Six Insignificant Details

Teresa at http://mynewplacetoblog.blogspot.com/ tagged me. I'm supposed to list six insignificant details about myself. Let's see if I can come up with anything...
(You are then supposed to tag 6 other people, but all of my blogger buddies have been tagged...so that's out! LOL!)

1) I HATE scary movies. Can't stand to watch them. They give me the creeps, and then I can't sleep. My husband loves them, and especially loves to hide around the corner after we have watched one, and jump out and scare me to death. {sarcastic voice: He thinks it is hysterical...I don't find it humorous!}

2) I'm very passionate about health, fitness, and exercise. I can talk about it ALL day! I love it. I think I am so passionate about it, because I know what can be achieved through diet and exercise, first hand. Plus, we only get one body in this lifetime, so we have to take care of it.

3) I will try just about any new food at least once. I've ate some weird stuff in my lifetime...but hey, you don't know if you like it, if you don't try it. {just don't tell me what is in it, before I try it, or in mid-bite for that matter! LOL}

4) I've wore glasses since I was 9 years old. I got contacts when I turned 13, and have wore contacts ever since...someday I hope to be able to afford to have Lasik surgery to correct my vision. I'm blind as a bat! Can't see a thing without my glasses or contacts, unless it is right in front of my nose.

5) I have big feet. I may have a small bone structure, and be petite in size/height, but I wear a size 9 or 8 1/2 shoe (depending on the type of shoe, and the brand). I used to wear an 8 or 8 1/2, but after having babies, I now need a 1/2 size larger.

6) I LOVE to read! Give me a good book, and I'm happy for at least a day or two! LOL! I read while walking on the treadmill (combination of my two FAVORITES! Woo-Hoo!); in the bathtub; in bed; when my husband is driving us somewhere; when we are camping; basically anytime that I have nothing else I HAVE to do, I am reading. Either a good book, or my Oxygen Women's Fitness Magazine, or pretty much anything I can get my hands on.

There you have it. 6 totally useless facts about Moi. :) Now aren't you glad you wasted so much time reading this?! LOL!

Biggest Loser.....

I recorded BL last night, and then watched it today. I turned it on, and jumped on my elliptical, knowing a good motivation/workout was coming. Little did I know what a great workout I would actually get...It was a great way to vent my frustrations, and I had a lot of frustrations! LOL! (I actually did 78 minutes on the elliptical, and was dripping with sweat when it was finally over.)

I knew I didn't like Heba, but now I CAN'T STAND Vicki now either. She was so snooty..all "it's not worth it" (talking about the challenge and the prize) "that's lame" (then at the weigh in)"I had no worries either way, I knew I wasn't going home no matter what". What?!?! Why do people have to be like that and have that 'I'm better than you' attitude. Oh that makes me furious! I was ready to reach through the TV and slap that smirk right off of her face. When they start "playing the game" I get so frustrated! How is it that she was somehow the "biggest loser" on their team and got immunity, so no one could vote to send her home? and then her husband who usually puts up big numbers, only dropped like 3 lbs?! That is just crazy..you know he must have downed gallons of water before the weigh in, to throw it off...and then just watch, next week his numbers will be super huge. It makes me so mad when they start "playing a game" and trying to throw weigh ins by guzzling water before they get on the scale, etc. ARGH! Isn't their health, and losing weight, more important than "the game"? If they were "playing the game" it would have been smarter for Heba to vote and send Brady home...there is no way, 'if by some chance' it came down to the three of them, that they wouldn't vote her off...or try to get rid of her in some way. It would serve all three of them right if they were all sent home. I feel so sorry for Bob for having to be their trainer...I could tell he was furious about the weigh in...especially since it was so obvious that they were throwing it.

I honestly kind of liked Brady and Vicki at the beginning, because I thought they were there to get healthy, so they could help their daughter and keep her from becoming morbidly obese. She is very young and is already overweight...this will be a lifelong battle for her...and I thought that was their focus for being there. But last nights show clearly showed that they are just money hungry. They don't care about their daughter or their health, they just want to win ALL of the money. Vicki actually had the audacity to say that one of them wants to win the $250,000 and the other to win the $100,000 'at home' winner. Well, one of them would have to actually go home for that to happen though now wouldn't they?!?

Honestly I think some people are there for the right reasons...to get healthy! and the money is just an added reward for their hard work. I really like Amy P. Maybe it's because her and Phil are from the south, and I can relate to them....but I felt they have been there for the right reasons. I also really like Colleen, and believe she is there for the right reasons and this WILL change her life forever, for the better. If I could pick one person to win, I think I would choose her. She has worked twice as hard as everyone else (while her dad was there and was injured, and then after he left, so that she could stay there)...she is a very strong young woman and I admire her, especially for overcoming her fear of heights during the ropes course.

Anyway, I just had to vent.....why can't the show just be about them getting healthy, learning to love exercise and healthy eating, and getting their lives under control? why does the "game play" have to come into this? If I wanted to watch "survivor" I would...frankly I hate that show, and the "game" is the main reason I don't watch it...I can't stand watching people lie to each other, to benefit themselves. That is just WRONG!

Sometimes I wonder if they pick these horrible people, just to throw a wrench in the show....why can't they just choose truly deserving people who want to learn how to eat healthier, exercise effectively, lose weight, and live a longer healthier life?

Oh, and Amy P. looked GREAT! She went from a size 20 to a 8 (so far)! She looked so happy, and healthy, and I was so proud of her accomplishments. I hope she comes back and wins the "at home" competition. :)

Ok, I vented, and I feel much better now. Thank you for letting me rant and rave.

Dentist Appts.

Seth and I had our dentist appointments today. I had mine first and he was able to watch. Then they tried to come get him for his appointment, before I was finished, but he refused to go over to the chair without me. So they finished me up, and then he felt a little more secure, and let me take him to his chair. He laid back and did what the lady asked, however, he never said a word to her, other than "huh-uh" LOL! Simple grunts of "no" were able all she could get out of him...until she let him choose which flavor of polish he wanted, then he did tell her and when she let him pick out which toothbrush he wanted. He did surprisingly well. I was so afraid that we were going to have to reschedule his appt...he was very nervous and scared about going. But after it was all over, he was excited and happy. :)

Other than that, nothing much to report. It has been an extremely sssslow two weeks. I have done only one appraisal in the past two weeks. I actually did get two requests (one last Wednesday and one on Monday). Both are currently sitting on my desk, while I'm waiting for call-backs, so I can set up the appointments. Hopefully I can do both of them before the week is over...that would be wonderful! Anyway, since my work has been so slow, Stephen has been working as much overtime as he can. Thankfully the economy doesn't effect his line of work, so we are both extremely thankful for that.

Oh, and my FAVORITE show comes on tonight...Woo-Hoo!!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!!! :) (Bet ya'll could never guess what it is!?! LOL!)

Biggest Loser.....

I know you girls out there watched Biggest Loser last night. Am I the only one who absolutely can NOT STAND Heba?! She is so getting on my nerves. I was hoping she wouldn't lose enough weight, so they could send her home. She is so rude and controlling. She always has to be the one in control or throws herself a hissy fit...."boo-hoo my hubby went home, and I'm stuck here without him...boo-hoo" My response: Guess what lady! There are a bunch of women out there whose husbands are overseas fighting for our country for months on end, and your feeling sorry for yourself because you are at fat camp without your new husband?! Waa! PAH-LEEEEZZZ!
Can you tell that she irritates me?! LOL!!!!

Anyway, I was full of mixed emotions while watching last night. I was on my elliptical for over an hour, watching it. And I was constantly finding myself fighting back the tears. Why? I don't know, but it chokes me up to see them struggling and trying to overcome the emotional issues they are dealing with and learning that they CAN do more than they ever thought possible...I love that lightbulb moment! My heart was breaking when Amy P and her hubby got split up on separate teams, and she was so mad and crying while trying to be the stronger woman, all because of that devil woman Heba. Do they purposely pick at least one couple for us all to despise? or does her dominating personality just really tick me off? I don't know, but I got a great workout while watching it. I was so mad at Heba, that I was kicking butt on my elliptical! LOL! To bad it doesn't come on multiple nights per week...I'd be in the best shape of my entire life! LOL!

Then after I was sick to my stomach from working out so hard, and was feeling that "I'm gonna throw up feeling", I came into the living room and crashed on the couch next to my hubby to watch the end of the show. I'm sitting there fighting back tears, during the elimination, and what is my sweet handsome strong hubby doing? He is saying "Waaa! Get on with it with already!" LOL! Boy, are men and women different or what?! :)

Fall Break: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday

Saturday we went to the Zoo. We all enjoyed this a lot.
Here is Seth, looking at the snakes.


Stephen and his sister, watching the boys ride a little train.


The boys on the little train ride.


Stephen and his Mom, watching the boys play on a playground there in the Zoo.


Seth, looking at a butterfly, in the butterfly garden.




There was also a rock climbing area. Levi tried it first. He got about half way up, but then got scared and came back down.




So then Seth had to give it a try. He made it about as far as his brother.




So then Stephen said I had to show them how it was done. I've never rock climbed before, but this could get really addicting. Talk about FUN!


I made it to the top, and rang the bell! Woo-Hoo!!!! The boys were cheering me on the entire time. Guess I should have went first, then maybe they would have went the whole way up.



Levi, being a crazy cowboy.



Seth, riding the elephant! LOL!


The boys playing in another park area...making music.




Riding a baby rhino. LOL! They had as much fun sitting on this stuff, as they did looking at the real thing.


Levi, Mommy, Seth, and Papaw looking at the monkeys.




By this time, we were all getting tired, so we went on a little train ride tour to finish out our trip to the zoo. This was really fun. We went into an animal exhibit (deer), and were able to see some of the animals we didn't make it around to, like the zebra and giraffe.

After the zoo, we went over to the Science Museum. It was A LOT of FUN! There was so much to see and do. The boys really enjoyed this. Unfortunately it was so much fun, that we forgot to take pictures! LOL!

After we finished at the museum, we were all exhausted! We went to dinner, and then went back to the motel and soaked in the hot tub and swam in the pool. We all slept really well that night!



Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast, then went straight to the train station.
Daddy and the boys, on the way to the train.

Waiting for the train to arrive....

All aboard!


We finally made it home, and crashed on the couch to watch the football game. We were exhausted.....

Monday we picked the dog up from the animal clinic, and then spent the day catching up on laundry, and grocery shopping etc.

Today, it is back to the routine of school and work.....

Fall Break: Thursday and Friday

Levi's fall break from school started on Thursday. Stephen had taken off of work for these days out of school also. On Thursday we spent most of the day doing chores, like cleaning, doing laundry, mowing, packing, etc. Then that evening we rented "Iron Man" and watched it. It was a really good movie!

Friday morning we got up, finished packing and headed over to the train station, to wait for Stephen's parents to arrive. We were early, so we went walking around to blow some time.

Here is Levi, being silly...

Seth, being silly too.

Here we are, waiting for the train to arrive.

me.....

and my handsome cowboy...

After Granny, Papaw, and Aunt Michelle arrived, we went to get some lunch. Then we had some time to blow before getting back on the train, so we went to a museum and did some shopping.

In the museum:

Levi was so excited to see his name, so I took his picture by it.

Boys, being silly...

Watching Grandpappy tell Seth and Levi the future. LOL! It was really funny!

We were finally on the train and heading to the City. Look at that excited little boy.

Levi, riding on the train, beside Aunt Michelle.


We were on the train for hours, and it was a chore keeping these boys entertained, but I think we all really enjoyed the relaxing trip. When we finally arrived in the City, it was late and we were all worn out. We arrived at our motel and pretty much crashed. :) But we had a big day planned for Saturday, so we needed to rest up.

random thoughts....

I'm baking cookies, and am taking a few moments to blog....
my random thoughts for today:

-Loving this weather! Our high today is 82 and our low this morning was in the 50's. It is actually starting to feel a little more like fall. Yea! I love this time of year. Being able to open the house up, and not run the air conditioner...ahhh, saving my pennies....feeling good! :)

-Who is watching Biggest Loser this season??? I am! I LOVE this show. It is so motivational. But why do I find myself crying during almost every episode? Something about their struggle with weight loss, brings all of those old memories back and I can totally relate with them. I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. I don't just look like this "naturally". It is a lifestyle change, that I have to think about and focus on everyday. Everyday I have to make that choice to get in there and exercise, and to make those healthy food choices..even when what I really want is a burger and fries like my husband and boys....but I know if I give in, then it will slowly become a habit of "just this once", and then before i know it, I'll be right back into my fat pants. So it is a daily battle, but a battle I've been winning for over 10 years...woo-hoo!!!

-Today is Seth's last day of Pre-K, well, on a regular basis anyway. It just wasn't cost effective. All the money I made, was paying for pre-k, and we just were not making any progress...so we told them we couldn't afford to continue, and gave them a two week notice. They did inform us that because he has been one of their students, they do have a "daily drop in rate", so if I ever need to just bring him for the day (if I need to work, and he can't go with me) then I can pay them $35 for the day. Great Deal! Especially since I don't work outside the house "everyday", but only a few times a week (since I try to schedule my measuring of properties on the same day, especially if they are in the same area). So this will hopefully work out well. He has made friends, and learned so much in the last two months. I've been very impressed, and feel really bad that I can't afford to continue to let him go. But I'll just have to schedule a time to "play school" with him each day, where we continue to work on his writing and letter and number recognition.

-Today was Levi's last day of school for this week, and also picture day (I hope they turn out good, and that he didn't "cheese" again. LOL!). Tomorrow starts his "fall break" and he doesn't have to go back to school until Tuesday of next week! He is super excited, especially since Daddy took off of work for "fall break" too. Woo-Hoo!!! :) We have some fun stuff planned...so I'll share it all with you next week.

Still here...

We're still here, alive and well, just been very busy. Sorry I've been slacking at keeping you all updated. But actually I enjoy being so busy that I can't find the time to blog...it means I'm working! :)

I took Levi to the Dentist yesterday for his very first cleaning. He really enjoyed it! They were really great, and kept complimenting him on how great he was doing and that they didn't believe he had never been to the dentist before, because he was a perfect little patient. He mostly loved getting his sack of goodies afterwards (toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, etc). They also gave him two stickers and a new pencil, so he was super excited. Then I took him by McDonald's on the way back to school, to get him some lunch and he got a Batman toy in his happy meal. Talk about a boy being on cloud nine! LOL! :)

Seth's first dentist appt is in a couple of weeks...I've already warned them that he is more than likely not going to do as well as his brother! Ha! I'll let ya'll know how that one goes....

Other than that, we've just been working and staying busy, and enjoying our time off with our boys.