1/2 hours to Bronte) and stopped at my parent's house. Thankfully they babysat our puppies while we were gone. We decided to spend the night at their house since it was already almost midnight after we chatted all evening long.

The diet didn't go so great on our trip. It is difficult to be picky when you are guests in someone else's house. I don't think that we did terrible though. If I didn't gain and just maintained my weight this week I will be okay with that. We ate lots of wonderful meals and had a lot of fun. I managed to walk around old town without getting winded which is something I never would have been able to do 2 months ago. I've also been on the Provera (hormone) pills this week so that alone could possibly cause some weight gain. It has made my face break out and I've craved sweets like crazy constantly! Last week I lost 2.6 pounds! It is amazing what can happen when I have the time to workout and make better food choices! Weigh in for this week is tomorrow night before our Weight Watchers meeting so I'll let you know how that goes.

We had some really good talks with Morris and Judy and my parent's during our trip. It made me feel really really good because my dad said that what is most important to them is that I make the change to get healthy in my life. I was so worried that he would be disappointed in me if I decided to just substitute teach next year. I think he would still like me to but he let me know that he loves me and will be happy with whatever I decide to do. I have workshops tomorrow and friday. I'm going to try and finish up my Senior picture CDs and then go to Eden on Monday. I'm going to mail the CDs and talk to Mr. Siler. I'm not going to say that I'm not going back for sure because I may chicken out but I'm definately going to talk to him. I've got to make this decision for my health. I will never be happy until I'm healthy.

Now I'm going to go watch a few of our DVR'd shows with Kevin and enjoy my evening! Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

Thursday, June 12, 2008

My Strong Willed Child

I'm so mad at my chihuahua right now that I could scream! Tootsie my oldest chihuahua (she'll be 6 in November) is driving me crazy! She has what we like to call a split personality disorder. She is very sweet to people she knows but is a terror to strangers. Right now I'm so frustated with her that my mom is calling her my strong willed child. It is a book she read when I was little because I liked to have my way so much.

Tootsie had a small cyst removed off of one of her front legs last Friday. The vet didn't like the way it looked and wanted to get it checked in case it might be cancer. The good news is that it isn't cancer but the bad news is...that she will not leave her bandages alone! I spent hours on Saturday trying to get her to let me take off the outer bandage because the stiches needed to breathe. After we finally got it off she started licking the stiches. She really wasn't a problem until yesterday when we arrived home to find she had pulled out two of the three stiches!

We called the vet who told us to wrap it up for the night and then bring her to the office in the morning so he could fix it. So I'm in a hurry and drop her off this morning so I can make it to my GI doctor's appointment and get my allergy shot. After those disturbing appointments (which I will tell ya'll about later) I had to mail the yearbook proofs and then went to pick her up. She was being so sweet. They vet had put staples in where the stiches had been and had wrapped it up all nicely in a purple bandage. I got her all loaded up inside her cage in the car and set out to finally go home. It is about 12:40 by now and I haven't eaten since 7:30 so I'm starving!

On our way home I stop at Subway to get a sandwich and I'm so proud of Tootsie because she is sitting so quietly in her cage. She isn't whining like usual or trying to eat the people at the Subway drive-thru window. I worry that something might be wrong so I talk to her on the way home so I can hear her tags jingle. We finally get home around 1:00 and I unload my purse, paperwork, and sandwich then let Reese and Gracie outside to go to the bathroom. I go unload Tootsie's cage from the car and open the door for her to come out. This is when the real fun begins...

She gingerly takes about 2 steps out of the cage, looks up at me, and freezes with this guilty look on her face. I look down and notice that she has ripped the purple bandage almost completely off and has 1 of the new staples pull halfway out of her foot. Her cut is kinda busted open and red but not bleeding. She had the stupid bandages dismantled before I could even get her out of the car!

So I called the vet and they asked me to bring her right back to get her fixed up. The vet was at his own doctor's appointment so they put her in a cage and told me they would call as soon as he gets back. Now she is going to have one of those stupid looking sattelite dish type collars around her neck to keep her from messing with her leg. The vet didn't charge us for this morning's fiasco but I'm sure we'll be getting a nice bill after our second visit! Oh I love this dog more than you can ever now but she is too smart for her own good! How am I going to be able to raise kids someday if I get hoodwinked by a dang chihuahua?!

Short and Sweet

Well this one will be short and sweet since it is 2 in the morning...I just finished proofing yearbook pages. I have to call the publisher first thing in the morning to check one page but then I can mail them off! Yay!

I had a really good day today! Kevin and I went to Gold's and worked out with Lacy this morning. After our workout we cleaned up and went to statefarm to finish the paperwork for refinancing our Tahoe. Everything went really well. Afterwards Kevin and I met Lacy at Applebees for lunch. She has to work from 8 tonight until 2 tomorrow afternoon. We have our Weight Watchers meeting and dinner with friends tomorrow evening and then are leaving for Abilene first thing friday morning so I won't see her again until we are back from Albuqurque.

Oh yeah, the VA has requested that Kevin go have some tests run at their hospital in Albuqurque, NM so we are taking a road trip up there this weekend along with stopping at Kevin's cousin's wedding on Saturday. Just a little note for clarification...

Anyway...I spent the rest of the afternoon riding around with Kevin while he checked on jobs they have been working on. It wasn't so bad. I actually got a little nap in the car. Afterwards we came home and have both been working all evening. While I proofed pages Kevin has been creating invoices for customers.

Tomorrow morning I have my appointment with the gastro intestinal doctor so we'll see how that goes. I hope she can help me figure out how I can eat vegetables! I'm finally winding down and getting sleepy so I'm going to try this going to bed thing again.
Goodnight!
Love,
Katy

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Dreaded Doctor's Visit

Well it was that time of year again...my annual ob/gyn visit. It was actually overdue by a year. I know...shame on me. It was due right when my job/insurance changed last summer so it just got delayed and delayed and delayed. So since my allergist is at Shannon I decided to change my ob/gyn to Shannon also. It went great! I love my new doctor and she did a great job discussing ways to treat my PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Basically I have a hormone disorder that affects menstrual cycles, ability to have children, hormones, heart, blood vessels, and appearance. She was impressed with the weight I had lost so far because my hormone fluctuation and insulin problems make it extremely difficult. She also referred me to a gastro intestinal doctor for the stomach problems I've been having. She also suggested a nutritional supplement since I can't digest vegetables right now. I'm really pleased with how the visit went.

Kevin and I have been discussing our Tahoe again. Gas is killer right now but I do not want to get rid of my car! Since my b-i-l Eric has been looking for cars we heard that Statefarm has auto refinancing rates as low as 4.89% right now. We decided to apply just to see what kind of rate we could get (we have 6.9% right now). We were qualified for 5.39% which is great! It will lower our payment about $85 a month and save us over $4000 in interest over the life of the loan.

I received the proofs for all the remaining yearbook pages. They look great...there should only be a few minor corrections. My mom went with me to Eden today and we straightened up my classroom a bit so that if the custodians need to move anything there wouldn't be anything in the way. I so appreciated her going. I got everything done in 3 hours which probably would have taken me 8 hours by myself. I'm enjoying getting to spend time with my family. It is something that I have really missed out on the last few years.

I'm still struggling with my decision to teach in Eden again next year. I love my kids and the people I work with but I HATE driving 48 miles twice a day. Once again gas is so expensive and I'm now about to have to buy the extended warranty for my car after only a year and half. I guess it all traces back to what I really want for my life right now. I will be 25 on my next birthday...I know I know that isn't old. BUT I've spent the last 8 (at least) years in a body I hate! I missed out on so much life because I let my weight control what I could and could not do. Kevin and I will have our 6th anniversary in November. I do want to have children in the next couple of years and that is NOT absolutely not possible at my current weight. I've also picked up serious problems with my knees, feet, back, and stomach in the last year or so...all related to my weight. If Kevin and I are going to continue living in the home we own (which I love!) I'm going to have to teach nearby. I'm scared to death of a big school but it is going to have to happen. If I substitute teach in San Angelo next year I will get lots of experience with the larger schools and get a feel for different schools in town. The drawbacks of subbing will be that I will have to pay for COBRA health insurance (expensive) and be only making minimal money. I have all kinds of inner turmoil right now. I just don't have a clear path that God seems to be showing me. I believe I hear Kevin pulling up outside so I'll say once more...
Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy

Friday, June 6, 2008

Improving Mind, Body, and Surroundings

I swore to myself once school let out that I would be the world's best and most dedicated blogger...well that didn't happen. I will admit though that today is the first time that I've really had any down time at home. I've been finishing the yearbook, working out, and at a workshop this week.

Graduation was a week ago...I miss my seniors already! I went in to work last Saturday and worked on finishing up the yearbook. I had Senior ads pages and graduation pages to make. I completed and proofed all the pages! I mailed it off on Wednesday morning. The worry that has lifted off of me is like nothing else! The publishing company will mail me proofs in a couple weeks before final printing begins. Finishing my first year teaching is kind of bittersweet. I'm exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time. It was the hardest work I've ever done in my entire life but I have never enjoyed a job more. I'm enjoying the time off and my mind is finally clearer than it has been in a while. I guess I don't do stress well. It consumes all I do so I never relax. Hopefully this summer I will have a chance to recharge.

I renewed my contract with Eden for another year about a month and a half ago. I'm still struggling with my decision a little bit though because of the cost of gas and a few other things. Driving back and forth costs so much! I easily spend more than $400 a month on gas. I've been thinking about trading my Tahoe for a car but Kevin is completely against it. It is the only vehicle we own (Kevin drives a work truck) and he does not want it to be a small car. I do not want to get rid of my Tahoe but I can't stand spending such a large chunk of my paycheck on gas. Kevin wishes that I worked closer or didn't work at all. He was so patient with all of the time I spent at school this year. It was rare that I came home before 6 most days.

Kevin worked this weekend on our flowerbed and it looks amazing! He put down mulch and planted flowers and small shrubs. He is very good at that kind of stuff and has an eye for landscaping. We have been preparing to do a lot of work on our house. Kevin's brother is supposed to lay tile in our dining room, kitchen, living room, hallway, 2 bathrooms (both floors and walls), and front entry. We have pulled up the carpet and been living on concrete floors for a while now. We still have to finish pulling the linoleum in the kitchen and do some extensive leveling in the dining area. It will be a lot of work but I know I will love it after it is all done with.

I'm still working out and going to Weight Watchers. I lost 3 pounds week before last but only 1.8 this week. Small victories I guess. I sure was hoping for 3 again because I wanted to hit my 10 pound loss mark this week but I missed it by .6. I'm at 9.4 pounds lost right now. Lacy and I have been going to the gym early in the morning now that school is out. I'm really enjoying getting to go with her. I'm hoping the weight loss will pick up now that I can work out everyday and for a longer period of time. Well my wonderful mother has come into town and we are going to go do a little looking around town. Until I'm back to ramble again...
Love,
Katy