John's Journey Update

If you happened to notice - over the weekend, John has surpassed my weight loss number! He's at 98 pounds lost... and I couldn't be more proud of him. He's also lost 56 inches... amazing work for his 4 month anniversary!

I asked him to do the comparison photo today so that I could update you on his progress. For the first time, he actually saw the difference in himself. There aren't words that truly can tell you how deceiving the mirror can be... if you haven't been through a journey of this type... you just can't understand.

He opened his before picture - and just said "WOW... I've lost a LOT of weight." I remember the first time that I saw a photo of myself after getting a good way through the journey - and having a hard time wrapping my head around the difference. You can't deny what you see in the photos... and I'm so glad that John can finally see how far he's come in such a short time.

He still has a way to go to reach his goal... but BOY... he's come so far. I don't even think that I realized how much of a difference there is in him. I mean, I know rationally that he's lost 98 pounds - and that it is a HUGE number for 4 months... but I don't know that I truly realized the difference in the pictures.

I couldn't be more proud of him, and I'm so excited for the journey that is still to come. Things have changed for him in so many ways... this weekend... we went out for lunch, and for the first time that I can remember in recent history - we didn't specifically ask for a table. We both fit in the booth without a problem - and with room to spare... and I know that it is such a relief to not have to worry about making special requests to accommodate our weight.

I'll have him update his photos again in a month or two... it is an amazing transformation!!

Fireworks

So, okay... it's been a while since I've posted... basically - lets just say that I needed a break. I've been feeling like the computer was sucking me in more and more... and this week I've felt more like it was the enemy. My desire to use the computer when I'm at home in the evenings has completely vanished... because I want to be present and fully aware in my time that I have to spend with John.

Our 4th of July was good - we spent a good portion of the day with his family cooking and watching Fireproof. Susan, my sister-in-law, made a 7 layer dip decorated with a flag on top. It took a while, and I did a lot of heckling... but in the end it was very cute. Sour cream made the white stripes, tomatoes and salsa made the red stripes, olives served as the background for a sprinkling of cheese for the stars.

We made it home before dark, so that the dogs wouldn't freak out over the fireworks... at which point - our neighbors go COMPLETELY nuts. Since we're dealing with a SEVERE drought - you'd think people would be smarter than they are... but at least in our neighborhood - they aren't. We went to bed around 10:30... and by midnight the fireworks had slowed enough for us to doze off a little bit. There was the occasional firework between then and 2... at which point the kid across the street from us went crazy.

We're talking about fireworks beyond anything that I've ever seen or heard before. Long obnoxious strings of blackcats that would continue popping for a couple of minutes at a time. I mean just one right after the other... John went outside to ask him to stop - since we had to get up for church at 5:30 this morning. The kid was his typically rude self - so we ended up calling the police. We finally went back to bed at 3... for what could only be called a nap.

At that point John got up for church... and I got up to get some things done around the house. I knew that if I didn't try to focus my energy right then - I'd end up getting absolutely nothing done all day today. I opted to attend the second service at church... and surprisingly got quite a bit done. Which awarded us the ability to lay around and relax for the rest of the day.

So lets just say that if fireworks were to never exist... I'd be okay with that. I don't need to explode things in the air to honor the Independence Day for my country - and show my patriotism. Unfortunately, the fireworks make me NOT look forward to this holiday... and New Year's is even worse. UGH! I mean people ought to save their money instead of spending it on something so silly. Why don't they just take their hundred dollar bill and light IT on fire?!

Hopefully I'll be back this week blogging more regularly... whatever I can get done during the day at the office will have to suffice - because I'm sticking to the extremely limited (if at all) use of the computer in the evenings.

Q&A Wednesday

Does anyone remember this feature that I seem to have forgotten over the last few weeks?

Whew... I know I've been absent the last few days, but it's been a rough few days at our house. We've been struggling with some very personal things that I won't be splashing all over the internet... prayers for John and I are always welcomed.

My health is getting better - FINALLY... last night was the first night in a week and a half that I haven't had a fever. So praise God for that!

I'd love to get Q&A Wednesday back going again - so submit your questions for me in the comments section and I'll be back to answer them within the next week.

Can't Stop Laughing

Life with a 16 year old intern is quite humorous at times. My co-worker happens to be a little bit older than I am - I'd say mid 30's... and is the intern's backup supervisor. She has projects for him to complete, but for the most part - he sticks with me.

Anyway, this morning she had some stuff to do with him - which was a fairly mindless project of stuffing envelopes for a mailing. While stuffing, it is only natural that you'd chat about anything and everything that comes to mind.

So she asked him how he felt about the recent slew of deaths in the celebrity world - mainly Michael Jackson - because I don't think a 16 year old even knows who Farrah Fawcett was or has much connection to Charlie's Angels.... and Ed McMahon wouldn't have been on his radar much either. I'd bet that Michael Jackson and Billy Mays are the only two that register for him.

They start talking about it and how he felt... which on a side note - I'm not sure why people react so strongly to deaths of people that they've never even met. I mean sure - be sad that someone out there lost a family member, but I wouldn't say that I'd be in mourning over the loss of a celebrity.

Anyway, so after a few minutes of chatting about Michael's recent passing - the kid looks at her seriously and asks: "Well, I mean, how did you feel when JFK was killed?" PRICELESS!

She looked at him and asked: "How old do you think I am?! I wasn't even born when he died."

Hysterical!

Silent Sunday

Ok... sort of silent... you know I can't put out photos without captions...

This was Father's Day - and I just thought Brooklyn and Ryan were adorable in this picture.

The family Mario Cart tournament...

John's cousin had an engagement party the day before Father's Day, and it was a luau.... so this is the whole pig that we had.

It's blurry - but I just love this kid...

My in-laws... relaxing...

This is what you get when you ask Brooklyn to show you her "teefies"

Another "teefie" shot... with all of her lei's.

My sister-in-law, Susan... being tickled by Carl... Carl is John and Susan's cousin.

Joe and Melody - the happy couple!

It was a great Saturday to celebrate Father's Day and an engagement... the wedding will be in December - and I'm so happy that it'll be cool! Because I can't imagine anyone trying to get married in this 106 degree heat!

Life Lessons

Sometimes people just amaze me. Plain and simple - the selfishness and just general ugliness is shocking. I guess I somehow walk around with a general opinion that people for the most part are good... and treat people with respect. Boy, does it come as a shock when people do the exact opposite.

The saying: "Consider the source" is particularly true at the moment, but it's no less disheartening.

I guess it just goes to show you that there truly is a light that comes with having Christ in your life - because honestly without him... I could have easily been a person just like that... treating others like pons in a giant game of chess. Or even worse... because it really is all about what people can do FOR them - and what people have done TO them.

Unless you can accept your own responsibility for your actions - you just end up being bitter. Which sadly pushes people away. So with that being said - I am so grateful that God is such an important part of my life... because without him... I certainly wouldn't be a light to the world.

I'm not a light everyday by any means, but I sure do try to be. It is a joy being able to share the love of Jesus Christ with those that are willing to accept it... and if they aren't - then at the very least I try to act in a way that would be an example of love.

I certainly hope that all of you are having a fantastic weekend - mine has been very low key... in hopes that I'll make a full recovery by Monday, but in an odd twist - my fever is back up tonight... so I'm headed to bed early in hopes that it will be gone in time for me to be the lead teacher in the 2-3 year old class at church tomorrow.

Necklace Giveaway Winner!!

Random Integer Generator
Here is your random number:13
Timestamp: 2009-06-27 18:14:57 UTC

Which means absolutely nothing to you, right?!

Well, when I go to my magic spreadsheet...

drumroll....

SUMMER - you are the magic winner!! (I'll send you an email to get your address)

Sorry to everyone that didn't win this time, but I will do this again soon...

Friday Favorites 8

This week we have my friend Summer, who just happens to be fantastic! She is sweet, caring and funny - and of course a great support through the ups and downs of trying to have a baby. We have been able to chat quite a bit through Gmail and text messaging, and believe me - as soon as I get a chance to head on up to NYC... she's going to show it to me through the eyes of a native! (she just doesn't know it yet! HA!) You've got to go check her out - because she shares a lot of shopping finds via Etsy and other sites that are just amazingly cool. I know that you'll love her!

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I was born and raised in South Louisiana but moved to NYC after LSU to study acting. I did well in the industry but have lost a bit of passion for it. It will always be apart of me, just not right now. I am an aspiring pastry chef and plan on going back to school to receive my teaching certificate. I’ve been married for 3 years and we have two cats. I live in a fabulous city that seriously never sleeps. I work too hard and play when I can. I love my husband, my family, my heritage, the sun, fleur de lis, being silly, baking, eating Smarties, dancing in my kitchen, and anything & everything LSU. I love all things vintage. I love being witty and throwing out one liners. I have learned to bust some balls living in NYC. Oh and I love all things crazy. Things that don’t really go well together, but so do! Like bacon and chocolate. I also am not bashful and ask a lot of questions. Quite curious, I am. Also, I am a worry wart and it affects me on a daily basis.

2) Tell us your mission/goal for your blog:

I started it when we started TTC (trying to conceive), thinking I would be posting pictures of baby bedding and bibs. However, we did not conceive for about 8 months and when we did, the pregnancy was ectopic. However, I‘ve met some of the best people in the world through blogging. My blog was supposed to be all about my husband and myself and our future kiddos. Now, I control it! I post about fashion, fun and interesting things, our life in NYC and our travels.

3) Tell us about your favorite post or your best inspiration:

I love love love DIY. (Do It Yourself) I love anything old that I can make new again. My favorite post has to be the one showing off my newly, painted shelves.

4) Tell us one thing you can’t live without: (this could be animal, vegetable, or mineral – it’s up to you)

ONE thing? Um, this is hard. I would say lavender. I love it so much. I love to smell it, bathe in it, wash my clothes in it and even eat it when it is infused into the frosting of a cupcake! Want the recipe? I will share it.

5) Tell us something funny/interesting about you:

I am obsessed with the labels of my products in the kitchen and bathroom facing forward. I am in love with the Big Lebowski. I sometimes talk in a little girly voice to my husband. I dance with my cats. I have 3 tattoos and most people are shocked to find this out. I love the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule. I love black nail polish on my short nails. I love extra dirty martinis. I love to dip my fries in ice cream or mayo, {but not at the same time – yuck}. I also love headbands more than anything. I speak a little Cajun French. I dislike people that think they are better than me because of the amount of money in their checking account, how they dress or their occupation. Those people bore me. My nicknames are: from dad – Gootzer, my husband – Kiddo and my friends – Sum. WOW – this questionnaire was so ME ME ME.

6) Tell us how we can find you to read for ourselves: (your blog address)

www.bisforbrown.blogspot.com
www.summerscakes.com
www.ttcbabybrown.blogspot.com (invite only, just shoot me an email)

If you'd like to be featured on Friday Favorites in the coming weeks, drop me a comment with your email address and I'll send the survey over to you. OR you can copy the questions from this post - answer them and email them to me. (You can find my email by clicking on the about me link to my profile.)

Don't forget to sign up for the necklace giveaway contest here... contest closes tomorrow at noon - so don't miss out!

On the Mend?

Don't forget to sign up for the necklace giveaway contest here... contest closes tomorrow at noon - so don't miss out!

Well, yesterday certainly ended up being strange. My boss wanted me to leave the office almost immediately after I got there, but I ended up leaving around 2. We made our 45 minute drive home, and just about 5 minutes before we got there - I called my doctor's office to give them my updated contact number.

When I called - they were just about to call me and tell me that they had a new prescription for me, and some information about my other symptoms. My other symptom was dizziness, and he said that it was dehydration - and that I needed to drink LOTS of fluids or I'd have to be admitted to the hospital for fluids. The prescription that he wanted to call in can only be filled at the hospital - you'd be shocked at how hard it is to get liquid antibiotics!

So we turned the car around and went to get the medicine at the hospital. I took it when we got home, and my fever immediately spiked up again... apparently whatever this bug is - it doesn't like the fact that I'm trying to hunt it down and kill it!

My fever stayed high all the way through our small group meeting - in which John had me sit in his leather recliner... and I promptly sweated through my clothes... EWWW! I made it through the meeting, and by the time everyone left - John told me to go ahead and email my boss to tell her that I wasn't going to be able to make it in the office today.

I did just that - and then slept until 9 this morning. It was nice since I didn't sleep AT ALL the night before. Since then - I've moved to the couch, and John has made me soup and taken care of my every need. He's a wonderful nurse!

I'm feeling a bit better this morning - but it could be a lull between fever symptoms. Who knows, but I hope that I'm getting better - because I'd love to get out of the house for a little while today. It's sad when you get sooooo bored that going to the grocery store and Office Depot sounds like a welcomed distraction!

Hot'n Healthy Oatmeal Squares

So, what happens when Kim is left waiting too long for a prescription to be ready on Tuesday? She spends her time wandering the aisles of Walgreen's in search of things that she just can't live without!

I'd heard about these Pure Protein Hot'n Healthy Oatmeal Squares on several other blogs that I read from time to time... and they happened to be on sale - and I hadn't eaten all day because of my blood work... so I was hungry... and all planets aligned - so I bought the chocolate chip and cinnamon roll versions.

Yesterday, I finally ate the chocolate chip version - I left the cinnamon roll version for John to try... because I'm nice like that. And can I just say that these are REALLY good?! I ate it cold instead of warming it up, but I can see how that would only stand to make it better.

I didn't even feel like I was eating a protein supplement - it was sweet enough to suffice as a dessert even... and I'd totally buy another! If you haven't tried them - I think you should. They are a great alternative to getting some protein while you are on the go... or while you are feeling the need for something warm and yummy.

Don't forget to sign up for the necklace giveaway contest here... contest closes on Saturday - so don't miss out.