I want to remember...

Last week one of my favorite scrapbook gurus posted in her blog, "I want to remember...", and then she posted random everyday things about her kids.  I loved this idea.  I always have a really hard time journaling in my scrapbooks and writing blog entries. By using those four words I think I can write our family stories much better.  I won't have just scrapbooks filled with birthdays and holidays but actual everyday stories that make my family who they are.  So here is the first in what I hope will be any entries.

What I want to remember about this weekend and today:

This weekend we went to the a geocaching event, the Fall Picnic at Lieber State Recreation Area. Not only was it a great weekend with friends and family but it made for some wonderful memories.
From this weekend I will remember these moments the most.

• Lindsay was the leader of one of the kids GeoSurvivor events and she was so encouraging with her younger teammates. She really makes a great big sister and is so sweet with kids that are younger than her.  It makes me wonder if she wouldn't make a wonderful teacher.
•  Jordan made a wonderful new friend, Kellan.  We had never met his parents before, so we made new friends as well.  Jordan and Kellan were almost inseparable when we got back to the campground and are going to keep in touch over the internet.  Neither one of them have stopped talking about the other. I love had easy my kids make friends.
• Sunday morning Katie, Dave, Fred, Bernice and Daryl and I sat around just chatting.  I love the fact that I could have cared less if my hair was done or not.  We just sat around and shared great conversation.  We also had wonderful stories around the campfire the night before.  It is so hard for us to even go to bed when we are having such a wonderful time.

Lindsay encouraging her younger teammate

What a whirlwind!

So I'm back.  I didn't think I was going to be gone so long but things happen.  I can't even remember the last time I wrote anything down, so I guess I will just start from where I am right now. LOL

Life has been pretty crazy lately.  About the middle of July I decided that we wouldn't be sending Jordan and Lindsay back to Holy Cross next year.  I really think Lindsay needs to learn to work on her education as opposed to socialization.  And if I'm going to have one at home, might as well have two.  Of course that meant that I was going to have to find a new school and make sure that they are still going to be getting the same level of education that they were receiving at Holy Cross.  We finally decided on Connections Academy.  So I will be doing school at home, but with a public curriculum.  Before we left for vacation I had to get all the documents into Connections so the enrollment process could start.  Needless to say I was very busy.  And then we ran into the problem with Lindsay's immunizations being recorded wrong.  So now we are enrolled, teachers have been assigned and lesson plans scheduled, and I am still waiting on the call from the doctor we haven't seen in 10 years to find her chart in storage.  Hopefully that will be done soon.  However, the kids are really excited and ready to start next week.  I am trying to not to freak out. I have set their schedules today and I am starting to feel like we are organized and ready to go. 

On another hand Dave and I went to Bash the last week of July.  We had such a good time, but 5 days is a long time to be camping.  I don't think there was an actual day where I felt like I wasn't on a time schedule of some kind.  But it was really fun.  I can't even began to explain the complete craziness that we did while we were there. And that was basically just the beginning of the geocaching season.  We have so many fun events coming up!

On the diet front I feel like I am doing alright.  I haven't been as diligent about juicing as I could have been...but I have stayed on the plant based diet at least 97% of the time.  I did have a small amount of meat at Bash...but not much.  The hardest part of doing the vegan thing at Bash was that we just really didn't have time to eat at all.  I did have some of my friend Katie's meatballs - which are awesome!  And on Saturday I had tacos.  And that was all the meat I have had in over a month.  Since I have been home I did have a very small amount of cheese.  Since I got home I have lost about 3 more lbs, which is pretty good.  I really need to get more organized to get my juice going in the morning.  But I'm sure this will happen next week when I have to get up so early to get Adam off to school.  I am starting to miss certain foods, such as sandwiches and popcorn.  I have found whole grain pitas that I really like and I love putting veggies in them.  I have found that I like Boca burgers, but I really need to make sure I am getting plenty of vegetables instead of starches.  I was missing peanut butter today - so I added some to some apple slices today. I start worrying about adding things like that - and then I remember I haven't eaten any of the crap I used to.  So I am doing just fine.  I want to add exercise, and then I think the weight loss will probably go faster.  Now, I only need to find the time.  I feel pretty good that I am still going!  It's been over a month - it does seem to be getting easier to choose the right foods.

I think I am getting bored.

Today for breakfast, I did not juice.  I was running late and really just needed to get out of the house. So I grabbed some carrots and away I went.  I don't think it was that bad of a choice.  When I got home I was in a hurry - as always - to get Jordan to Wildcat.  So I grabbed an apple and headed out the door. Both times I made sure to take water. 
I think just juicing and juicing might drive me bonkers.  Yesterday I only juiced once.  But I didn't eat badly either.  Today we headed to the food coop to look for some vegan alternatives.  I have been reading labels at my regular grocery store as well, just to see what is going to be doable in the future.  While I was at the coop I got some Boca burgers and whole wheat vegan buns.  So tonight for dinner I am going to have a veggie burger and sweet potatoes. I am really looking forward to it.  It will be a different taste I haven't had in my mouth in several days.  I still had a large salad for lunch....so I am still right on my program.  Tonight I add a little grain.  We shall see how I feel. 

What I learned today...

I learned that cantaloupe is better for eating rather than juicing.  It tasted kind of weird, and it made my morning juice more like a smoothie.

I learned that Quaker Steak and Lube has very little in the way of vegetarian meals.

I learned that I can resist the 4 wheeler at Quaker Steak and Lube, which consists of onion rings, fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, and soft pretzels.  Used to love all those things.  Tonight we went and I didn't have a bite.

I learned that I can resist birthday cake and ice cream even if it is from my own kid's cake.

I also learned this weekend that I need to be more vigilant about my water.  My weight loss has slowed, and I'm sure it's because I haven't been drinking my water like I should be.

It's been an interesting weekend with grilling, eating out and cake, but I have resisted it all.  I find myself thinking, "Surely I can have one thing..."  but I haven't had anything that isn't on my list yet.  I hope I can keep up with this program for at least another 10 days.

Day 9 of the Reboot!

I am really bad about this blogging thing.  I get so busy and don't find time to write. And I know I really should blog and get out all the crazy things that run around inside my head.  Especially now that I have been doing the juice reboot.  I have been juicing for 9 complete days now.  I honestly didn't think I would make it this far. But lo and behold here I am. So after 9 days I have lost 13 lbs.  I feel wonderful.  I think this program has been so easy for me because I really like vegetables.  In the morning I usually have a couple of apples and carrots with maybe some celery added in.  For lunch I have mostly vegetables, celery, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, and maybe an apple thrown in. Sometimes I don't have the apple.  For dinner I have a salad or stir fried vegetables.  I have added in a few black beans in my stir fries and salads for some extra fiber.  The only place I seem to be having problem is getting in all my water.  However, I figured out a solution to that problem.  Starting tomorrow I will be filling up a 2-liter bottle with my water and make sure I get every drop into my body.  I know I can do this! 
The best part about this whole thing is that all the swelling is gone from my legs.  I never even thought of how swollen they were until I could push on them and move the muscles in my calves.  Another bonus is that I no longer need an afternoon nap.  I have even tried to take one and I don't fall asleep. 
The hardest part I have encountered is the amazing smells that come from my kitchen when the kids' meals are being prepare.  I thought I was going to lose it the other night when they were having spaghetti with my homemade spaghetti sauce and garlic bread!  OMG that was hard.  And then this weekend we had Jordan's birthday party, we grilled hot dogs and there were chips, snack mix, smores and M&Ms.  I have no idea how I made it through, but I did.  I didn't even lick my fingers when they were covered with sticky marshmallow.  Tomorrow the family comes for cake and ice cream...I will not have any!
Tomorrow will mark the end of my 10 day phase.  I told myself I was going to take this 10 days at a time.  I went to the store and bought more veggies for juicing...so I am about to embark on another 10 days.  I am planning on doing at least 30 days and then I believe I will switch over to Engine 2 diet, which is basically eating a plant based diet, concentrating on whole foods.  I will probably at least continue to juice once a day.

Day 2 of Reboot

About two weeks ago I watched the movie, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead."  I was quite inspirational and I really thought it was about time to get my self together and lose the weight that is making me so unhealthy.  I plan on juicing for 10 days and see where I am. I am hoping to lose at least 10 lbs in this first phase.  At the end of the 10 days I will probably go for another 10.  I really want to lose a total of 20 lbs this month! I think by losing a chunk (so to speak) at the beginning it will inspire me to keep going.  I want to lose at least 120 lbs. Although I have to admit I would be thrilled with 100.  As soon as the first few days are up I plan on getting on an exercise plan as well.  A friend of mine is doing the coach to 5K plan which seems to be working very well.  Good for her! I have to give her kudos for continuing in this heat. It's been at least 95 or hotter every day for the last week.  Hopefully the heat wave will break before we head to Bash - which is 4 days of camping on a fairgrounds.  Not a lot of shade.  We don't want to melt this year!

GeoWoodstock X Adventure (part 2 - the weird hotel room)

I love to get deals on hotels.  So, I use Priceline quite often. I have been pretty happy with our rooms, and I can't think of one really bad hotel room we have gotten. In fact, most of the time I am pleasantly surprised at what a great deal I usually get.  For GeoWoodstock X we were booked at the Days Inn in Jeffersonville, IN.  I checked it out on the internet, ad although it didn't have a whole lot of amenities, I thought it would be fine.  We show up at the hotel and the first thing I realize is that there is only one bed and it's not a king size bed at that.  Normally when you book on Priceline you get a double room - 2 queen size beds.  I am not sure this Days Inn had that kind of bed.  The next thing I notice is the bathroom.

 Here is the shower, it barely has a lip to keep the water in.  I mentioned this and Dave said, well if it leaks out there is a drain in the middle of the floor it can drain into.  Good point.  The water definitely did not stay in the shower.  The second thing was that there was a seat in the shower...we did not request a handicapped shower.  It was really no big deal until I realized it was the only place to put my shampoo.  There were no soap dishes at all.

So, as you can see, I just threw everything on the seat and went with it.  The other thing I noticed was that apparently giants frequent here as the shower heads are almost to the ceiling.  Dave adjusted the shower and I had to jump to put it back where I wanted it.                                
We will not even discuss the patched paint job.  I didn't get that at all.  Especially when there was a sign outside that said, "Yes, we are now open."  Maybe you should have waited until the painting was done before opening. Then next thing I noticed was the amount of safety features in this room. All these devices were on the wall of the main room, and the bathroom.  Yes, one says "door bell", but I never saw a door bell anywhere!

 I must give the Days Inn kudos in the fact the are trying to be creative in their decor.  This was hanging above our bed, and on the wall right next to the bed.

Isn't it lovely? It had metallic in it and everything.  Did I mention we are about a mile from Kentucky?  And yet, the Indian motif is what they decided to go with?  And I'm not even sure that's it's Indian either.  The one downfall for this trip for Dave had to be the coffee.  The packet for the coffee says it makes four cups.  He tried that, it tasted like water.  So he attempted to make just one cup...that didn't do it either.  We ended up at Waffle House for coffee.

Worthless coffee pot, since the coffee grounds are so weak.  But cool sink!

Our GeoWoodstock X Adventure part 1

I think I am going to try something a little different with this blog.  I am going to start writing about some of the trips we have been taking. 

This last weekend we headed down to Sellersburg, IN for GeoWoodstock X.  For those that don't know we are geocachers, which means me use multi-million dollar satellites to find tupperware in the woods.  We have a lot of fun and meet some wonderful people.  GeoWoodstock is a Mega-event, which means more than 2500 people will be descending on a little town in Indiana.  It was very close to Louisville, so we spent some time there as well. 
Our Friday night began with the Miles of Smiles event where we could pick up our registration packets and t-shirts.  The bag we got was pretty cool, had geocache containers, logs and our laynards for our tags.  We also got pathtags and our badges.  We headed over to get our t-shirts, and were none too thrilled to find out that the t-shirts were solid black.  OMG - the forecast for Saturday was supposed to be 98 degrees!  I will not be wearing that shirt on Saturday.  Oh well, it's good for other times.

 This is the event as we approached from the North.  We had to drive around the block to find parking. 










 The big blow up sign! GeoWoodstock! We finally made it. 









 This is one of the smilies. They had the streets lined with them and all you had to do was follow the signs.  They also had them set up for the next day, which was good because it would have been tough to find otherwise.

 This is Jon, myself, Dave, Brian, Michelle, Angie, Tim and Heather having dinner at Rocky's.  They had wonderful food.  And even though I was not too thrilled about sitting outside, I was certainly glad we did since we had this wonderful view of Louisville.  Of course, no trip is complete without Brian showing us his boobs.





 On Saturday with the temperatures soaring we headed into Sellersburg for the main event.  We knew it was going to be hot, but you just don't know how freaking hot until you are standing in a field with very little cover.  Thank goodness for the sno cone vendor and little bits of shade here and there.  Even with some shade I was done by 2:30, I had wanted to stay much later but just didn't have it in me.

 You can barely see them, but up on the hill they spelled out GeoWoodstock X in huge letters.  The balloon was here for awhile, but even the heat put that down within a couple hours.

 Signing the 3D log. 

 Larry Davis aka Super Genius as Signal the Frog  He was so animated and fun.














Saturday night brought another meet up with friends for dinner.  After a nice cool shower I researched some places to eat and came up with Buckhead Mountain Grill.  We piled in there for some refreshments and pretzel bread and were good to go.

 The pretzel bread with beer cheese was pretty yummy, but huge portions!

 Alex smiling behind his pacifier in his sleep.  We were at dinner for over two hours and he was perfectly content.  He had some bananas, a bottle and when it was time for us to eat he was fast asleep. 

 The very tired, scorched crew.

Crazy but fun weekend!

Our first camping trip of the season was last weekend.  We had planned to go to Mounds State Park, but we changed our minds because a situation happened that made us all want to really be together rather than split up over a couple of parks. 
As the trip approached I found out that I was going to have to have the kids but my ex-husband had something going on.  This was going to prove interesting since Adam had a math thing at IPFW and Lindsay had a volleyball tournament.  But I decided that changing the trip to Pokagon State Park with our friends would solve the problems.  I would be close enough to return home to get Lindsay and Adam on Saturday. And then I started watching the weather forecasts...it was not looking good.  It was supposed to be very cold with chances of rain and even sleet.  I just told everyone to pack warm and see what happens.  And on top of all that I also knew the next week after our trip was going to be Finals week and I would be overloaded with studying, and I had a huge project I needed to get done for Holy Cross. But with all that going on I decided a relaxing weekend was on the agenda.  I worked hard all week to get all my homework complete so I didn't have anything left over when we got home.  It took me until Thursday night, very late, but it was done.  I got home on Friday, we packed the cars, waited for Jordan to get out of school and away we went.
The first thing we realized was that we had forgotten a tent.  So Dave and I set up Jordan's tent and headed into town.  We started at Walmart, but I was not impressed with their selection.  However, on our way out we find dishes that match our current set that Target had discontinued.  Finally!  We now have enough plates that match for everyone.  Bought the plates, Jordan a pair of jeans (I forgot his clothes), and headed over to Dunham Sports.  We found an 11 person tent for $120!  It was huge.
We went back to camp and set it up.  I felt like I needed a road map to find my way around. 
Since there were so many of us, 20 in all, we had teamed up with everyone and Katie's stepmom agreed to cook meals if we all chipped in ingredients...DEAL!  She put out an amazing spread and we ate like kings all weekend long.  We socialized around the fire, dodged the rain and sleet - it did downpour on Saturday morning and had a great time.  I traveled back home to pick up Lindsay and Adam.  Since it was so cold on Saturday, and pouring I decided to just come home in my pajamas and take a shower here at home.  That was really nice.  I also was able to pick up an extra air mattress for Amber since her's had sprung a leak.
All was going well, it was cold, but nothing that couldn't be managed.  We started packing up on Sunday and Fred noticed that there was something wrong with the truck.  He had broken a brake line, and if that wasn't bad enough, he was towing their trailer.  Thank goodness he found it at the campground and not on the Interstate.  Amber had Gold AAA which would get the truck towed back to Fort Wayne, and the tow driver even hooked up their trailer!  Because we had driven separately we had room for Fred, Katie and Jeremiah to ride back with us.  It just shows how things work out.  We all worked together to make things happen. 
All in all it was a really good weekend with a few unexpected events, but we made it work!

A week of endings and beginnings

I am so bad about writing on here. It seems that so many times I get so busy doing other stuff and lost in my own head that the thoughts never get here.  The last couple of weeks have been crazy ones, and most experiences I wouldn't want to repeat. 
On Good Friday a friend of mine had her mother-in-law suddenly pas away.  She backed out of her driveway and put her car in park and just died.  In retrospect, that is how I would want to go. She was in good health, she didn't have to go through a lingering horrible disease.  Boom, she was gone.

And then on Easter Sunday a friend's daughter drowned in their pool.  She was just a couple days shy of her 10th birthday.  I personally don't know how you get out of bed after something like that happens.  A couple of friends and I traveled to Michigan for the funeral.  It was a sobering experience to say the least.  We tried to make the best of it by doing some geocaching on the way up and the way back.  It did seem like we had a hard time finding our spirit though. 

We decided to cure that on Saturday though.  A couple of us girls had decided we really wanted a girls day of geocaching.  And although we let a couple of guys join us we ended up just us girls in the end.  We had a crazy day of challenging the guys to see who could find the cache faster.  Turned out very well for us.  Especially when one of the guys couldn't find a cache that was right next to his head. LOL  Poor Tim, good thing he is a good sport.

For the first few days after I got back from my trip it was really hard to get back in the groove of life. I suppose seeing a child's funeral will do that to you.  But life must go on and by Wednesday I had an appointment to go see Yani at Indiana Tech to sign up for classes for next semester.  So on Thursday afternoon I signed up for my next semester's classes that will take me onto my MBA.  In two weeks I will no longer be an Ivy Tech student.  So many changes, and most days I feel like I'm hanging on for the ride, and I'm certainly not steering the car.

Some days it's the small things

Yesterday I really tried hard to make good food choices. I did pretty well, and then the late night munchies hit.  I saw the bag of potato chips...but instead went and got some carrots.  Sometimes it's just the smallest thing that makes me feel better.  I also made sure I had plenty of cut up vegetables and fruit in the refrigerator for meals and snacking. 

Hopefully as the weather gets warmer and the fresh produce starts to come in I will want less "comfort" junk food and more healthy green foods.

The summer of 2012

I have spent this weekend basically just doing homework. I had planned to go on  geocaching run to the Summer Picnic site, but with so much homework I knew I needed to stay home.  And it was pretty annoying to have to be a grown up.  I have had to put off many things while I have been in class because I just really haven't had the time to do things I really want to do.  And then last week I was watching Biggest Loser and they interviewed Kim and it was like they were talking about me.  She does things for everyone else and never makes time for herself.  Not to mention she grew up very poor and having food in the house now makes her feel secure.  My childhood was much like that, and it does make me feel better that there is actually food in the house.  So it is obvious to me I have a long walk still to go on my path. 

So I have decided that this summer (since I am not taking summer classes) it is going to be the summer of me.  I am going to do creative things that I love. I am going to actually exercise for me and work through these stupid childhood scars. I really love my life right now except for this weight issue, which is obviously a childhood scar.  This summer is going to be for me. 

Proud to be a mom

Tonight was Adam's last home game for basketball.  It could be his last home game of basketball forever.  He is a pretty good basketball player, but we have so many great athletes that is highly likely that he will not get a spot on the JV squad next year.  And he doesn't always get as much playing time as I would like, but tonight he played very well.  He went up for a rebound, came down with it and put it right back up for a score. He also made a free throw shot after being fouled by a thug from New Haven.  It was an interesting game to say the least.  Our win was definitely overshadowed by the outrageous rantings from the New Haven fans.  It reminds me why I send my kids to the schools I do, and how they are taught to not act like complete jerks.  Thank goodness for the help we have received along the way to get these three through these schools. 
And speaking of help, I have to give a speech at the Big Give next weekend.  I have to talk about what it has meant to me to receive the financial aide help from the school for my kids to attend Holy Cross. I am pretty nervous about it, but hopefully by Friday night I will be ready. 

All in all today I realize how thankful I am to be "Gilly's mom".  He is a wonderful kid with lots of heart.  And even if he doesn't make the team next year, I have no doubt he will be their biggest fan.  And I have no doubt we will also be in the stands cheering on the Cadets!

Is it all worth it...

I was buried under a mountain of homework tonight and it was really hard to be motivated. It made me wonder and question if I am on the right path.  Is all this worth all the trouble? Is getting my MBA really going to make that much difference in my life? Is it worth all the headaches?  Is it worth all the weekends I am trapped in front of this computer working and working?  I certainly hope so. At least I finished, and I am hoping to come up with a better plan next week to make it work better.

As for as weight loss goes, I am struggling.  I don't want to start over. I don't want to gain any weight back, but for some reasons I am craving sugar this week.  It is such a freaking bummer.  I am sure it is stress, but I hope it goes away soon.  I am down 11 lbs and don't want to go backwards.

I need to make this a habit.

I am really bad at sitting down and writing each day.  I wish I had something that would help me out with that process.  But so far, I only write when it occurs to me. 

A little bit of an update to report: I started my last semester at Ivy Tech and have started to process of transferring to Indiana Tech.  I figured out that I am half way do with my Bachelor's Degree and the MBA is not as long as I thought.  So, those are very positive things.

On the weight loss front, I am doing ok.  I would not say stellar.  I did very well the first week.  Fairly well the second, but at the moment I can feel my resolve slipping.  But I want to keep plugging away.  So far I have lost 10 pounds, which I am pretty proud about.  We started with the Dukan diet, but have modified ourselves into eating healthy foods and reading labels like crazy. Dave has done a lot of nutrition research and we have begun to eliminate high fructose corn syrup and the like from our diet.  Apparently, our body transfers that right into fat.  And it doesn't know the difference between high fructose corn syrup and alcohol.  The only difference is that alcohol is metabolized in the brain while high fructose corn syrup is metabolized in the liver.  Scary to think that because I was eating so much sugar I as basically doing the same kind of damage to my body as being an alcoholic.  It does really help to have Dave cooking and helping me shop so that I don't slip into "convenient foods".  We have also started keeping a giant pot of vegetable soup in the refrigerator for those times when we need a little something.  So far, so good.  I will achieve this goal! I must achieve this goal!

The only other thing to report is Lindsay is still cheering for Holy Cross.  She has now started playing volleyball for Fort Wayne Volleyball Club, and just informed me she wants to join the gymnastics team at Holy Cross.  Looks like her schedule is going to be the tough one.
Adam is playing Freshman basketball for Concordia which takes up a great deal of time as well.  I am hoping to get Jordan into martial arts very soon.

About to embark on a journey

I feel like since this is my first post I should introduce myself, but maybe I will just ramble on and you will get to know me as I write. 
I realized today I am about to start on a couple different journeys and I desperately want to succeed at each one.  The first one is my last semester at Ivy Tech before I transfer over to Indiana Tech to continue my quest for a MBA.  The second is finally getting down to a healthy weight.
The first one doesn't phase me too much as I have already completed my first full time semester.  My books are sitting right here at my side and I am ready to dig in with gusto.
The second one is much more scary.  I have tried to lose weight so many times and I am terrified I will fail yet again. However, I feel that somehow I am ready for this step. I am starting the Dukan diet which seems to be very doable.  I will start on Monday.  I currently weigh about 275 lbs and I would like to see 150.  That is 125 lbs to take off.  I am hoping to have lost 80 of those by the end of July.  I so desperately want to go to Midwest Geobash under 200 lbs.  I want to be able to go out there and hike with everyone and not get winded.  I want to really be engaged in my life and enjoy every minute.  Right now my back hurts, my knees hurt and I know I am on a collision course with diabetes.  I must do this.  Now is the time.  I don't want to be the fat mom picking my kid up from high school. I want to be the cool mom.  I can do this.  I didn't think I could do well last semester with full time classes and I did wonderful.  It is now time to take care of me. It is time to love me and take this bull by the horns.  It is time to take off this stupid fat suit so people can see me for who I am.