Hi Everyone,
We have made it home and are getting back into the swing of things. I thought because it was an evening flight maybe the kids would take a nap. NO SUCH LUCK!! They were up the whole flight. There was one point I was so tired that I said, "Ok kids be good Mommy needs to rest." I did get a little nap in, but then Parker had to go to the bathroom. It felt like he went every half hour. About the last half hour of the flight they got really hyper because they were going to see Daddy and their rooms. It was so cute to see how excited they were getting. When we got down to baggage claim there was Daddy with Balloons, a welcome home sign from our friends the Dunbars, and a dozen red roses for me. It was so sweet I almost cried. Things have been hectic since getting home.
Remember that emergency root canal on Tuesday Morning I got it finished. Yesterday I got my crown put on and I should be good for awhile, but who knows. I'm trying to get ready for Parker's Birthday on Aug.5th and for VBS on the 8th-12th. Then I have a number of other things before school starts and then I am going to be working 4 days a week at the PreSchool where I substituted last year. It is going to busy, busy, busy from now until school starts.
Today we are going to Keith's Company Picnic. It is always a fun time with lots for the kids to do. I'm looking forward to just doing something with Keith and the kids.
Oh yeah, I'm sure your all wondering how everything is going since getting home with the eating and excercising. I haven't missed a day at the gym since getting home and am eating great. I don't even have the desire to eat junk. I joined a 12 week contest at the gym called BIGGEST LOSER. It will be fun to see how much weight I can lose in the next 12 weeks. It ends October 15th, so I'll let you know.
I need to run for now. I'll catch you later.
Love ya,
Melissa
I started losing weight in 2008 and over the next two years lost 106 pounds. In 2010 my life changed when I got diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Over the next two years I gained back 100 pounds. I'm taking my life back. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Today is my fresh start and it can be yours too.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Take off Today!!
This has to be short. We are going to the church where I grew up and then we leave at 2pm for the airport and then I will be home. Yippppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Please pray for no panic attacks on the flight home. I am really feeling fine about flying though. Thanks again for all your support while I was gone. I cannot wait to see you all and thank you in person.
Lots of Love,
Melissa
Lots of Love,
Melissa
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Made it to Long Beach
I left camp yesterday and made it to the bus station an hour before my bus was to leave. I got in line with my HUGE suitcases and all my stuff. There were these two ladies in front of me talking and I said hello. One of them made a comment about all my stuff, so I told her that I was at a camp for 5 weeks and I was heading home.
We got to talking because the line was taking so long. She was talking about how they just left her daughter's birthday party to come to the bus station. I asked them if they were sisters and she said, "No, this is my friend. She is a missionary to Japan. We met in the Philippines in 1988." I then told them that my sister-n-law grew up in the Philippines and that her parents were missionaries there for years. She asks me their names, so I told her David and PJ Yount and she says, "I know them. That was the Pastor of my church." She remembers teaching Sara Sunday school when Sara was a little girl and is good friends with a lady named Hermes who was Sara's Nanny. It was so fun. Her name is Hannah. We sat together on the bus and had a nice visit.
The bus was 45 minutes late and I had never taken it from San Diego to Long Beach, so we had to stop at the Border Patrol. An officer gets on and asks every single person if they are a citizen. If they are not they have to show their paper work. It was interesting. Other than that the bus ride was uneventful.
We got back to the house and I pretty much went right to bed. I have a lot of packing to do today, but I also want to do something with the kids today, so I am not sure what I am doing.
I'm off. I'll blog more later.
Melissa
We got to talking because the line was taking so long. She was talking about how they just left her daughter's birthday party to come to the bus station. I asked them if they were sisters and she said, "No, this is my friend. She is a missionary to Japan. We met in the Philippines in 1988." I then told them that my sister-n-law grew up in the Philippines and that her parents were missionaries there for years. She asks me their names, so I told her David and PJ Yount and she says, "I know them. That was the Pastor of my church." She remembers teaching Sara Sunday school when Sara was a little girl and is good friends with a lady named Hermes who was Sara's Nanny. It was so fun. Her name is Hannah. We sat together on the bus and had a nice visit.
The bus was 45 minutes late and I had never taken it from San Diego to Long Beach, so we had to stop at the Border Patrol. An officer gets on and asks every single person if they are a citizen. If they are not they have to show their paper work. It was interesting. Other than that the bus ride was uneventful.
We got back to the house and I pretty much went right to bed. I have a lot of packing to do today, but I also want to do something with the kids today, so I am not sure what I am doing.
I'm off. I'll blog more later.
Melissa
Friday, July 22, 2005
Last Day At Camp
Hello,
Today is my last day at camp. This morning I woke up early and had my last weigh-in. I lost 3 pounds this past week bringing my grand total to 15 pounds. With my weight loss before leaving I have now hit the 40 pounds lost mark. I'm so proud of myself. I will not know how many inches lost until later. I will let you all know.
This morning after weighing in I took a walking tour of part of the campus and video taped it and took pictures, so I can remember my journey. I even had someone take video of me doing the stadium stairs. It will be fun. I pretended to be Rocky when I got to the top. After that I went for weight training. Again, it was fun. I will be skipping racquetball to pack and then hopefully will go kyaking one last time. If I'm not packed by 2:30 I will skip Kyaking.
I have to keep this short, but I am really excited about this next bit of news. On July 15, 2006 I will be participating in an Amateur Short Course Triathlon. I will be swimming 1/2 mile, biking 15 miles and running 3 miles. I will be doing this with my best girlfriend, Dar (it was her idea) and hopefully Keith too. :-) I'm so excited about this idea, but if I think of the mileage too much I tend to panic. It is really exciting to have this fitness goal. It will be in Minnesota, so anyone who wants to come and cheer us on at the finish line is more than welcome. This is going to be huge!
Thanks again for all your support, love, encouragement and prayers. I love you all.
Melissa
Today is my last day at camp. This morning I woke up early and had my last weigh-in. I lost 3 pounds this past week bringing my grand total to 15 pounds. With my weight loss before leaving I have now hit the 40 pounds lost mark. I'm so proud of myself. I will not know how many inches lost until later. I will let you all know.
This morning after weighing in I took a walking tour of part of the campus and video taped it and took pictures, so I can remember my journey. I even had someone take video of me doing the stadium stairs. It will be fun. I pretended to be Rocky when I got to the top. After that I went for weight training. Again, it was fun. I will be skipping racquetball to pack and then hopefully will go kyaking one last time. If I'm not packed by 2:30 I will skip Kyaking.
I have to keep this short, but I am really excited about this next bit of news. On July 15, 2006 I will be participating in an Amateur Short Course Triathlon. I will be swimming 1/2 mile, biking 15 miles and running 3 miles. I will be doing this with my best girlfriend, Dar (it was her idea) and hopefully Keith too. :-) I'm so excited about this idea, but if I think of the mileage too much I tend to panic. It is really exciting to have this fitness goal. It will be in Minnesota, so anyone who wants to come and cheer us on at the finish line is more than welcome. This is going to be huge!
Thanks again for all your support, love, encouragement and prayers. I love you all.
Melissa
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Twilight Zone Kind of Day
Yesterday was a field trip day and boy was it interesting. The day started off like any other. I went and lifted weights and had breakfast and then we headed out for Universal Studios.
I don't have a lot of time to write, so I'll make this quick.
The bus was hot. My friend burned her leg at the back of the bus on some metal. The bus driver was unsympathetic and told us to open the emergency hatch in the roof for air. We were moving, so needless to say we didn't open it.
The bus broke down.
He pulled into a McDonald's parking lot. I bet the management was excited to see a bus load of Chubby women get out of the bus, but to his dismay all we ordered were Diet Cokes, a few salads and a couple of yogurts.
We were stranded for 2 hours before we got a bus. The new bus was like a driving sauna, so we didn't get to workout, but we probably sweated off a few pounds. From what we heard the bus that made it to Universal on time had no air the whole time either. UGH!!
I do have pictures of the whole McDonald's experience. One of the best storied from McDonald's is that a lady named Janice told us she was going to go and order a diet coke. She asked a guy at the counter if she could borrow his tray, which had a big mac, huge fries and huge drink on it. She explained to him that we were from a weight loss camp and told him to watch our faces. One lady jumped out of her seat and was running towards her. I guess she just wanted a sniff of it. One lady I was told had the funniest look on her face. She said she wanted to ask her what she was doing, but each of us have to make our own decisions about what we eat, so she didn't say anything, but I guess her face said it all. The bummer was I just put my Camera away and was over talking to someone else and just heard the aftermath of it. The guy played along so well and was cracking up.
After that we got to Universal around 4 and had to be on the bus at 8:50pm. The average group on our bus got to see 4 of the major attractions. I had a lot of fun though hanging out with my buds, Kerry and Rebecca. We laughed so much and got some great pictures.
Bus ride home was HORRIBLE. He was driving SUPER fast and swerving, but the good part was the air conditioner had kicked in.
It was a major inconvenience, but now is a great story to tell.
It also must have been a bad bus day all around because some of my friends that didn't go to Universal took a bus to go to Downtown LaJolla and the bus had to take a detour and he went the wrong way and to make another long story short, he went down a street with cars parked on both sides and hit a car and took it's mirror off and set off the alarm. In the same bus there was a man yelling at my campmates about them being beautiful, but talking way too much about nothing and later exposing himself. It was a Twilight Zone kind of day.
I'm off to workout. I cannot wait to see you all again. EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I don't have a lot of time to write, so I'll make this quick.
The bus was hot. My friend burned her leg at the back of the bus on some metal. The bus driver was unsympathetic and told us to open the emergency hatch in the roof for air. We were moving, so needless to say we didn't open it.
The bus broke down.
He pulled into a McDonald's parking lot. I bet the management was excited to see a bus load of Chubby women get out of the bus, but to his dismay all we ordered were Diet Cokes, a few salads and a couple of yogurts.
We were stranded for 2 hours before we got a bus. The new bus was like a driving sauna, so we didn't get to workout, but we probably sweated off a few pounds. From what we heard the bus that made it to Universal on time had no air the whole time either. UGH!!
I do have pictures of the whole McDonald's experience. One of the best storied from McDonald's is that a lady named Janice told us she was going to go and order a diet coke. She asked a guy at the counter if she could borrow his tray, which had a big mac, huge fries and huge drink on it. She explained to him that we were from a weight loss camp and told him to watch our faces. One lady jumped out of her seat and was running towards her. I guess she just wanted a sniff of it. One lady I was told had the funniest look on her face. She said she wanted to ask her what she was doing, but each of us have to make our own decisions about what we eat, so she didn't say anything, but I guess her face said it all. The bummer was I just put my Camera away and was over talking to someone else and just heard the aftermath of it. The guy played along so well and was cracking up.
After that we got to Universal around 4 and had to be on the bus at 8:50pm. The average group on our bus got to see 4 of the major attractions. I had a lot of fun though hanging out with my buds, Kerry and Rebecca. We laughed so much and got some great pictures.
Bus ride home was HORRIBLE. He was driving SUPER fast and swerving, but the good part was the air conditioner had kicked in.
It was a major inconvenience, but now is a great story to tell.
It also must have been a bad bus day all around because some of my friends that didn't go to Universal took a bus to go to Downtown LaJolla and the bus had to take a detour and he went the wrong way and to make another long story short, he went down a street with cars parked on both sides and hit a car and took it's mirror off and set off the alarm. In the same bus there was a man yelling at my campmates about them being beautiful, but talking way too much about nothing and later exposing himself. It was a Twilight Zone kind of day.
I'm off to workout. I cannot wait to see you all again. EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
This week is flying by
I cannot believe that it is already Tuesday. This week seems to be flying by. My schedule is a little crazy, so I haven't been able to get to the library to blog. I cannot believe that my time here is quickly coming to an end. I leave Friday from camp and then fly out of here on Sunday. It will be good to get home, but I will miss everyone here.
Yesterday, (Monday) was a good day. I had weight training, racquetball, lap swimming and water aerobics. After breakfast we had a behavior modification class with Nancy. She is the director of the camp and very motivating. One thing that I didn't blog about was at the beginning of camp is that I had a panic attack the first week. I had a really hard adjustment time and some things did not go as planned. Nancy was there the day I had my panic attack and really helped me through it. She has seen me go from that to where I am today and is very proud of me. I had let her know that I wanted to meet with her before I left to chat. She is really busy this week, but invited me out to dinner last night and treated. We went out and had a great talk. She is a very spiritual person. I believe she is Catholic. She was on a time schedule last night because she had to get to her prayer group at home that she is part of. She really helped me see some things I need to do when I get home to keep my momentum going. She has truly been an inspiration to me and I am just so glad that she had the vision to run this camp so many years ago.
A couple of weeks ago when she taught the first BMOD class I told you about I complimented her bracelet. It is beautiful, silver and has crosses all around it. When I asked her where she got it she told me she would get me one next time she went to the store. This morning when I saw her, she gave me her bracelet and told me next time she was a the store she would get herself a new one. It means the world to me and it will take a lot for me to take it off. I did take it off during racquetball and swimming because I do not want anything to happen to it. It is going to be an anchor for me. Something for me to look at when I want to eat and remind me to call on God. I cannot wait to show it to you.
Yesterday I also met with the Camp Nutritionist and she helped me really understand what I need to do when I get home. Today I met with a counselor who does personal training and she helped me set up a weight training plan. I am so excited because I have never really done weight training on a regular basis before, so this will be good. It is always important to do weight training and cardio. They really do go hand in hand. Ladies you do not need to worry about bulking up. There is a certain way to lift to bulk up and if you are doing simple exercises at lighter pounds and lots of repetition you will not bulk up. This has been a great couple of days for me getting ready to come home and really keep up what I have done here.
My workout plan when I get home is to be at the gym at least 5 days a week.
Monday-weights and cardio
Tuesday-spinning
Wednesday Night after Weight Watchers-spinning and weights
Thursday-spinning
Friday-Weights and Cardio
Saturday-If I don't do spinning on Thursdays, I will do it on Saturdays.
THIS SCHEDULE IS NOT SET IN STONE AND MAY SEE CHANGES. PLEASE CHECK WITH ME FOR ANY CHANGES. :)
I workout at the Foglia YMCA. If any of you workout there let me know when you are there and I would love to try and work out with you.
The library closes in 10 minutes and I want to make sure to post this before they turn off the computers. Have a great evening and see you soon. I CANNOT WAIT!!
Love to you all,
Melissa
Yesterday, (Monday) was a good day. I had weight training, racquetball, lap swimming and water aerobics. After breakfast we had a behavior modification class with Nancy. She is the director of the camp and very motivating. One thing that I didn't blog about was at the beginning of camp is that I had a panic attack the first week. I had a really hard adjustment time and some things did not go as planned. Nancy was there the day I had my panic attack and really helped me through it. She has seen me go from that to where I am today and is very proud of me. I had let her know that I wanted to meet with her before I left to chat. She is really busy this week, but invited me out to dinner last night and treated. We went out and had a great talk. She is a very spiritual person. I believe she is Catholic. She was on a time schedule last night because she had to get to her prayer group at home that she is part of. She really helped me see some things I need to do when I get home to keep my momentum going. She has truly been an inspiration to me and I am just so glad that she had the vision to run this camp so many years ago.
A couple of weeks ago when she taught the first BMOD class I told you about I complimented her bracelet. It is beautiful, silver and has crosses all around it. When I asked her where she got it she told me she would get me one next time she went to the store. This morning when I saw her, she gave me her bracelet and told me next time she was a the store she would get herself a new one. It means the world to me and it will take a lot for me to take it off. I did take it off during racquetball and swimming because I do not want anything to happen to it. It is going to be an anchor for me. Something for me to look at when I want to eat and remind me to call on God. I cannot wait to show it to you.
Yesterday I also met with the Camp Nutritionist and she helped me really understand what I need to do when I get home. Today I met with a counselor who does personal training and she helped me set up a weight training plan. I am so excited because I have never really done weight training on a regular basis before, so this will be good. It is always important to do weight training and cardio. They really do go hand in hand. Ladies you do not need to worry about bulking up. There is a certain way to lift to bulk up and if you are doing simple exercises at lighter pounds and lots of repetition you will not bulk up. This has been a great couple of days for me getting ready to come home and really keep up what I have done here.
My workout plan when I get home is to be at the gym at least 5 days a week.
Monday-weights and cardio
Tuesday-spinning
Wednesday Night after Weight Watchers-spinning and weights
Thursday-spinning
Friday-Weights and Cardio
Saturday-If I don't do spinning on Thursdays, I will do it on Saturdays.
THIS SCHEDULE IS NOT SET IN STONE AND MAY SEE CHANGES. PLEASE CHECK WITH ME FOR ANY CHANGES. :)
I workout at the Foglia YMCA. If any of you workout there let me know when you are there and I would love to try and work out with you.
The library closes in 10 minutes and I want to make sure to post this before they turn off the computers. Have a great evening and see you soon. I CANNOT WAIT!!
Love to you all,
Melissa
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Bravo, Bravo Lindsay!! Good Job!!
Last night I went and saw my cousin, Lindsay in a play called Candida. Here is a description of the play that I found on the web.
The play is set in the northeast suburbs of London in October, and tells the story of Candida, the wife of a first-rate clergyman named James Mavor Morell. Morell is a popular Christian Socialist Reverend in the Church of England, yet Candida is responsible for much of his success. When he married Candida, she brought along Eugene Marchbanks, a young poet who wants to rescue her from what he presumes to be a dull family life. Marchbanks is in love with Candida and believes she deserves something more than just complacency from her husband. Both men love her for different reasons, and she is attracted to them both for the different lifestyles they provide. Morell, sensing he is fighting a loosing battle, demands Marchbanks to leave at once, yet Candida undercuts her husband and instead invites him to stay st the house. Leaving the two alone together, Reverend Morell observes Candida and the poet growing closer to one another. The men fight over her, and in the end, Candida chooses the man who needs her the most, her husband, and not where her heart is, Marchbanks.
Lindsay played the Clergyman's secretary. She was fabulous and funny. She had on a dark wig and was dressed in victorian dress. She looked so different with the dark hair and eyebrows. For those of you who don't know my cousin is a red head. Lindsay did the British accent great and made me laugh.
This was Lindsay's 5th production with Long Beach City College. I am very proud of her. It was hard to believe that was my "little" cousin up there. She has worked hard and it shows. She is very talented and I cannot wait to see where God takes this talent and how He will use her. Good job, little cuz, keep up the good work. I love you.
Blog more later,
Melissa
The play is set in the northeast suburbs of London in October, and tells the story of Candida, the wife of a first-rate clergyman named James Mavor Morell. Morell is a popular Christian Socialist Reverend in the Church of England, yet Candida is responsible for much of his success. When he married Candida, she brought along Eugene Marchbanks, a young poet who wants to rescue her from what he presumes to be a dull family life. Marchbanks is in love with Candida and believes she deserves something more than just complacency from her husband. Both men love her for different reasons, and she is attracted to them both for the different lifestyles they provide. Morell, sensing he is fighting a loosing battle, demands Marchbanks to leave at once, yet Candida undercuts her husband and instead invites him to stay st the house. Leaving the two alone together, Reverend Morell observes Candida and the poet growing closer to one another. The men fight over her, and in the end, Candida chooses the man who needs her the most, her husband, and not where her heart is, Marchbanks.
Lindsay played the Clergyman's secretary. She was fabulous and funny. She had on a dark wig and was dressed in victorian dress. She looked so different with the dark hair and eyebrows. For those of you who don't know my cousin is a red head. Lindsay did the British accent great and made me laugh.
This was Lindsay's 5th production with Long Beach City College. I am very proud of her. It was hard to believe that was my "little" cousin up there. She has worked hard and it shows. She is very talented and I cannot wait to see where God takes this talent and how He will use her. Good job, little cuz, keep up the good work. I love you.
Blog more later,
Melissa
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Willy Wonka is Willy Wonderful!!
I had my doubts about going and seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I am a HUGE fan of the old one and the book. I'm not a HUGE fan of Johnny Depp and personally he FREAKED me out in the Willy Wonka previews, however, seeing how I was with the kids this weekend and it just came out and my Aunt was really excited to see it I gave in. I went in saying to myself, "Just give it a chance Melissa. Have an open mind." Well, I did and I walked away saying to myself, "When Can I see it again?" The changes to the movie were great. They pretty much stayed to the book minus one story line about Wonka's childhood. It was not a musical, but the Oompa Loompas do sing after each kid's mishap. The Oompa Loompas were played by one actor. I thought for sure that I wouldn't like that, but it works. Also, the Oompa Loompas songs are hysterical. So, even if you are a huge fan of the old one go and see it. You'll like it. As far as taking young kids, you can. There is nothing bad in it. There is one slightly inappropiate line made by Wonka in the squirrel scene, but it went over my kid's heads. Other than that I thought it was great. Like the previews, Wonka did freak me out a little bit throughout the movie, but he was really funny too. I would definetely give the movie two candy bars up.
Have a great night.
Melissa
Have a great night.
Melissa
The Weekend's Here!!
Hello Everyone,
I woke up feeling better yesterday except for a sore shoulder. It was Knott's Berry Farm day. I couldn't wait to see the kids and take them to a place where I grew up as a kid. Everytime we are in California we go to Knott's. We left camp around 11am on HUGE buses. I fell asleep because I was on the quiet bus. We got to Knott's around 12:30pm and I hooked up with Aunt Linda and the kids around 1:00. We had lunch together and then walked around a little bit before Aunt Linda was picked up by Uncle Wilson. The kids and I stayed until it closed at 10pm. "Way past my bedtime" as Parker says. We hit all the shows and a ton of rides. We really had a great time. It brought back a lot of memories, but a lot has changed. It has gotten very commercial and they have taken out some of the best rides that I would have loved to take the kids on. They are big time into roller coasters now. Regardless we had a great time.
Today we have just slept in and relaxed. I finished a book I've been reading all week and now are gearing up to start our day. We are going to play a board game, see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then I am going to see Lindsay in her play. Tomorrow I head back to camp for my last week. It's bitter sweet. I wish I could stay the whole 9 weeks, but also am ready to get home.
Some more good news from the camp front. I brought a pair of shorts and pants that did not fit me before camp. They were tight. Yesterday I tried them both on and they fit. The shorts are even a little too big and the pants are perfect. I was so excited. I was telling everyone. God is good. . . . all the time.
Write more later.
Love,
Melissa
A Haiku for you
My pants are too big
They are falling off of me
I am so happy
I woke up feeling better yesterday except for a sore shoulder. It was Knott's Berry Farm day. I couldn't wait to see the kids and take them to a place where I grew up as a kid. Everytime we are in California we go to Knott's. We left camp around 11am on HUGE buses. I fell asleep because I was on the quiet bus. We got to Knott's around 12:30pm and I hooked up with Aunt Linda and the kids around 1:00. We had lunch together and then walked around a little bit before Aunt Linda was picked up by Uncle Wilson. The kids and I stayed until it closed at 10pm. "Way past my bedtime" as Parker says. We hit all the shows and a ton of rides. We really had a great time. It brought back a lot of memories, but a lot has changed. It has gotten very commercial and they have taken out some of the best rides that I would have loved to take the kids on. They are big time into roller coasters now. Regardless we had a great time.
Today we have just slept in and relaxed. I finished a book I've been reading all week and now are gearing up to start our day. We are going to play a board game, see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then I am going to see Lindsay in her play. Tomorrow I head back to camp for my last week. It's bitter sweet. I wish I could stay the whole 9 weeks, but also am ready to get home.
Some more good news from the camp front. I brought a pair of shorts and pants that did not fit me before camp. They were tight. Yesterday I tried them both on and they fit. The shorts are even a little too big and the pants are perfect. I was so excited. I was telling everyone. God is good. . . . all the time.
Write more later.
Love,
Melissa
A Haiku for you
My pants are too big
They are falling off of me
I am so happy
Thursday, July 14, 2005
My Tummy Hurts
As you can tell from the title of this post I am not feeling well today. I don't think it is anything serious, but it's just a bummer. I'm feeling really run down and not very motivated. I am going to skip 2nd and 3rd periods and just take it easy and then go to spinning like I did yesterday. I already did the beach walk and kick boxing and then I'll do spinning. That's not bad in a days work. I think that I am going to see a Movie tonight and then get to bed. I'm hoping I can get a couple people together to see FANTASTIC FOUR or BATMAN. I'm sensing a theme here. Tomorrow it's off to Knott's Berry Farm, a great amusement park. I hope I am feeling better.
I'm off to rest.
Talk to you all later,
Melissa
I'm off to rest.
Talk to you all later,
Melissa
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Beach Inspiration
I wrote a poem this morning after going on my beach walk. I also wrote another Haiku. The Haiku is again based on a true story.
Beach Walk-by Melissa
Today I woke up to take a beach walk.
The water, the wind, the birds
These are the wonderful sounds I heard.
Quietly taking in my surroundings hoping no one would talk.
I love to feel the sand between my toes
I love sniffing the ocean air.
I take in salt, fish and seaweed without a care.
These are the wonderful scents that touch my nose.
From the beach I never want to depart.
Seashells, rocks and sand I take,
never wanting this spell to break
These are the wonderful things that have touched my heart.
A Haiku for you from an actual event that happend on my beach walk this morning. Enjoy!!
Walking on the beach
I drop my CD player
in the ocean blue
Beach Walk-by Melissa
Today I woke up to take a beach walk.
The water, the wind, the birds
These are the wonderful sounds I heard.
Quietly taking in my surroundings hoping no one would talk.
I love to feel the sand between my toes
I love sniffing the ocean air.
I take in salt, fish and seaweed without a care.
These are the wonderful scents that touch my nose.
From the beach I never want to depart.
Seashells, rocks and sand I take,
never wanting this spell to break
These are the wonderful things that have touched my heart.
A Haiku for you from an actual event that happend on my beach walk this morning. Enjoy!!
Walking on the beach
I drop my CD player
in the ocean blue
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Surfs Up Dudes
Good Morning Everyone,
I went on the beach walk this morning after staying up way late with my girls, Kerry, Juls, Daniella and Debi. We had fun watching TV, playing Trivial Pursuit (some of us had more fun than others on that one) and Egyptian war. Karl, thanks for looking that up for me on the way to their suite. It was good to just hang out after a long day.
The beach walk was awesome today. I decided to barefoot it so I could go closer to the water. I had so much fun. I brought a camera and got some great shots. When I leave in the morning I am gone until after dinner, so it has been hard to lug my digital camera around with me, so I bought some little disposable ones that I can keep with me at all times. Because I was barefoot I was able to get close to some of the wild life in the tide pools. There were star fish everywhere and a Sandpiper eating fish. (That's a bird if you don't know) When I was trying to get a picture of him he kept hopping away, but not too far so I wouldn't get his fish or maybe it was a crab. I would have loved to have my zoom lense at that point. Oh well. I saw a guy and girl surfers and asked them for a picture. It was nice and then the guy said, "Here's my surfboard let me take a picture of you." It will be fun to get back. Then I looked at my watch and realized I was late getting back to the bus, so I hightailed it back. I ran a great distance. It's amazing how fast I can run when I need too. :-) It was an incredible day.
The Lord has really spoken to me the last couple of days. I just really have felt His presence and am at so much peace. It is not a peace I have felt in a long time. I'm so glad that I have had this 5 weeks to come out here and really find myself. I cannot wait to get home and share all my excitement with you.
I already took kick boxing today and am heading off for some time on the good old cardio machines. It will be tiring, but fun. I have good music. If any of you like Latin music. There is a Christian Group called Salvador. Very good and fun!! Darlene turned me on to them.
I'm out of here. Peace out!!
Melissa
I went on the beach walk this morning after staying up way late with my girls, Kerry, Juls, Daniella and Debi. We had fun watching TV, playing Trivial Pursuit (some of us had more fun than others on that one) and Egyptian war. Karl, thanks for looking that up for me on the way to their suite. It was good to just hang out after a long day.
The beach walk was awesome today. I decided to barefoot it so I could go closer to the water. I had so much fun. I brought a camera and got some great shots. When I leave in the morning I am gone until after dinner, so it has been hard to lug my digital camera around with me, so I bought some little disposable ones that I can keep with me at all times. Because I was barefoot I was able to get close to some of the wild life in the tide pools. There were star fish everywhere and a Sandpiper eating fish. (That's a bird if you don't know) When I was trying to get a picture of him he kept hopping away, but not too far so I wouldn't get his fish or maybe it was a crab. I would have loved to have my zoom lense at that point. Oh well. I saw a guy and girl surfers and asked them for a picture. It was nice and then the guy said, "Here's my surfboard let me take a picture of you." It will be fun to get back. Then I looked at my watch and realized I was late getting back to the bus, so I hightailed it back. I ran a great distance. It's amazing how fast I can run when I need too. :-) It was an incredible day.
The Lord has really spoken to me the last couple of days. I just really have felt His presence and am at so much peace. It is not a peace I have felt in a long time. I'm so glad that I have had this 5 weeks to come out here and really find myself. I cannot wait to get home and share all my excitement with you.
I already took kick boxing today and am heading off for some time on the good old cardio machines. It will be tiring, but fun. I have good music. If any of you like Latin music. There is a Christian Group called Salvador. Very good and fun!! Darlene turned me on to them.
I'm out of here. Peace out!!
Melissa
Monday, July 11, 2005
Poetry
I do not know if any of you really know that I started writing poetry around Christmas. That is when I started reading Dr. Phil's weight loss book. His book is really helpful and really goes along with what they are teaching here at camp. In February I finished reading his book and I wrote the poem below that is why there are references to Dr. Phil in the poem. This poem has really taken on new meaning for me here at camp. Enjoy.
I Deserve it!!
by Melissa
I used to tell myself that I was not good
that losing weight, I never would.
I didn't like myself or looking in the mirror.
Being fat my whole life was a real fear.
This fear I never did anything about.
I ate when I was sad, angry, happy or just wanted to pout.
Dr Phil says, "Get real and excited about your life,"
but until I acknowleged the problem all I had was strife.
I picked up his book and started to read,
right thinking is on of his 7 keys.
First I dismissed all those people who said I'd never lose weight.
I dismissed the thoughts that being skinny was the only way to be great.
All those people over the years that said, "You have a pretty face,"
didn't realize it hurt me and set me back a pace.
You know what they mean when they say that to you,
but really you want to be beautiful all the way through.
So all my negative dialog I've thrown out the door
because I know I"m worthy and I deserve much more.
I deserve to be excited about my life.
I deserve to learn good ways of coping with strife.
I deserve to like what I see in the mirrior.
I walk out the door head held high with no fear.
I'm excited about my days!
I'm excited about getting fit!
This is a life I love
and you know what?
I DESERVE IT!!
Some Haikus for you
The kids and I have been having fun lately making up Haikus. In case you do not know what a Haiku is, it is a 3 lined poem. The first line has 5 syllables, second line has 7 and the third line has 5. They do not have to rhyme or make sense.
Here are some camp inspired Haikus:
Camp LaJolla Rocks
My fat is melting away
I feel thinner
Fried foods are not good
Why do they taste so yummy?
I do not know why
This next one is based on a true story that you may have read about in my blog
Fat men at buffets
eating 10 fried chicken legs
makes me want to puke
This is a short one
I love to write a Haiku
I do it for you.
Have a great night.
Love,
Melissa
Here are some camp inspired Haikus:
Camp LaJolla Rocks
My fat is melting away
I feel thinner
Fried foods are not good
Why do they taste so yummy?
I do not know why
This next one is based on a true story that you may have read about in my blog
Fat men at buffets
eating 10 fried chicken legs
makes me want to puke
This is a short one
I love to write a Haiku
I do it for you.
Have a great night.
Love,
Melissa
WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!
Hello everyone,
Friday, for my 3rd and 4th periods I got to go Kayaking. It was great. I took my waterproof camera and got some great pictures. I went with my friend Maria. They were two people Kayaks. We had a little trouble manuevering the craft, but still had a good time. We were basically going around in circles, but at least they were big circles. We took off from a Harbor where a lot of boats were docked. Then we took off into the Ocean. We had to watch out for speed boats, jet skis, and sailing boats. Maria didn't know what to think about the waves the boats made, but I loved it. On the way out to the bay we past this small pier and there was a seal/sealion (it had ears so whichever one that is) sitting there and pelicans and lots of seagulls. It was so beautiful. I wanted to get really close to get a picture of the seal/sea lion, but Maria kept saying, "We are close enough, take the picture. We are close enough take the picture." We headed in a little early due to our manuevering difficulties and we went by the seal/sea lion again. It was really neat for me to see a Pelican so close that wasn't in captivity. When one of the counselor's named Terry and her partner were coming in they decided to go see the seal/sea lion up close and bumped the dock. He went up on his flippers towards them and roared and scared them to death. You should hear Terry tell the story. It cracks me up everytime she does the roar. They were so close they could see his very long, sharp teeth. We got back to our dock and getting out of this thing was another story. You kinda have to roll out onto the dock. I was laughing so hard I just had to lay there for a minute. Overall, Kayaking was a blast. I would do it everyday if I could.
We got back to camp and I checked my cellphone. There was a message from Keith that he left early and was already on campus and needed directions to my dorms. I called him and he found the place, but I made him wait while I showered and got ready and then I went down and met him. It was so great to see him. I still couldn't believe that he was there.
We left and went out to dinner in a town called Pacific Beach. We went to a great little place called Daddios. If you are ever in the San Diego area you have to look this place up. The food was out of this world and Daddio was there. He sat down at our table and talked to us for a great while. I had heard from the waitress that he had lost a lot of weight. I could tell from his picture on the menu. I asked him his secret and he said black beans, no fried foods and a personal trainer. I gave Daddio a little Cubs keychain I had so he could have a piece of Chicago and we got a picture with him. He was great, the food was great and it was a great night. Keith and I walked along the beach before dinner. There were literally hundreds of surfers out. I still cannot figure out how they surf and don't run each other over. It was really neat to see.
After that we went to our Hotel that was in a really hip little part of San Diego and just 2 blocks away from Petco Park. A brand new baseball park where the Padres play. THis is only their 2nd season in the park. Saturday Morning we went on a tour of the ballpark as the team was out of town. The tour was great. In order to build there they had to keep two historic buildings. One is in leftfield corner and they made it into party suites. They were able to keep 70% of the building original. It is beautiful. The way the had to apply for the permit was to say that they were adding on to the building, kinda of like if you add on a garage to your house, so the whole stadium is considered an add-on to this small 4 story building. I found that to be really cool. We got to go in the dug out, take a picture on home plate, but my favorite highlight of the whole day was going into the press box and sitting where the MLB.COM journalist sit. I took pictures and cried because I am so proud of my little brother. I called him afterwards and told him where I had just been and he said, "Sweet." I also told him I cried and that I'm proud of him. Sniff, Sniff. I hope some day he and Kelly can live in San Diego and he can write for the Padres and I can come and visit and eat at Daddios every weekend. :-)
Next we went back to Aunt Linda's and spent the rest of the day with the kids. We went out to dinner and then say the documentary, "The March of the Penguins." It was very good. If your kids love animals I would take them to see them. There are a few sad parts as you can imagine the life of the penguin in the wild.
Sunday we went to church with Keith's Dad, Dave. It was a really nice church. We then all went out to dinner at a place like Old Country Buffet. I was getting sick watching people eat. One man directly behind Keith had (and yes I counted) 10 FRIED chicken legs on his plate. I won't describe how he was eating each one either. I had to have Keith move to the right, so I couldn't see him anymore. This man couldn't even fit in the booth. ANYWAY, it was a wonderful visit with Keith's Dad and a nice afternoon. There were a lot of soldiers in the restaraunt too. I'm raising my kids that whenever they see soldiers to thank them for serving our country, so we went around thanking the soldiers and talking to them. There were about 5-6 soldiers leaving, so I took the kids picture with them and told them we pray for our military all the time and that we would pray for them. They were all very humble about it, but appreciative too. That was a highlight of dinner out. It kinda balenced out the chicken leg guy. YUCK!!!
Today starts week 4 for me. I had a great weigh-in this morning. Here are my stats for you.
Pounds lost week 3: 6.2
Pounds lost total for camp: 11.8
Inches lost in the past 2 weeks (I didn't get measured last week): 4.5 inches
Inches lost total for camp: 10.59 inches
Pounds lost before leaving for camp: 25 pounds
Pounds lost total: 36.8
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. They have meant so much to me, Keith and the kids. We couldn't have done this without you all.
This morning after my fabulous weigh-in I went to the track and I was going to walk, but ended up doing stadium stairs. I ran up and down 10 times. I then booked it over to kick boxing and had the best class yet. I made it the whole class and really challenged myself. I'm off to Cardio Machines.
Have a Magnificant Monday and remember to smile. It makes your day better.
Write more later.
Melissa
PS. Sorry if there are any spelling errors in advance my spell checker was down and I need to get to class. :-)
Friday, for my 3rd and 4th periods I got to go Kayaking. It was great. I took my waterproof camera and got some great pictures. I went with my friend Maria. They were two people Kayaks. We had a little trouble manuevering the craft, but still had a good time. We were basically going around in circles, but at least they were big circles. We took off from a Harbor where a lot of boats were docked. Then we took off into the Ocean. We had to watch out for speed boats, jet skis, and sailing boats. Maria didn't know what to think about the waves the boats made, but I loved it. On the way out to the bay we past this small pier and there was a seal/sealion (it had ears so whichever one that is) sitting there and pelicans and lots of seagulls. It was so beautiful. I wanted to get really close to get a picture of the seal/sea lion, but Maria kept saying, "We are close enough, take the picture. We are close enough take the picture." We headed in a little early due to our manuevering difficulties and we went by the seal/sea lion again. It was really neat for me to see a Pelican so close that wasn't in captivity. When one of the counselor's named Terry and her partner were coming in they decided to go see the seal/sea lion up close and bumped the dock. He went up on his flippers towards them and roared and scared them to death. You should hear Terry tell the story. It cracks me up everytime she does the roar. They were so close they could see his very long, sharp teeth. We got back to our dock and getting out of this thing was another story. You kinda have to roll out onto the dock. I was laughing so hard I just had to lay there for a minute. Overall, Kayaking was a blast. I would do it everyday if I could.
We got back to camp and I checked my cellphone. There was a message from Keith that he left early and was already on campus and needed directions to my dorms. I called him and he found the place, but I made him wait while I showered and got ready and then I went down and met him. It was so great to see him. I still couldn't believe that he was there.
We left and went out to dinner in a town called Pacific Beach. We went to a great little place called Daddios. If you are ever in the San Diego area you have to look this place up. The food was out of this world and Daddio was there. He sat down at our table and talked to us for a great while. I had heard from the waitress that he had lost a lot of weight. I could tell from his picture on the menu. I asked him his secret and he said black beans, no fried foods and a personal trainer. I gave Daddio a little Cubs keychain I had so he could have a piece of Chicago and we got a picture with him. He was great, the food was great and it was a great night. Keith and I walked along the beach before dinner. There were literally hundreds of surfers out. I still cannot figure out how they surf and don't run each other over. It was really neat to see.
After that we went to our Hotel that was in a really hip little part of San Diego and just 2 blocks away from Petco Park. A brand new baseball park where the Padres play. THis is only their 2nd season in the park. Saturday Morning we went on a tour of the ballpark as the team was out of town. The tour was great. In order to build there they had to keep two historic buildings. One is in leftfield corner and they made it into party suites. They were able to keep 70% of the building original. It is beautiful. The way the had to apply for the permit was to say that they were adding on to the building, kinda of like if you add on a garage to your house, so the whole stadium is considered an add-on to this small 4 story building. I found that to be really cool. We got to go in the dug out, take a picture on home plate, but my favorite highlight of the whole day was going into the press box and sitting where the MLB.COM journalist sit. I took pictures and cried because I am so proud of my little brother. I called him afterwards and told him where I had just been and he said, "Sweet." I also told him I cried and that I'm proud of him. Sniff, Sniff. I hope some day he and Kelly can live in San Diego and he can write for the Padres and I can come and visit and eat at Daddios every weekend. :-)
Next we went back to Aunt Linda's and spent the rest of the day with the kids. We went out to dinner and then say the documentary, "The March of the Penguins." It was very good. If your kids love animals I would take them to see them. There are a few sad parts as you can imagine the life of the penguin in the wild.
Sunday we went to church with Keith's Dad, Dave. It was a really nice church. We then all went out to dinner at a place like Old Country Buffet. I was getting sick watching people eat. One man directly behind Keith had (and yes I counted) 10 FRIED chicken legs on his plate. I won't describe how he was eating each one either. I had to have Keith move to the right, so I couldn't see him anymore. This man couldn't even fit in the booth. ANYWAY, it was a wonderful visit with Keith's Dad and a nice afternoon. There were a lot of soldiers in the restaraunt too. I'm raising my kids that whenever they see soldiers to thank them for serving our country, so we went around thanking the soldiers and talking to them. There were about 5-6 soldiers leaving, so I took the kids picture with them and told them we pray for our military all the time and that we would pray for them. They were all very humble about it, but appreciative too. That was a highlight of dinner out. It kinda balenced out the chicken leg guy. YUCK!!!
Today starts week 4 for me. I had a great weigh-in this morning. Here are my stats for you.
Pounds lost week 3: 6.2
Pounds lost total for camp: 11.8
Inches lost in the past 2 weeks (I didn't get measured last week): 4.5 inches
Inches lost total for camp: 10.59 inches
Pounds lost before leaving for camp: 25 pounds
Pounds lost total: 36.8
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. They have meant so much to me, Keith and the kids. We couldn't have done this without you all.
This morning after my fabulous weigh-in I went to the track and I was going to walk, but ended up doing stadium stairs. I ran up and down 10 times. I then booked it over to kick boxing and had the best class yet. I made it the whole class and really challenged myself. I'm off to Cardio Machines.
Have a Magnificant Monday and remember to smile. It makes your day better.
Write more later.
Melissa
PS. Sorry if there are any spelling errors in advance my spell checker was down and I need to get to class. :-)
Friday, July 08, 2005
Nutrition class with Bruce
On July 6th we had a nutrition class with a guy named Bruce. Bruce has worked with camp for about 10 years and was their nutritionist. Now he works with the teen boys I think and is the Surf instructor for the kids camp.
Here are some tips he gave in Nutrition class.
-There is not a set plan that works for everyone, so be careful when a plan comes out that says it will work for everyone. We may have similarities as to why we are overweight, but no on person is the same and therefore no one "diet" will work for everyone.
-The main key is portion control and exercise. Find what works for you and do it. Watch your portions, eat 3 meals a day or 4 small meals day and exercise daily and you will lose weight. He said try not to become a slave to calorie counting. As long as your portions are small and your exercising you will do it. Include in each meal, carbohydrates, protein and veggies or fruit.
Eat as natural as you can. Avoid foods with mystery ingredients. Have you ever looked at the ingredients of the chips you are putting in your mouth? Bruce's history is all in nutrition and he does his research on these matters and he still doesn't know what some of the ingredients are that people are putting in their mouths. His mantra is, "Eat as Natural as you can."
Avoid Splenda and Nutrasweet if you can. 1 tbs. of sugar is only about 45 calories. IT's not that much and it's natural. WIth these artificial sweeteners we are training our brains that the food we are eating is sweet with no calories. Soon our brain starts to think SWEET=NO Calories. This is not good.
As far as the natural thing goes he said that it is better to make cookies with all natural ingredients then to go and buy cookies off the shelf. A lot of the cookies today have the mystery ingredients in them.
Avoid fat-free foods except in dairy. Fat-free that is ok is milk and yogurt. He says to stick with low fat or regular of everything else. We need healthy fats in our diet. Also, Non-fat does not equal Non-Calories. Let me repeat that Non-Fat does not equal Non-Calories. A lot of times the Non-fat items will have more calories then if you just had the regular item, so be careful!!
Overview:
Avoid these items.
Soda-cut it out completely if you can.
Fastfood-if you have to go, there are healthier things you can order
Artificial sweeteners
Some Non-fat items
But with that said, enjoy food. Find foods you like. Also, let yourself have those treats from time to time. If you deprive yourself you'll want it more and be more likely to binge on it.
And that my friends is Nutrition class with Bruce.
Hope it helped.
Bye!!
Here are some tips he gave in Nutrition class.
-There is not a set plan that works for everyone, so be careful when a plan comes out that says it will work for everyone. We may have similarities as to why we are overweight, but no on person is the same and therefore no one "diet" will work for everyone.
-The main key is portion control and exercise. Find what works for you and do it. Watch your portions, eat 3 meals a day or 4 small meals day and exercise daily and you will lose weight. He said try not to become a slave to calorie counting. As long as your portions are small and your exercising you will do it. Include in each meal, carbohydrates, protein and veggies or fruit.
Eat as natural as you can. Avoid foods with mystery ingredients. Have you ever looked at the ingredients of the chips you are putting in your mouth? Bruce's history is all in nutrition and he does his research on these matters and he still doesn't know what some of the ingredients are that people are putting in their mouths. His mantra is, "Eat as Natural as you can."
Avoid Splenda and Nutrasweet if you can. 1 tbs. of sugar is only about 45 calories. IT's not that much and it's natural. WIth these artificial sweeteners we are training our brains that the food we are eating is sweet with no calories. Soon our brain starts to think SWEET=NO Calories. This is not good.
As far as the natural thing goes he said that it is better to make cookies with all natural ingredients then to go and buy cookies off the shelf. A lot of the cookies today have the mystery ingredients in them.
Avoid fat-free foods except in dairy. Fat-free that is ok is milk and yogurt. He says to stick with low fat or regular of everything else. We need healthy fats in our diet. Also, Non-fat does not equal Non-Calories. Let me repeat that Non-Fat does not equal Non-Calories. A lot of times the Non-fat items will have more calories then if you just had the regular item, so be careful!!
Overview:
Avoid these items.
Soda-cut it out completely if you can.
Fastfood-if you have to go, there are healthier things you can order
Artificial sweeteners
Some Non-fat items
But with that said, enjoy food. Find foods you like. Also, let yourself have those treats from time to time. If you deprive yourself you'll want it more and be more likely to binge on it.
And that my friends is Nutrition class with Bruce.
Hope it helped.
Bye!!
Week 3 almost over!! Nancy's Class Notes!!
Hello,
It's almost the end of week 3 here at Camp LaJolla. I am so happy that I have come here. I really am growing as a person.
The other day we had a behavior modification class with the Camp Director, Nancy. She and I have really clicked. I wanted to share some things from her class that I think will help me when I get home.
These are questions she told us to ask ourselves:
-What do I need to work on? Where is my thinking? What sets me off in a social setting and what can I do to prevent it from happening. i.e. at the movies-popcorn-do I want it because of the smell/advertising or because my stomach really wants it. What can I do to not give into advertising/smell next time I go to the movies.
When I go home what will I instill? Is there food I need to get out of my house. Do I need to find someone to have as a buddy system with my eating and working out?
As far as fitness goes I am doing more here at camp then I will ever be able to do when I get home. I need to find a couple things I love and stick with them once I get home. I am finding that I love kickboxing, racquetball and walking. We have a great path by our house that I will definitely taking advantage of when I get home.
We can make time for so many things in our lives that I just need to make time for me and my health, so I am going to be scheduling it into my calendar just like everything else.
I am going to make family fitness a priority. We love to walk and go the beach, so I hope to really incorporate more fitness into all our daily lives.
Even on the bad days- DON'T GIVE UP!! If I overeat do not beat myself up. Sometimes we overeat and then give up and overeat the next day. This is a very BAD CYCLE! Do not beat yourself up. Do not feel guilty about messing up. It's life!!
Know that there are going to be changes in your life. How will you handle the changes? Do not wallow in the changes just tell yourself, "Get over it and get on with it."
What are my triggers? Why am I allowing myself to eat this trigger food? Use self-dialog when approaching holidays, buffets and trigger foods.
Try to eat on a schedule everyday. DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST!! Here is the schedule that I have chosen for myself. Breakfast between 7-8am, Lunch between 12-1pm and dinner 6-7pm. It has been great eating on a schedule here, so that is one of the things that I am going to implement once I get home.
Dining out- Know where you're going and what you want before you go, so you don't have to look at the menu. You all have your favorite restaurant and your favorite dish. How many times have you looked at the menu just to order the same thing you ordered last time. Try to avoid appetizers. Share your meals or ask for the box right away, so that you only eat half of your meal. Do not have the bread basket. Do not have butter. Ask for your veggies to be steamed. Do not be afraid to ask your server for what you want. Remember and say to yourself, I AM IN CONTROL!! I AM THE DRIVER OF WHAT I EAT!!
Think of Maintenance this way. . .
Maintenance is maintaining your healthy lifestyle, not maintaining your weight.
It's never too late for a new beginning. Be careful-Home is soon. Dining out is coming soon. Be careful right now. Some people will try and get me to deviate.
What was I doing when I deviated? Who was I with? Why did I do it? People will try to sabotage me even if they don't mean too. Know who they are and do what I need to do to be successful in this journey.
These are all the things that I took away from Nancy's class. They are very practical and I have heard some of it before, but I am working through them and making a plan for when I get home. That is what I have never done before, so it has been good. I am really excited about getting home and getting things implemented to carry on what I have been learning here. I hope some of this has helped you.
My back is still hurting today and I am still taking it easy. However, today is the only day that I can take Ocean Kayaking before I leave camp, so I will be doing that later this afternoon. They are 2 people kayaks and I have heard that it is really fun. Some people even saw seals next to them under the water. Don't worry I will be taking my waterproof camera. I'll try and get some good shots.
Keith arrived yesterday and really surprised the kids. From what I hear they have talked his ear off and haven't let go of him since he got there. My cousin Scott could not go to an Angels game last night, so he gave the 3 tickets and baseball hats to Keith and the kids, so they got to go out by themselves. They had a lot of fun except that the Angels lost! Parker fell asleep as soon as he was in the car. They are hanging out today and then Keith comes here to get me. We are going out to dinner and then staying at a hotel in San Diego. I can hardly wait to see him. Saturday we will head back to Uncle Wilson and Aunt Linda's house and hang out with the kids, go to church together on Sunday and then Keith will be driving me back to camp. This will be a perfect weekend for me.
I need to run for now. I am not doing racquetball (Jordan this is the correct spelling) because of my back, but will be walking during that class and then off to Kayaking after lunch. I hope you are all having a great day.
Love and miss you,
Melissa
It's almost the end of week 3 here at Camp LaJolla. I am so happy that I have come here. I really am growing as a person.
The other day we had a behavior modification class with the Camp Director, Nancy. She and I have really clicked. I wanted to share some things from her class that I think will help me when I get home.
These are questions she told us to ask ourselves:
-What do I need to work on? Where is my thinking? What sets me off in a social setting and what can I do to prevent it from happening. i.e. at the movies-popcorn-do I want it because of the smell/advertising or because my stomach really wants it. What can I do to not give into advertising/smell next time I go to the movies.
When I go home what will I instill? Is there food I need to get out of my house. Do I need to find someone to have as a buddy system with my eating and working out?
As far as fitness goes I am doing more here at camp then I will ever be able to do when I get home. I need to find a couple things I love and stick with them once I get home. I am finding that I love kickboxing, racquetball and walking. We have a great path by our house that I will definitely taking advantage of when I get home.
We can make time for so many things in our lives that I just need to make time for me and my health, so I am going to be scheduling it into my calendar just like everything else.
I am going to make family fitness a priority. We love to walk and go the beach, so I hope to really incorporate more fitness into all our daily lives.
Even on the bad days- DON'T GIVE UP!! If I overeat do not beat myself up. Sometimes we overeat and then give up and overeat the next day. This is a very BAD CYCLE! Do not beat yourself up. Do not feel guilty about messing up. It's life!!
Know that there are going to be changes in your life. How will you handle the changes? Do not wallow in the changes just tell yourself, "Get over it and get on with it."
What are my triggers? Why am I allowing myself to eat this trigger food? Use self-dialog when approaching holidays, buffets and trigger foods.
Try to eat on a schedule everyday. DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST!! Here is the schedule that I have chosen for myself. Breakfast between 7-8am, Lunch between 12-1pm and dinner 6-7pm. It has been great eating on a schedule here, so that is one of the things that I am going to implement once I get home.
Dining out- Know where you're going and what you want before you go, so you don't have to look at the menu. You all have your favorite restaurant and your favorite dish. How many times have you looked at the menu just to order the same thing you ordered last time. Try to avoid appetizers. Share your meals or ask for the box right away, so that you only eat half of your meal. Do not have the bread basket. Do not have butter. Ask for your veggies to be steamed. Do not be afraid to ask your server for what you want. Remember and say to yourself, I AM IN CONTROL!! I AM THE DRIVER OF WHAT I EAT!!
Think of Maintenance this way. . .
Maintenance is maintaining your healthy lifestyle, not maintaining your weight.
It's never too late for a new beginning. Be careful-Home is soon. Dining out is coming soon. Be careful right now. Some people will try and get me to deviate.
What was I doing when I deviated? Who was I with? Why did I do it? People will try to sabotage me even if they don't mean too. Know who they are and do what I need to do to be successful in this journey.
These are all the things that I took away from Nancy's class. They are very practical and I have heard some of it before, but I am working through them and making a plan for when I get home. That is what I have never done before, so it has been good. I am really excited about getting home and getting things implemented to carry on what I have been learning here. I hope some of this has helped you.
My back is still hurting today and I am still taking it easy. However, today is the only day that I can take Ocean Kayaking before I leave camp, so I will be doing that later this afternoon. They are 2 people kayaks and I have heard that it is really fun. Some people even saw seals next to them under the water. Don't worry I will be taking my waterproof camera. I'll try and get some good shots.
Keith arrived yesterday and really surprised the kids. From what I hear they have talked his ear off and haven't let go of him since he got there. My cousin Scott could not go to an Angels game last night, so he gave the 3 tickets and baseball hats to Keith and the kids, so they got to go out by themselves. They had a lot of fun except that the Angels lost! Parker fell asleep as soon as he was in the car. They are hanging out today and then Keith comes here to get me. We are going out to dinner and then staying at a hotel in San Diego. I can hardly wait to see him. Saturday we will head back to Uncle Wilson and Aunt Linda's house and hang out with the kids, go to church together on Sunday and then Keith will be driving me back to camp. This will be a perfect weekend for me.
I need to run for now. I am not doing racquetball (Jordan this is the correct spelling) because of my back, but will be walking during that class and then off to Kayaking after lunch. I hope you are all having a great day.
Love and miss you,
Melissa
Thursday, July 07, 2005
My Back
Today I had to skip my first class because my back is hurting. I must have slept on it funny!! Please pray for me because I really wanted to work out hard today and tomorrow. I know when it needs to be rested though.
For those of you who don't know, but I'm sure most of you reading this know already. Keith is flying out to California today for a business trip. His business is not until Monday so he will get to spend a lot of time with the kids and with me. It will be so great to see him. I will probably burst into tears when I see him. I can hardly wait. :-)
The kids don't know he's coming. They are going to be so surprised. Tricia has had a hard time without him. This will be good for them.
Also, I have a friend, Joy, from London. Please pray for her regarding these recent terrorist attacks. I haven't talked to her today, but I know this will be hard for her. Thanks.
Gotta go get some grub. Love and miss you all, Melissa
PS Today is my Dad's birthday. He is 64 and in October I will be half his age. Pretty cool, huh? Bye!!
For those of you who don't know, but I'm sure most of you reading this know already. Keith is flying out to California today for a business trip. His business is not until Monday so he will get to spend a lot of time with the kids and with me. It will be so great to see him. I will probably burst into tears when I see him. I can hardly wait. :-)
The kids don't know he's coming. They are going to be so surprised. Tricia has had a hard time without him. This will be good for them.
Also, I have a friend, Joy, from London. Please pray for her regarding these recent terrorist attacks. I haven't talked to her today, but I know this will be hard for her. Thanks.
Gotta go get some grub. Love and miss you all, Melissa
PS Today is my Dad's birthday. He is 64 and in October I will be half his age. Pretty cool, huh? Bye!!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
It's Wednesday!!
It's wednesday and I already made it through kickboxing. It was a lot of fun, but I was really tired. I'm off in a few minutes to raquetball, which I am loving. I just with our YMCA had raquetball courts. That's something I could totally see myself doing when I get home.
I said that I would write about Sea World. We left camp around 3pm, so we could get 2 classes in before going. I decided that once I got there I would walk around by myself and catch up with my friends later. I saw the Sea Lion and Otter show, (very cute) the Pets Rule show (also very cute), an acrobatic show with people (not as cute as the animals), went on a cool ride called Journey to Atlantis, saw penquins, star fish (got to hold one) and just had a lot of fun people watching and walking around. I tried to catch up with my friends, but my cellphone never had a signal. When it was time for the fireworks I found a place on the lawn by these two sisters and their daughter's. They were 4 year old Shelby, 7 year old Samantha and 10 year old Kaylen (I think) They were the sweetest girls and they even shared their blanket with me. The 4 year old was so excited about the fireworks that she could hardly breathe. It was so cute. I got a cool hat that lights up, so they were really into that. After the fireworks we got back on the bus and came home. I was exhausted and it was hard to get up the next morning for our beach walk, but I managed. It was nice to see fireworks with kids because I really did miss being with the family.
I need to run to kickboxing. I haven't told you yet that I lost 3 more pounds, so I am at 6 pounds lost since getting here and just a little over 30 pounds lost total. I am so excited. I haven't been measured yet, so I'm not sure how many inches I lost last week. I'll keep you posted.
Love to you all,
Melissa
I said that I would write about Sea World. We left camp around 3pm, so we could get 2 classes in before going. I decided that once I got there I would walk around by myself and catch up with my friends later. I saw the Sea Lion and Otter show, (very cute) the Pets Rule show (also very cute), an acrobatic show with people (not as cute as the animals), went on a cool ride called Journey to Atlantis, saw penquins, star fish (got to hold one) and just had a lot of fun people watching and walking around. I tried to catch up with my friends, but my cellphone never had a signal. When it was time for the fireworks I found a place on the lawn by these two sisters and their daughter's. They were 4 year old Shelby, 7 year old Samantha and 10 year old Kaylen (I think) They were the sweetest girls and they even shared their blanket with me. The 4 year old was so excited about the fireworks that she could hardly breathe. It was so cute. I got a cool hat that lights up, so they were really into that. After the fireworks we got back on the bus and came home. I was exhausted and it was hard to get up the next morning for our beach walk, but I managed. It was nice to see fireworks with kids because I really did miss being with the family.
I need to run to kickboxing. I haven't told you yet that I lost 3 more pounds, so I am at 6 pounds lost since getting here and just a little over 30 pounds lost total. I am so excited. I haven't been measured yet, so I'm not sure how many inches I lost last week. I'll keep you posted.
Love to you all,
Melissa
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Great Weekend
Hello,
It was a great weekend and a great 4th of July. We went to Sea World yesterday and stayed for fireworks. It was really fun.
I'm off to a great start of a busy week. I went on my beach walk this morning. I saw several star fish. One was huge and purple. Of course I didn't have my camera with me. :-( I have kickboxing 1st period this week, racquetball next, Lap Swimming and then Splash and sweat. I decided since it was my middle week I would take two swimming classes in a row. It will still be a great workout because they never let you stop moving. Also, Racquetball was a killer and we just started with the basics. It was fun though and I had a great partner named Anna. There was one point we were laughing so hard. It was hard to play and laugh at the same time. I thinnk we really bonded.
We also had a great Behavior Modification Class today with the director of the camp. I took notes and will share with you in my next post.
I will post more later about Sea World. I have a little bit of a more crazy schedule this week. I will have less time to get to the library because of where my classes are, but please know that I am thinking of you all and missing you all.
Much Love,
Melissa
It was a great weekend and a great 4th of July. We went to Sea World yesterday and stayed for fireworks. It was really fun.
I'm off to a great start of a busy week. I went on my beach walk this morning. I saw several star fish. One was huge and purple. Of course I didn't have my camera with me. :-( I have kickboxing 1st period this week, racquetball next, Lap Swimming and then Splash and sweat. I decided since it was my middle week I would take two swimming classes in a row. It will still be a great workout because they never let you stop moving. Also, Racquetball was a killer and we just started with the basics. It was fun though and I had a great partner named Anna. There was one point we were laughing so hard. It was hard to play and laugh at the same time. I thinnk we really bonded.
We also had a great Behavior Modification Class today with the director of the camp. I took notes and will share with you in my next post.
I will post more later about Sea World. I have a little bit of a more crazy schedule this week. I will have less time to get to the library because of where my classes are, but please know that I am thinking of you all and missing you all.
Much Love,
Melissa
Saturday, July 02, 2005
The Force Was With Parker
Hello Everyone,
Yesterday Heather and the kids picked me up at camp. We came straight to Aunt Linda's. I decided I had enough of my long, thick, hot hair, so I made an appointment with her stylist and got my hair cut off. I will post pictures later. I was growing it out for a year to send to Locks of Love. www.locksoflove.org This is an organization that uses human hair to make wigs for children who lose their hair due to cancer. I have wanted to do this for a long time and the time has come. They cut a 12 inch ponytail off. I now have a cute bob haircut. I really like it.
Today was Parker's 6th birthday. We had a Star Wars Party for him. We were supposed to have 8 kids, but it turned into more. We had Jedi Training. They were my little Padawon Learners. I had different stations set up for them to work on using the force and honing in on their Jedi skills. I bought a Jedi poster to hang up and it had the Jedi emblem in the middle and they had to stick their sticker in the middle of it. They were blindfolded and had to use the force. I had inflatable light sabres and balloons and they had to keep the balloon up. It was great because the balloon popped if it hit the grass, so we challenged them to keep the balloon up as long as they could. We had a bunch of balloons ready to go if they popped. I had buckets with Meteors that they had to throw in a bucket and they had to throw clothes pins in a bottle to practice their precision. At the end of the party they had the chance to use these skills to defeat Darth Vader. I had a Darth Vader Pinata. It was a really fun party and everyone was so generous with Parker. He got 2 different Light Sabres, Star Wars Episode 1 and 2, Action Figures, the new Veggie Tales Movie, Fantastic Four Toys and a few more toys. He was spoiled!! I would have to say that THE FORCE WAS DEFINETLY WITH PARKER.
We had a good day and we are now just hanging out. I'll blog more.
Love to you all,
Melissa
Oh yeah, one more thing, My sis-n-law, Kelly has started a blog about her adventures in Canada. Her blog address is www.kellybastian.blogspot.com
Yesterday Heather and the kids picked me up at camp. We came straight to Aunt Linda's. I decided I had enough of my long, thick, hot hair, so I made an appointment with her stylist and got my hair cut off. I will post pictures later. I was growing it out for a year to send to Locks of Love. www.locksoflove.org This is an organization that uses human hair to make wigs for children who lose their hair due to cancer. I have wanted to do this for a long time and the time has come. They cut a 12 inch ponytail off. I now have a cute bob haircut. I really like it.
Today was Parker's 6th birthday. We had a Star Wars Party for him. We were supposed to have 8 kids, but it turned into more. We had Jedi Training. They were my little Padawon Learners. I had different stations set up for them to work on using the force and honing in on their Jedi skills. I bought a Jedi poster to hang up and it had the Jedi emblem in the middle and they had to stick their sticker in the middle of it. They were blindfolded and had to use the force. I had inflatable light sabres and balloons and they had to keep the balloon up. It was great because the balloon popped if it hit the grass, so we challenged them to keep the balloon up as long as they could. We had a bunch of balloons ready to go if they popped. I had buckets with Meteors that they had to throw in a bucket and they had to throw clothes pins in a bottle to practice their precision. At the end of the party they had the chance to use these skills to defeat Darth Vader. I had a Darth Vader Pinata. It was a really fun party and everyone was so generous with Parker. He got 2 different Light Sabres, Star Wars Episode 1 and 2, Action Figures, the new Veggie Tales Movie, Fantastic Four Toys and a few more toys. He was spoiled!! I would have to say that THE FORCE WAS DEFINETLY WITH PARKER.
We had a good day and we are now just hanging out. I'll blog more.
Love to you all,
Melissa
Oh yeah, one more thing, My sis-n-law, Kelly has started a blog about her adventures in Canada. Her blog address is www.kellybastian.blogspot.com
Friday, July 01, 2005
Get to see my Babies Today!!
Good morning everyone,
I went on a beach jog/walk. I really pushed myself and ran a lot of it. It was very cloudy and misty out, so it wasn't one of the more beautiful days out there, but it made me move more. I'm starting to jog a little bit, which is a first for me. I can't say that I enjoy it yet.
I went to weight training this morning. There is this great counselor, Lisa, who is helping me so I will have a plan when I get home. The weight training went well. Next, I'm off to kickboxing. I'm ready to work up a sweat!!
After Kick Boxing I am running to my dorm and then getting ready to go to Aunt Linda's for the weekend. I'm getting picked up by Heather and the Kids and we are heading out of town. I will miss two classes today and tomorrow, but I figure I can go walking in the park or walk to the YMCA and work out. I'm excited because tomorrow is my little man's 6th birthday. It will be great to be with him for his big Star Wars Day.
Oh Yeah, someone has posted a comment twice asking what spinning is. In one of my posts I put that it is a biking class, but I guess they missed that. Spinning is a class where you are on a stationary bike. You are in an aerobics studio with a teacher in front on a bike teaching the class. You do uphill seated inclines where you put the resistance really high, you do standing uphill inclines, you do jumps where you are standing and sitting quickly, you do standing or seated sprints. This class is about 45 minutes long. Before leaving for Camp I started spinning at the YMCA and loved it. The longest class I have taken is 90 minutes long. I'm still building up my endurance, so I cannot exactly stand the whole time they want you to, but I'm getting there. I have taken it for two weeks, but am taking a break next week, but I will be back.
Also, kickboxing we are not using bags, but learning all the moves, so I'm hoping at the Y they use the bags. That will be fun.
I'm off to kick some butt or rather get my butt kicked. :-)
Melissa
I went on a beach jog/walk. I really pushed myself and ran a lot of it. It was very cloudy and misty out, so it wasn't one of the more beautiful days out there, but it made me move more. I'm starting to jog a little bit, which is a first for me. I can't say that I enjoy it yet.
I went to weight training this morning. There is this great counselor, Lisa, who is helping me so I will have a plan when I get home. The weight training went well. Next, I'm off to kickboxing. I'm ready to work up a sweat!!
After Kick Boxing I am running to my dorm and then getting ready to go to Aunt Linda's for the weekend. I'm getting picked up by Heather and the Kids and we are heading out of town. I will miss two classes today and tomorrow, but I figure I can go walking in the park or walk to the YMCA and work out. I'm excited because tomorrow is my little man's 6th birthday. It will be great to be with him for his big Star Wars Day.
Oh Yeah, someone has posted a comment twice asking what spinning is. In one of my posts I put that it is a biking class, but I guess they missed that. Spinning is a class where you are on a stationary bike. You are in an aerobics studio with a teacher in front on a bike teaching the class. You do uphill seated inclines where you put the resistance really high, you do standing uphill inclines, you do jumps where you are standing and sitting quickly, you do standing or seated sprints. This class is about 45 minutes long. Before leaving for Camp I started spinning at the YMCA and loved it. The longest class I have taken is 90 minutes long. I'm still building up my endurance, so I cannot exactly stand the whole time they want you to, but I'm getting there. I have taken it for two weeks, but am taking a break next week, but I will be back.
Also, kickboxing we are not using bags, but learning all the moves, so I'm hoping at the Y they use the bags. That will be fun.
I'm off to kick some butt or rather get my butt kicked. :-)
Melissa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)