Cutting Calories

I agree that it's not enough calories, but I also don't want to eat for the sake of eating. I know I wasn't going to talk about the Adipex , but if I'm gonna speak honestly about this journey, I can't leave that part out. I think once I am done with the Adipex, it will not be as easy to keep the calories that low. I have been doing a lot of internet reading on cutting calories and I think we are going in the right direction, but I think we need to watch our fat intake also. Most sites tell you to cut calories, not food intake. We are cutting food intake. I think that is due to the pill though. Most of the information suggests that cutting food intake will make you hungry and make it harder to control cravings. We just aren't seeing that now because we have our little friend. I was reading also, that you shouldn't take it for more than a few weeks. I'm on week 4 and going back to get refills next week!?!

If you type "cutting calories Here is one article I found that I likto lose weight" into a google search you will find all kinds of stuff. Most articles suggest that we should be getting between 1000-1200 calories a day. I'm going to shoot for atleast 1100 a day. I need to make sure those aren't empty calories though.

Here is one fo the articles I found and liked:

"When people cut food intake right down they often experience an increased appetite and a general craving for food. Some believe this is because they are eating less however, it may actually be driven by a deficiency or lack in the correct amount of certain nutrients. In other words, the appetite is trying to force the individual to eat more food in the hope that eventually these nutrients will be consumed. Most convenient foods are low in nutrients so if only fast, processed products form the basis of the diet then the appetite may crave the consumption of more food in order to gain essential nutrition.
If the dieter is exercising to lose weight the body requires more essential nutrients to aid recovery and growth of muscles. A diet devoid of nutrient dense foods may only cause further cravings and a larger boost in appetite. Cutting calories by reducing the amount of high-energy, fast foods is an effective way to lose weight permanently but only if other processed foods are replaced with healthy, nutritionally dense foods that are low in calories.
Cutting calories will be more effective if we learn to eat healthy meals regularly. This requires the introduction of healthier choices into the diet by gradually replacing each meal with low calorie, highly nutritious food or varieties. The dieter must veer away from the idea that they are "on a diet" by changing eating habits for the long term. Calories will automatically reduce when nutritiously dense foods replace high-energy package foods for most meals. An occasional treat should be left for when one has earned it by achieving a small goal or weight loss target"

Tiffany's Random Weight-Loss Thoughts

<-----This is the girl I am using if I just have "random" life change thoughts! So if you see her then you know it is just "random"! So I had been thinking I can't wait for two things: #1 To go down a size - well this morning I was actually thinking it is going to be nice to be comfortable in the clothes that I have. So that will be the first thing I look forward to! The clothes I have now fit, they aren't too snug or anything but they are not "comfortable". (If I try to go up a size they hang on me and the size lower is too small but yet the ones I am wearing really don't fit that great - it is almost like I need a 1/2 size or something - strange!) #2 I CAN NOT wait to be under 250. I have been right around this weight for so long that I can't even remember the last time I wasn't around 250. THEN I can't wait to weight less than my husband. He is usually around 210 or so (and he is not a "fat" guy - he is just broad shouldered & muscular - of course with a little bit of a "marriage" gut!) So from when I actually started losing weight back in August (?) until the point I get to his weight it will be a loss of 52 pounds! From yesterday's weigh-in I have 42 pounds left to way the same as my hubby. That would put me at 210 and then of course my next goal will be ONEDERLAND!!! I am not going to get my hopes up because I know that you can hit plateaus and that everyone loses weight differently. Based on the weight loss of several people over the course of 3 months on BL and based on my first weeks weight loss I am going to make a little weight loss goal list based on an average loss of 3lbs a week. I don't think that is over shooting too bad. I know some weeks I may not lose and some weeks I may lose more but lets just put this into focus - makes me feel better anyway to see these numbers!

As of today: 252

Brian's Weight is 210 - to reach that I need to lose 42 lbs - based on 3lbs a week I should reach his weight by March 22nd.

Based on this same scale I should be in ONEDERLAND by April 5th!! 199!! I know that is 4 months but I have NOT seen a"1" in front of my weight in OVER 6 years! SO I figure 4 months is nothing!

WELL if we continue on that same scale I will be 180 by the end of May! Just in time for summer! THAT is only a little over FIVE MONTHS away! That is ALSO on 40 lbs from my goal weight and a total of 82 lbs lost!

SO if I continue on that same scale then I will be at my GOAL weight BY Thanksgiving of next year!! That is less than a year away!

I know that this may be unreasonable thinking and I can't count on 3lbs every week and I can't count on NO plateaus nor can I know when my body is ready say "enough weight loss" BUT considering I haven't been at my goal weight in 10 years I think 11 months is worth the weight! That in itself makes me want to stick to it!

P.S. I was looking at how low your calories were yesterday...mine have been that low for the past two days and I have been eating but not tons and tons of food. I am scared I am not going to get enough calories and stall my weight loss - what do you think?

So Much More...

This thing is so much more to me. It is about losing the weight, changing my life, losing the bad attitude, becoming a better person in all of my relationships in my life! Life is too short to sit around and wait for tomorrow - who knows if we have tomorrow!

I had decided that by the end of this year I would like to lose 10lbs. I am up to 6 and you never know how things go week to week so hopefully that goal will be reached. I feel it will be. My reward? Won't be food! I am going to treat myself to a new pair of earrings! Everytime I reach a goal that I set here in writing by a certain date I am going to treat myself. Of course, it won't always be something expensive! I might only spend $2.00 on those earrings but I am going to get them! Better than the $2.00 I would usually spend on a coke and candy bar!

Thoughts To Live By

For those that know me - you know how I like to talk and what I have written here is kind of long but it is really important to me so I thought I would share it with all of the people in my life who are also important to me! So hopefully you will have time at some point to read it!

This morning when I got to work I talked to a friend of mine here. We talked about complaining, thankfulness and life. Throughout the past week I have had those types of conversations with several people. It has been an eye-opener and made me realize how much we forget the small things - the things that are most important. Some that have really stood out to me are:

Treat others as you would like to be treated. How many times do we - as humans - do or things out of spite, revenge, envy, jealousy or for no reason at all to other people. If the tables were turned is that how we would want to be treated? This holiday season and throughout the year I will do just that - treat others as I would like to be treated!

Let go and Let God. This is my favorite. We often think we can "fix" things and think we know what is best but GOD is the only one that knows! Boy do I know I need to let go of some things! God can not give us answers if we truly never let go! When anger or hurt pops into your head or heart say "God take this from me, give me peace and remove the planks from their eyes and if I have one, remove it from mine"

Do things out of love not recognition - that is what will truly be noticed. My mom taught me this one and the very next week at church they talked about the same thing! Give gifts anonymously! Volunteer without patting yourself on the back. Truly good deeds will go noticed by others and by God whether you think they will or not!

Be grateful for what you have. Now how true is this! We complain about so much but how often are we really grateful for the good. I don't know if they realize I noticed this but my mom and grandmother used to always say things such as, "Thank you God for a beautiful day!" How often do we grumble at the rain but never give the sunshine a second thought? At a marketing meeting yesterday we were told TWICE as many people relay a bad experience than relay a good one. Lets turn those figures around!

It is truly better to give than to receive! This is especially important this time of the year. This is our Savior's BIRTHDAY and we should be thankful and happy all day no matter what. How happy it makes me to be a child of the King! What a wonderful thing to give when you can and what you can! This reminds me of the story in the bible where the "rich" man gave a lot of money and a poor woman gave only a small amount but this was greater in God's eyes for this small amount was all she had - the rich man could have given so much more! I do think that this should apply to all things in life not just monetary things but LOVE and RESPECT.

No matter what ... in any circumstance ...

Psalm 113:3 "From the rising of the sun to the going down of same, the Lord's name is to be praised."

Now that I have rambled on and on I am going to leave you with one more great story one of our co-workers wrote and sent around today! May we all remember to count our blessings and be grateful this CHRISTmas! Love, Tiffany

What I am thankful for this CHRISTmas season -
I am working on a photograph album of the snapshots of our grandchildren from 2005 to give to my son and daughter in-law for Christmas. I've sat at the computer for hours deciding which ones were "worthy" of a place in the album, I've had them printed, sorted them in date order, bought just the right genuine leather album to put them in - because after all, this album should make a statement, right?-it's my gift to my son and daughter-in-law and I want them to be properly impressed with it.

Last night as I sat in my recliner which I haven't had a chance to sit in much for the past two months, I started placing these photographs into the album and something hit me for the first time-90% of these photographs were taken at places that no longer exist due to Hurricane Katrina.

Oh, there's one of my grandson's baseball pictures - wonder where they're going to play next year. Here's the other grandson's karate pictures - well, someday they will rebuild that karate school and he'll be able to start enjoying again those grueling three-times-a-week sessions that he's become so good at.

And here's my precious granddaughter, sitting on the steps of USM, our FAVORITE place to take pictures - well, there'll be another favorite place. I think that big, beautiful tree might have survived the storm, but that's all. That tree just might have to become our favorite spot now.
And here's Easter lunch at the buffet at the Grand. We've been there every year after Easter services for three years now. We need to start cooking at their house on Easter anyway - the Grand was always TOO expensive for that many people. (Guess who always paid the bill!)

Oh, my, (as the tears start to flow) here's the Easter Sunday pictures at St. Patricks. For some reason it's always buggy on the Coast on Easter Sunday, and every year the children are always swatting gnats in their "new Easter clothes" pictures. This last year was no exception. Their beautiful, little church right across the street from the beach, where the azaleas are always blooming on Easter, is now only a slab. They're now holding church services in the gym at Coast Episcopal and the spirit is still there, but -oh, that beautiful little church where they were married and all their children were baptized is no more.

Let me get up and get myself a Diet Coke and get myself together so I can finish this album tonight. Okay, that's better. Now, where was I - okay, here's the beach pictures . . . the ones that were taken August 21, my son's birthday, just one week before Katrina. As far as beaches go, this is not necessarily the prettiest beach, but it was OUR beach, the one where the children played, and I snapped photographs till my heart was content. I guess it will be a long time before we get beach pictures again, but one day . . .

Then I realized that all of these places were just places. Our children and grandchildren were safe at our home when the storm hit. Their home suffered minimal damage compared to those that lost everything. My husband and I are so blessed that we have our family that means everything to us and that they are safe and have a home. They still don't have a "real" school, but that should happen after New Year's, and then, in their minds, they'll be all set and back to normal.

There's not many photographs of my daughter and her husband yet - not nearly enough to fill an album, but guess what, come February 11 (or thereabouts) we're going to be blessed with another precious life in this family of ours, and I guarantee you that next Christmas they'll have an album, too. The only difference will be that instead of taking pictures because it's what I do and something that I've become good at--deleting the ones that aren't technically just right or the ones where someone has a strange look on their face--I'll be taking pictures for the sheer joy of documenting my family and our times together, of watching my grandchildren grow and you can bet that with every click of the shutter, they'll be a silent prayer of thanks for the blessings I have been given.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I don't usually document to paper many of my thoughts, but I really needed to stop and reflect on the past year this CHRISTmas. God is so good and we have been blessed.

The Good & The Bad: Tiffany

Well I have lost my first 6lbs. (Strange that the last diet in my first week I lost 6lbs. That must be my "starting" number. Ha! Of course, the last couple of diets I never stuck with it and didn't make it any further! This time will be different.) That is definitely good!

The bad is I really haven't exercised but I have been going like crazy with all the Christmas funtions, shopping and activities that I have been involved in. SO in actuality that is more exercise than I usually get. I just need to start trying to add it in and/or make sure AS SOON as things start slowing down I start replacing that time "running around" with exercise.

I really haven't kept up with my diet that well. I have definitely eaten less but I haven't "Crunched numbers" per say. I really didn't start "paying attention" to calorie intake until Monday and on that day I probably had about 1600 or so calories. Based on that I am ashamed to say that my regular calorie intake was probably somewhere around 3200! I say this because I ate SO much better that day. Alot of times it is not HOW much I eat at one meal but the types of foods I eat and the "little bites" of this or that throughout the day. It is funny that you think if you just take ONE cookie here and there through the day it is not as bad as sitting down eating the whole bag! Tuesday I didn't eat enough calories AT ALL! I think I only ate around 1000 and that is shooting high. I ate lunch and went shopping after work so by the time I got home it was late and WAY past dinner and I really wasn't hungry. I am also trying not to eat ANYTHING after 7:00. So the good is that I am eating less but not necessarily more healthy - yet!!

Weigh in Wednesday - Traci

I decided to go ahead and have weigh-in on Wednesday also. That way we are on the same page and can look forward to it together. As of this morning, I weighed 214.4 lbs. That's down 6.8 lbs since I started last Tuesday! That's 15 lbs since August (I lost about 11 on NS and kept 8 of it off)

Weigh - In Wednesday: Tiffany

Well I decided that instead of weighing in on Mondays I will do it on Wednesdays. Just thought "Weigh - In" Wednesday sounded good! Also, I am bad about putting things off until Monday. I will start a new diet Monday, I will do such and such Monday. It is like I make such excuses that I can't start something in the middle of the week - so this "Life Change" is going to be all around for me - not just about weight but about changing my whole life!

So to the weigh - in. When we decided to do this (even before you got the website up and going) I was 258. As of this morning I am 252. That makes it a loss of 6lbs. I know the first pounds are always "water weight" but to me any loss is good! I had told myself that I won't to lose AT LEAST 10 by the end of the year so hopefully I can accomplish that goal.

Where's the Spare?

Weighing in

Woohoo!

As of this morning I weigh..... 217.1 lbs!!! That's the lowest I have weighed in almost 2 years. It feels great!

Just an OK day

In life there is hardly anything that is black and white, there is always a little gray in between. So that is what this little guy is going to represent for me. I didn't do "bad" yesterday, but I wouldn't exactly say it was a "good" day either. I went about 90 calories over the 1400 per day that I had set for myself. Jen and I had our annual Christmas baking day. I started out with gum in my mouth so I wouldn't be tasting along the way, but the gum got old and I got rid of it about mid way through the baking. So I did taste a little bite here and there. I think I had 10 chocolate chips, 3 bites of the uncooked dough (= 1 cookie maybe?), 1 whole fresh, hot, out of the oven cookie and 1/2 of a tiny pecan tart. My estimate is probaby a little high, but I want to make sure I didn't blow it the rest of the day thinking I hadn't eaten too much, so I am estimating 500 calories. I think that is pretty close though after looking up the nutritional info for chocolate chips and a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie! That's crazy. It really showed me how much I really used to eat. I would have normally eaten 3 or 4 cookies, a couple of pecan pie tarts, 1 or 2 pieces of fudge and a closer to 1/2 cup of chocoate and peanut butter chips along the way. Which really doesn't sound like that is TOO much. I decided to see what the calories would have been in that instance. It would have been 1965 calories!! That is crazy. I have looked back at a typical day for me and I estimate that on a normal day I was eating atleast 2500-3000 calories a day and those were the days I felt like I had "behaved". On the other days, probably once a twice a week when I felt like I had blown it I was probably consuming close to 4500 calories. And then I would look in the mirror and ask myself "How did this happen"? Hello... you eat TOO much and you don't exercise! So now that I have finally woken up and I really see it on paper (or screen I guess), I really feel like it is going to change. Why it has taken this long? I think I have been in denial about how I eat. I would always say, I really don't eat that unhealthy, but I was thinking unhealthy in the sense that I don't have chocolate cake 3 times a day. I DID eat unhealthy everyday, not just a couple of times on "special occasions. You first have to acknowledge that you really do have a problem. So here it goes.... Hi, my name is Traci and I'm an unhealthy overeater!

I have never kept track of calories on any other "diet. I've always counted carbs, proteins, and fat - but NEVER kept track of calories. Regardless of all that other stuff, it's mostly about your body and how many calories it burns. As long as you burn more than you eat, you WILL lose weight. Even if your whole day only consists of 1 huge piece of chocolate cake that had 1100 calories and 80 grams of fat. As long as you burn more than that on that day, you will get rid of those calories. Is it healthy? No, but that IS how it works. It can still clog arteries, give you high blood pressure, etc...but it won't make you gain weight. Weight Watchers is the closest thing that I have done to counting calories, but honestly with those points, I think it's decieving. Those numbers are so low (around 20-30) so if you have 2 points to many it doesn't seem like much, however those 2 tiny points could contain 2 to 3 hundred calories. Now I understand why WW didn't work for me. I always allowed myself an extra point or 2 and never felt guilty about it. So I guess I say all that to say that I really like keeping track of the calories. I feel in control of it for once. I'm not watching carbs or proteins, but I am making low fat choices when the option is there (i.e. low fat cheese, skim milk, lowfat yogurt, etc). It has become a numbers game for me. I guess that's the finance analyst in me. It's like a budget. As long as I spend (eat) less than in my budget and I put a little back in everyday (exercise) I will profit. (lose weight) !!

B - 500 calories from baking day
L - Low fat Pepperoni Hot Pocket - 300
D - Grilled Chicken Breast - 231
Side Salad with cheese, bacon, and creamy herb dressing - 360
S - 1 Pkg of Right Bites Chocolate Chip Cookies - 100

Total Calories - 1491

Exercise - does shopping at the mall while pushing a 40 lb stroller for 2 hours and then doing an hour of grocery shopping with a kid in the cart count as exercise?? I would say YES! According the the site, I burned approximately 800 calories. It would take me 2 hours to burn that on the treadmill

Water - only 30 little ounces - the rest of the day consisted of about 60 ounces of unsweet tea

Weigh in is tomorrow... I can't weight (ha)

Good and Bad days

I thought it would be cute to use the images below on the post that we talk about how our day or week went as far as what we ate and how much we exercised. One would represent a good day and the other a bad. I will be doing mine daily. If you like the idea I will email you the images.

We Can Do It!

I still don't have the book and DVD!!!! What's up with that? Do you have yours?? I went to the site to see if I could check the status and it doesn't recognize any of my 4 email addressess. I know I would of had to have used one of them??



Here is my calorie intake for the day:
B - Whole Grain Fig Newton Bar - 130
L - went to a banquet for lunch, so this is all estimated using the foods as listed on www.calorieking.com
1/2 Chicken Breast - 230
Snap Peas - 50
1/2 c Scalloped potatoes - 100
S - 1 and 1/2 Hershey's Treasure Miniatures - 94
S -1 Miniature Candy Cane - 15
D - Low Fat Pepperoni Hot Pocket - 310
S - 1/2 of 1 Little Debbie Nutty Bar - 78
Total Calories - 1007

Water - 55 oz

Exercise - 20 minutes of resistance training using the fitness ball

It's been a good day and I even got to eat chocolate. I am amazed at how many calories are in 1 little piece of chocolate!! I need to work on my water tomorrow though!!

I have another Banquet tomorrow night and there is supposed to be a ton of food. I'm gonna down some water before I go and I'll have Bobby there with me, if I need a little nudge!

We can do this!!

So far...

Well although we don't have our books or tapes yet, I started eating healthy and doing my treadmill for now. I'm going to start posting what I eat and total calories for each day.
I don't remember all the way to Monday (I swear my memory is slipping ....fast) , but I'm going to list Tuesday and Wednesday and then I'll post each day going forward.

Tuesday - South Beach Bar 140, no lunch - I was too busy at work for lunch (not good...I know), a whole grain Fig Newton Bar 130, Baja Chicken from On the Border 830 (good thing I skipped lunch) & 90 ounces of water = 1100 Calories

Wednesday - Whole Grain Fig Newton Bar 130, Nutrisystem Entree (left from my NS days) 270, South Beach Bar 140, 10 mini marshmallows 22, 8 oz serving of Shrimp Alfredo 300, 1 small dinner roll w/o butter 110 & 80 ounces of water = 972 Calories

I walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes both nights - 157 calories burned each time (estimated) I used the following website to determine the calories burned, because the one on my treadmill doesn't take my weight into consideration. The website has some other really great things (other calculators, forums, and food lists) .. and it's free!

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index.html

It calculates the same BMR as what I have listed in my first post, but then the site goes on to explain that the BMR calculates resting energy (basically when you are asleep) It then shows you based on your activity level what your BMR actually is. The calcualted sedentary (because I sit at a desk most of the day) RMR (more accurate than BMR - the site explains) for me is 2226 calories. It also allows you through a huge list of daily activities so that you can get an even better idea. It's got everything from getting dressed to butchering animals!! It's a huge list! You can pretty much go through your whole day each day and choose everything you did that day. I'll post mine. They are out of order from when they occur each day, but you'll get the idea. I didn't quite hit a 24 hr day either, I'm a half hour short. Using that I see that my RMR is actually more like 3,491. It then allows you to figure your calorie deficit. To reach my mini goal on 1/15/06, my deficit is 737 calories. So if I go with the latest RMR, then I need to eat 2,754 calores a day! That seems high, so for now I'm going with the calculated RMR and my calories I should consume is 1489. I'm going with a 1400 calorie diet. So hopefully I will lose a little more than what I want by my mini goal date.

PS: What day do you thing we should use as our weigh in day?? Monday morning maybe? I think they will help me stay on track better on the weekends.


Totals: 3,491 calories in 23 hr 27 min

Kissing - light
8 calories in 5 min
Hugging - light
8 calories in 5 min
Food - preparing, at home
124 calories in 30 min
Eating - sitting
161 calories in 1 hr 5 min
Child Care - bathing, sitting
21 calories in 5 min
Hairstyling - self care
41 calories in 10 min
Applying Makeup (self care)
33 calories in 10 min
Walking - 3.5 mph
157 calories in 25 min
Grooming - personal care
33 calories in 10 min
Watching - TV or movie
199 calories in 2 hr
Child Care - play, sitting, light
124 calories in 30 min
Child Care - grooming, standing
10 calories in 2 min
Cleaning - multiple household tasks, light
83 calories in 20 min
Driving - light vehicle (e.g., car, pick-up)
66 calories in 20 min
Office Work - desk work
1,609 calories in 9 hr
Driving - light vehicle (e.g., car, pick-up)
33 calories in 10 min
Showering (self care)
33 calories in 10 min
Dressing and Undressing
33 calories in 10 min
Sleeping
715 calories in 8 hr

History of Eggnog

Well Hello! Happy Friday to everyone! Can't stay long just wanted to tell you all hello! This will be my last post until Monday! Busy day at work! We are having an office Christmas party! Yeah! Then tomorrow one of my friends and I are throwing a "Christmas Party" for all of our friends. We have been planning this for months and I am so excited! We have a lot of little loose ends to tie up before then but everything is coming together nicely!

Have a great weekend!

R.I.P. Snowman!

So how is everyone today? I have been terribly busy and have not had alot of time to post! I have something going JUST ABOUT every day between now and New Years! I am sure most of you all are the same way! I will stop into say "hello" and do quick updates but most of my post in the near future will probably consist of Christmas Cartoons! Gotta Love Them!

Have A Good Day!

Kids These Days!

Before "Face Shot"

What is sad about this picture is we tried SO hard and took so many "test" shots in order to keep them from looking like "fat" pictures! I can't wait until we can take one and like it on the first try!

Getting Started

So here is the short of my story. I have pretty much always been "chubby". I was a cute tiny baby, so I know that cute and tiny is in here somewhere. I just have to find it. My first memory of me considering myself as fat is as a teenager. Before that I just don't ever think I thought about it. I don't even remember weighing myself until I was at least 16 or 17. I maintained at 180 for several years, but then I got married and had a baby and now here I am only 5 years after the days of 180 at 221! That's 41 lbs in 5 years, almost 9 lbs a year. At this rate I'll weigh 300 lbs by the time I'm 38 yrs old. The thought of that has my head spinning. I cannot, WILL NOT let that happen. I actually gave Nutri System a try back in August. I lost 11 lbs after 4 weeks and have managed to keep all but 2 of that off. I just got so bored of eating their food.

Tiffany and I have talked about our longing to lose weight for so long, I think we have both realized that we aren't getting any younger and there is no better time than the present. So here we are, supporting each other through this journey. We WILL do this, we HAVE to.

I am posting my goal virtual model below. Notice that my second goal is to weigh 180 lbs.....before I get pregnant. My husband and I have been wanting to have a baby for the last 6 months or so, but with my weight like it is, I just can't allow it right now. So even though 180 is not ultimately where I want to end up, it's the weight I which I am comfortable getting pregnant. This is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, so even once I am pregnant, I will continue to eat healthy and may even continue to lose fat, just not wieght due to the baby and fluid. After the pregnancy I will lose what I have gained and continue to my final goal of 160. I don't want to be a supermodel, I don't even have to be considered skinny, but I do want to be healthy and 160 is much healthier than where I am today. Last time I was pregnant I gained 25 lbs and lost all of it within 4 weeks (17 the day he was born). So hopefully after birth, I will be right around 180 where I started. Then I would like to lose another 20 over the next few months. So in summary, (if all goes as planned, babywise) I would like to lose a total of 61 lbs by April 1st 2007. Now that's some long range planning!! It seems a little far fetched even to me right now as I write, but the goals I have written above are attainable...now it's just up to me to follow them through.


Current Stats as of 12/06/05

Weight: 221.2
BMI: 35.7
BMR: 1779.20
Hips: 51 inches
Waist: 46 inches

My Story: Tiffany

I am Tiffany. My cousin Traci and I started this site (mainly her idea!) to help us be able to go through the "weight loss" process together. This site is mainly for our use but if you stumbled across it - that is okay too! Most of my post will be directly to her or mainly about my feelings, struggles & accomplishments day to day. Here is my story:

I have just about always struggled with my weight. I have not always been obese like I am now but I have always had to work to keep that extra 5, 10, 20 lbs off that most people can do without blinking an eye! Mine started around puberty and it seems like it just hasn't stopped! I was average weight (which by today's standards is probably chubby to some) until about ninth grade. All through high school my weight fluctuated. Up and down and up and down. It seems like I was on a constant weight roller coaster.

Well marriage and child birth took its toll on me! I am now considered obese. Severly obese. In the days to come I will give you my stats and will be posting before and hopefully soon - after pictures!

Today I am waiting on my "Biggest Loser" book and DVD to come in. That is the "life change" that I am going to try. I really enjoyed how the show took just normal people and showed them how to lose weight by regular methods - food and exercise!

By the end of the week I will have actual "before" photos up. I plan on updating those every two weeks. I will also set a weekly goal beginning on Mondays. Other than that I am going to play it by ear. I want this to be somewhere I can come and share exactly what I am feeling and exactly what I am going through.

My Stats as of today:

Height: 5 ft 5 inchs
Weight: 258
BMI: 42.9 Obese
BMR: 1947.70

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)Your BMI or "Body Mass Index" helps to assess overweightness or obesity using individual weight and height ratios. BMI does not measure body fat. Depending on your calculated BMI you can gauge whether you are undeweight, overweight, or obese for others in your weight/height range. Info obtained from: Biggest Loser Website

BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR); This calculator will assess your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is fancy talk for the number of calories you naturally burn. Or, another way to look at it, is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed and slept all day. A person's BMR decreases as they age, meaning you need to be more active to burn the same amount of calories that you naturally burned at a younger age. The BMR calculator uses height, weight, age and gender to determine your resting calorie count. Info obtained from: Biggest Loser Website

Our Fellow Bloggers & Weekend Things!

First and foremost I would like to mention these two things:

Bombadil & Goldberry have welcomed a precious little bundle of joy into the world! Stop by and see the pictures and wish them luck!!

Sallie one of my dear blog friends has been dealing with a death in her family. Her father passed on so if you know her or would like to send her some encouragement through this time I know she would appreciate it!

Weekend Things

I had a very good weekend! I very rarely get company at my house - I guess because I live so far out or either that the hubby and I usually are the ones that go around and visit. WELL my friend Jessica and her two children came over around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. We caught up on some DVR'd Oprah shows, some cooking shows and then made lunch. After that we loaded all the kids in the car and went to the grocery store. We went back to my house and I cooked a baked spaghetti recipe that I got from my cousin Traci (which is yummy!). We played some games and watched several movies. All and all it was a great time and I really enjoyed it!!

Sunday my mom came to my house where I reheated the baked spaghetti for lunch. We then went out to do some Christmas shopping and were gone about 6 hours or so! We never do that so my legs were KILLING me when I got home. I tried another new recipe for dinner - which was yummy - moved some furniture around and then went to bed! Over the weekend I talked to my friends Brooke & Carla two or three times and got to visit briefly with one of my neighbors. We have been so busy lately that I felt so out of touch but I am feeling much better now.

This week I have a lot I need to catch up on at work and I have to get ready for a Christmas party that my friend Carla and I are throwing. I am SO excited!

Well that is all of my "ramblings" for now! Hope you all have a good day!

Templates...UGH!!...How Did YOU Learn HTML?

So I have been working on my "template" and I will say - I am not very good at this! I am impressed at my "little bit" of knowledge but I feel well - dumb - while trying to do HTML!! Like I should just KNOW this stuff! Some of you blogspot/blogger people have the cutest blogs! (Not that the others don't but just comparing apples to apples!)

Where did you go to learn how to really use HTML and to change your blog templates???

Dog Tired!!

WHEW! I am DOG TIRED this afternoon!! I have been running and going at work and at home for days now!

AT WORK
As paralegals we have to meet a certain number of hours each year. I have taken work home at night and on the weekends to make sure I do that. On top of doing that I have been trying to get alot of things more "organized" and more easily accessible. I enjoy doing it but it wears you out! I have gotten alot done but still much more to do! I am just glad that I have such a good job and work with such great people!

AT SCHOOL
I am taking a night class and it seems like every time I turn around we have some kind of project to do! I have to meet my group tonight to go over our project for tomorrow night. THANK GOODNESS - we only have two or three more classes this semester!!

AT HOME
I have gotten all of my Christmas decorations up and 95% of my presents bought, wrapped and under the tree! I am trying to clean out closets and do "holiday" cleaning but it seems like when you finish one thing there is another to do! My cousin and I are working on a little "web project" and we have made ourselves a deadline of Friday so I have that to do!!

THOUGHTS IN GENERAL

~I have picked up SO much trash that people have left around the office today. I don't know why but that drives me NUTS! People - pick up your trash.

~I really wish this weather will make up its mind. I wear a jacket in the morning, it is hot at lunch and cool again at night. It was like 50 something today but then I think this weekend it is supposed to be in teh 70's.

~I need a nap.

Thanksgiving Pictures!!

I had gotten tired of seeing that "aggravated" post so I decided to move along to something more "cheerful"! My trip to Arkansas was great! We had an awesome time. The kids played dress-up and were our entertainment the whole time!


Traci and I mainly just "hung out" and caught up on things!

Our hubbies probably had the most relaxing time of all - as you can see!

Hope each of your holidays were just as great!

Random Thoughts!

Well I have been sick for over a week now coughing my fool head off!! I actually have not felt bad but once I started coughing I could not stop!! That made me miserable and made my head hurt! I went through two bottles of robitussun (sp?) cough and about a bag of cough drops and things did not change any! I stayed home Monday due to my daughter and myself both being sick. I went in Tuesday to work but coughed all day and made myself (and probably everyone else!) miserable! Finally, Wednesday I went to the doctor only to find out that I had bronchitis! Yuck! So they gave me a shot in the "rear end" - in which my 7 year old was there to witness and got way too much pleasure out of! Ha! Then they gave me three prescriptions. I began taking them and the coughing subsided a good bit but I have been nauseous and tired ever since I started taking them! I found out nausea is one of the side of effects along with drowsiness! I haven't had real good rest in a while so I was hoping I could sleep those side effects off. No such luck so far.

Well we left Wednesday night to drive to Arkansas to visit my cousin/one of my best friends and her family. We left alot later than I hoped because due to our hectic schedule lately and the fact that I have been sick and dealing with family issues (that is a whole other post!) I have not been a very good house keeper. When we left I left a HUGE pile of dirty clothes in my bathroom, a huge pile of blankets I need to wash and some dishes that were rinsed and set in the sink that I needed to load in my dishwasher. I am telling you it is hard to pack and leave your home in such a wreck but I did! I have really got to get on it when I get back. I have so much organizing I need to do. I am getting several new furniture pieces during the holidays and I am repainting much of my house so I need to get some things cleaned up and out of the way first!! I would like to get my Christmas decorations up as soon as we get back from Arkansas on Sunday afternoon but that depends on how tired I am. Getting back to my "travel" story...I will have to drive most of the way home my husband informed me due to the fact that he drove all but 30 minutes of our 8 hour trip up! We left Wednesday night and drove about five hours to Little Rock, spent the night and then drove in to my Aunts house Thursday morning. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and I was so glad to see my family. We usually see each other a couple times a year but we have not seen each other since last Christmas due to both theirs and our hectic schedules. I love my cousin so much - as I mentioned above - even though most of our lives (that I can actually remember!) we have lived in two different states she is my closet cousin and one of my best friends. We laugh because we are so much alike. We call ourselves "clones"! Ha! Her mom is so cool and it is funny she doesn't treat me like most Aunts treat their nieces she is really more like "another" mother figure when we are around. She was always the cool Aunt growing up. I was thinking when I was looking at her today how she does not look like she has aged at all.

Traci's little boy Brayden is SO cute. He is now 4 years old which is SO hard for me to believe! He just cracks me up because from the time we walked in the door at my Aunts house until the time they went to bed at 9 something p.m at my cousins he talked NON STOP!!! I just laughed and laughed. I have never seen a little boy talk so much! It is way too cute!

As tired as I have been all day and as early as we went to bed (9 something also) I woke up about 12:30 a.m. and have been up ever since. It is about 2:o6 a.m. now. I got up folded a load of clothes and due to the fact that I was burning up (I don't know why either because I checked the thermostat and it is not hot in here!) and couldn't go back to sleep I decided to catch up on some email, blog reading and blog posting - hence, the really long drawn out post!

Traci, her mom and I are going to do some shopping in the morning so I should really get back to bed soon! I don't know if I will be buying anything though. Probably just browsing. I have about 95 percent of my Christmas shopping already done and wrapped and waiting to go under the tree once I get it up!

I guess I will go for now! I hope everyone had as great of a Thanksgiving as I did.

Thanksgiving Plans??

Well does anyone have any Thanksgiving plans? My family (daughter & hubby) and I are going to Arkansas to see my cousin Traci. Actually we will be seeing my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin David, his wife Tanda, Traci, her husband Bobby and their son Brayden. I say Traci because she is one of my best friends and I am so, so, so, so, so...did I mention so...excited to see her! We usually see each other several times a year and I try to go up on Thanksgiving but was not able to go last year and it has just worked out that we haven't seen each other since last Christmas and won't see each other this Christmas! I am sad about that!! However, I am so excited (did I mentioned that already?) to go see her now!! I don't know if anyone has been in Bentonville or Bella Vista Arkansas. I tell you what - it is beautiful up there! I absolutely love it. I need a break and so does my family so we are looking forward to it!! If anyone is traveling over the holidays I hope you have a safe trip!!

Happy Anniversary to Me!!

Me and my hubby Brian had been married 5 years today! Yeah!! I am a plain jane kinda girl and I got to pick out my engagment ring. I picked out a small diamond with channel set diamonds on the side. For our wedding band I just picked out a plain gold wedding band. WELL for our anniversary the hubby gave me a channel set diamond band to match my wedding ring! It looks exactly like my wedding ring except for my wedding ring has the big diamond sitting up on the middle of my ring. Anyway - I am very very proud of him! He knows what I want! So now I am "bling bling" in a small kind of way with my 18 small diamonds and one larger one. One of my friends told him that after 5 more years he better add some more diamonds! Ha! I will say he is good about getting this sort of thing. I am always trying to get him to get me costume jewelry but OH NO. He doesn't want to do that! Last year I got a cross necklace with a diamond in the middle and the year before that I got diamond earrings and a diamond solitare necklace. The boy can shop!

Women Conserve Energy! Use Eco-Bra!

In Japan this winter the new rage will be the "Eco-Bra". This bra has eco-safe padding that you heat up in the microwave and then you wear this contraption to keep your "boobies" warm. Yup - you got it - keeping your girlie goods warm. Not only does it keep your girlie goods warm but it has a long "tail" that you can use to wrap around your neck as a scarf. I believe I read that it will also come with a pair of shorts. Strange stuff. This is suppose to help conserve energy by making woman warming up their girlie goods and therefore they won't need to use the heat? Well what about the rest of your body. I tell you what my girlie goods are the last thing that gets cold! I think they should spend more time on - you know - anything other than keeping select "body parts" warm. Sheesh!

Here We Go Again!!!

I am back!! How has everyone been? Life has become a little less crazy and I have become a little more organized so I decided to venture back into the "blog world"! I have stopped in occasionally to everyones sites but never long enough to leave a message. So some things have changed since I have last talked to everyone:

1. Life (like I said above!) has become a little less crazy so I have more free time to blog now!

2. Traci (another author - my cousin - from the "old" Mind Diversion) and I created a website for our family to use since most of us live so far apart and don't have time to talk as often as we like. That address - Ivey Family - is on my sidebar. We don't have it up and going yet but we will introduce our family to it over the holidays and hopefully have it up and going soon!!

3. I like this site to be about my "vents", news and little funny things so we (Brooke, Jessica and I - both of them other authors from the old "Mind Diversion") also created a "mommy site" where I talk about strictly "mommy type things". If you are a mother (or even a father!) and want to stop by that link is also on my sidebar. There is not much on the blog yet but it will be soon - us mommies have alot to say!

4. Brooke of course has her own site which many of you already know about. You can check it out over on my sidebar!

5. Traci will be starting another site and I will have it up on my side bar soon!!

6. Jessica - who knows - she may or may not start another site but for now she is just on the Mommy Site with Brooke and I. She has a new arrival at home and I think he keeps her pretty busy!!

SO that is kind of what is going on! I kept a short list of my main site reads from the old Mind Diversion and I will be stopping in on everyone occasionally! I just have to put my family and job first - the of course blogging comes in third!! Hope to talk to you all soon!

What Does A Man Have To Do To Fish Around Here?

Four married guys go fishing. After an hour, the following conversation took place:

First guy: "You have no idea what I had to do to be able to come out fishing this weekend. I had to promise my wife that I will paint every room in the house next weekend.

Second guy: "That is nothing, I had to promise my wife that I will build her a new deck for the pool."

Third guy: "Man, you both have it easy! I had to promise my wife that I will remodel the kitchen for her."

They continue to fish when they realized that the fourth guy has not said a word. So they asked him."You haven't said anything about what you had to do to be able to come fishing this weekend. What's the deal?"

Fourth guy: "I just set my alarm for 5:30 am. When it went off, I shut off my alarm, gave the wife a nudge and said, "Fishing or Sex" ........ and she said, " Wear sun-block."

Yada Yada of 8/04/04

Hello All! Hope everyone is doing well. Not feeling so good today so I thought I would do a "yada yada" list of my thoughts and life in general.....

1. My daughter starts school Monday, August 9th. First grade already. Wow. I have learned that it cost a fortune to buy all the school supplies you need BUT it is alot easier to buy them already "packaged" to keep from having to search for every little thing.

2. I read in the school handbook that they enforce corporal punishment at school. I am all about spanking but all I am saying is I am not happy about the fact that they don't tell you until AFTERWARDS. Ho Hum.

3. I had "MINOR" feminine surgery Monday. I am not feeling so good and hopefully we will get to the bottom of it tomorrow.

4. More and more I love my job.

5. One of my best friends is getting ready to move back to New York. (Where she is originally from.) She is leaving August 13th and I am so sad. To be honest we have not seen alot of each other this summer because we both have been so busy but I think it is just the fact of knowing that she won't be "right down the road" anymore. It is a good 19 hours or so away that she will be from me! *sob**sob*

6. Why is it SO hard to get motivated to "clean out" things. I mean all and all my house is pretty clean but I HATE to clean out boxes and I HATE to do laundry. What is up with that? What are your "house" pet peves?

7. I watched the last two episodes (and only two episodes I have seen) of The Simple Life 2 tonight. I was intrigued to watch it after seeing Lionel Richie and Nicole Richie on Oprah Monday afternoon. Speaking of corporal punishment those two (Paris and Nicole) seem to really need it. Of course, I shouldn't judge but that is the impression that they seem to give the whole world.

8. Knowing my hubby will be gone for 9 weeks in October has somewhat hendered our relationship ONLY because stupid me keeps dwelling on the fact that he is leaving instead of enjoying the time that he is here.

Well I guess that is all in my little world for now!

Brian MIA: Letter Two

Yeah! I just got another letter from Brian! How cool is that!! I am so excited and I feel 100% (well 99%) better after reading it! He also wrote Baylee a birthday card! She is going to be estatic! He said alot of really good things that mean the world to me! I am really beginning to think that this is a good thing for us. I think it has made both of us appreciate what we have more. I will leave out the "mushy" stuff for his sake but this is all he really had to say about boot camp.....

Turns out the recruiters were right, we have a bunch of little punks that don't know how to act so we get alot of EXTRA TRAINING!! But things seem to be slowly coming togehter. Camp is really not that hard. You just do what you are told and act like an adult and everything is straight. The IT (initiative training) is the hardest part. That is what they use to motivate us. I am a squad leader so everyone comes to me or one of 4 other people with problems. It kind of sucks 'cause its like fighting a never ending battle to get these people to shut up........(add in other "stuff" here).....I've been yelled at a coule of times. Twice for cussing, once for looking at an officer while he was talking to me "you don't eyeball them", and then for responding to "carry on" you don't do that either. Just little minor stuff I should have been paying attention to.....(add in othere "stuff" here)......we start running today, no sweat though I've been taking a spinning class, we lift weights, we run, we do calistentics or however you spell it.......(add some really sweet stuff here about me and Baylee)...Well I hate to quit writing but I have to shine mine and my shipmates boots. He irons my uniforms and I shine his boots.....(finishes off with some really sweet things)

I think I will be sleeping with this under my pillow tonight.......I hope I have really sweet dreams!

BUNCO! Brian and Me!

Tonight is my bunco night. We play the second Thursday of every month. We have such a great group of girls! It is my favorite night out! (Just about only night out!) So wish me luck in winning the big bucks!

My mom is going to pick up Baylee for me and I am going to run home to see if I got mail from Brian and let the dogs out! (Who let the dogs out?!?) Brian can write letters on Sundays so I look for them anytime between Thursday and Saturday. Pathetic.....I know! I am ready to hear from him again! Especially, after today. My daughters grandmother brought some pictures to me that she took around Christmas. Two of Brian helping clean her house and two of us at Christmas. AWWWWW.......makes me so sad! I will live! Not TOO much longer now!

Going Thru 7 States To See My Baby!

I am so excited about going to Brian's graduation! (Yes, I know.....it is a month away!) The only problem is that I won't know until I am already there what flight he will be on coming back. I, also, won't know if he has to leave that day or if he can stay a couple. I do know that if they don't take the flight they have been given they have to pay for their own way back. We are doing good to be able to afford a plane ticket for me to go up! The problem is I can't hardly book a flight without knowing his information. First of all, we won't even get to be on the same flight coming home. Second of all, what if I scheduled mine to come home Sunday and he has to leave Friday? There would always be a possibility that I won't be able to move up my flight and I would be stuck in New Jersey for TWO days without my husband. (Which would be pointless!) So I decided that I am going to take the LONG 19 hour drive. I will actually get to go to states I have never been to before and I love "road" trips so this may be good for me. Then on the way home Brian and I will get 19 undisturbed hours together! Plus, he LOVES road trips and we would probably go through Washington coming home so we could both see the sites and/or just to say we have been there!

Friend OR Foe

I had a really good friend from Junior High, High School and I guess you would say "adult" life. We were so close we more often than not got called sisters. She had a boyfriend turned fiance that broke up with her over email and moved hours away over night. In the meantime she found out she was pregnant and she asked me to call him and tell him. They then decided to get back together and get married. I, of course, was the maid of honor. (Fast forward about two years.) I got two anonymous calls from a guy who was asking me to "do things" with him. The guy eventually fessed up to be her husband and somewhat made a joke out of the calls then asked me a couple of very personal questions. This made me uncomfortable and to make matters worse before he got off of the phone he said, "Don't tell her I called you. You know how she is." That made me feel even worse. A co-worker and my husband were each present during the calls. My husband was furious. (For obvious reasons!) I felt horrible and felt that I really needed to tell her and my husband wanted me to because he was so mad. The thing is she caught him lying and flirting on many occasions when he did not know she was around so this was not the first time he had done something shady. So I tried and tried to tell her but I never could. I finally wrote her a letter and that was three years ago. I tried on many, many occasions to contact her but she never responded. I did admit in a letter to her and of couse I am admitting now that maybe I should have told her in person. I don't think that would have changed things and I know she must have been going through a tough time especially since at the time she was going through her second pregnancy. I know that sometimes my words can "hurt" and I am trying my best to work on that but I still don't think it is fair that I was "punished" for something I did not do. If nothing else she could have at least written me and said, "Don't ever talk to me again!" I got nothing. It was as if she was "dead" to me and I went through a very long "grieving" period. Just last week at work I came across a letter that I had written her and figured, "Why do I even try." I then proceeded to rip up the letter and "write off" our friendship. The strange thing is this past Saturday I got a letter from her. Remember this is the first time she has contacted me in THREE years. I was not as excited as I thought I would be. I guess because like I said before I had just "written her off". I think I was mad because I was finally getting over things and all of a sudden she thinks she just pop back in my life like nothing happened. The letter was real short and sweet. She just asked how we all were and just gave me some details on her family. I thought about it all weekend and decided I would write back. I answered all of her questions and then very politely asked what changed and why did she write me. I then asked if we were ever going to have "some kind of" relationship again. In closing, I told her that if we don't talk again that I was very happy she wrote me, glad they were doing well and best wishes in life!

Mom Job Description

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy, Ma

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often
chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and
organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will
include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some
overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on
rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel
expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also,
must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero
to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the
backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face
stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously
sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain
calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have
ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and
mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an
embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always
hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete
accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also
include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years,
without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that
those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually
exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon
payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will
help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them
whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement,
no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies
limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you
play your cards right.

Brian MIA: We Just Got A Letter!

Yeah! My hubby just wrote us a letter! It really doesn't say much but short and sweet if okay with me! I am just so excited to hear from him! He said the hardest part was missing us and that made me feel so good! It has been a long two weeks with everything that has been going on. As far as, boot camp this is all he really had to say:

I don't have much time to write, but everything is going pretty good. The company commanders are pretty tough, but they are fair. As long as we listen we don't get in trouble. If several people screw up we all do exercises. It's not too bad. (He fills in this part with sweet stuff to me and Baylee...then he finishes with..) Well it's about time to line up so I will write again next Sunday, that's the only time we get to write. (He then of course finishes with his sweet ending)

Baylee is so excited! She has ran all over the house saying, "We got a letter from daddy! We got a letter from daddy!" Then she ran and got all of her markers and a notebook and said I have to write him back right now so that he will write us back! I knew she would miss him, but I did not realize exactly how much of a daddy's girl she was!

Girls Night Out

UGH! Other than the stupid letter from the training center I have yet to hear from my husband! It is driving me insane! Good news is I can actually "forget about it" for once. I am going out with the girls tonight! All of our hubbies are out of town and momma needs a break! Before you start thinking anything....it is just innocent fun! I don't even drink so I am always the designated driver and I would never cheat on my husband. I honestly have never even cheated on anyone......just not my style. This is the same "girls" that my dear hubby "allows" me to go out with when he is in town! So that said, I am looking forward to a night to take my mind off of things. It has been a very stressful past couple of weeks and if this girl doesn't relax she is going to, "BLOW UP!" BBBOOOOOOMMM!

Today Is A Good Day

Today has been a good day. For the first time since my hubby has been gone I slept wonderful! I have had some "issues" with some family members and I have just prayed, thought about things and talked to some good friends. Now I have a whole new outlook today! I decided there is always going to be something that I do that people don't like, there is always going to be something that I don't do or isn't my fault that I will be blamed for and I can't please everyone. The decisions my husband and I make are our decisions and our decisions alone and we owe no one an explanation about it! If they are mad....so be it! I am not going to waste one second, that I could devote to much greater things, on a losing battle. SO I no that sounded harsh but for my sanity I needed to say it! Whew! This morning a coworker gave me the prettiest glass vase with a purple flower and a lady bug on it.....inside were Purple Iris'! BTW, purple is my favorite color! How sweet! Then my boss said that we are taking a late lunch and our office will be closed from 1:00 - 3:00! Yeah! Two-Hour paid lunch with a free meal at a good restaurant! Can't beat that! Not to mention today is pay-day! Oh yeah....the most important part...I lost 5lbs! I am sure it is just water weight but who cares! Today is a good day.....

For Those That Can Relate...and Those That Can't!

1. If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it will always be yours. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with. But, if it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, uses your telephone, takes your money, and doesn't appear to realize that you had set it free....... You either married it or gave birth to it.

2. Reason to smile: Every 7 minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.

3. They keep telling us to get in touch with our bodies. Mine isn't all that communicative but I heard from it the other day after I said, "Body, how'd you like to go to the six o'clock class in vigorous toning?" Clear as a bell my body said, "Listen fatty....do it and die."

4. My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

5. The best way to forget all your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

6. The nice part about living in a small town: When you don't know what you're doing, someone else always does.

7. Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

8. Amazing! ! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!

9. Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness.

10. I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day.

Water...Ugh

Why is it so hard to drink water. I mean it is just water! It is like the more I try to drink it the less I want it. It is very important to have plenty of water and it has lots of good side effects ........BUT WHY CAN'T I DRINK IT! I have tried and tried but I fail every time. It is not that I don't drink it, it is the fact that I don't drink enough. To make matters worse when I try to cut back on drinking anything but water I end up going just about all day without drinking anything....just to keep from drinking water! Crazy.....

Brian MIA: Letter From Training Center

I got my first contact from the training center today. I received a letter basically just saying he arrived safely and just told general information about boot camp. I was so excited to get the letter but I wish it were from Brian instead! I miss him so much! Hopefully, I will be getting a letter from him in the next couple of days. As promised....I will keep you updated!

What The HECK Is Wrong With Me!

I am going through MAJOR "missing my husband blues" today. Am I going to have to join some kind of HBCA? (Husband at Boot Camp Anonymous) Will this go away or will I be tortured for the next 46 days! (Yes I have counted!) The only way I can explain it ....it is like hot flashes.....one minute you are fine the next you are burning up. Well one minute I am fine and the next minute I am missing him like crazy. I promised him that I would write every night but I did not realize until now exactly how much we tell each other and how much we are involved in each others life. By the time he gets his first letter it will be like a novel! I just hope he is doing well.....I am sure he is fine but I just can't help to wonder. I have to hear these four things from my five (almost 6!) year old EVERYDAY. "Momma, when is daddy coming home?" "Momma, I miss daddy." "Momma, remember when daddy......" and "Momma, I bet daddy would like to do this." I sure hope the time flies by!

Weekend in a Wrap

Well the weekend was not as horrible as I had imagined it to be. I kept myself very busy in order to keep from missing my sweet hubby! After work Friday I went to a friends house to see her new baby nursery and then we took the kids out for ice cream. Afterwards, I went to my friend Jessica's house to help pick out paint for her living room. I then went home and crashed.....and actually slept late Saturday! I guess the week finally caught up with me! Saturday Jessica and I took our kids to the park for a picnic. Then we flew kites, ran a obstical course (that tired us adults out more than the kids) and then took the kids for ice cream. (As you can tell my daughter had a sugar rush all weekend!) It really was one of the most beautiful days this year! Saturday night I ate at a fish & chicken place with another friend and her family. (Cock of the Walk....funny name huh.) We had a wonderful time and the food was as good as usual. Baylee and I then came home and watched movies until we feel asleep and slept all night in the living room! Today we mainly sat around and watched TV. I did clean out the garage and wash a few clothes. My mom and my little brother came over and we went for a walk at this very peaceful Botanical Garden near my house. Afterwards, Baylee and I went grocery shopping and now I am getting ready to clean out the fridge and unpack the groceries. I just thought I would get a little writing in before bed. My daughter has been sleeping in my room with me since her daddy left but she is going to sleep in her own room tonight, so hopefully things will go well for both of us! This weekend was definitely bitter-sweet! Baylee has asked me at least twice a day when her daddy is coming home! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Brian MIA: I lied...

Okay I lied! That was not my last MIA post for awhile! I was checking my email right after my last post and I got this one from Brian at the USO. (If you don't know the USO is where the miliatary people go to "hang out" until their next flight or whatever.) It really touched me that he emailed me BUT made me feel so better! I will post the email even though he will hate me for it when he gets home! Oh well, I can deal with that!

To : tiffgarrett@hotmail.com
Subject : Hello From Philly

Hey baby,
I saw they had a computer with internet so I wanted to drop you and and everyone there a line. I hope no one misses me to much, and want you all to know I'll be fine. See you all on May 16. Love you all. Especially YOU and BAYLEE.

**One correction to his email - Actually I THINK they said his graduation will be May 14th and the 16th would be the day that we would fly home together.....BUT who cares at this point! I am just glad to hear from him and even more glad that he remembered my email address because he asks me AT LEAST once a week what it is!

Brian MIA: Sad Eyes

Well this will be my last Brian MIA (Missing In Action) update for awhile! If I could draw I would draw sad eyes because that is how I feel! Brian called me a moment ago to tell me that he made it to Philadelphia and that he was at the USO waiting on the bus to take him to Cape May, New Jersey. He said there was not really much to see this trip because it was dark but if I flew into Philadelphia that it seemed really pretty, at night anyway. He said the flight was fine and that he was just really tired. He definitely sounded that way! That really makes me sad! This has been very physically and emotionally draining on him. I will just pray, pray, pray for him! Then wish for God Speed on his first letter getting here because I miss him like crazy already! This too shall pass................boohoo!

Brian MIA: Sweetest Thing

I got an unexpected call from my husband! He was supposed to call me from Philly but called me from North Carolina and then he will call me from Philly, too! He said he missed me & Baylee already and used some pretty good logic with me. He said, "You know now that I am gone you are in a better situation because that means you are two hours closer to seeing me and when you go to bed tonight you will be one day closer to seeing me." YEAH! He is a sweetie! So I don't have my pouty face anymore.......even though there are still tears in my eyes at least I have a smile on my face!

Brian MIA: Not So Funny

Well I have been told by about 5 or 6 people in the past week how funny I am or how they like the "funny stuff" on the site.....well today I am not so funny. I am somewhat of a "Gloomy Gus"! The past two days have been two of the most emotionally draining days I have had in years. I won't get into ALL of it right now but basically it started out with me thinking I was going to be with my husband for a couple of hours why he swears in and finishes up paperwork. It ended up that I was with him most of the day (which actually consisted of me mostly sitting in a waiting room) and then Baylee and I got to eat dinner with Brian and walk him to his hotel room. He was devastated because he had to tell her good bye. No sooner did we get in the car did she ask about him. She slept with a bear that he gave her for Valentine's day and hugged/kissed it and said, "Good Night, Daddy. I love you." Of course, that got the tears rolling with me and when I told Brian about it this morning he had a few tears. We had about 22 phone calls yesterday but Brian would not let me answer the phone. We were both in the mood that yesterday and this morning we needed it to be about "us". We have been so busy doing stuff we forgot about "us" and he was really starting to feel the pressure of having to leave so he felt it was best not to add anymore stress. I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE who was checking on Baylee and I. Brian really appreciates everyone that was trying to wish him well. I have seen the website and seen all of my emails but to be honest could not really respond at the moment. I am at least trying to hold it together while I am at work! His flight is in "transit" right now and he should arrive in North Carolina around 3:00. I know he will at least get to call me from Philadelphia when he gets there. I will give everyone an update when he gets there.I am so proud of him and I know he will do great I already miss him though! So in saying that.....I think I am just going to pout for the rest of the day....not because I am not happy for him BUT because I am sad for me!

Time Flys

Time flys not only when you are having fun BUT when you are not looking forward to something! I am feeling a little like this picture.....a SAD BABY! Brian found out that he will now have to stay in a hotel Monday night and I can't stay with him. That makes me sad because that is one day less that I will get to see him. WHICH means that Sunday night will be the last night we will be able to spend time together in our own house. ONLY THREE MORE NIGHTS....*sob**sob*. Thus far the game plan is to take him to the military recruit office Monday morning and then just play it by ear. I will know more later but as of now it seems like I won't get to go to the airport or anything with him. I guess that is to keep people from acting like fools when their "babies" leave! I made him laugh by telling him I would lay down on the floor and hug his leg and scream, "No!" like you see these crazy people do in movies! Ha! I just hope that this goes by fast, but unfortunately I don't think it will! He is not even gone yet and I miss him already!

Daily Devotional

True peace only comes from the Prince of Peace.
Peace does not mean that everything around you is calm and tranquil; true peace means that you are able to remain peaceful during the storms of life.

But this peace, which the Bible promises is available to believers, can only come from God. Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace" (John 16:33). In other words, Jesus came so that you could have peace.

Paul tells us, in Philippians 4:6-7, that we can have peace if we don't become anxious about life but instead give our worries to God: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Hand over all of your problems to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and He will give you a peace that passes understanding -- a peace that is beyond comprehension.

Things Frequent Flyers Experience

1. No flight ever leaves on time unless you are running late and need the delay to make the flight.

2.If you are running late for a flight, it will depart from the farthest gate within the terminal.

3.If you arrive very early for a flight, it inevitably will be delayed.

4.Flights never leave from Gate #1 at any terminal in the world.

5.If you must work on your flight, you will experience turbulence as soon as you touch pen to paper.

6.If you are assigned a middle seat, you can determine who has the seats on the aisle and the window while you are still in the boarding area. Just look for the two largest passengers.

7.Only passengers seated in window seats ever have to get up to go to the lavatory.

8.The crying baby on board your flight is always seated next to you.

9.Guys, the best-looking woman on your flight is never seated next to you.

10.The less carry-on luggage space available on an aircraft, the more carry-on luggage passengers will bring aboard.

Daily Devotional

God has given us His Word as a guide for our life. However, His Word won't help us if we don't study it, know it, and live by it. Therefore, we must diligently study and apply God's Word if we wish for it to have an impact on our lives.

Jesus promised, "If you abide in My word ..., you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free" John 8:31-32 That's a promise that if we abide in His Word, we will know the Truth, because His Word is the Truth.

Why is it so important to follow God's Word? Because HIS Word keeps us from turning aside to the right or to the left; it keeps us on the straight and narrow path that leads to life. (See Matthew 7:13-14)

Therefore, abide in HIS Word, because HIS Word will keep you from sin.

Busy Week

This has been such a busy week! Monday night I ate out with some family members at one of my favorite resturaunts. (Kyoto's Japanese Steak House) It is one of those places where they cook your food right in front of you. It is YUMMY! The serving sizes are UNREAL! Every time I come out of there I feel like a stuffed cow! Tuesday night my daughter's grandparents came over to have a "play date" with her. Last night Brian, his mom, Baylee, Terry and I all ate at a new resturaunt in Flowood, Logan's Roadhouse. I thought the food was really good and the company was even better. I am so glad that my mother-in-law and I have such a good relationship now. She is a sweetie! Tonight Brian and I are going to the grand opening of "Headliners" (I mentioned this in an earlier post). I am SO tired but excited for the extra "fun" time I get to spend with Brian before he leaves. Tomorrow night we have to run around and do last minute errands before he goes out of town. Saturday night his dad's family is coming to see our new house and take us out to eat for Brian's "going away" party. Sunday afternoon will be interesting. It will kind of be a "come and go" gathering for any of Brian's friends and family who want to see him before he leaves. It has been a really good past couple of weeks and I have stayed busy which has kept my mind off of things but I do wish I would have had a little more alone time with him. Of course, anytime is special. I am just glad he has been having fun and had his mind off of things. I can imagine he is probably pretty nervous.

I know you are thinking....blah, blah, blah!!

Hero

We are all too familiar with Mariah's song....

And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you

.....but have you really thought about it? "The Hero Lies in You". Are there things in your life that you have done or things that you are proud to have brought yourself through...especially if during those times you did not think you would make it? Okay, so if you haven't thought of yourself that way is there one person in your life or a person in general who is your "Hero"?

Wonderful Weekend

I had a really good weekend! I am feeling pretty refreshed today but really not in the mood to work! Friday night my hubby, daughter and I grabbed a quick dinner and made a quick trip to the store.....then we raced home to get in bed by 8:45pm! Okay, okay....I know we sound like old people (especially since we went to bed before our five year old)...but we have had alot going on and needed the rest! Saturday morning we hung out around the house and then my in-laws came over for what turned out to be a very enjoyable two hour visit. Afterwards, my hubby and I had a date night. We went to eat at Up The Creek and the went to see the movie Secret Window. (Which I DO NOT recommend....boring!) Sunday we lounged around that morning then met the in-laws at Planet Rock and then had dinner at Corky's. After dinner we made our second trip to Wal-Mart for the weekend where my husband bought our daughter a new bike for her birthday and I got a DVD with my favorite actress in it (Julia Roberts)Mona Lisa Smiles. It was a good "girlie" movie! So that is pretty much it for my weekend! How was yours?

How Sweet

Brian has his sweet moments but this one just got me. I was standing outside while he was working and he just started staring me down. I was like, "What??" He said, "Nothing. I was just trying to get a good picture of you to take to boot camp with me." Well, of course, I start crying like a big baby BUT come on .....who wouldn't! So I just had to add this for the world to see ......MY husband REALLY will miss me while he is gone! I guess absense does make the heart grow fonder!

*sniff*sniff*

Headliners...I'm A Vip!

I am SO excited! Tuesday my husband won VIP passes to a new club that is opening in Jackson! The name of it is Headliners Entertainment Resort. It is a quadplex of dining and entertainment. The 30,000-square-foot building will house a Cactus Cafe, Banana Joe's Island Party, Rascal's Comedy Club and Headliners Live, a room whre local and national musical acts will perform. This is an AWESOME thing for Jackson! We have really needed something like this for awhile. My husband and I don't go out very often but when we do it is with another couple and we have the hardest time deciding on what to do. All of us are so laid back and no one ever wants to make a decision. This is perfect because everyone has options and everyone is satisfied. The only other place that has ever really stuck around in Jackson is "The Dock" which did have a club in the same parking lot and you could pay one price to get in both BUT that was really not my "thing". Inside the sports bar at Headliners will be three large projection televisions, eight big-screen TVs, pool tables, video games and an open patio facing Ridgewood Road with two cabana bars. My brother in law was offered a position to DJ but turned it down because he has too much on his plate already. He, however, is working on an ad for them in a magazine he co-owns called, The Jackson Free Press. I think the tickets are for Thursday, March 18th.....I will do an update to let you know how it goes!

Things You Can Control...and Things You Can't

Things You Can Control......
~Your reaction to others
~Your to-do list (and the number of items on it)
~How your day is spent
~Your goals
~How much time you're willing to spend on a particular project
~Your self-esteem and self-worth
~How you treat others
~Your exercise and eating habits
~The communication of your needs to others
~Telling people when you're stresses out and need time alone or help with projects
~Whether or how much you smoke or drink alcohol
~How old you act
~The way you raise your children

Things You Can't Change......
~The age or stage of development your children are in
~The way you were raised
~Whether the stoplight turns red or green
~How fast other cars are driving
~Other people
~The timing of your teenager's mood swings or your toddler's temper tantrums
~Your age
~When work or a project takes much longer than expected
~Waiting for your doctor 30 minutes after your scheduled appointment
~A death, illness, or accident in the family
~The Calendar
~Being laid off from a job
~Messes made right after you clean the house

Heart Attack...Nearly

Brian, my husband, has just nearly made me have a heart attack. He calls me and said Mark, his USCG recruiter, just offered him a position to go to Iraq. He told Brian that it would be more pay and he could get through school quicker. Basically, he would go to boot camp for two months, come home for a couple of weeks, go to school for nine weeks and then ship off to Iraq for 8 months! Ummm....hello.....I don't even know how I am going to make it for two months! I can't imagine going almost a year without seeing him! He, of course, turned it down for now and said he would consider it next year. (Yikes!) The reality of all of this is ......... there is ALWAYS a possibility of him having to go.......not just on a volunteer basis but because they make him. That will always weigh heavy in the back of my mind. I just have to remember that this is what he wants to do and I am VERY proud of him. It seems scary but I have to compare it to this.....would you really go to medical school and then never even practice medicine or deal with patients? More than likely you wouldn't so what he wants to do is protect his country so why get a job doing that and worry the whole time that you might actually have to do it?

Relationships 101

I have had a "gloomy" disposition lately. I have had alot going on and have had a few other people in my life that have had to deal with some of the same things. In saying that....I have done alot of reading and this is one of the things I came across that really hit home for me in more ways that one.

In small doses, competition can motivate you to achieve more. Constantly comparing career successes, wardrobes, bank accounts or your love lives can wear down your self-esteem and you relationship with a friend or family member. Competition becomes unhealthy when it makes up feel bad about yourself. One of the main ingredients in a positive relationship is that BOTH people feel that they can be themselves and don't have to impress each other. People tend to harbor an irrational belief that there's only so much good stuff to go around. The root of the problem is not yours or their good luck it is yours/their own flagging sense of self-esteem.

"People who try to beat others all the time are attempting to bolster their self image." says psychologist Tina Tessina.

If you are the competitive party:
* Think Before You Speak: Catch yourself before you say something that might hurt someone
*Acknowledge Your Issues: Take a look on the inside of yourself.
*Don't Beat Yourself Up

If you are on the receiving end:
*Talk to him/her: Create some distance; He/She may sense something is amiss and look at his/her own behavior at what is causing the distance between the two of you.
*Avoid His/Her Triggers
*Know When To Let Go: If the problem is excessive, you have to consider whether this is someone you can have a "relationship" with.

***Some so called relationships are not worth the abuse ....so move on with no regrets.

USCG

My dear sweet husband is leaving in two weeks to go to USCG boot camp. Those who know me KNOW I will be a sobbing little baby! I don't know what I will do without my sweetheart for two whole months! I won't even get to hear his voice until the 5th week! BOOHOO!

Various people have had some questions about boot camp and what all it consists of. I am posting this site so you can check out what exactly Brian will be doing the next couple of months.

For the family and friends of Brian....several people have asked me about writing to him while he is gone. Since it takes so long to get mail and since he won't have time to respond to everyone individually we decided it would be best if you would send me the letter and I will send it to him when I send mine. I am SURE I will be sending him a letter AT LEAST once a week! *wink* Also, I will be updating via this website with any new information, letters or phone calls I get from Brian while he is gone!

ABC's of Tiffany

A - Always on the go!
B - Beautiful Daughter - Baylee!
C - Cares for Others
D - Dancing.....love it!
E - Easily amused!
F - Friendly - too friendly sometimes...
G - GREAT husband named Brian!
H - Hunter is one of my brothers.
I - Ivey is my maiden name.
J - Justin is my other brother!
K - Know ALOT of people
L - Love Julia Roberts movies!
M - Mary Higgins Clark - love her books.
N - Not TOO Nosey! *wink*
O - Oceans ...... I think they are beautiful.
P - Practical
Q - Quiet...okay...well NEVER!
R - Ready for fun.
S - Savoir is Jesus Christ.
T - Trustworthy.
U - UNCONDITIONAL love for my family.
V- Very crazy dogs Tyson & Storm.
W - Willing to admit when I am wrong.
X - "X" 'cited about life! :)
Y - Yogurt & Ice Cream are my favorite!
Z - 'Zats all folks!!!!