Lori's Simple Life..

2008-04-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of "Diet Rage"?

I'm one of those people who have to work really hard to lose weight. Before I was pregnant, I was able to get to my lowest weight, but I followed a Weight Watchers (WW) plan, worked out at Bally's 4 times a week and walked at work for a 1/2 hour 3-4 times a week. See what I mean? I had to work really hard to lose 15 pounds, but I was determined to look good on my wedding day even though I was still 14 pounds away from my WW goal weight.

I became pregant 2 months after I got married. In the end, I gained 45 pounds with my pregnancy. I was still walking at work 3-4 times a week and walking on the treadmill at Bally's. It scares me to think how much weight I could have gained if I didn't exercise during my pregnancy. Everyone kept telling me it would help with my delivery and I believe it did. I was only in labor for 5 hours 45 minutes and only pushed for 45 minutes.

I went back to Weight Watchers 11 days after I gave birth to my son. I thought the weight would come off really quick. Who knew that 10 months later I would still be caring around an extra 10 pounds. In December (2007), I quit Weight Watchers because I wasn't following the program and I was wasting time and money. I decided to invest my money into a personal trainer at Bally's. I started two weeks before Christmas. I meet with the trainer twice a week and she kicks my butt. I really love it b/c she pushes me beyond the level I would push myself. I started running/walking on the treadmill for 3 miles and taking kickboxing classes at Bally's. This weekend the weather was so nice, so I pulled out my shorts and believe it or not they fit! I have a goal to lose 5 pounds by Joshua's 1st b-day, which is June 5th. We'll see what happens!

I signed up on this website that keeps track of your food intake called http://www.sparkpeople.com/. I came across this article on "Diet Rage" and thought it was interesting. I really made me think about the way I go about losing weight. I'm the type of person who weighs in and asks "Are we there yet?", then becomes frustrated because it's not happening fast enough.

The frustration that builds on the road to weight loss: Diet Rage. Think about your dieting history. Does it give you the same feeling as an exasperating traffic jam? You never quite get where you want to go as fast as you want to get there. You get aggravated, yell (usually at yourself), and see people in other lanes going faster than you (how do they DO that?!), and it usually ends up ruining your day. Here’s the lesson: Getting frustrated with your diet does no more good than getting frustrated in traffic. It just makes you unhappy, unsuccessful and tense.By the time I got to work (it was a long commute), I noticed a lot of things that we, as weight loss veterans, can learn from traffic jams.

Next time you start to feel frustrated with your weight loss progress, keep these "lessons of the road" in mind:

Pay less attention to how much further you have to travel. Stop asking yourself "are we there yet?" You’ll get there when you get there. Instead, look at the scenery, think about life, carry on a conversation, sing along with the radio, or simply be thankful for how far you’ve come.
The journey is always more fun with a passenger. Have you asked anyone along for the ride?
You know the route you need to take to reach your weight loss goals. It’s already mapped out. As long as you stay pointed in the right direction, you’ll get there. Even in the worst traffic jams, you still get to your destination at some point. It’s the same way with dieting – just a matter of time. It may take longer than you first expected, but you will get there.
There will always be periods of stopping and starting. It’s something that you should just anticipate and allow for. No use getting upset or stressed about not making progress. It’s a normal part of the journey.
Sometimes, you’ve just gotta go with the flow of what’s going on around you. Life can present some situations that you really can’t do anything about. When that happens, staying straight and steady – doing the best that you can – will keep you on track and sane. In traffic, impatient people stop, change lanes, weave in and out of other cars, driving themselves and everyone else crazy – and in the end, usually don’t get any farther along than you do by staying put and going with the flow.
Shortcuts never work.

Driving too fast is dangerous. That’s why they call it "crash" dieting. Slow down, take what life gives you, and make sure you arrive at your destination in good health.

2008-04-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have time to blog!

Well alot has happened, since the last time I posted. The baby you see in the January 2007 ultrasound was born June 5, 2007 at 2:45 pm. His name is Joshua Michael. It's hard to believe he's almost 10 months old!

Here's Joshua's 3-month and 6-month pictures. I don't have his 6-month pictures online. (It was a first time mom blunder!) As with everything, you learn from your mistakes!

2007-04-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Post!

Wow, how time flies! The last 3 1/2 months have been SO busy. From January to the middle of March, I was busy finishing up my master's degree in business. It had to be the toughest semester ever. I was taking two online classes, working full-time, "trying" to keep order in my house, and being pregnant on top of it. I'm happy to say that I made it! I graduated from school with A's in both classes and finished up with a 3.7 GPA! Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend commencements, since our baby is due May 30th and commencements are June 2nd. I did speak to the school and they said I could walk in January 2008, but I haven't decided what I want to do.

After I finished school, the first order of business was to get my baby registry started at Babies R' Us. I found it overwelming when I first walked into the store. I didn't have a clue what half the items on the shelves were. I had my friend, Briana, walk through the store with me and she gave me suggestions on what to buy. It made things much easier once I went back to register with Jeff. I walked through the store and had him help me pick out the big stuff. I didn't think he would care much about receiving blankets and changing pads. Jeff was like a kid in a candy store. He wanted to register for everything. He actually picked out a bib that said "Chick Magnet" and a $120 ExerSaucer! I went back to Babies R' Us about 5 times before I was finally finished with my registry. It was so hard for me to pick out items that weren't blue b/c we're having a boy. I wanted to buy more greens and yellows, but I couldn't bring myself to it.

My mom threw me a baby shower on April 15th at Pasquel's Restaurant. In all I had 23 people attend; mostly long-time friends, relatives, work friends, and a handful of my mom's friends. The food was awesome and I was really happy with the service from the restaurant. Jeff and I received lots of nice gifts for the baby.

Here's a list of what we got:

Two Detroit Tiger outfits, a stuff rabbit in a basketball uniform, a bank, 2 picture frames, 2 diaper bags, 5-6 outfits, burp bibs, teething ring, an exerisaucer, a hi-chair, diaper genie, diaper changing pad w/ 2 covers, 2 books, a calendar of the first year, cash, baby bath, robe, boppy, a pack of #2 size diapers, a homemade blanket and a bassinet.

My 2nd shower is this Sunday; May 6th. Jeff's mom is throwing the party at her sister's house. It sounds like she'll have roughly 30 people attending. I checked my registry today and it doesn't seem like anyone has purchased anything from it this weekend. I just hope someone buys our travel stroller system b/c we need our infant car seat. Maybe some people will give us gift certificates, then we can buy it ourselves. It's really expensive $300.

I just went to another baby shower today for my friend, Sarah. She is due 4 days after me on June 4th. It's alot of fun to share this experience with another "first time" mom. She had her shower at BD Mongolian's BBQ. It was SO good. It looked as though she received many nice gifts and is ready for her baby to arrive. The shower started at 1:00 pm and was over at 3:00 pm. I believe this was the FASTEST shower I had ever been to.

Tomorrow is a BIG day for Jeff and I. It's our 3rd ultrasound. I'm very excited to see how the baby is doing and how big he is. From now on, I'll have an appointment every week until the baby arrives. I'm just not so excited to drive home from the other side of the world. It takes 45 minutes to get home from the doctor's office! It's my own fault b/c I didn't want change doctors once I became pregnant. I felt every comfortable with this office and my doctor, so I didn't want to change. I'm so happy I'll actually get to see my regular doctor tomorrow. I haven't seen her since my first prenatal appointment. I always get stuck with the men doctors who I don't like so much.

I'll try to update my blog more often. It's just so hard to motivate myself and sit down and write. I'm either too tired or my husband is hogging the computer.

2007-01-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

Announcing Our Bouncing Baby Boy!

Here's the latest pictures from my ultrasound on Tuesday (1/9). We just found out that we're having a baby BOY. He doesn't have a name yet, but we call him by his nickname, "peanut".

Everyone seemed to guess it was a boy. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I guessed it was a girl, but the further along I became the more I started to feel it was a boy. Both our families guessed it was a boy too.

When the ultrasound tech announced we were having a boy, I had never seen Jeff so happy in my life. He was in tears b/c he really hoped for a boy. Honestly, we really didn't care if we were having a boy or a girl we just wanted a healthy baby.

I'm feeling great these days; trying to eat healthy and exercise as much as I can tolerate. The doctor did mention that my placenta was low-lying, but it was common for someone in their second trimester. It will move, but we don't want it to move over my cervix b/c that will cause problems. According to the Baby Center website, that only 10 percent of women who have a low-lying placenta in their second trimester will have a low-lying placenta in their third trimester. I was happy to read that.

I can finally feel the baby move. It's really cool! I don't have the fluttering that everyone seems to explain, but it's a kick or a punch in my lower abdomen. When we were having the ultrasound, "peanut" wouldn't hold still to have his picture taken. He was moving all over the place. You can tell he's related to Jeff...hyper!

Here's are some pictures of the baby waving at the camera and pictures of his foot.

On the day of the ultrasound, the office was testing out a new 4-D software, so we got some really cool shots. The baby looks a little spooky only b/c he doesn't have any body fat on him.

Here's what is happening with the baby this week:

How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

2007-01-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

19 Weeks Pregnant

I've been so bad at blogging my pregnancy, but I have been journaling in my "Pregnant Journal Book". I try to write down how I'm feeling, my weight, moods, cravings, and what's new with Jeff and I. This week I can definitely feel the baby moving around. It's a relief b/c before I was always wondering how the baby was doing. At least this time I didn't have to go to the doctor's office to find out everything is going great. This Tuesday is a big day for Jeff and I. We have a doctor's appointment and we're having our big ultrasound - we can find out the sex of our baby! We're really excited about it. Jeff and I have been thinking about and even dreaming about it. We both think it's a boy, so we'll be in shock if it's a girl. I don't care what I'm having as long as the baby is healthy. Right now, Jeff and I are having a hard time coming up with names. We both really like the name Cole Michael, but everyone in the family hates it. Really...why should we care, we both really like it. I also really like Christian Michael too. Jeff was on the fence about that name. As for a girl's name, I really like Autumn, but Jeff said someone on his father's side named their kid the same name. I was really upset b/c I really like the name. I don't have any other names for a girl picked out. I need to get a baby book of names, so we can come to an agreement. It will make it easier when we know what we're having...I cannot wait!!!

Tomorrow, I start my last semester of school. I'm taking two online classes. My family thinks I'm nutz for taking two classes while I'm pregnant, but I figured out that I couldn't wait to take a class in Spring b/c I would be giving birth before the class finished and I didn't want that hanging over my head. It would have been too stressful. I rather go through the 11 weeks of heck and be done with it. I'll be finished March 22!!!! Yahoo!!!

Here's what happening with the baby this week:

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

2006-12-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

No more Weight Watchers :0(

Well, Saturday, December 23rd was my last day of Weight Watchers. I let my leader in on my little secret (I'm 4 months pregnant) the Saturday before and she said I could no longer attend Weight Watchers. I wish I would have held out longer, since I'm did NOT want to quit. I begged her to let me attend the meetings without weighing in, but she said it was a liability to the company. She did introduce me to Carol, a gal in my WW class, and suggested I sign up with Carol's WW message board on google. Carol sent me an invitation to join the group and asked me to give a little introduction of myself (here's a copy).

New to the WW Group

Just a little about my WW journey...I've been attending Weight Watchers
off and on for over 10 years. As a kid, I didn't have a weight problem
until I reached the 5th grade. From then on, I always seemed to carry
an extra 10-15 pounds. I finally reached a healthy weight in high
school b/c I was very active with sports. When I began college, my
weight started to creep back between studying and socializing. After
two years at a community college, I transferred to Central Michigan
University and gained an additional 15 pounds by eating unhealthy foods
from the cafeteria, late night snacking, and drinking. I was already
somewhat overweight at the beginning of the year, so the extra weight
wasn't what I needed on my 5'4 frame. I left CMU after one year and
moved back home to attend Oakland University. I joined my first WW
class in Troy (Big Beaver/Rochester) in September 1996. I had lost 20
pounds in the program and felt great. I quit the program and felt I
could do it "on my own", but I only found myself gaining all my weight
back one year later. Year after year, I joined WW thinking this was
the year I was finally going to lose the weight, but I was never able
to keep it off for good.

I joined the WW at-work program for awhile, which I really liked b/c it
was convenient and I really enjoyed meeting new people. It also seemed
to keep me on track b/c I had the support I needed every day. Our
attendance for the at-work program didn't pick up b/c we had so many
lifetimers, so they canceled the class. We had quite the success in
our class, but I still never reached my lifetime status. In all
honestly, I was glad the class ended b/c I wasn't inspired by the
leader. Her classes were all the same...she would talk about her
family or what was going on in her life for first 15 minutes of class,
then talked about the WW topic for the last 15 minutes. The best thing
about her class was the recipes she or someone else would bring in. I
got so many great WW recipes that I still use today.

I joined another WW class in 2005 w/ a friend from work. My leader,
Sherry, had all the energy I needed to get back on the WW bandwagon. I
started following the WW points program and loved it. I became more
focused on losing weight and getting fit when I got engaged in August
of that same year. I changed my WW membership to the Warren location
in November 2005. For the first time, I felt that I finally found a
class and a leader I really liked. I actually looked forward to
Saturday mornings b/c I got my inspiration I needed to get me through
another week of losing weight. I started to lose more weight (29
pounds total) and reached a personal goal; I was at my lowest weight in
10 years before my wedding day. I have NEVER felt so good in my life.
Three things contributed to my big weight loss; healthy eating, exercise
and my WW meetings. My husband is a fantastic cook and prepares
healthy meals for the both of us. He doesn't have a weight problem,
but he likes to eat healthy. This makes life easy for me. I have my
own network of workout buddies; my two girlfriends from work who I walk
with 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes; my college friend who I meet at
Bally's 2-3 days a week, and my husband (and dog) who I walk with at
least 5 days a week.

In June, I only had 15 pounds to lose before I became a lifetime
member. When I got back from my honeymoon, I was determined to reach
my lifetime status. I only lost and gained the same few pounds over
the next two months. In the mist of my journey on becoming a lifetime
member, I became pregnant. I kept it a secret for awhile b/c I knew WW
would not allow me to continue. I started to feel bad every time I got
on the scale when the lady would say "you're up again". "We'll get you
back" and handed me a journal. I was at the end of my membership, so I
spoke my leader, Denise, and told her my dilemma. She said that I
wasn't suppose to be there and I couldn't come back until I had the
baby. This was my saddest day. She suggested that I talk to Carol and
sign up for this message broad, so here I am. I'm not sure how I'm
going to get through the next 5 months without my WW meetings, so I'll
look for inspiration here to keep me focused on gaining a "healthy"
weight. I'm already into my second trimester and my doctor said I'm
right on target with my weight gain. After working so hard to get the
weight off, it's SO HARD to watch it come back. I try not to focus on
the number b/c I'm going to gain weight regardless. I'm still working
out with all my workout buddies and I'm not slowing down until my body
tells me to. I also bought a Denise Austin Pregnancy Workout Video and
look forward to using it when the weather gets bad. If you haven't
heard of her, you should check out her workout show on Lifetime from
7-8 am. It's awesome! It's low impact and she's always changing her
routine. I have never seen a repeated show. Here's her website:
www.deniseaustin.com

I'm hoping this message board will get me through the next 5 months. I decided I was going to weigh myself every Saturday morning and keep track of my weight gain myself. I created a pregnancy weight chart and so far I'm on schedule. Gaining weight during this pregnancy has been the most difficult thing for me. I've worked so hard to get almost 30 pounds off my 5'4 figure only to see it return. I have to keep in mind this is going to happen regardless, so I shouldn't stress over it.

2006-11-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

Our First Thanksgiving!

I cannot believe Thanksgiving has already gone and passed. It was our first Thanksgiving together as an old married couple. We decided that we would have Thanksgiving at our house, since Jeff, my little Bobby (Betty) Crocker, wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner. I was able to contribute by ordering a "fresh" turkey. Neither one of us ever had a fresh turkey before and thought it was be nice to try. We didn't know the size of the turkey, since it was not going to be killed until Tuesday of that week. I know that sounds terrible, sorry. I picked up our turkey after my doctor appointment on Wednesday. Well, we got a 20 pound turkey! It was the biggest bird I had ever seen in my life. Jeff and I were worried it won't fit in our roaster pan. When I got home with the turkey, Jeff and I pulled out our new stainless-steel pan that we got as a wedding gift and discovered it did not have a lid. Jeff was freaking out at this point and said we needed to take the pan back to Bed, Bath & Beyond and purchase a pan with a lid. We went to the store and couldn't find anything that was half as nice as what we had. We talked to several people in the store and some suggested we put foil over the bird, but one said to buy a cooking bag. I wasn't excited about the foil idea, but had heard about the cooking bag from a friend from work. She said she cooks her turkey in a cooking bag every year and it turned awesome every time. We went back home with our same roaster pan. I was so tired that night, but Jeff wanted to make our apple pies. I wanted to blow it off to the morning, but he reminded me we won't have time. We stayed up until 1:00 am when our pies came out of the oven. Doesn't this guy understand that I'm pregnant and 10:00 pm is my limit?

Bright and bushy tailed my little Bobby Crocker was up by 9:00 am excited to cook his turkey. He still had one dilemma; was he going to use his mom's turkey pan, use the foil trick, or breakdown and purchase the cooking bag? The answer: he broke down and bought the cooking bag like my friend told him to do. My husband likes to weigh all his options before he does ANYTHING! I'm different or just impatient, but I make decisions based on my gut feeling (as my Dad says "I shoot from the hip") I've been like that my whole life and I think I've made pretty good decisions. I knew my friend is a wonderful cook and I trusted her suggestion with the cooking bag. I wouldn't have waited until the last minute to decide, but I guess that's the difference between men and women. Who knows?! We washed roaster pan and got the turkey ready (brushed butter all over it and stuffed it for Jeff's Dad - Yuck!). My mom always put the stuffing in the turkey and I never ate it b/c it was mushy and gross. Jeff's mom made the stuffing last year and I was so happy it was outside the turkey. I loved it! I feel bad b/c she has to make stuffing twice, but it's so worth it.

Here's some pictures of our turkey and look at my dog, Jake, in the second picture. He wanted to help with the turkey too.

The turkey finally made it into the oven around 10:30 am. Here's a picture of Jeff checking up on his masterpiece.

My brother was the first to arrive. He hadn't been over in awhile, so it was nice to visit with him before the others arrived. Marylou and Jim (my in-laws) were next to arrive. My brother and Jim watched the Lions games while Jeff and his mom worked on getting the rest of the dinner ready. I basically helped when they needed me, since I'm not much help in the kitchen. Jeff banned me from our oven awhile back, when I tried to make a Lean Pocket with the microwave cover on it in the stove. He freaked. Well, what can I say, I usually microwave everything and Jeff never uses the microwave.

Anyway, my mom finally made it to the house. She made a wrong turn and got a little lost on her way. My mom helped with the gravy, since the rest of us didn't know how to make turkey gravy. We decided to place the dinner on the table in a buffet style b/c we had so much food.

Here's a picture of our 20 pound turkey coming out of the oven.

Here's a group picture before we ate dinner.

Here's a picture of our beautiful table.

Here's my brother and mom filling their plates.

Here's a picture of Jeff enjoying his dinner.

Wow..the dinner turned out so good. My husband did a wonderful job making his first fresh turkey. We had stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, and corn.

After dinner, we just hung out and looked through the store ads. I didn't find anything I really needed, so I told Jeff we were sleeping in on Friday. Jeff's sister Christie and her daughter Kennedie stopped by for dessert. We hadn't seen them in so long, so it was nice to visit with them. Everyone seemed to leave around 8:00 pm. I cleaned up the kitchen, which seemed like it took me hours. Overall, it was the best first Thanksgiving with my new family.

At the end of the night, I told Jeff we needed a picture to remember this day. I love the holidays and I really enjoy spending time with my family. Just think we'll have a new family member next year at Thanksgiving dinner.

2006-11-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

11 Weeks Pregnant

I cannot believe I'm at the end of my first trimester. I was never so tired or nauseated in my life. I'm so glad the nausea and exhaustion are finally over. I hate to throw up and cry every time I have to do it. I still get nauseated when I smell strong perfumes and bathroom smells, but it could be worse. Some people have nausea throughout their whole pregnancy. I wouldn't be able to handle it..(my poor friend Lisa suffered terribly).

I got some maternity clothes for my birthday, but I haven't had to wear them yet. I have only gained one pound in 11 weeks, so I cannot complain. It doesn't help that I didn't exercise as much as I usually do and I didn't eat very healthy either this week. I went to Motherhood (a store in the mall) and purchased the cutiest top. I got it to match a pair of brown dress pants and thought I could wear it for Christmas, if needed.

Here's a picture my shirt (I got it in red)

My next OB appointment is the day before Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to seeing how big the baby is getting and to hear its heartbeat again. After 16 weeks, Jeff and I will be able to find out what we're having and we decided we want to know.

Here's what is happening with my little peanut this week:

Your fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, your tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, you won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

2006-11-12T17:24:00.000-08:00

Our Hospital Visit

On Saturday, October 21, Jeff and I were feeling fine. Jeff made vegetable beef soup, which I ate around 2:00 pm and felt fine. Later that evening, we decided to splurge and buy ingredients to make nachos and watch the World Series. On Sunday, Jeff and I both woke up feeling like we had food poisoning or the flu. I called my dad around 8:00 am and told him I was feeling terrible and I wasn't going to church. I went back to bed for a hour or so, in the meantime, Jeff moved out to the couch. He had terrible stomach pains and was in the bathroom all morning. I was the opposite in the bathroom throwing up uncontrollably. I thought it was morning sickness and the fact that I'm so VERY sensitive to smells didn't help. Jeff stunk up our whole house! Around 2:30 pm, Jeff told me that he felt so bad that we needed to go to the hospital. I agreed b/c I was feeling so terrible that I was going to suggest it myself. We arrived at the emergency room around 2:45 pm. We both had temperatures and complained we didn't feel good. The hospital thought we had food poisoning, but thought it was unlikely since we didn't eat out. They placed us in a room together and gave us both IVs and shots. We hung out until 8:30 after having two bags of fluids each. They ordered us apple juice to see if we could keep down fluids, but it back fired. In no time, Jeff was running to the bathroom and I started vomiting again! My temperature went up to 101, so the doctor thought it was a good idea to keep me overnight since I was pregnant. They sent Jeff home at 10:30 pm. I didn't sleep the whole night b/c I had a heart monitor attached to me, plus the IV. I saw the OB in the morning, so she decided to order my ultrasound even though I told her I had an appointment for the same thing on Thursday. I didn't care b/c I wanted to see the baby. Jeff came to the hospital around 11:30 am and we finally made it down to ultrasound at 3:00 pm on Monday. It was the most amazing thing to see pictures of my baby and hear it's little heart beating. Jeff was able to come to the room and see it all too. We both cried. I still cannot believe this little human is living inside my body. It's so crazy! I got a picture to take home. Well, I didn't get out of the hospital until 6:00 pm that day. Jeff decided he was ready to eat, so we went to Olga's. Well to say the least, Olga's didn't agree with me b/c I was throwing up at 3:00 am on Tuesday morning. I ended up missing 2 days of work and my mid-term exam. Thank goodness my professor was super cool and let me take my test on Thursday evening.

I'm so happy to be feeling better. That was the worst flu I ever had. Jeff's mom was wonderful. She stayed with us at the hospital until they discharged Jeff. She even helped us out a ton when we got home. I couldn't be luckier to have such a wonderful mother-in-law.

2006-10-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

5 Weird Things About Me...

I was tagged by Briana.

List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets. Tag 5 friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.

1) I'm obsessive when it comes to writing a "to do" list. It's the strangest thing about me. When I have things to do, I cannot write them down b/c I'll get so obsessed about crossing them off. I'll actually "kill" myself trying to get everything crossed off within a day when I know it's impossible. That's why I never write lists unless I know I can get everything done. It's a commitment problem I have, I guess.

2) I cannot leave the house without wearing jewelry (earrings and a ring). I think it something that polishes off your look. I feel naked without jewelry, even if I'm just running an errand.

3) This one is gross. (Sorry!!!) I'm obsessed with popping zits. I cannot stand to have one or see a white head. I just want to pop it. My husband gets so mad at me if I'm scratching his back and I start picking at him. He said it reminds him of his aunt b/c she would always want to pop his zits when he was a kid. Ha-ha!

4) Here's one about my dog, Jake. He loves to follow Jeff or me around the house, even to the bathroom. Jeff and I always go to the bathroom with the door opened, except in cases of #2. I know "TMI", but it's funny. Jake will follow you in there and sit in the corner and stare at you. Ok, who wants a dog 2 inches from your face when you're trying to go to the bathroom and you think "why in the heck would he want to be in here anyway?" He's a strange doggie...but we still love him.

5) I'm obsessive about getting A's in school. I never had this problem in high school or college, but when it comes to graduate school I have to get A's. I actually got a B twice and I was so upset about it. My husband just laughs at me and tells me as long as you're reimbursed for the class who cares! My work will only reimburse you if you get a B or better. I know he's right, but I know I can get A's and I really don't have to try that hard, except for my accounting class last winter semester. That was the hardest class I had ever taken and I felt I put 150% into the class and only pulled a B. I got over it after having about 2-3 panic attacks. It was terrible, but I lived through it.

Thanks, Briana. This was a fun exercise and it got me to post twice in one week. That's a record. I have no one to pass this onto b/c you're my only friend on blogger :-(

2006-10-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Finally, an update!

I know I've been so bad with updating my blog. I've had so much going on lately and fighting over the internet with my husband doesn't help. He likes to play Poker-Stars (Texas Hold'em w/play money) on Friday & Saturday nights and that's when I have the most time to update my blog. We'll it's past 9:00 pm on Sunday night and this is the only time I have to post, since my husband goes to bed early. Really, I'm up b/c I had two cokes w/dinner, plus I had some homework to finish for my Strategic Management class. I put it off b/c I didn't feel like doing it earlier. I felt that grocery shopping, cleaning and taking a nap were more important today. It comes to find out that my groups members were putting their work off too, so I don't feel bad.

I believe the last time I made a post was before Labor Day, but that's right around the time things changed in my life. My husband and I had a nice Labor Day weekend by going to Jeff's aunt and uncle's place. They have a Labor Day party weekend every year. We finally made it this year, but only for the day. I finally got to see what a mini horse looked like, which his aunt has around 5-6 of them. This is besides the other 3 regular horses they have. What a zoo! We had a really nice time there. I watched Jeff's cousin Dana make a bracelet for Jeff's mom and it really sparked my interest. I had always wanted to make jewelry, but didn't know much about it. Dana showed us how she did it and I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was. A few weeks later, my mom, Jeff's mom and I took a beginner's class. It was really fun and I liked the looks of the bracelet I made. Jeff's mom and I purchased the tools and I already made another bracelet. I'm planning to make earrings and bracelets for my friends for Christmas.

Anyway back to Labor Day weekend, Jeff & I did some more running around that weekend. I cannot remember what we did. We went back to work on Tuesday and I noticed that I had signs that I was ovulating. Jeff and I have been trying to get pregnant since we got married in June. I sent Jeff an email at work and told him that I was having signs, so I would meet him at the house around 8:00 pm. He's so funny. He calls me at work and thought I was trying to tell him I was pregnant. I told him "No" that I was ovulating. My friends told me to look for signs and I did a little reading up on it on the internet, so I knew what to look for. Well, I guess my friends were right b/c that did the trick...I'm PREGNANT!

I remember how it went. I knew I was suppose to start on Wednesday, Sept. 20th, so I waited until the weekend and nothing. I told Jeff about it, but I had decided to wait a week then take a test. My mom talked me into taking a test on Sunday of that same week. It worked out perfect b/c Jeff went to his football game and I was home alone. I told my mom I would take the test and call her back. I took the test and did a little housework and forgot about it. My mom called me back to find out the result and I told her I would go and look. I couldn't believe it when I said it..."Mom, its says Pregnant. Holy crap!". She was screaming on the phone and I was in shock. I had taken this same test last month, but it said "Not Pregnant". I guess I was expecting the same result. My mom said I had to do something special for my husband, so I went to the store and bought a bib that said "I love my Daddy". I put it in a bag and surprised Jeff. I told him it was a 3-month anniversity gift. He opened it up and started to cry. I think he cried for about 20 minutes before he huged me. It scared me b/c I couldn't read his reaction. This is what he wanted his whole life. We told his mom that same night. She was thrilled. I decided to take another pregnancy test to make sure the result didn't change and it didn't. This finally explained alot why I was so tried and cranky the 2 weeks prior. I thought I was coming down with a cold or something.

Pregnancy hasn't been much of a joy for me. I'm tired, moody and the nausea and throwing up doesn't help. I hate to throw up and cry every time I have to do it. It's awful! For the past 2 months, I've been so tired. I work all day, then hop in my bed for a little shut eye. I've been bad with the housework, but I had to give up something. Working full-time and taking a graduate class is all I can handle. Things are getting better, except for last weekend (I'll write more about my hospital visit later), I'm still pretty tired, but my nausea has been less for the past 4 days (no throwing up!). I'm still pretty crabby (my poor husband). I've been beating up on him alot lately, but he still remains supportive. I'll be 10 weeks this Wednesday and already have 3 pictures of my little peanut (that's what we call it b/c that's the size of it right now). I hope to scan one or two of the pictures in, so I can post them.

Well, it getting late and I have to work tomorrow!

2006-09-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 26th
Cooking Tomato Sauce Using Tomatoes from Our Garden

I have to begin with last weekend, since I have not had a chance to sit down and write in my blog. Last Friday (August 25th), Jeff and I made tomato sauce using tomatoes from our garden. My friend from work gave me instructions on how to peel the skin off tomatoes and her recipe for tomato sauce. Jeff is never the type to stick to a recipe, but he likes to check several recipes and decide what he wants to do. He is so passionate about cooking and perfecting a dish. I think it's so cute. He always consults me about ingredients and begs me to taste and give my opinion. I'm not much of a cook, but I love the fact that he likes to include me.

The peeling of the tomatoes was a no brainer. The tomatoes were hot to touch even though I ran them under ice cold water. (Ouch!!!) After we got the peels off, we needed to cut the seeds and cores out of the tomatoes. What a mess!! I thought we were all done, but Jeff thought we need a strainer to put all the miscellaneous juices through. Therefore, I had to go to Kmart to buy one. Whatever makes the cook happy!! I actually believed it was a good idea because we had so much juice on our plates after we pulled the seeds out.

Here's the recipe we used (from my work friend):

Quarter the tomatoes (squish out the seeds)

Chop onions

Chop a lot of garlic

Add any green or red pepper

Salt & pepper

2 tablespoons of sugar (any color)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp oregano, basil, italian seasoning, salt and pepper

1 small can of tomato paste

Simmer on medium low till soft - 10 minutes or less add sugar, cinnamon (yes, believe me) these two things balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Throw in tomatoes and add oregano, basil, italian seasoning, salt and pepper cook on medium stirring. No lid it will be bubbling on top, but not burning on the bottom. Skim off tomato skins from top (or not). Add tomato paste to thicken sauce.

Taste the sauce, if it is not yummy, add more seasoning and possibly sugar after the sauce is bubbling and you are sick of stirring turn heat to med-low and cook for at least 1 hour if the sauce is too runny, cook longer - no lid, you want the extra liquid to evaporate

Well, the tomato sauce turned out excellent. Jeff didn't add the cinnamon, sugar or peppers (he doesn't like them), but I still thought the sauce had great taste. On Saturday afternoon, he decided to make a lasagna using his tomato sauce. Wow, it was awesome!!! We gave some to his parents and friends and they raved about it. I had it the next day for dinner and thought it was better than the day before. Boy, I'm so lucky to have such a great husband who's such a wonderful cook. Don't ever ask Jeff about the time I made him lasagna. It wasn't a pretty sight!!

Some of the tomatoes from our garden.

Aren't they beautiful?

We used alots of garlic just like the recipe said.

(See Jeff is capable of following some parts of the recipe.)

2006-08-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Our Mount Pleasant
Golf Weekend

Jeff and I planned a golf getaway and called it our second honeymoon, since it was 5 days short of our 2 month wedding anniversary. Every year, Jeff and I plan this golf weekend. It has been a tradition for us. We got smart last year and decided that we would drive up north on Saturday morning and drive home on Monday morning. Our reasons:(1) we miss the Friday night traffic and (2) Sunday night hotel rooms are cheaper than Friday nights, especially when you're renting a jacuzzi room.

On Saturday, I didn't go to Weight Watchers, but I did drive to get a Chai Latte at the Coffee Beanery which is next door to WW. I'm so bad! We got out the door around 9:45 am and stopped for breakfast, then on our way up north by 10:15 am. It was pouring rain. We were really bummed that we might not get to golf. The further north we got, the better the weather got. Once we arrived at the golf course (exactly at our tee time), the clouds started to move out. We didn't get out on the tee until 1:30 pm b/c we had a 16 person scramble in front of us. We planned to get out before them, but we were too late. It worked out though. The pro asked us if we didn't mind if we had another person join us. Jeff said it was fine, but we really wanted to golf by ourselves. Bill joined our two-some and was quite entertaining. The pro knew this guy's name and so Jeff and I assumed he was pretty good. It turned out that I had better luck keeping my ball in the fairway than this guy. He was a NEW golfer a/k/a hacker as some people would call him. Bill told us that he had only been golfing for 2 years and had been coming out to the golf course for the past couple Saturdays (that's how the pro knew him). Jeff and I didn't really talk to him much until the 4th hole. This guy was telling us that he had been with his current wife for 2 years and that he had 2-year twin girls with her. Well, this was not the only children he had. It comes to find out that Bill had 6 children total (including the twins) and his wife had 7 children total (including the twins). I think my jaw in the ground. I couldn't believe it and he was only 42 years old! I really didn't understand how he could afford to golf. It's an expensive sport. This guy paid $25 w/a cart for 9 holes, where Jeff and I paid $30 w/a cart for 18 holes, a total for both of us. I guess it "pays" to know the pro at the golf course. Jeff's friend from work went to high school with the golf pro, so he called us in a favor. What a deal...if only Bill knew!! Well, 3 1/2 hours went by and we were FINALLY done playing 9 holes. To play 9 holes, it only takes 2 1/2 hours, but the group of 16 were really slooowwww. The longer we waited the more drunk Bill got. Jeff and I couldn't wait to get rid of him and golf on our own. He was getting on our nerves.

The second half of our game was fun. Jeff and I golfed really well. Jeff got a birdie on hole #15 and I got par, which is awesome. Yeah!! We took a picture of the hole layout card to remember our wonderful accomplishment.

We got done golfing around 7:30 pm and headed over to the Lone Star for dinner. The restaurant was packed, so we decided to sit at the bar and eat. We both got a fun drink called a Very Berry Daiquairi and played Photo Hunt. I love that game. We ordered very expensive dinners ($19.99 each) b/c we decided to go all out. Jeff ordered Filet Migon w/shrimp and I ordered lobster tail and Porterhouse steak. We shared fries and veggies. What a combination!!! The meal was so good. Jeff said the filet was greatl. My steak wasn't as tender as his, it was a little chewy too. We left the restaurant with full bellies and checked into our room at the Baymont. We requested the jacuzzi room next to the pool. It's really nice. We watched a movie "Castaway" and then called it a night.

A few pictures from the Winding Brook Golf Course;

Nice form, Honey!!

Wow, I think I made the green!!!

Hey, how did that happen?!!

On Sunday morning, Jeff and I got ready for another fun-filled day of golfing. We had a 2:06 pm tee time at the Pohlcat, so we had plenty of time to eat, walk and get to the course. We parked our car and walked 15 minutes to LauraBee's Family Restaurant for breakfast. Jeff and I both had egg-white omelets with hash browns and wheat toast. Yummy! We enjoyed our walk back to the car. It's really nice to check out all the different houses in the neighborhood. They have sometimes up to 4 apartments in one house. It's just crazy!

Jeff and I arrived at the golf course around 1:30 pm, a little early for our tee time. We paid $45 each to golf 18 holes w/a cart. This was an after 2:00 pm deal. Originally, it would cost $75 each! The best thing about it is that Jeff and I got out on the course before 2:00 pm b/c they didn't have a starter, plus we didn't have to golf with anyone. We enjoyed our round and each other. Jeff even helped me out with my game and I'm getting better about keeping my eye on the ball. I golfed a 62 on the front and a 60 on the back. I think Jeff got a 49 and a 52, which he wasn't pleased with. This course was much harder than the course yesterday, but we still had a great time. It was a perfect day!

A few pictures from the Pohlcat;

Come on, birdie putt!

Wow!! Where did it go?

I think that one went 150 yards!

After golf, we had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. We split a burger and both got the salad bar. They have the BEST salad bar!! After dinner, we went over to the Holiday Inn for a drink, then Jeff talked me into going to the casino. We didn't stay long. We headed back to our room around 11:00 pm to enjoy our jacuzzi since we didn't get to use it the night before.

On Monday morning, Jeff and I woke up around 10:00 am and packed up to go home. We had a wonderful weekend together. I couldn't ask for a better person to spend it with other than my best friend; my husband.

Jeffrey & Lori - August 19, 2006

2006-08-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today was a basic day.... get up early and work all day. I was busy all day, so I didn't get a chance to walk at lunch. I walk with Marie and Lynda, my walking buddies. We always have a nice conversation about our families or talk about what we did over the weekend. We rarely talk about work, which is nice. I really enjoy walking with them. It gives me some time to keep my mind off work for a half hour. It's like it gives me the energy I need to make it through the rest of the work day.

My husband, Jeff, is playing in a pool touraument this evening. In the fall and winter, he plays on a regular pool league. It nice b/c it gives me some time by myself. He usuallys get that on Monday nights b/c I play golf. I feel it's important to have time away from each other, so you have the opportunity to miss each other. This evening gave me a chance to run to the store, water my flowers, and type in my journal. :0)

My friend, Briana, returned to work today. She had been out since last Thursday with kidney stones. From what she told me, it really hurts. I'm glad she's feeling better. I'm going to miss talking to her in the mornings when she goes on maturity leave, which is coming up in the next week or so. We both have a long drive to work, so we call each other and chat. It's really fun b/c we just talk about what is happening in our lives, rather than talking about work. It's nice to have a friend like that.

Here's a picture of Briana & Joe at our wedding.

I haven't spoken to my friend, Danny, in awhile. She and I have been good friends, since the 10th grade, but I knew her in elementary school. We didn't hang out in elementary school though. It wasn't until we worked at the same grocery store. She worked in the bulk food area and I worked in the cafeteria. We became best friends right away. Originally, my best friend was Tracey, but Danny, Tracey and I clicked so well that we all became best friends. I never thought the three of us would get along as well as we did. We rarely fought. If we did, it was usually Danny and I going at it. Tracey was always the one who didn't like conflict. It makes me sad when I look back on those days. Danny and I don't talk to Tracey anymore. It started when I graduated from college and got my first "real" job. She would call me at work, which I usually didn't have time to talk. The calls became less frequent until one day we just stopped talking. Tracey and I never had a falling out, we just stopped talking. These days I've been thinking about her alot. I think the same goes for Danny. I found out about a year ago that she lived near Jeff. I always think that I'll run into her one day. Every store I go into it's like I look at everyone I pass hoping I might see her. I really don't know what I would say to her if I had that opportunity to see her face to face. I think I would just say "hi" and walk away, but I really don't know. Danny recently asked me for her email address, which I had only from another email I received from Jill, Tracey's sister. I ran into her in a Yahoo group for my high school and sent her an email to say Hi. It's sad that our friendship is no longer. I missed the days when we'd hang out and talk about what we wanted to do with our life.

2006-08-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is my first post on blogger.com. My friend, Briana, told me about it and thought it seemed pretty cool. I've been reading some of her blogs and thought I would give it a try. I really wanted to create this online journal b/c it's nice to write about random things. I also hope it will help me with my scrapbook journals. Also, I hope it would make it easier on me to create pages b/c the journaling would already be "somewhat" completed.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. My husband and I are planning a golf getaway. This is something we do every year. We're calling it our second honeymoon. We just got married on June 24th and it just so happens that we'll be celebrating our two month anniversary next week.

Here's a picture of us on our wedding day!

This weekend is all about being together and enjoying the game. I really enjoy playing golf, but it's something that I have yet to master. I've always been pretty good at sports, but this game is tough on me. It's funny some days I got it going on and other days I don't. I'm hoping this weekend I'll play well.

That's it for my first journal...I think I got the hang of this. How cool!!!!