Weight Loss Journal Summaries

Ok, so I know I'm like way behind on my journals...but I'll just sum it up. Sunday is what I call my free day of the week b/c Mike and I always go out for our Sunday breakfast after church. Let's just say I had a huge breakfast and it was yummy. I've been doing good at sticking to my 1200 calories a day. I have worked out everyday except Sunday for at least 1 hour. I've been getting up at 4:30am....Yuck..I know...but it makes me feel so much more awake for the rest of the day. Patty did join the same gym too, so now her and I will work out together on the evenings she wants to go. So I could end up getting 2 workouts a day! Woo! =) So Wednesdays are weigh in days for us and I weighed myself this morning and I lost 3.5 lbs. Woo Hoo!

Now the tricky part about this week is the next 2 days are an out of the office work function for me. All our meals are provided the next 2 days with the exception of breakfast. It might be hard for me to stick to my 1200 calories but I am going to watch my portions.

Weight Loss Journal Summaries

Friday 10/24
Breakfast- McD bacon egg cheese biscuit - 430 Cal

Lunch - Lean Cuisine pepperoni french bread pizza- 290 Cal

Dinner- Beef filled Ravioli and cheesy garlic bread =) Yummy!

Gym- 1hr

Total Calories- ???

Saturday 10/25
Breakfast- 6in Turkey Sub on Italian Herb bread- 380 Cal

Lunch- 6in Turkey Sub on Italian Herb bread- 380 Cal

Snack- Quaker multigrain mini cakes - 90 Cal

Dinner- Ckn Noodle Soup - 300 Cal
Skim Milk - 80 Cal

Gym- 1hr

Total Calories- 1230

Weight Loss Journal Summary

Breakfast- V8 Acai Berry Juice - 110 Cal
Quaker Cinnamom Roll Oatmeal - 160 Cal
McD Parfait - 160 Cal

Lunch- Lean Cuisine Spinach Mushroom Pizza - 330 Cal
Wheat Thins - 140 Cal
Water - 0 Cal

Dinner- Campbell Chunky Pot Roast Soup - 240 Cal
Skim Milk - 80 Cal

Total - 1220 Cal

Thursday 13!

Thirteen Motivators to lose weight...1 To be in shape of course (healthy) 2 Wear a size 6 or maybe 4 again.... (wishful hoping!...Lol) 3 Look the way I looked when Mike first met me 4 Self Esteem 5 Be at a healthy weight before we have children 6 Wear a hot swimsuit....Lol... 7 Get to buy new clothes! 8 Get a new Tattoo, or two 9 Not run of breath so easily 10 Able to get family pictures I'm proud of 11 Patty.....my new motivator!! 12 Lose 25 lbs in 3 months so Patty and I can get our rewards 13 Lose 50 lbs in 6 months so Patty and I can get our grand prize (We set rewards for ourselves)

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Weight Loss Journal Summary

Breakfast- McD Fruit & Yogurt Parfait (w/ granola) - 160 Cal
Snack- Quaker Dipper- 150 Cal
Lunch- Lean Cuisine 4-cheese pizza- 360 Cal
Drinks- Water & G2- 70 Cal
Dinner- Campbells Sirloin Steak/Vegie Soup- 260 Cal
1 Cup Skim Milk- 80 Cal

Total Intake- 1080 Approx.

Exercise- None =( but we did go fill out our membership papers so we're ready to start! I know, I know...... =)

Weight Loss Journal Summary

Breakfast- Raisen Granola Bar -140 Cal
Snack- Quaker granola Dipper -150 Cal
Lunch- Lean Cuisine Pepperoni -370 Cal
Drink- Water and G2 -70 Cal
Dinner- 2 small boneless country ribs & Greenbeans ? Guess it at 500 Cal?

Total Cal Intake- 1230 Aprox.

No Exercise, plan to join gym tomorrow evening!

The Biggest Loser.....

Ok, so I know I've said several times (since putting on my after college weight) that I'm going to workout and diet and shed these pounds. And well, I start and a couple months later I'm back to my normal routine. Well I think this is the time... =) I really really plan to stick with it, and not just to lose weight, but I need to get healthy. I am badly out of shape.
Mike and I canceled our gym membership in Springfield back when we moved into our new house. We would now be further away from the gym we liked and the drive after work and gas prices was not cutting it anymore. Since then we haven't re-joined anywhere. This last month I've felt the need more than ever to join again. We started researching gyms in our town. Surprisingly enough, there were at least 4 and I think there is a 5th one. We crammed in 3 tours last night at the ones we considered our top 3 choices. I think I know which one I want to join and we are going back Wed. when the manager is working again to take one more quick look and more than likely start our membership. 3 of the 4 gyms in our town are right by our house! If we wanted to walk to either of them I would say its a 5 minute walk, maybe 10 tops. The one I think we're going with has a child play area (don't need it now, but in the future it would be nice), it's NO contracts (I hate contracts...Lol), NO enrollment fees, and its 24/7. You just get your programmed key card to let you in when there is no staff on duty. That will work out well for us b/c Mike likes to get up early and go work out before work. And when I say early, I mean he likes to get up EARLY!.... =)
My friend Patty is also thinking of joining a gym. She lives in the same town as me. I hope she joins with me so we can workout together but I also want her to pick the gym she likes. =) Today we were talking and we decided on a way that we can help each other stay on track and motivated. I suggested starting weight loss/exercise journals. We can keep track of what we eat/drink throughout the day and the amount of calories, exercise that day...etc.... I suggested we meet up to check in but I know our schedules can be different sometimes....then I thought what if we did a blog entry each evening, like a short summary of our journals...so that we could read each others and comment on it. We also decided to make Wednesdays "weigh-in" day. When we blog on Wednesday evenings we can put if we lost any weight. We decided not to put how much we weigh on the internet.... =) Just if we lost any..... I'm very excited about our plan. Hopefully, the motivation of a friend and knowing they are doing the same thing will help.
All of our other "Blogger" friends are welcome to join our adventure..=) The more people involved...the more fun we can make it!
Oh, we also thought we could share any helpful tips with others too...such as new foods you find or anything that is helping you.
Patty we CAN do this! =) Looking fwd to my first summary tonight!

Date Night, Movies, and Football....

On Friday night (last week) Mike and I decided to do date night! Woo Hoo...we had some rebate checks burning a hole in our pockets. =) We went to The Palace and watched Pineapple Express. It was very funny and we quoted it all weekend. After the movie he surprised me by taking me to Braums to get my favorite dessert, reeses peanut butter cup mix...Yummy!
We also rented Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay on Saturday. They were both very funny also.
Sunday Mike made a HUGE pot of chili. We took it over to a friends house and watched football games all afternoon and ate lots of food...too much food... =) But it was a good time. And since our friend has a 52 in (I think?) plasma screen TV with HD, it's also fun to watch TV over there! And hey it's a good excuse for when Mike asks for a new TV...."Just go to Dave's house"..... =)

Thursday 13!!!

Thirteen of my Fave Hairband Songs!!1 Bon Jovi - I'll be there for you 2 Skid Row - 18 and Life 3 Aerosmith - Crazy 4 Guns and Roses - Patience 5 Bad English - When I see you Smile 6 Cinderella - Don't know what you got 7 Warrant - Heaven 8 Poison - Every Rose has its Thorn 9 Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar on me 10 AC/DC - You shook me all Night Long 11 Whitesnake - Here I go Again 12 Night Ranger - Sister Christian 13 Faster Pussycat - House of Pain

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Thursday 13!

Thirteen Thoughts Today...1. Will we ever catch up on Registrations? 2. I need to process credit cards 3. Did this person already register? 4. Why did they send this in twice? 5. I need to set up a tour for Friday to go look at the new gym 6. Is it worth joining a gym again...will I actually go? 7. I need to set up a payment on my credit card...Yuck! 8. Will I ever finish touch up painting in the bathroom, or will my eyes keep finding spots that need more paint? 9. I really don't want to work this Saturday, but know I really need to... 10. Will our new phones be here by tomorrow? 11. Will I be able to get the rebate I was supposed to get on my new phone? 12. Will I ever figure out how to use my new phone....=) 13. I really need to eat my lunch instead of letting it get cold first everyday.

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An Evening of Pampering for the Girls!

Tonight was a much needed Girls' Night! Patty, Annette and I went to get Spa Pedicures together. I love going to get pedicures and my favorite part is the awesome massaging chair you get to sit in while you are getting pampered from the knees down. =) It is the best 30-45 minutes of your life.... =) And I LOVE the foot massages! Annette was so funny...she didn't know what to expect exactly and she was cracking me up! This was her first ever pedicure. She kept pushing all the buttons on the remote that controls the chair and I was waiting for her to push a button that would throw her out of the chair or something.... =)

Another room...

Well today we are finally starting to work on what I call the back bedroom. It's the room that has served no purpose thus far except a place to store junk we don't want to go through. =) I cleared all the "junk" out of it earlier and Mike has begun tearing down the yucky paneling. Next he will start scraping the popcorn stuff off the ceiling so that we can repaint it and make it flat. I can't wait. It will look so much better. We did our bathroom ceiling a few weeks ago when we refinished the bathroom and it looks so much better. There's so much work involved in home projects, but I like to see the end result. Our house already looks totally different than when we moved in and I can't wait until the Big Finale.....whenever that may be. =) Here is a pic of one of the walls after the paneling is down. We will repaint the room white for now until we decide on a use for the room.

Thursday 13....

Thirteen Movies I've seen recently...1. Black Snake Moan 2. Baby Mama 3. Nim's Island 4. Monster House 5. College Road Trip 6. Hairspray 7. Kung Fu Panda 8. The Wedding Date 9. The Dark Knight 10. Zodiac 11. Interview with the Vampire 12. Made of Honor 13. Georgia Rule

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Sister's Weekend

This past weekend my 2 younger sisters came to stay with me again. They are 14 and 7. The youngest actually just turned 7 last Thursday. We had a small birthday party for her at my house Friday night. It was Hannah Montana themed of course! We rented lots of movies and we also went the theater to see Kung Fu Panda, which was hilarious. I did not think it would be as funny as it was, but it surprised me. It is really cute. The girls loved it. Some other movies we watched were....Surfs Up, Monster House, College Road Trip, Baby Mama, Hairspray....here are some pics

Doggy Day Care

Sasha went to Doggy Day Care last Thursday. It was bath time which also means play day at the day care. She is always so nice and shiny when she comes home. She has a new bandana each time she comes home. This time the ladies gave her one with Sunflowers on it. It is my fave so far. I thought it was so so so cute! So, of course, I took pics.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I'm Thankful for today...1. My Husband's unconditional love 2. My Silly Dog Sasha 3. My Home 4. My Family 5. My Friends 6. My Job 7. My Saviour Jesus Christ 8. Answered Prayers 9. Yahoo Chat..... =) 10. I guess that brings us to the Internet... =) 11. My good friend Elizabeth reminding me to do my Thursday Thirteens... =) 12. My God Daughter 13. Girl's Nights!!! Chic Flix and Food!

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My New Haircut

I got my hair cut off today, finally! I have the world's thickest hair and I can only handle it long for a certain amount of time. I also have to have it thinned out really good or else my hair is one huge fur ball. =) It's back short the way I like it. It's a lot shorter in the back and gets longer around the front. We're also going to get the little things finished up in the bathroom today. We've been re-doing the bathroom for a few weeks now and I'm SO READY for it to be finished. The only things left are little paint touch ups here and there and some other minor details. Everything in the bathroom has been replaced now except for the tub and the floor. I think our next big project here in a couple months will be replacing the living room and master bedroom floors with hardwood flooring. I can't wait for that!

Sasha & Mommy!

My Dog Sasha

Mike and I LOVE dogs. We love them so much if we had the room we would have a dog farm! We have always wanted a dog. We tried twice before actually. But we lived in apartments and it just never worked out. We felt like we were neglecting them b/c they were cramped in an apartment or else there were neighbors to complain. I do not miss apartment life! We wanted to rescue/adopt a dog and that was our plan until we saw this little girl needed a home or else she would go to the pound. We were the first to contact the woman who had her and she promised to hold onto her until we could get her. We were a week out from closing on our house and had no place to put her until then. I drove out to pick her up March 1st, 2008. A friend of mine offered to go with me so I wouldn't have to go to a stranger's house alone. I was glad she came with me. The house was very dirty and I could tell Sasha was so happy to get out of there. Sasha wouldn't eat for 2 weeks after we got her. Well, she would nibble here and there but she refused to eat. We finally got her into the vet for a checkup and her shots. The vet was able to tell us she had 2 types of worms and 1 of which he said dogs only get from very nasty environments. We felt so bad for Sasha. I was so glad at that point that we had taken her and I did feel like we had rescued her. She was not the only dog at that house so I'm sure the other doggies were sick too. Sasha's medicine to get rid of the worms was not cheap. She also had some type of infection from them. He explained to us why she wasn't eating and what she was feeling inside. They gave us some special dog food that would not hurt her stomach. After a couple of weeks she was well. She started eating normal and she's a very happy dog.

Mike and I love Cesar the Dog Whisperer and we follow all his techniques. It has worked wonders for us with Sasha, not that she was misbehaved b/c she wasn't, but it keeps her in line and she knows who her pack leaders are. =) Once a month I take her to a Pet Motel in Ozark and let her spend the day in what they call Doggy day care. She gets to stay all day and be pampered by the ladies there and have play time with other dogs her size. She also gets a bath and her nails trimmed while she is there. It is a day all about Sasha. And she knows where I'm going to when I take her. She goes nuts when we pull down the street the motel is on. She can see all the other dogs in the play area and she wants to be with them. The ladies up there love her. They always want to keep her.

I wouldn't say Sasha is the perfect dog, but I like to think she is. =) But there are times she tests us and it's just every so often out of the blue. We will come home and she will have some how found something and of course chewed on it....what else would a dog do with it? =) But usually we have done something to make her mad. For example she doesn't like it sometimes when we both get home from work and have to leave immediately for something else. And I don't blame her. She's alone all day and longs for 4pm when Mike gets home and then 5pm when "Mommy" gets home. Mike says sometimes I love her too much and I get in trouble for spoiling her. But it's so hard. She knows when Daddy is mad and then she will come to me and look at me with those HUGE brown sad eyes. She is a nut but I love her.

Thursday 13!!!

Thirteen Things about Jodi1. My middle name is Darlene 2. My maiden name and married name both have 3 syllables and the exact number of letters 3. I am 26 4. I highlight my hair 5. I have one dog...Sasha...my baby, well a big baby.... =) 6. I have been married 3 yrs and 3 months to this day exactly 7. I graduated Houston High School 8. I graduated College of the Ozarks 9. I have 4 younger siblings 10. This is my 2nd attempt at blogging... if this counts =) 11. I wear a green bracelet for Kidney Cancer awareness everyday 12. I'm Catholic 13. I'm a Step-mother and Godmother

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My First Blog "The Background"

Well, here it is my first blog. I guess this one will just be a summary of my life in general right now. I'm currently working as an Accountant/Assistant Registrar for a Non-Profit organization, IAFE. I am not going to try to explain what IAFE stands for or what we do. It is way too confusing.... =) I am going on my 5th year at my job and was lucky enough to have this job offer before I graduated college back in 2004. I enjoy my job but like anyone there are days I wish I did something different. I get to travel to Las Vegas, NV once a year for 9 days, all expenses paid for...so I guess I can't complain. That itself is worth it! The first year I went was also my first plane ride....I drove my co-workers nuts with all my anxieties about flying...haha...but now I LOVE flying! I would actually rather be in a plane, than a car.

I've been married to my wonderful husband Mike for 3 years now. I know that God sent him to me. He has changed my life so much since first meeting him and all for the better. I am a completely different person. I would probably not be in a good place if not for him. He has shown me what a "Husband" should be. Sometimes I'm in awe at him. He loves me so much even when I think I don't deserve it. Words that describe him are: Loyal, Faithful, Understanding, Non-Judgmental, Honest, Father, Partner, Laid back, Smart, Optimistic, Spiritual....I could go on and on all night. Sometimes I wonder how he got stuck with me...=) A good friend of mine told me once we go together b/c we balance each other out. For example where he's relaxed and laid back most of the time, I am stressed or worried all the time. He always sees the glass half full and as hard as I try 75% of the time I see it half empty. He brings me back to reality and I realize I am truly blessed in my life and the world is not going to end b/c of what ever I'm freaking out about. There are a lot of things we're completely opposite about, and a lot we're the same. It keeps things fun and interesting though. =)

We had been married for 2 years when I decided to inquire about the RCIA process in the Catholic Church. RCIA in a nut-shell is the adult confirmation process in the Catholic Church. It's forever long...approx 9 months give or take...but very much worth it. Mike was raised Catholic and all of his family is Catholic. This was never a problem for us me not being Catholic. Yes, there are some that think I only did it b/c he was. But those who truly know me, know that was not the case. I would have done it along time ago if I felt that way. Anyway, Mike and I had been saying for the last few years, "We need to get back into church"...easy to say of course, but not so easy to dedicate ourselves to. I told him more than once I would go to Mass with him. I would decide later if it was right for me or not. And he was open to trying other churches. I went to church with him for about a year before I decided, "Yes, this is for me". I had been to SEVERAL churches throughout my life but never felt the way I did now. We found out when the next RCIA sessions were starting and we BOTH started going. Yes, Mike was already Catholic but wanted to support me by being by my side through all of it. And he was....He came to every meeting with me. This was also good for him b/c he had fallen out of church for a few years while he was in the Army. He learned just as much as I did. While I was going through my life changing process of converting, my mother-in-law was sick with Cancer. She passed before my Confirmation day. You take a "Confirmation" name in the Catholic Church when you are confirmed. Most pick the name of a Saint, one that has played a role in their lives, or maybe they feel a connection to. However, I decided to pick someone that had a HUGE influence on my life and my decision to become Catholic. This person was my mother-in-law, Judy. She was a devout Catholic woman. She was the Daughter, Mother, Grandmother, Mother-in-Law.....everything I could only hope I could be someday. Her name was Judith Eileen. I took the name of Judith Eileen on my Confirmation Day. When Father blessed my forehead with the Oil of Confirmation he said those words that brought tears to my eyes (and my husbands), the words we had both longed to hear...."I confirm you, Judith Eileen...." That was truly one of the most happiest moments of my life so far. And I could feel Judy with me. The entire night I knew she was there watching both Mike and I. It was a night words can't explain.

This Life changing process meant so much to us that we decided to return the next year, but as Sponsors. In RCIA, each person is given a Sponsor. A Sponsor basically is just a friend that is already Catholic. They become very close to you throughout the next few months and are there to answer any questions you might have, or find the answers for you. My sponsor is now one of my best friends. So, we return to RCIA the next year =) We are paired up with a married couple. Wow!, another life changing experience. We now got to watch not only 2 more people make the decision to bring God into their lives, but we got to watch a married couple grow together. It was so wonderful to watch these to learn and grow. Both of them were looking for a change in their lives and searching for faith. And not only were they going through this, they had a baby girl. They were making a commitment for their family. Mike and I got to know Tonya and Adam and became good friends. Now, Tonya had never been baptized so part of her RCIA process included Baptism. I, being Tonya's Sponsor, was also considered her Godmother at her Baptism. Tonya was so so so excited about being Baptized. It was truly a blessing to watch her receive the Sacrament of Baptism. I was already baptized years ago, so I wasn't Baptized again when I went through Confirmation. So the second time around I was getting to see things from a different perspective. Her husband, Adam, was already Baptized as a child. Being by their sides on their confirmation night was another blessing. Tonya cried as she was confirmed and this brought tears to my eyes. I was so happy for her.

Next, would come another life changing experience for both Mike and I. Tonya and Adam asked us to be Megan's Godparents! My heart jumped when she asked me. She had sent me an email asking me and I hardly got through the email when I realized what she was asking and I almost jumped out of my chair at work. Godparents...."Wow"...now that's an honor! I love hearing stories from my husband about his Godparents and the influence they have had on his life. They were very close. It wasn't just one of those...."Oh my Godparents are so and so"...they were actually parents to him too. They were in his life as much as possible. They were 2nd parents to him. I find his relationship with his Godparents truly amazing. And now I would receive that blessing......the opportunity to be a Godmother! Wow!!! I guess technically I was already Tonya's Godmother but this is a little different... =) Of course I responded YES YES YES!!!! and Thank you! =) It was an honor and a blessing to be there when Megan was Baptized. It was an honor to stand there by her parents and make a commitment along with them to Megan. I framed a picture of Mike with his Godparents for Megan as one of her Baptism gifts. Mike was 1 year old in the picture. It was a professional picture his Godparents had made with him. I wanted Megan to have it. Someday, I know it will mean so much to her....not that it doesn't now....but when she's older and looks back it will be a wonderful keepsake.

Here is another picture of her...is she not the cutest thing ever?!?..... =) She is adorable and will be 2 years old on Dec. 1st. I'm sure Tonya thinks she's growing way too fast!....haha.... We had dinner with them a few weeks ago and I hadn't seen Megan for a couple months. Oh my gosh!...had she changed! She was talking...or attempting to talk.... =) and her facial expressions were cracking me up. She has learned the facial expressions for things such as: Happy, Sad, Angry, Surprised (my fave!!!).....you just tell her which face to make and she does! It is so cute. We ate at a Mexican resturant and she eats soft tacos, no lettuce. She still likes Mike's bald head! And we had fun trying to get her to say our names. Tonya emailed me the other day with a picture of Megan's new big girl bed. She is moving up to a toddler day bed and she picked it out herself!!!! I believe Tonya is re-doing her room in Dora decals too. Megan loves Dora!! What little girl doesn't.... =)

And there's also my Step daughter Charlisse, or Charlie....another blessing in our lives. Charlie is the spitting image of her father. Some days I cannot believe how much she looks like him. =) She has beautiful, shiny red hair. She will be turning 7 soon, on November 27th. I can still remember when I first started dating Mike and she was hardly 2 yrs! Where does the time go? I cannot believe how she has grown when I look back at her pictures. We don't get to see her as often as we would like to. She lives in CA with her mom. She LOVES Disney princesses! And she knows Disneyland like the back of her hand! That's the perk of living down the street from Disneyland....every child's dream! She is so smart! And I'm not just bragging...she really is unbelievably smart! I remember a couple years ago when she told Mike she was going to be a Palentologist when she grew up! Of course I was first taken back by the fact she knew what one was....I think she was 5 or so??? Whenever we get to go visit her we enjoy doing things such as going to the beach, park and aquarium. I have to admit...I too...LOVE the aquariums!!!