Happy Anniversary Mimi and Gada

Today is my parents 37th Wedding Anniversary. Thats a long time to be with someone! Being with someone that long - whether you like each other or not what's the point of getting divorced? It doesn't help with taxes! lol Totally joking. I plan on being with Eric that long and longer. Its a wonderful thing to find your best friend in life and get to marry them too! But I will say time flies as you get older (no offense mom and dad of course you aren't old... ahem....ahem...) Anyways Mom sent me these wonderful pictures of when they were younger from their wedding.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Kaylea's Quote of the Week!

Kaylea said, "Daddy do you love me?"

Daddy said, "Of course I love you! Do you love me?"

Kaylea said, "Yes! But, I wanna know if you love me backwards?"

My first blackout!

Never had it happen before but my trainer had me on new equipment today something they were calling "the pig" its next to the stair climber and its similar to lunges. Then I did this vibration machine. Basically you stand on it and hold on to the bars and it jiggles your body really really fast... so much so that your legs get warm almost hot! I was on that for 2 minutes.

Then, when I got off that I started seeing spots and the room was spinning and even though my eyes were open - everything went black and I couldn't see anything. Next thing I know I feel myself falling and hitting the equipment and the floor. My trainer broke my fall I was told but I was out. Then he woke me up I guess and brought me a diet coke and a piece of a soy bar to get some sugar into my body. It was crazy - weirdest feeling I ever had. My trainer said, "Are you ok?" and I responded in a dizzy daze, "I don't think I feel too good!" Haha, ya think?!

Good news is I didn't throw up because I hadn't eaten. So my trainer brought me a diet coke and gave me a chunk of a chocolate soy protein bar. I've never liked those things and never been able to swallow a bite of one. But, today that one little piece of soy bar tasted like a snickers to me.

The reason I blacked out was because my sugar dropped too low and I had pushed myself too hard. (I had taken it upon myself to push myself to 5 minutes on the pig when I was ready to stop at 3.) But all was good after the coke and soy bar and I feel great today. I'll be back at the gym tomorrow!

19.5 Pounds Down!

My weigh-in was this morning folks and I've lost a total of 19.5 lbs in three weeks! I feel great and my clothes are looser! I have three more weeks to go on this plan (paid for that is). They said technically this past week I lost 6.8 lbs of fat but gained 1 lb. of water. So I guess technically I've lost more than 19.5 lbs! So I'm a living testament that this works! I have to give a big thank you to Medi-Weight Loss Centers and to Clubfit!

I'll keep you posted on my progress! Keep those prayers coming! I might actually lose 30 lbs before my 30th birthday! :-)

What a Mighty Good Man!

Yesterday Eric worked all day and Kaylea and I got to have a fun day together. We went birdwatching again and I got her an ice cream and we sat out on the causeway together. Then Grandma and Grandpa Martin and Courtney came over to our house and hung out and played. So we had a very full afternoon! I was tired - but couldn't complain cause hey I didn't have to work!

So, I had scheduled myself a masssage at Massage Envy for 7pm last night. I was cashing in my gift certificate Eric got me for Christmas. I had already told Eric I'd give Kaylea a bath when I got home - cause I knew he would be tired - and he warned me he definitely was not going to have the energy to do that.

So Eric got home, and Kaylea had just woken up from her nap - a cranky one. All she wanted was her mommy. Unfortunately I had that appointment, so I had to leave Eric with Kaylea in tears while he tried to watch his Orlando Magic Game. I felt bad - but hey I wanted that massage! :-)

Well after my massage I called Eric - it was 8pm. Kaylea answered the phone, "Hi Mommy! I'm in da bathtub!". As tired as Eric was from work and even though there was an Orlando Magic Game on, he put aside his plans for a relaxing night and gave Kaylea a bath and had her all ready for bed when I got home.

What a man, What a man, What a man, What a mighty Good man!

(Sorry had to sing a throwback to the 1990s and Salt-N-Pepa!)

Our Diva Day!

Some days just start out bad. Today was one of those days. I thought it was doomed to end bad. This morning we spent the best part of it getting two new tires for Eric's new car. He must have run over something that completely blew holes in both of his passenger side tires. We and tires just don't agree lately I guess. Anyways after a long morning of dropping Eric off at work and getting tires fixed Kaylea and I started our day together. I thought it would be fun to take her to the Hannah Montana 3D movie - it was for about 20 minutes. After her popcorn was all eaten I couldn't keep her in her seat - guess cartoon movies are better at keeping her attention - even though she likes Hannah Montana - she doesn't like 3D glasses.

So we left the movie theatre only to run through pouring down rain because we didn't have an umbrella! Then after leaving the movie we were on a quest to find my purse. I had been missing it since the night before. So we drove to my work (cause I hadn't been anywhere else) and still couldn't find it. But, I needed my blood pressure medicine so we went back home to look for it. Still no purse. Called work. They looked and they found it! Perhaps my luck was turning around!

(FYI - that is a big donut hole in Kaylea's cheek!)

So, now that I had my purse, the rain had stopped and tires were fixed, I decided to try and start our Kaylea and Mommy day over again. So we went to the mall. And you know what we had a ball! There is a little playground area inside our mall that Kaylea loves to play at. Its right across from Dunkin Donuts - so I got a coffee and I got Kaylea some donut holes and we spent about an hour to an hour and a half there. Kaylea made a few friends and they played chase for a long time.

Then we found this really cool store called "Divas and Dudes". Its a store for kids, and you can pay $22 to get a Diva Makeover! Kaylea went around and got to pick out some accessories to her outfit - her choice was a blue tutu, , sunglasses, a lady bug necklace, a princess purse, a blue hair extension piece, and a toy zebra, oh and rock star gloves. Then a stylist sits them down at their own "Diva Vanity chair and mirror and they do their hair with glitter gel and sparkles and give them lip gloss etc. She looked totally Diva and so cute! So much so that every where we went in the mall people stopped and said how cute she was and asked where she had it done.

Also while we were there we road the choo choo train and some other little rides, before stopping at the Disney store to pick up a princess shirt. Wallet empty and Kaylea tired - we stopped by the smoothie shop to meet my parents for a smoothie. Then we headed home listening to Laurie Birkner singing about the three little pigs in the car. So all in all the day didn't turn out so bad. We had a blast, Kaylea got to be a diva, she didn't take a nap, and now we can go to bed early! :-)

All I had was my camera phone, so the pics aren't great, but here is some shots from our fun day!

Bird Watching with Mommy

Every other week or so I usually have a Saturday or Sunday to have a "Kaylea and Mommy Day". I love these days because its time for Kaylea and I to bond and spend time together and really just have a "fun day". We usually go to breakfast or lunch somewhere and then we plan a few different activities throughout the day depending on what is going on.

This last week we had lunch out on the causeway at an outdoor walk-up dive and then took our leftovers to feed the birds outside the restaurant. Kaylea had seen a Max and Ruby episode where they went "bird watching" and so she had told me she wanted to do that. So we took her binoculars and headed for the causeway to "bird watch".

It was really fun and quite windy. Kaylea also picked lots of sea shells and rocks - another one of our favorite things to do on Kaylea and Mommy Day. Here are some pictures from our day. I have lots of Kaylea and Mommy Days coming up because Eric is working the next two weekends, so we might just be birdwatching tomorrow too! :-)

Pics of Kaylea today!

Mom took these two pics this morning and they are just so cute I had to share!

Roses after 6 years!

So as we were driving back from Disneyworld and Kaylea was completely passed out asleep in the car a week or 2 ago, Eric decided to take advantage of the time and put on some music he liked to listen too. (He gets a little tired of Barney and Laurie Birkner - as for me I like the pretzel song!) Anyways he's flipping through his Sirius and a song comes on by some rock group called Buckcherry. I hadn't heard of them and for those of you who know my husband - you might think he hadn't either. But to my surprise he had and liked them and listened to them (when Kaylea is not in the car of course). As for me I was emotional - think I needed a B6 shot or something but I looked at him driving and said, "Who are you?! I don't even know you anymore!"

OK so yes I'm a bit dramatic and tend to take things to the extremes so they say. But, do you ever feel at some point in your relationship that so much time has gone by and you've been so busy with your own lives and work that you really don't know the other person anymore? OK thats a bit absurd in my case because when I'm not at work I'm around Eric but a little part of me thinks... wow we have a whole other life during the day that we don't really know about each other. (DANG HORMONES!) Eric was like, "Honey I'm the same as I've always been what's your problem are you on the white pills again?" (alluding to the last week of birth control pills when my moods swing hi and low!)

Anyways, it was silly and I quickly got over my emotional crisis.... once he went back to some normal R&B. And as Eric reminded me not only does he like Rap, Hip Hop, and R&B, but he has a secret country CD, and Matchbox 20 was the first concert we went to together. AND he even admitted to secretly watching Hannah Montana and proved it by singing the lyrics to her songs later. So I freaked out for nothing.

Luckily I have a wonderful hubby who puts up with my swings of emotion. Valentine's Day came and (I thought I might get flowers) and of course he pulled through. 18 beautiful red roses! But the best part was the card. Normally Eric spends a long time picking out a really good card, but never signs anything other than "Eric" or "Love, Eric". He's just not a writer, and thats why he picks out the cards forever - because they say what he wants to say. But this time HE WROTE!!! It was the best part of my valentine's day - getting a little short poem from Eric. It said:

"I always like rap, and I like rock.
I sometimes like country and even pop,
but most of all I love you!"

And that my folks made my day!

Colds, Hospitals and no fun at all!

Well I was hoping to update you on my diet progress - no worries - I haven't "cheated" just haven't been able to do the diet to the fullest as I cannot take any of the medication they gave me this week. It's been a rough week though as I have been really sick. I've actually been sick for about 3 weeks (cold stuff) then Kaylea and Eric got it. I sent them to the doctor and they got medicine and this third week I finally decided it was time I get medicine. So I went to the doctor.

Those of you who know me pretty well know that I am allergic to just about every antibiotic in the book... which is pretty much why they always prescribe me ZPacks cause I do ok with them. Bad thing is they are starting to lose their effectivness. So my doctor prescribed me a new drug that I haven't tried before - Avalox. Well I picked it up from the pharmacy on Wednesday night and took my first pill at approximately 6:30pm. Well by 6:45 I had big red welts all over my face and thats when I started to panic. Kaylea was in her nightgown and Eric was eating his sandwich and I told them they needed to get me to the hospital ASAP. I've been there done this before.

So forgetting that its cold outside we all left in a hurry with no jackets and headed for the hospital. On the 8 minute drive there my arms were starting to bubble up into welts as well and it was getting hard for me to breathe. My skin on my face felt numb and so did my mouth and tounge. I quickly ran into the ER and let them know I was having an allergic reaction to Avalox and was immediately taken into the ER and put in a bed while the nurse attempted to get an IV into my veins 3 TIMES! I have a 3 inch bruise to prove it! (And thats just one of the spots) My veins are bad, but even worse when someone is trying to hurry through getting the IV in. It was bad and now I hate IVs even more! Finally they got it to take hold on the top of my hand. Ugh not the best feeling place to have an IV.

At this point I started getting woozy - which was better than the panic attack I was in. All I know is that they shot me with 4 different things, but I zoned out after I heard the first two - predinizone (steroids) and benadryl. At any rate, mom and dad picked Kaylea up from the hospital and Eric stayed with me until they discharged me around 11pm.

That was our excitement for the week - if you could call it that. So, I decided to not go in at 7am the next day to do my workout and I had to stop my medication for the diet (just in case). Meanwhile I had to wait for yet another prescription for the "safe old" ZPack to start getting better. While waiting for that prescription the next few days I just got sicker and sicker. I have coughed so much that I have thrown up and my chest feels bruised (right along with my arms from the IV!)

But good news is I am on the mend! LOL I am not feeling 100% but I'd say 30% better! haha. Better enough to write this blog out at least! Keep us in your prayers. Also keep Kaylea in your prayers and help her to keep her 2-year-old-tude under control. I think she was stressed out the next day at school after being in the hospital the night before that she took it out at school. So we had another "Parent Teacher Talk". Ugh. So needless to say again... please PRAY for us! :)

This week's updates.

Well, Kaylea did not make the top ten finalist of the Regis and Kelly Beautiful Baby Search, but thats ok. She's still the prettiest to me! :-) The kids they did select - 1-2 of them were cute, but IMHO not as cute as Kaylea. But I'm sure every mom will think the same way about their own child. Anyways - Always next year!

Now today - I have reason to celebrate! I had my first weigh in at the Medi-Weightloss Clinic and my jaw dropped to the floor! First off at this clinic the most anyone's lost their first week is 11lbs. (at this particular office) I didn't even want to look at the scale.... I guess I always expect the worst. But I had stuck to my diet for the most part very strictly and worked out 3 days... plus I walked at Disneyworld all day Saturday, so I definitely got my workouts in. My downfall this week was I cheated and ate a Chili Cheese Dog no bun (but since it is protein I remained in Ketosis which was the most important thing.) I just had too much fat and calories with it probably. That was at Disney world. And the night before I had a McDonalds Filet of Fish no bun, no cheese, no sauce. Now I wonder what I would have lost without those?

So I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office and closed my eyes. I didn't even want to look. The nurse said, "Girl you better look at that scale!" WOW! I've lost 13.5 lbs in my first week! 13.5! Can you believe it! I'm their "Biggest Loser"! LOL 5.3 lbs of it was water. 6.2 lbs was pure fat, and 2 lbs was what they call fat free mass (not sure what that is?) But I can't beleive I lost 13.5 lbs..... oh and 3 inches in the waist! Crazy! So let's hope I can keep this energy going and do well this week!

Speaking of Disney world, we went to Disney on Saturday. We chose to go to 1 park - Magic Kingdom! We got lucky because Kaylea got to meet everyone she wanted to namely Cinderella and all the other princesses and the mice from cinderella too! It was a lot of fun. Click the picture below to see pics from our trip or go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kayleasmom/Disney

Kaylea's Prayer for Mommy

Yesterday my doctor's appointment was at 7am, so I had to leave the house before Kaylea and Eric woke up. Well later that day Eric told me the sweetest thing that happened.

Kaylea and Eric were snuggling watching cartoons (the Wiggles I think). Kaylea asked Eric, "Daddy, Where is Mommy right now?" and Eric said, "Mommy is at the doctor's office." Kaylea thought for a minute and then said, "Oh. Can we say a prayer for Mommy so she be ok?" Eric said, "Sure we can!" and they prayed for me together while I was at my appointment.

And thats why I'm going to try hard to lose weight - so I can be healthy and be around for Kaylea. (ok trying not to tear-up now)

My first workout!

Well its day TWO and I thought I'd update you on my progress. This morning I worked out with my personal trainer at 7am. I got nauseated and light headed.... who knew that 10 lunges would make my legs sore and that the Stair Climber machine would make me feel like throwing up! LOL Whew.... I'm going in tomorrow to do more cardio! And Thursday and Friday too!

I weighed before my workout this morning and the scale said I'd lost 4 lbs! (All water weight of course) but still cool! After my workout I lost another 2 lbs! LOL

So far everything is going good and I have alot of energy! I feel great! Best of all Eric is really helping me along the way. Those of you who think you have the best husband out there... sorry you haven't met Eric. Last night he went to the grocery store for me and took my suggested meals list and bought some stuff that I could eat. Then he got out the George Foreman (which we haven't used in years) and made me a grill chicken breast. He sprayed it with an Asian Spice spray that he found and it only has 10 calories and then grilled it. Then he cut it in half and weighed my portions on our ebay scale LOL. I could eat half a chicken breast and a serving of cottage cheese. He arranged it all on a plate for me and brought me my dinner. YES, I know... I owe him big time! And I don't know if it was just the fact that I was so hungry, but a half a chicken breast never tasted sooooo good! It was juicy it had flavor and it was gone within 5 minutes! haha!

So I am very optimistic today! Now I know its not good to weigh every day... I just wanted to weigh the first day after I'd been on the diet. After I weighed this morning after my workout, Eric took the scale and hid it from me. This way I can only weigh myself when I go to the doctor's office on Mondays. It will be much more encouraging then! Keep those prayers coming!

Let the fat burning begin!

Well I started at the Medical Weight Loss Clinic today. Wow its pretty intense! I spent two hours in the doctor's office. I had bloodwork done, an EKG, and a urinalysis. I spent time talking with the doctors about the diet and the foods I can eat as well as all of the medications I will be taking. First off the diet.

I am allowed only 500 Calories per day in lean meats. This includes fish, chicken, seafood, lunch meats, cottage cheese, beef, egg whites, tuna, etc. Now none of it can be cooked with the skin on, nor can I eat the skin. Nor can it be cooked with butter or any other sauce for that matter. So, this should be fun! The first week this is all I can eat. No veggies no fruit, nothing other than the 500 calories per day of protein. Is that healthy and how is it humanly possible?

Yes because I also got two shots in my hip of vitamins B12, B6, Amino acids, and other forms of Vitamin B. and will be getting these twice a week for energy. Also I have vitamin supplement pills I am taking every day along with a fat burner, a colon cleanser and Phendimetrazine (the appetite suppressant). The neat thing is that the appetite suppresant basically goes to your brain and tells it not to send off the signals to my body that I am hungry, and therefore I don't feel hungry. So this should help me keep to 500 cals. a day.

I am optimistic! And I know I need this more than ever now after seeing my results from all the tests! Wow. Its amazing how many pounds of fat someone's body can be made up of! I never would have guessed mine had as much as it did!

So thats it! Thats my first day. Tomorrow I have my first personal training (workout) session with the meanest polish trainer in the industry! Great - at 7am too! I go back to the doctor for another vitamin packed shot on Wednesday and then my next appointment is at 8am on Monday. I will update you on my results after my Monday appointment! :-)

Oh and did I mention I also have to drink 128 ounces of water a day - I think thats like 1 gallon!

An Interview with Kaylea

And so my diet begins Monday...

Yeah thats what they all say I know! But really, I am starting the Medi Weight Loss Center on Monday (at 7am to be exact ugh). It is a medically supervised diet (namely low calorie, low carb, low fat). I know what the heck am I supposed to eat?! The first appointment they do an EKG and blood work. Now I thought that getting bloodwork done always called for a McDonalds Sausage Biscuit afterwards.... but I guess I'm being told no. Hmm... I'll have to google that law!

Also in the first appointment they give you (I think it is) a B12 shot and vitamin supplements as well as prescription appetite suppressants. I'm a little nervous but excited as well. I would never be able to afford this on my own so Thank God I have skills! I am trading some Graphic Design and Website work for a 6-week program. It will also include 2 personal training sessions a week at the gym I am doing the work for and I can come in on my days off to work out on my own as well for 6 weeks. Why am I working on a website just so I can work my butt off in the gym? Sounds a little crazy, but I really need to lose weight.... for my health... and for Kaylea. She needs her Mommy around ya know!

So please be in prayer for me during the next 6 weeks that I remain healthy and stick to the diet and that this is beneficial for me! I will keep you all posted on my progress each week! But most of all I need your prayers (you know how much I love my food!) :-)

Jesus has Big Muscles!

Kaylea informed Eric and I yesterday that "Jesus has really big muscles because da song says, 'we are weak and he is strong' "

A Breakdancin' Family!

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Playdough is Fun!

The other night Kaylea, Eric and myself were playing with playdough. Kaylea wanted to make snowmen. We had a great time.... I think Eric and I were having more fun than she was! Here are the snowmen we made. The pink one is the one Kaylea made and the teal one is the one we made!

Can it be? NKOTB?!

You heard it right! NKOTB also known as New Kids on the Block are going back on tour! I had to share this because I was one of those crazy NKOTB fans! I had the scrapbook and everything. At night I used to go to sleep to with their cassette tape playing in my boom box and dream about marrying Joey! LOL In fact the very first concert I ever attended was to see New Kids on the Block and believe it or not my big brother Corey took me! Decked out in my vest and black hat I thought I was the coolest thing getting to go and being taken by my big brother! Even cooler I thought... my brother let me go with him to McDonald's to eat afterwards. That's one of my favorite memories I have of my brother and I growing up.

Well they are going on tour again so it seems and will be announcing it in the next few weeks. (Yes I totally want to go!) LOL its going to be hilarious seeing a bunch of 30-something women going crazy over a bunch of 40 year old men re-enacting their boy band moves! Hahaha Hahaha! Too funny!

For more info on this reunion:

http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,EntPeopleTax:NewKidsontheBlock,00.html