Snow Day

After a very mild start to our winter we finally got snow!! I'm so excited. It was really hard to drive in last night when I had to run to the store. I mean there was no visibility at all, but once we woke up the storm had passed and we were left with such beauty.

Here are some pictures I took around the house this morning.

This is the snowman on our porch. He has been waiting for some snow for quite awhile now. He is very happy.

This is my front yard. I loved how the shadows were casting across the snow!

Here is Keith and I after working about an hour on shoveling and snowblowing. It was a great workout. I was dripping sweat after being done.

Here is the view from our backyard. Again Very Pretty. You can see how high the snow is on the fence.

For more cool snow pictures visit my brother, Karl's, blog at

www.pastorkarl.com

Exciting News: I signed up for my first triathlon today. I'm so nervous now that I'm actually signed up and have fully committed. It is June 25th, 2006 in Naperville, Illinois. Anyone that wants to be at the finish line is welcome to come. I would love to have a whole cheering section.

I'm off for now. Maybe I'll go play in the snow.

Later,

Melissa

Look at Me Baby

Hi I have been missing this picture for awhile and found it today. This was taken this fall at work. I grabbed these pants to wear to work thinking they were new pants and the first time I bent over at work they almost fell off, so a co-worker of mine grabbed a camera and snapped this shot before I safety pinned them up. I cannot believe when I look at this where I've come from. These used to fit. UGH!! I will never go back there.




Also, the fam and I went out to lunch today and we went to SUBWAY. I usually get my healthy sub and some Baked Lays. I ordered my sandwich, grabbed my chips and started eating. I said to Keith, "I can't have these" and handed him the chips. It was then that I remembered that I had given up chips for 2006. I allowed myself to have 1 little chip and I was fine with that. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I am very excited and proud of myself. GO ME!!!

Well, we are off to a Hockey Game and I need to go pack some of my healthy snacks, so I'm not tempted to buy dippin' dots and junk like that. See ya!!

Off to help a friend today

Today I am off to help a friend in need. She is a new Single Mom of 7 kids. Some people from church donated money, giftcards, Thanksgiving Dinner and gifts for them at Christmas, but now 4 of us are going back today to fix drywall and paint. I'm not the one fixing the drywall, but I will be painting. I have a friend who is donating a couch, bed and desk today too. I'm so excited about God has provided for this family. Without all the help and prayers I could have never done what I was able to do.

Friday was my day of rest from the gym and this morning I didn't make it because I overslept. I was really bummed, but realized that helping this family today is more important than making it to the gym. Sometimes we have to let the schedule go for family, friends and life and we cannot beat ourselves up. This is hard for me to do sometimes. So today I am letting go and just enjoying my day and not giving myself a hard time for not making it to the gym. Afterall, I will be lifting furniture, painting, and running up and downstairs all day. This will be good to do today because today would have been my Mom's 63rd birthday. This past Christmas morning was the 9th anniversary of her passing and it was a tough year for some reason, so I'm glad today I will be running around and not just sitting at home thinking about it. Love you Mom!

Usually I do not go to the gym on Sundays because of church and family, but I have decided to make up for missing today I will go tomorrow after church and lunch.

Also, I've had my first real temptation with chips. For those of you who may not know I have given up chips and pretzels for 2006. Hey, I didn't realize that rhymes. I'M GIVIN' UP CHIPS IN 2006. The poet in me comes out again. My hubby does the majority of the grocery shopping and I told him to pick up snacks for the kids lunches. He brings home this bag of 24 small bag of chips in the flavors that I love. He did nothing wrong, but it is hard. So I have asked him to keep things like that in the garage by our fridge out there. So that is where they are going to be and so far, so good. :-) I also decided that candy is even more of an issue than chips, so I am slowly working on the candy issue too. I need gum and I mean need. I chew sugarless EXTRA to help me not snack on other things, so the gum can't go, but I'm working on elimanating the other unnecessary candy in my life. :-) The necessary candy is staying. :-) I'm so glad Christmas is over and I'm proud of myself because I didn't buy any of the sale candy after the holidays.

I'm so glad I have this blog and the family and friends that read it and support me in my ongoing journey of getting healthy. I appreciate you all. You really mean the world to me.

Have a blessed Saturday. A favorite saying of mine is I'M TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED.

Bloglines

I do not know if you guys know about this. I'm still learing a lot about computers, so I am really excited about something I just learned about.

I found out from my brother about this website called www.bloglines.com where you can list all the blogs that you read and when someone posts something new it will show up as a new entry. OH MY GOSH, I LOVE IT!! All I have bookmarked concerning blogs is www.bloglines.com I go there click on MY FEEDS and it shows all your blogs (minus my little brothers, his didn't work for some reason) and when one of you have a new post it shows your blog name in bold. It's awesome. Before I would sit there and go through my favorites and click on each and every one of the blogs I was following to see if there is a new entry.

This is really exciting for me, so I'm sorry to bore you if you all knew this already.

The little things in life really do excite me.

Also, I wanted to share a poem with you that I wrote tonight. Enjoy!!
I wrote it to encourage some girlfriends that I went to fitness camp with this summer.

Take care,
Melissa

Weight Loss the Sticks in 2006
By Melissa Black

I look ahead to the new year and what do I resolve to do
Lose weight and be healthy through and through.

Every year it’s the same, it’s come and gone
And I am always left singing the same old song.

So what is so different about this year?
What will make me do it and hold to it dear?

I’m making a plan and changing my life.
I need to do this to end the strife

This weight represents more than just overeating
It’s about all of the areas in my life that are so defeating

So here’s to a new year, and the baby steps I’ll take
To become healthy and fit, this is the new choice I will make

Gone are the days of telling myself I’m no good
And no more beating the blues by turning to food

No more watching TV with endless munching
The only sound you’ll here is carrots I’m crunching.

Too Big for the gym, that’s what I used to say,
but now you’ll see me there day after day.

So what do you want for 2006?
I know for me it’s weight loss that sticks.

Great Weight Loss

Last week I wrote about how I had gained the Holiday 5 pounds. Well, this week I worked extra hard. Journaled everything I ate, drank 68 glasses of water, went to the gym 5 days out of 7 and lost 5.2 pounds. Bye, bye Holiday 5 this girl is back and I'm going to have weight loss that sticks in 2006. WOOOOHOOOOO go me!!

What I am giving up for the New Year

I was reading a fellow Triathlete's blog www.trigeekdreams.com and he blogged about giving up something for the New Year. He is giving up fried foods and Tortilla Chips, so that got me thinking about what I should give up for the New Year. I was thinking about Veggies, but that would be too easy, so I decided to give up chips. I should probably give up Candy too, but that is too hard right now and I cannot make myself give up both in one year. So, I Melissa Black, hereby declare that I am giving up Chips this year, 2006. If I am at your house please do not offer me chips. If I am bringing something to your party please don't ask me to bring chips and if I am throwing a party, please do not let me buy chips. :-) I know this will probably be hard at first, but the more I do it the less I will be wanting them. Thanks Kahuna for the challenge.

The Stroke of Midnight

Nobody in my house stayed up until Midnight except for me. We got home from the restaraunt around 9:30. Tricia made it until about 10:00-10:30ish. Parker was asleep before we even got home. He was dozing off in the restaraunt. Keith said good night at 11:00pm after it was 2006 in New York, so I decided to stay up and watch my new favorite show that I tivoed. It is called Ballroom Bootcamp. It is on TLC. It takes 3 people and teaches them a ballroom dance in 5 weeks. It's great!! I then turned on the Chicago New Years Celebration. Counted down, kissed Keith while he was snoring away and then went and kissed the kids and took these pictures.

Happy New Year little Buddy!!

Happy New Year Babe!!

After that I went to bed and listened to fireworks, neighbors screaming and Keith Snoring!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!! May it be all that you hope it will be. May you reach the goals that you make and have fun while doing it. I know that I would not be where I am today without my relationship with the Lord. I thank God everyday for sending His Son to die for me. I know that he died for me and rose again three days later because of that I will be living eternally in heaven with Him someday. It's the best relationship I have ever had and I cannot wait to have my relationship with the Lord grow stronger this year, in 2006. Have a good one!!

After Golf Dinner

After we went golfing we went out for Mexican. We went to an awesome place called Las Palmas. They had a two man band going from table to table singing. When they came to our table the kids requested Feliz Navidad. They were incredible guitar players and made it really fun for the kids.

Here is Katie and the kids. Katie is their adopted Big Sister and she loves that as she is an only child, so she hangs out with us and gets her kid kicks. Then she remembers why she loves being an only child. :-) She has taught the kids about personal space by telling them that they are in her bubble.
Katie took this picture of Keith and me. AWWWW, aren't we cute?

I brought New Year's Eve cups to dinner where we made a toast. Here's to a wonderful New Year!! Cheers!!

Our New Years Celebration

This New Year's Eve we decided to start our celebration off early taking the kids and their friend Katie out Glow-in-the dark Mini golfing. It was a lot of fun.
This is the hole where Tricia got a hole in one. It was the only one of the night, so she stood up and declared it to the whole place. We were all screaming!!
Here is Keith, Tricia and Parker having fun on the golf course. Mommy had fun blinding them everytime I took a picture.
I told you all I would get my work out on the golf course, well here I am defending my beloved family from a flying dragon. With my quick defenses and a great golf swing I was able to defeat him and get my family to the next hole.

Here are the final results of our golf game:
Keith-53
Melissa-55
Katie-64
Parker-65
Tricia-68

A fun time was had by all.