20-11

I have but one wish for this New Year- good health for my love.

2010 brought us cancer, surgery, treatments and scans.

This coming year I just pray for medical peace and comfort.

An Old Soul

I have many people in my life that I admire, but my Mama is right up at the top of my list.

At times she drives me crazy, but most of the time I am in awe over her natural talents and abilities.

A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to be more like her. I wanted to learn how to sew- something she is very good at.

I convinced her to come over ever Thursday night for about 8 weeks and teach me and BFF Bethany how to sew. We loved it!
My mom is a hoot- an older Southern woman who is quirky as heck. But she taught us how to sew on a machine.

The problem was, she wanted us to do everything perfectly and both Bethany and I have no patience and we like to cut up too much. So it was a riot.

And honestly after our lessons were over, I wasn't sure I would sew that much. Not because I didn't like it, but because I thought I would never have the time or be good enough.

But now I'm sewing like a mad woman. Mostly I'm making hospital gowns for Giggle Gowns, our friend's non-profit.

And I mentioned to my Mama how much I was loving to sew and how much I wanted to get better at it. I told her for Christmas I would like a pair of "good" scissors, a pair like hers. I also mentioned that one day I would love to have a finishing machine, maybe a serger. But I'd have to save up for that. She laughed and said those were expensive but maybe one day I could get one.

Well I found out how proud my mom really is of me for learning to sew when on Christmas Eve night she gave me my gift and I opened it and it was a new serger!

My heart just stopped. I cried real tears. And my Mama cried too.

She said she was proud of me for trying and learning and she wanted me to have the best.

It was an expensive gift, but it is really priceless.

Because it was bought with love and it will carry on a legacy.

I hope to continue to make my Mama proud with my sewing.

I will never be as good as she is, but I will sure try.

Christmas in a flash

At about 7:40 on Christmas morning we woke up to this-

The sound of ukulele music.

Yes, the boy asked for and received a ukulele from Santa.

Jingle Bells has never sounded so sweet!

And Haley got her wish too- a NOOK color.

Our little bookworm can now read her books electronically and in color.

As much as Santa had to pay for this thing, I'm thrilled that she wants to read all of the time.

Money well spent!

And then there were the frogs. We now have 2 aquatic frogs- Kermit and Kudzu.

Santa had to reserve these crazy frogs since everyone else's kids also requested them.

This is what I did while the kids looked at all of their new toys.

I built a Trio Bat Cave.

It's made for kids ages 4-8 and I had a fairly difficult time getting all of the pieces to go together.

I wasn't feeling so good about myself, but I finally got it together. It's actually a pretty neat toy.

And then we ventured over to the Bryants and spent the day eating, opening presents and watching the 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" as shown above.

I got these really awesome splippers as a surprise funny gift from my father in law.

I felt it necessary to get this really awesome picture of me with them on.

Hot right?

And by the end of the day, the kids collapsed in front of the TV and we enjoyed watching it snow as we ate steak and red velvet cheesecake. This Christmas Day was perfect.

Christmas Joy

I am looking forward to spending time with my babies and with Evan.
I am going to a Christmas Eve Eve Open House to see a friend I haven't seen since elementary school!
Several members of my family are going to church on Christams Eve together. That is a big deal.
I can't wait to be crammed in my mom and dad's small little house with all of the family.
I can't wait to eat my mom's prime rib- yum.
We will drive down the road from my parent's house to see the lights display at the Gaddy's on Christmas Eve night. Beautiful and so meaningful.
The kids will be so excited for Santa Claus to come.
We will be up way too early on Christmas Day and we will wake to excited little voices.
I can't wait to see the glow on their little faces as they see their gifts.
Brunch with Evan's parents. Quaint and perfect. Yummy food and fun.
More surprises for the kids.
An afternoon of playing with new toys.
And rest.
Thank you Jesus for being born so that we can live and love and have eternal life.
Merry Christmas!

Ballerina Girl

She told me last night she can't wait to get her toe shoes.
I hope she will always aim to be the best and I hope she will always dance.

It hit me like a brick

I sat at my desk this morning doing the usual stuff I do on a Monday morning.
Nothing was really unusual about today.
And my phone rang. It was Evan.
The conversation was not an unusual occurrence.
But the topic was one we have managed to avoid for some time now.
Cancer.

This January 19th will mark 1 year since the surgery.
The surgery where Evan's thyroid went away.
The surgery that ended up being the removal of a cancerous tumor.
The surgery that came out of nowhere and left us all stunned.

With the one year mark comes a whole new battery of tests.
For the first time ever, Evan will have a PET scan.
Something I have been wanting him to have and finally he has a doctor that thinks it's a necessity.
He also has tons of bloodwork, a series of Thyrogen shots, a dose of radioactive iodine and a full body scan.
All in one week at the beginning of February.

That's what we talked about.
We talked about something that is in the future, but is not anticipated.
As much as I can't wait to hear the results of a clean PET and body scan (because I know they will be clean!), there is a big part of me that wishes this was not a part of our normal.

We have been told by countless doctors that Evan will be monitored forever. Every 6 months and maybe at some point every year. That's the new normal.
And it's not that I mind making sure he is watched and is healthy. I don't mind at all.
There is just part of me that is very angry about having our lives stop for cancer.

And it is in these times that I have to remind myself of all that God has shown us because of Evan having cancer. I have to remember the people we have met, the lives that have been changed and the love that has grown because of cancer.

So we will be busy again in February at Emory. Making sure the love of my life is healthy.
Meeting with doctors and planning the future.
And in advance I ask for your prayers leading up to this time.
It is with our friends and family and of course our God that we have gotten through this past year. And we will need that same support going forward.
This journey will never be over.
But with this journey, the opportunities for growth and love are endless.

A little off

I'm guessing the couple that gains weight together stays together!
We both had small little weight gains last night at the ole weekly weigh in.
No big deal at all.
Just a result of Evan's steriod shot for his crud and my being a little on the lazy side.
But we always have next week right.
Right. The week of Christmas.
The week of a family party and a company party at Fogo de Chao.
I'm sure next week's weigh in won't be pretty.
But like our leader said last night, getting through Christmas is rough food wise, so we should just aim at not gaining obscene amounts and know that the New Year is just around the corner.
So that's what I plan to do.
I just want to maintain for a few weeks and get through the food holiday.
Oh yeah, and then we go to Disney.
Maybe I'll lose again in February!

Eat More Chicken

I know I have talked about it before, but in case you are new here I will let you in on the secret.

I'm not a fan of Chick-fil-A.

I know that gets me a "go-straight-to-hell" pass, but I just really don't have to have that famous chicken.

In fact, I really don't eat much chicken at all. So most chicken restaurants are high on my favorites list.

But Chick-fil-A has found another way to get my money. In the form of liquid goodness.

A LARGE half sweet, half unsweet tea with a side of lemon.

It's become a dream of mine. An obsession.

I find myself thinking about this tea way too often.

And I can't tell you how many charges I have on my debit card for $1.81!

But it's worth every penny.

So Mr.Cathy, you can keep your chicken. I'll just have a tea please!

Doom

It was just a matter of time before I got sick.
Everyone around me has had the snots and sniffles for weeks now and I had avoided it.
I made homemade chicken noodle soup.
I drank orange juice. I got plenty of rest.
And now I feel like I got hit by a truck.

Did I mention I make a really bad patient?

Wife beater

I haven't had any good blogging material lately, so I thought I would share with you this funny picture of our son in his new attire.
For months he begged us for a "tank top". As it turns out, he really meant he wanted an undershirt, a "wife beater" shirt.
So now that's all he wants to wear.
Hopefully one day he'll own the matching trailer and deer head.

Learning Something New

Weight Watchers came up with a new program that launched last week.
It is called "Points Plus".
In a nutshell, it's pretty similar to the old program, but it takes more science into account when calculating points.
What does that mean?
It means carbs and fat are no longer as easy to eat on the plan and protein and fiber are your friends. Common sense right?
Yes. But I wasn't ready to have them fix what I felt wasn't broken.
I have been doing fine on the old program. I know it well.
And now it's different.
But after one week, I've decided it's not all that bad.
In fact, I managed to lose 1.8 pounds this week!
My total is 24.2. A mere 0.8 pounds from 25!
That number makes me HAPPY.
Not as happy as I'll be when I get to the number 40 (40 pounds- my goal).
But as for now, I'm just thrilled with my progress.
Oh and my now skinny husband is now down 45 pounds.
Hard to believe we were carrying around 70 more pounds 3 months ago.
Yikes and yay from progress!

Something freaky I think

I was reading this post on my favorite blog Dooce.
In a nutshell, it's about pulling your kids teeth.
And then I felt it necessary to share something strange with you.
I think it's strange at least.

In our house, Evan plays the role of "Tooth Fairy".
Think Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) in that one movie.
He creeps around in the dark and finds the tiny little teeth and leaves money in exchange.
That's all well and good until this-
For at least 2-3 years it never occurred to me what happened after the tooth retrieval from under the pillow. I never even thought about what might have happened to the teeth.
Until one night I caught Evan putting a newly extracted tooth of Haley's into his man jewelry box in his closet. With the rest of them.
He has all of Haley's baby teeth. In a drawer. In his closet.
That's weird I think.
And what's even more disturbing is that it's genetic.
His mom confessed to keeping all of Evan's teeth too.
I can't remember if she still has them.
If she does, I don't want to know. Because I love them both and some strange habits are just better left to one's self.
And now I will also put some more icing on this cake-
Evan saved both of our children's umbilical cord stumps when they fell off.
You read that correctly.
We have pieces of dried up umbilical cord in Ziploc bags in our children's baby books.
They look kinda like raisins. Precisely why I don't eat raisins.
Is that gross or what?
P.S. i thought about taking pictures and posting them, but I'll save you from that.

Eatin' like a pig

I fully expect to have gained weight this week.
I have eaten all kinds of yummy goodness over the last 4 days.
I'm calling it a "little breather".
I'm not throwing in the towel by any means.
And I'm still counting points and following the rules.
I've just used alot of points!
No big deal. I forgive myself.
I've been kickin' butt and I have been rewarded.
So now, back to salad.

Chili for the Chilly Weather

I have the recipe for the perfect chili. I found it 12 years ago in a cookbook made up of recipes from Evan's great aunt Jewel.
This recipe is so easy and so tasty that I thought I would share.
If you do make it, let me know what you think.
P.S. if you are a no beans chili kind of person, this is not for you- just sayin'

The Perfect Chili
1 pound ground beef
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes (get the ones that say diced)
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 can light red kidney beans (not "lite", but "light red") DO NOT DRAIN

Saute the onions and bell pepper in a saute pan and add the beef. Cook until the meat is browned and drain off any oil.
Transfer the meat mixture into a pot big enough to cook soup or chili.
Add all of the other ingredients and maybe a 1/4 c. of water if it seems too thick.
Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally.
Enjoy with cheese, sour cream and saltine crackers!
Makes 6 servings of roughly 1 and 1/3 cups.
Weight Watchers Points- 5

The Deepest Love

To me there is no greater love than that of a mother.
I truly love my children with every ounce of life in my body.
And I know that I have the ability to love like that because I have two great examples of the unconditional love of a mother.
My mom, "Mama", is the hardest working, no frills woman I know. She will do anything for anybody and will give up countless hours to make sure everything is perfect for you. She taught me to have fun and enjoy life but work hard when duty calls. I got my temper from her, but I also got my passion from her. She is the perfect example of strength and everything that is good about a Southern woman. My mom makes up a big part of my soul.

And my other mom, "Mom", did not give birth to me but loves me as much as the son she did give life to. She gave me the greatest gift I ever have received when I married her son, whom she and Roger raised to be a perfect man.
I can talk to her like a best friend. And I have learned a sense of true joy from her by seeing how she loves others. She is an example of warmth, grace and hospitality that is top notch. Beautiful, sweet and caring. She never fails to tell me she loves me. And she always knows what I need to hear. Not to mention, she is fun to shop with and even more fun to hang out with. I'm not sure how I got so lucky with a mother in law like her. I think you are supposed to always butt heads with your husband's mom right? Not me. I have a mother in law like no other.

So I am blessed woman. I have two women to follow. And more love than I know what to do with. I only hope that 22 years from now, Haley will feel the same way I do. Because I love that little girl more than I ever thought imaginable. And of course the same goes for her brother.

Still Rockin' It- Week 13

We had our weekly weigh in last night and all 3 of us lost weight the week of Thanksgiving!
I have to say that to me, that is a MAJOR accomplishment.
Me, Evan and my awesome MIL all participated in multiple Thanksgiving feast and were still able to make progress. Mission accomplished! I'm so proud of my little team.

Evan continues to baffle or group leader at Weight Watchers with his amazing weight loss.
She is convinced he is going to fall out in the floor and be sent to the hospital or something.
He's lost 43 pounds or something crazy like that! But I can attest that he is eating, he's just burning tons of calories. And did I mention he's hot! :)
He only has a pound maybe before he is at his goal weight and then it's on to maintenance.
I am over-the-moon proud of him.

And I haven't talked much about my mother in law because I don't want to share too much info that she might not want me to. But she is doing awesome and really starting to look like a star.
Everyone knows I adore her and I'm glad we are getting to go through this journey back to health together. (Interesting fact- we actually did Weight Watchers together back after Haley was born and did awesome then too. So she is my official WW partner and the best MIL ever!)

I am down 22.4 pounds total. Loving it! I wore a size 10 pair of jeans to work on Tuesday. They were a little snug, but not uncomfortable. I feel certain in a few weeks they will be my new normal size- yay!
I have 16.6 pounds left to go. I know this will be the hard part, but I am so ready. I'm feeling awesome, looking much better, and my BMI is just about to normal.
What more could I ask for?

Minus 20

Now things might have changed since last Thursday was Thanksgiving.
But last Wednesday I weighed in and I was exactly 20 lbs. lighter than 12 weeks ago.
For once, I felt like my efforts were really paying off. 20 lbs!
And I am motivated to keep it up, as I have officially lost more weight than I still have to lose.
That's right, I still have 19 pounds to lose.
But I'm more than halfway there.
And for that I'm pretty darn happy.

OH! Christmas Tree

At Home Depot with our Frasier Fir. This is the "Kids Tree".
The one we allow them to decorate on their own with all of the ornaments they have made and collected over the years. A tradition we started 3 years ago so that I did not have Waterford Crystal and Lenox Porcelain ornaments on the same tree with glittered pine cones and Popsicle stick reindeer.


Britton with my beloved poinsettia. Every year I get at least a few to put around the house. And it's not unusual for them to stay in the house until summer time.



The finished kids tree. We got wise this year and only bought a 6 foot tree so that they could decorate the whole thing themselves. Please make note of the colored lights. I am paying tribute to my childhood since we only ever had colored lights. And one day, I will sneak some tinsel onto this tree. Because what is a tacky Southern Christmas tree without tinsel?

And that would be our "Big Ass Tree". New this year, it is a 9 foot pre-lit beauty. It had to replace the 7 1/2 foot pre-lit we have used the past 6 years that finally just gave in and couldn't keep it's light aglow for another year.
Let me just say that this tree is insanely big and takes up a huge chunk of our living space. But it sure does make me a happy girl. I just love a big ole sparkly tree.

And the finished product. 2 trees. A decorated banister and all of the other decorations that 12 years of marriage have accumulated.
I just love Christmas!

The Gift of Giving

For the last couple of years, we have participated in a program called Angel Ride.
It's pretty neat. Basically, you are matched up with a child or children and/or elderly people in need in your community during the holidays. You receive a list of items that your new friend might want for Christmas and you take those items to the Post Office. The mail carriers there deliver all of the items to the families of the children or to the nursing home.

The idea of making a child's Christmas brighter or an elderly person's day a little better just makes me so happy.
And it makes me so thankful for the fact that my kids are taken care of because we have jobs to provide for them. So why not try and take care of another child or person?

This year we had a woman in a nursing home in Newnan and a 12 year old boy in the DFACS system.
And my prayer for them is that they enjoy this season.
Not because of my gifts, but because Jesus was born and died for them.
So that one day they will not want for anything.

Sally, that girl

This is the man that HATES dogs. Sally has him wrapped around her little dog toe.

As I have said a million times, we are NOT dog people.
But there is this one dog, Sally.
And we love her and allow her to break all of our usual no dog rules.
She is the perfect dog.
Sweet, smart and awfully cute.
And the great thing about Sally is that we can keep her a few days and then she goes home.
That to us is the perfect dog.

100 Things about Lori- An update

I found this list dated November 10th, 2008.
Alot has happened since then, so I thought I would update some of these.
If it's not interesting to you, I understand.
but at least I can have a record of the changes I've seen in 2 short years.
Hope you enjoy, or laugh, or reaffirm your knowledge of the fact that I am in fact crazy.


100 Things about Lori Bryant
1. I turned 30 this year and celebrated at Disney World. I am now 32, and I feel old.
2. I am one of five children, I am the fourth. Still true
3. I don’t get along with several members of my family since they continue to make ridiculous decisions. Still true, but maybe better? we'll find out at Thanksgiving
4. I have 2 children, a boy and a girl. Still true and will be forever.
5. I do not and will not ever drive a mini-van, not even one of those fancy Odysseys. No minivans here!
6. I have driven 5 brand new cars since marrying my husband. The first 4 were traded in. I have driven the same car for 5 years this February!!
7. We have lived in 3 brand new houses since we got married. I cannot live where someone else has. We still live in house #3- a new record of 4+ years!
8. I am a house cleaning freak- hands down. Yep
9. I vacuum every day, unless I am not at home for some reason. I have not been vacuuming as much lately- I have no idea why except that our carpet is starting to show wear and I don't get the same satisfaction from the lines anymore. It's still very clean though and gets vacuumed several times a week.
10. I cannot handle carpet stains. True
11. Clutter makes me a nervous wreck. True
12. The one messy place in my house is my closet. I don’t care about my closet at all. Not true anymore! I cleaned it out last Spring and it is still fairly organized!
13. I do not buy good clothes- I am cheap when it comes to clothes. True
14. I do not carry cheap purses though. True, although I have not bought a new one in a while
15. I have the most beautiful wedding ring- it is exactly what I have always wanted. Problem is I can't wear it right now because it is too big!
16. I stopped biting my fingernails last February and started back recently. And I stopped again! Haven't bitten them in 10 months!
17. I have had 2 boob biopsies. Check
18. I hate wearing shoes and often wear flip flops in the winter. Not as much since I found the best pair of tennis shoes ever- Saucony. They are so comfortable!
19. I love jeans and wish I could wear them all the time. I do wear them all the time
20. I cannot handle poop or vomit from a child other than my own. True
21. I do not vomit as a rule but I make up for it out the other end. I vomitted 6 times on a plane this summer- fun times.
22. I am a migraine sufferer- the worst thing ever. Not since I've been taking blood pressure medication. It's amazing how much better I feel.
23. I like house plants. It's becoming a problem, they are everywhere.
24. I can’t seem to get our shower as clean as I would like it to be. Still very true. I hate the shower.
25. I would like to be a lunch lady or a school bus driver, but not in today’s world. Haha
26. I would never eat seafood. True
27. I love red meat- the more rare the better. Still true, but I am eating so much less red meat these days because of my diet.
28. The older I get the less I enjoy candy. Very true
29. I once was a really good bowler. Yep
30. I am a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Yep
31. I love college football. More than ever
32. I once ate a whole roll of Bubble Tape and ended up in the hospital. Not made up
33. I have a tattoo on my toe- it’s faded and blurry and needs to vaporize. Still there and I also now have my favorite Bible verse on my foot as well.
34. I love to read the newspaper from front to back. Yep
35. I love People magazine. Yep
36. I don’t read real books. I went on a small reading binge back in the Spring and then stopped
37. I can remember dates of events and phone numbers fairly easily. True
38. I do not know how to type, I have to look at the keyboard. Still true sadly
39. I own a lot of aluminum kitchen ware from the 50s-70s. True
40. I hate dogs. Except for Sally the dog
41. I hate Dawgs. To Hell with Georgia!
42. I have hypothyroidism which causes all kinds of interesting health issues. Heck yea
43. I am cold often. Not as much anymore but more than most people
44. I like to have parties and people over but I do not like my house to get messy while they are here. Yep
45. I like the color orange but I don’t wear it because it makes me look like a pumpkin. Not as big a fan of orange anymore. I've moved on to gray.
46. I would like to weigh 145 pounds. I am 18 pounds closer to that goal now!
47. I did once go to jail.
48. I have grown fond of Bud Light Lime. Heck yea
49. And I love a GOOD margarita or a glass of Zinfandel. But I don't drink margaritas anymore because they are so bad for me
50. My husband is my dream guy. Still
51. I am the only child in my family that has not been divorced, and there are 5 of us. True that
52. I am a good trip planner. Yes, but I haven't been on a good trip in forever it seems!
53. My favorite holidays are Halloween and the 4th of July. Yes
54. I love to watch reality TV. Yes
55. If I could go anywhere, I would go to the South Pacific and cruise around the islands. Yes
56. I hate clay pots, they make me cringe! Like nails on a chalkboard. Yes
57. My feet are always cold. Yes
58. I have seen 49 of the 50 states and one day I will make it to North Dakota. Soon please
59. I was 20 when I got married and 22 when I had my first child. True
60. I was only planning on having one child, that’s why my kids are 5 years apart- plans changed. And I'm glad they did.
61. I have one best friend. I love her even more now
62. When Evan and I got married, we had 7 of our 8 grandparents alive. We now have 2. Still
63. I have a huge space between my two front teeth that is filled in with bonding. And I need to have it all replaced because it is chipping. But it is so dang expensive!
64. I wish my hair would stay blonde, but it keeps getting darker. I now have it colored.
65. I long to have plastic surgery on my double chin (it’s hereditary!). Yep
66. I will drive a Cadillac CTS before I die. Would still love to
67. I drink a lot of Coke- no diet ever. NOT ANYMORE!!!
68. I love Sean Connery, even though he is old and could be my grandfather. Sad but true
69. I can only wink my left eye. True
70. I would like to be a better golfer. True
71. I love a fire in the fireplace. True
72. I go to Starbucks often, but I do not drink coffee. Never go anymore, and if I do I get unsweet tea
73. I can sing most all classic country songs.
74. I am not good at gambling, unlike my mom. True
75. I don’t cook often, but when I do I usually am successful. Except for the marmalade pork.
76. I know a lot about granite rock and trains. And now a little about wire and cable
77. Roses are my favorite flower, especially red ones. Yes
78. I want to be buried as green as possible. And I don’t want a tent over my grave. True
79. I once was told I would be dead before I turned 30- I have managed to make it 9 months past 30. I'm almost 33 now. Maybe she was wrong.
80. I like to wear black pants to church. I wear jeans more now
81. I love snakes and hate spiders. Yep
82. I like to take really hot showers. Yep
83. I have dry skin and never use lotion. True
84. I have a $500 ice bucket. Still
85. I wish I had better handwriting. Yes
86. I do not like my name, but I understand why my parent’s picked it. Still hate it
87. I love to give gifts. Yes
88. 88 is my favorite number. I once was a big Dale Jarrett fan. Yep
89. I love to eat steak that is barely cooked- rare please! Again, I don't eat as much these days
90. I wanted a child named Blaise, but Evan wouldn’t have it. Yep
91. I sleep a lot. Still, but I have to take Tylenol PM to get a good night's sleep.
92. I would like to be a teacher, but I feel as though I don’t need 2 years of school to be qualified. And I'm afraid I couldn't find a job in today's economy.
93. I hate school and the thought of it. Yep
94. I don’t like having a cell phone and I always miss calls. Still and I've had the same phone for over 3 years
95. I know very little about technology. Yep
96. I am scared to death when someone else is driving and I am the passenger. More than ever
97. I used to hate all breakfast foods, until I got pregnant and went to Waffle House. I now eat a pretty healthy breakfast.
98. I get so irritated with people and I am not afraid to talk about them. Bad quality
99. I wish I could have my left ovary removed. Still true
100. I am a lucky girl. As lucky as ever

Broken Scales

One of my favorite pictures that Whitney took- that shirt is a Medium!

I think the scales I weighed in on last night at Weight Watchers were broken.
The whole week I felt good about how I had been doing and I felt like I had lost a nice amount of weight.
As it turns out, the nice amount of weight was 0.4 pounds. Yep, less than 1/2 a pound.
I was not happy.
But I guess it will have to do.
And I have to tell myself that I am down 18.4 pounds and that's pretty darn good.
Evan lost another 2.2 pounds this week. He's lost 34.2 total and is as skinny as ever.
He's so skinny that he's getting tired of people asking him if he is ok.
It seems as though people that don't converse with us on a regular basis think that somehow his health is causing his weight loss and they are concern.
Nope- it's on purpose.
He's turning himself into a lean, mean runnin' machine.
I'm very proud of him.
So there you have it. The end of week 11 report.
Hopefully I'll be a little more excited about my results next week.
But then again, it is Thanksgiving- yikes!

Addiction

I used to have a Coke (Coca-Cola) addiction. I managed to get rid of that 12 weeks ago.
But the other day I was at the grocery store and I saw a nice cold Coke in the cooler at the end of the register.
And seeing as how I had just spent the last 30 minutes with Britton at the store talking his head off, I thought I might just have a little Coke to ease my frustration.
So I grab the Coke, put it on the belt with the rest of my groceries and checked out.
The sweet cashier handed me the drink separately so that it didn't get bagged, I paid and we were out the door.
As Britton and I were walking toward the exit, I opened the Coke, took a quick swig and looked over to see my doctor, Dr. Railey, standing next to me with a big grin telling me, "Hey there!"
Back story- 2 weeks ago I was in Dr. Railey's office and he noticed I had lost weight. He was very impressed and very happy about my new healthier self.
He asked me how I had managed to do so well and I told him it was a combination of Weight Watchers, eating better and giving up Coke.
So you can imagine the level of shame I had when I was caught red handed by my doctor.
And I feel certain he didn't even notice. I think he was just trying to say hi and get home to his family.
But I was embarrassed. I felt I had failed myself.
But really, my Coke wasn't that great anyway.
I can do without it and I will be fine.
And next time if I decide I need a Coke, I'll go to Publix. Because I now know my doctor frequents the Kroger!

A Moment Captured

I cannot say enough about how perfect our family photo shoot was.

The weather was perfect. The colors were perfect.

My mom and dad were on time (Gasp!).

I could not have asked for more.

And then of course it was all made possible by the beautiful and very talented Whitney Huynh
and her husband Tri.

They were so patient with us and so easy to get along with.

Not to mention their ideas and artistry were just incredible.

Most of the photos from that day brought tears to my eyes.

Some of course brought laughter and some just a big smile.

But they all are priceless.

I am so thankful that everything fell in place and we were able to capture the true essence of our family.

Thank you so much Whitney and Tri for being a part of our family history!

One Year

One year ago today, Friday the 13th of 2009, Evan waltzed into the doctor's office with a cough.
We had no idea that day that the next year of our lives would be consumed by cancer.
And we also didn't know that during that same year we would find love and happiness that could only be brought about by a trial.
Our trial was cancer.
And through that trial, we are better. We are real. We are us.
As much as I feel like this isn't the type of day that we should celebrate, I do celebrate.
Because we came out on the other side just fine.
And coincidentally, we are having family pictures made today. Pictures of our kids, pictures of us, and pictures of us and the kids with their grandparents.
I think it will be so cool to see those pictures and to see the images of a family that survived a trial.
We made it together.
And I thank the Lord each day for Evan's health and our sweet families.
Thank you God for this year.

Much Less of us

I'll make this short and sweet- Evan and Lori weigh 50 pounds less than they did 10 weeks ago!
That's right- 50 lbs! Evan is responsible for 32 lbs. of that so he is carrying most of the weight (pun intended).
I am down 18 pounds, so I am pretty darn happy with my progress.
If you would have told me 10 weeks ago that I would be 18 lbs. lighter, I would have laughed at you. But I have done it.
The scary part is I have 21 more to go before I am at my goal.
But hey, I've surprised myself so far, so why not just keep doing the same thing.
It's obviously working.
I'm also comfortably wearing 2 sizes smaller in jeans than I was 10 weeks ago and I feel the next size down won't be far off!
I am excited about the future. Not only being skinnier, but being healthier.

Growing Anticipation

I am like a little kid when it comes to all things Disney.
I just love the thought of getting to go spend some time at the happiest place in the world.
And I think I am even more excited than usual that our next trip to Disney will be for the Disney Half Marathon in January. I case you are counting, it's 56 days away!!
I of course will not be running since I don't run unless I'm being chased.
But my awesome studly husband Evan will be running. And as a bonus it's his first half marathon and it is 1 year post thyroidectomy and cancer diagnosis.
So it's no surprise that I am just thrilled about getting to see him run.
And I get to be at one of my favorite places in the world with my favorite man and BFF Bethany and BFF husband Chad.
I'm just certain that life will be perfect for those 4 days!

Prayers and Praise

Our little friend Audrey is currently being administered her chemo for this go round.
Please pray for her and he family as the nausea seems to be fierce this time.
Pray specifically that her tummy wil be eased and that she might be able to eat something soon.
Also pray for her parents in hopes that they might get some rest, they are exhausted.
Finally, give praise to God for the good report that Audrey received about her tumors being dead. Best news ever. And everyone is hoping that this chemo is merely a guarantee that every last cancer cell is dead.

I'd also like to share that Evan met with a new Endocrinologist today at Emory. I think he really likes this one and it is going to be so much better treatment wise having all of his doctors at Emory. We are hoping that the communication will be so open that a plan for the future will be mapped out clearly for Evan.
He doesn't have to see any more doctors until February, so we are looking forward to the holiday season with cancer as our number one concern.
And I'm hoping and praying that Audrey too will be "good to go" this holiday season.
Thanks for being a support system to our family and to the one's we love.

My burden is light

I have complained the last 5 days about the crappy week I have had.
And really, I have nothing to complain about.
I have a family that is healthy and safe.
A home for shelter and food to eat.
A God who loves me.
And yet I still find time to complain.
When what I should be doing is taking note of what all of my friends are doing.
They are writing about what they are thankful for.
I will not be doing a daily post about what I am thankful for. Only because I'm not sure I could remember to.
But I will tell you now that I am thankful because my burden is light.
And my burden is light because Jesus makes it light.
No matter how much weight I feel, it is not too much to bear.
And my hope is that I can bear the burden of others as well.
Through my prayers and offers, I hope that I can ease the load for others.
Or at least let them know that Jesus is with us to help get us through.
So that's what I'm thankful for- Jesus and the light burden I have been given.
And I am also thankful for the five girls in my small group that helped me learn this lesson tonight. I'm glad we are learning together and bearing each others burdens.

Suckin' wind

I'm mad about a lot of things today.
And it didn't help that I went to our weekly Weight Watchers weigh-in and I had gained a pound.
One crappy ass little pound.
Sorry for the cussing- I've just had it with this week.
My spirit is broken and I'm tired.
Got nothing else to say.

I'm mad God

I'm sure God doesn't appreciate me being mad at Him.
And I'm sure I'll get over it- it doesn't mean I don't love him.
It just means that i don't understand whats going on around me.

Audrey had her surgery yesterday. The surgery itself went well.
But 2 tumors were found. And Audrey will start chemo on Monday.

So many hearts were broken with this news yesterday.
It makes me angry.
But I have to keep reminding myself that God has a plan for each of us.
And sometimes cancer gets wound up in those plans.
So I'll be mad for today. But I will not cease my prayers.
For I know that God is good and when we cry out to Him he listens.

Surgery is back on!

The surgeon allowed for Audrey to have surgery starting at 2:00 today!

Pray for a smooth surgery and for all of the cancer to be gone out of her little body.

Update on Audrey

As it turns out, Audrey will not be having her surgery today (Wednesday).

They are going to have to try again tomorrow.

Seems as though Audrey snuck a little snack (a chip) and they were unable to do the surgery since you can't eat anything beforehand.

You can't blame Miss Audrey for being hungry! It is difficult for even an adult to go 12 or so hours before surgery without food. Think about how hard it is for an 8 year old.

So keep up the prayers. You just have to continue them throughout the day tomorrow as well.

And let's all pray Audrey won't be feeling hungry tomorrow.

Thanks!

And today I will pray without ceasing

I'm praying for Audrey today. I think you should too.
She will be at Scottish Rite this morning having surgery to remove lymph nodes from her body.
Lymph nodes that we all hope are free of cancer. We are ready for all cancer to be gone.

I pray peace for her family, strength and wisdom for her doctors, and comfort and no pain for her little body. Let this be it Lord.

The Bryants love you Audrey and your sweet family and we are thinking about you constantly today.

In the Mirror

When I look in the mirror I see a big girl.
When I was 16 and weighed less than 100 pounds, I saw a big girl.
I have always struggled to be happy with my weight.
Especially now that I have lived the last several years being overweight.
I simply just decided at some point that I was big and I was just going to be that way.
That's sad.
It's sad that I would except high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
It's sad that I didn't care about my health.
It's sad it took my husband having cancer to decide that I had to live again.
But I am choosing to live again.
That I'm not sad about.

I just hope that throughout this journey, I can convince myself that my life is not about the number on the scale or the image I see in the mirror.
It's really about being healthy and living life to the fullest.
I need to stop looking at that person in the mirror as if she will always be big.
I need to start seeing a work in progress. Someone that struggles but does care about her health.

So that's a goal I have on top of shedding the pounds. Not only do I want to lose 40 pounds total, I also want to look at myself and be proud of who I am.

A camping we will go

This past weekend we took our annual Davis/Bryant camping excursion.

This year's destination was Tugaloo State Park at Lake Hartwell in Lavonia.

It was beautiful!

The weather was absolutely perfect. Nice crisp mornings and sunny and warm but not hot afternoons. And the leaves were the perfect shades of gold and red.

As a bonus during our trip, the park was sponsoring all kinds of Halloween activities.
Our kids made Halloween masks, sat around a big bonfire and heard stories, made Smores at the fire and got to go on a hayride through the park.

It was splendid.

And we had loads of fun with Chad and Bee walking around the park and the lake, sitting by the fire and enjoying each others company.

We also ventured down to Pendergrass and went to the south's largest flea market. That was an experience. First time I had ever been to a place where you could buy lingerie, a vacuum, rugs, stereo systems, cell phone chargers, a knock-off purse, puppies, rabbits, monkeys and chickens all in the same place. I highly recommend you go there if you are near exit #137 on Interstate 85 North at any point in the future. It's like one big Sociology experiment.

And as we packed up to go home, we stopped by the cemetery where my sweet Grandma Collins is buried to give her our love. I'm so glad we were able to stop as I sure do miss her.

Overall, we had a really great weekend. Just enough relaxing and adventure to help us forget about work and school for a few days. Thanks so much to the Davis family for sharing theire home on wheels with us!

This is a commercial break

I needed some gifts recently.

5 items that were similar, but not all exactly the same.

Something that could be a constant reminder to the recipients.

And then I remembered Keight, my friend and fellow blogger who can sew just about anything.

And she has recently opened up a custom order blog site full of all kinds of neat custom made items.

And I had my answer- I purchased 5 keyfobs from Keight.

All unique and beautiful and all made by hand.

No store bought gifts would have done.

And if you are looking for a custom made gift, you too should give Keight a try.

Her prices are reasonable and her gifts are beautiful.

But hurry and make your orders quick- she's due to have a baby girl any minute!

Here's what's next on my wish list: a jewelry roll.

In it to win it

We were both surprised at our weekly weigh-in this week.

I really thought I might have lose less than a pound or maintained.

But I actually lost 2.2 pounds! Bringing my total to 16.6 pounds.

I am beyond thrilled!

And Evan got a lecture from our leader about how he's losing way too much weight.

He has managed to shed 28 pounds in 8 weeks!!

And that goes against all of the Weight Watchers rules.

But I don't think they realize they have one determined man on their hands.

So, I'm thinking they should just tell him Good Job! That's what I'm doing.

And there you have it, this week's recap and 44.6 pounds less of the Bryants.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I feel certain my dad does not know what a blog is.

And he certainly does not know that I spend countless hours recounting my life on this blog.

But I felt it necessary to wish my dad a Happy 64th Birthday here, just so that you the blogging public would know that I adore him.

I truly love my dad with all of the love in the world.

He has always been the sweetest, most gentle soul.

And of course, I'm his favorite.

So Happy Birthday to my dad. I love you.

Future Dork

Haley got her first laptop at age 9.
I'm thinkin' this kid will probably be way ahead of that.
He loves to play on the computer.
And he can beat your tail at Bubble Town.
I just hope that he makes money with his mad computer skills as an adult.
I'm afraid he might prefer to just live in our basement and play computer games.

The Incredible Shrinking Man and his wife

Dear Friends, The picture at the bottom of this post should totally make your day.

If my memory serves me correctly, Evan and I started dating in late November 1996 and this picture was taken the next month in December 1996. We had been dating a month.

It was taken at Evan's dad's graduation from a Masters program at Tech.

As you can tell, we did not pick each other because of our good hair.

Evan had some strange slicked back Mafia look going on.

And I had yet to let go of my big bangs.

We were hot right?

But what I would like to point out most about this picture is how scrawny we were.

This was obviously before we figured out we both like to eat!

I know for a fact that Evan was at his skinniest size as an adult.

And I might have been a buck twenty.

And guess what?

Evan is getting pretty darn close to the weight he was in this picture.

Dude has lost 24+pounds in 7 weeks!

It's so bad that Weight Watchers is sending him hate messages about how he needs to consult with his doctor because he's losing weight too quickly.

What they haven't factored in to his weight loss is that he's burning 600-700 calories a day running. He's become a health machine. My hero.

And I haven't done so bad myself.

I lost 3.2 lbs. this week. Bringing my total to 14.4 pounds. I like it.

And I am officially right below the point were I told myself I would get a little reward.

So I'm pretty excited.

And I also told myself that I wasn't buying any new jeans until I was down 15 lbs. or more.

So hopefully next week I can get a new pair.

The one's I'm wearing now are lookin' a little droopy!

Second guessing

I keep telling myself I did the right thing.

But I'm not sure.

I keep telling myself that she will thank us in the end.

But I feel bad.

I took Haley yesterday to get her new expanders at the dentist.

They are like retainers, but a little more complex.

So complex that they are widening her pallet and moving her entire jaw all at the same time.

Oh, and they are straightening her teeth. And correcting her bite.

But to get all of that done, she has a mouth full of wires and plastic.

It's very sad.

The most outgoing girl I know is now reduced to mumbling and having this pitiful, awkward look on her face. She tries to smile but she just looks like she is wanting to tell the world to shove it.

I understand that eventually she will get used to her new mouth.

That what we are doing is best for her long term.

We are saving her from having to have major braces in middle school.

But it's hard to watch my sweet girl not only deal with pain, but also her new appearance and altered speech.

But I will pray for her. And I will do all I can to make her comfortable.

And I have promised her a special gift for enduring those stinkin' retainers.

So hopefully it will all be ok. Hopefully.

Move over Tony Hawk

Britton is very rough on shoes.
I'm not sure he has ever had a pair for more than 1 month without wearing them out.
It's pretty amazing actually. He can wear the soles out, rip holes in the toes, make them smell like death and embed them with mulch in just one wear.
So recently, it was time to replace his shoes.
I should mention first that the kid got his feet from me.
And I got my feet from my dad.
Basically, we have block feet.
They are as wide as they are long.
Like Fred Flintstone.
And it is IMPOSSIBLE to find shoes for this type of foot.
But we found the secret this past weekend- skater shoes!
Specifically VANS!
Our cute little man is hard pimpin' some skater shoes.
And he loves them. And we love them because they slide right on.
Apparently, skater shoes are super wide because of how flat and spread out they are to keep you on a skate board.
Who knew?
Well we do now. So all shoes going forward will be some awesome shade of black or gray and might include skulls and crossbones.
But if it means I don't have to pry the kids foot into a shoe every morning- skater shoes it is.
I should also mention that as soon as we said his shoes were made for skaters, Britton was insistent that he needed a skateboard.
I'll call you when we get out of the emergency room.

Camp Voice of Truth

Evan and I have these 2 really awesome friends, Nadeena and Mike, who have an amazing vision. They have the vision for a Christian Family Camp.

Somewhere that families can go and enjoy a weekend together.

Somewhere that kids can play, parents can enjoy time away from the hustle of life, and a place where God is the center of all things.

Right now, the camp is starting to take shape.

It's on a really big piece of property in rural Lanette, Alabama.

In the picture you can see the expanse of the property.

Right now, it's simply a few graded roads and a bunch of trees.

There is also a bath house that was constructed this past year.

But there is a 10 acre lake under construction and within a few years there should be 4 cabins and RV hook-ups for campers.

Bath House

This past weekend, our family and several other families went down to help out with a few small projects and the hang out.

We did a little tiling in the girl's bathroom and the guys built partitions for the shower area.

Simple stuff that will make a big difference.

But the best part was that we all enjoyed hearing about the vision of this great place and how God is at work.

We also had little lessons throughout the weekend about having a true relationship with God.

And the relationships that we already had with the other families there were strengthened this weekend with our time spent working and playing together.

We truly had an awesome weekend!

I'll leave you with two pictures. The first is of Mike reading form the Bible at the highest point at the camp. It's a simple picture, but it's beautiful to see a man who is giving it all to God to control. And he and Nadeena are in 100%.

And finally, this is a picture of some of the kids that were with us this weekend.

The pile of rocks in front of them are rocks that have been carried up the hill by each person who has come to visit Camp Voice of Truth.

The kids took turns placing their rocks and it is the hope that in the years to come, they will return to this place with family and friends and maybe they can find their special rock.

I hope soon this pile of rocks will be huge. I will love for everyone to get a chance to visit this neat place.

Time to catch up

I've been asked a few questions about some posts that I have written in the past.

Seems like I've been leaving some of you in the dark and you need closure!

So here it is, the rest of the stor(ies)...



1. The boy in my office- the one with the new girlfriend

They dated for the better part of 3 months.

They were inseparable.

Until he decided he needed some "breathing room".

I think she freaked him out by telling him she loved him.

So they broke up on Tuesday.

He broke up with her.

He was nice about it.

And now she is stalking him.

Non-stop texts and phone calls.

I expect her to show up here at work at any moment.

Ca-ray-zee!

Poor girl.

I hope she realizes there are many more fish in the sea.

One's that don't mind being smothered.

And really girl, he's not all that.



2. My ATM pin number

Did I ever remember it?

Nope.

Did I go 6 months using it as a charge card?

Yep.

And why you ask?

Part of it was embarrassment.

Couldn't bring myself to go to the swank bank in Peachtree City and tell them that like a moron I couldn't remember my pin number. The one I had had for over a year.

The other reason is that our effing bank has an bleeping branch manager that leaves at 4:00 every day. And she is the only one that can change a pin number. So since I get off at 3:30 every day and work in College Park, I was never able to time it right to get there when she was there.

And I'm pretty sure that the tellers there would laugh at me every time I showed up at 4:02 asking for my pin changed.

But low and behold, one Saturday morning, at Evan's STRONG urging, at strutted in at 10:30 and caught that crazy branch manager woman pulling a Saturday shift. HA!

And now I have a new pin number.

And I gave my ten year old a secret question that she is supposed to ask me in the event I forget it again.

Hopefully she remembers that question.

Otherwise, we will look pretty stupid at the Kroger saying, "What's the question Haley??"

"I don't know Mom, if you'd remember your pin number I wouldn't have to remember some question!" And so on and so forth.

3. The house remodel
Not happenin'.
We got this ridiculous quote from the builder.
And his sidekick was too lazy to type up a real proposal.
He kept calling Evan on the phone with "the numbers".
And seeing how Evan puts together estimates and proposals every day for a living, we weren't having some nimrod ripping our house apart without specifics.
And I'm scared of the whole process.
So there has been no talk of the remodel since.
We will just be happy in the home that we have the privilege of owning and affording.
Shouldn't we be thankful we have a home?
Yes we should.
End of story.

4. And I don't know what else?
Anything I forgot to update?
If so- let me know.
If not, keep up the reading.
And have a great weekend!

Can you tell a difference?

The picture on the top was at the beginning of my weight loss journey.
The picture on the bottom is after 5weeks and 11.2 lbs lost.
I can't tell too much of a difference, but I really do feel better.
And I've gotten some really sweet compliments.
This cute man at church stopped me and said, "Well you've just gone and gotten skinny on us!"
I still have a long way to go, but I'm excited about the future.
And did you notice the hair?
What do you think?

I Don't Remember

I had this conversation with our daughter Haley last night.
She asked me a simple question about something that happened last week.
Starngely enough, I can't remember what she asked me.
Because that was yesterday.
And I don't remember the details of yesterday.
And I don't remember the details of last week.
So I couldn't answer her question.
And before you go off and assume I must have a drug or alcohol problem, let me assure you I don't. There is nothing I do that messes with my mind.
I simply don't have much of a memory.
I know this all sounds odd.
It is odd.

I have a few theories about why I am the way I am.
The first involves my hospitalization when I was pregnant with Haley.
For about a week I was sedated on and off. And I was on the worst drug ever- Mag Sulfate.
I'm just convinced that some time during that week, my brain decided it was done storing information long term. I distinctly remember ( That's weird isn't it since I just said I can't remember) thinking that my mind was different after that week.
And then there is my thyroid. I have a really awesome underactive thyroid. And one of the issues that goes along with a non-functioning thyroid is "brain fog".
Problem is, my fog seldom lifts.

One interesting fact about my weirdo condition is that I can in fact remember some things much better than others.
I am pretty good about remembering phone numbers.
I am great at remembering dates, but not so good at times.
And that might be it.

Everything else gets shuffled into my head and out not long after it entered.
Don't ever expect me to remember your name!

So there you go. Another post where I am being honest.
Do you think I'm crazy?

Vroom!

My latest creation for Giggle Gowns.
Hopefully this gown will make some young man battling cancer smile.
I am LOVING my sewing for a cause.
It warms my heart.

Eyes Wide Open

I have not felt like being on a diet this week.

I'm tired of eating chicken and veggies.

But I know in the long run that eating right will make me healthy.

And that's what I want to be, healthy.

So when I was discouraged and ready to eat some bad for me meal today, I was sent a visual gift.

I was sitting in the parking lot at Wendy's eating my plain baked potato and side salad.

Not the meal I wanted- I hate Wendy's.

And as I sat there, I thought about how nice a Frosty would be.

Or some french fries.

And then I looked in front of me and I saw the Pizza Hut parking lot.

Ohhh- pizza. How I love pizza. I would love some pizza.

But then the focus of my attention changed and I began to look at the droves of people filing into the Pizza Hut. Most of the were local Delta and Airtran employees from the airport.

And they had all ridden in cars to get to Pizza Hut.

What I noticed most about these people though were that they weren't fit and lean.

Most of them had love handles and guts. The typical picture of an American today.

There was the occasion slender companion, but I imagine they were there for the socialization.

And then I turned my attention back to Wendy's and I noticed that a large number of people going into Wendy's had walked from work to eat.

And they were often times leaving with one of those familiar bags you get when you order a salad.

So I took one look at my potato and salad and was thankful I decided to eat that for lunch.

Because I want to be an example of good eating.

I want to take care of the body that God gave me while I am here.

Thank you Pizza Hut for scaring me straight!

Slowly but Surely

Weigh In #5

I had my lowest weight loss on record this week.

But I still lost 1.2 pounds. Not so bad.

It puts my overall weight loss at 9.4 lbs!

And that got me over my 5% Mark.

I was pretty happy even though I was hoping for a little more.

The fact that I have reduced my body weight by more than 5% is awesome I think.

And with 5% more, I should be able to get off of blood pressure medication.

That is my dream.

And my smokin' hot man did fabulous again this week. He was down another 1.4 pounds making his total weight loss 17.4 lbs!

He's getting close to being down right skinny!

But he's working out hard and I love seeing the muscles.

Together I think we are really enjoying our adventure in weight loss. There are times when it sucks not being able to just pig out. But most of the time we just view it as a challenge.

SO that makes it fun. Like a game.

How will I/we get through social settings without eating too much?

Mostly, we are able to do it because we are doing it together.

We are a team. And it's working out great.

Here's to next week- when I hope to be down 10 or more pounds!

My Favorite Coworker

This is Sally.

She works with me.

And by works, I mean she sits in my office and provides moral support.

She's a pretty awesome dog.

Very friendly. Easy going and low maintenance.

And she also loves to play ball in the parking lot and she helps me eat my lunch.

The greatest thing about Sally at work is that she does not talk.

So I don't have to hear about UGA football (not that there is anything to talk about there).

And I don't have to hear her complain like I have to hear the men in my office complain.

And I can complain to Sally about the men here and she just gives me her big eyed glare.

Oh, and I don't have to take Sally home with me, so I get the enjoyment of a dog without all the hassle.

So Sally is my favorite coworker.

Bionic Mouth

Yesterday we went and visited our new favorite dentist, Dr. Jason.

Yes, he let's you call him by his first name.

If I had to guess, it's because his dad started the practice and he was the first Dr.Lee.

Thereby making it confusing to have 2 Dr. Lees.

So he is Dr.Jason.

Or Mr. Jason as Haley called him yesterday.

So anyway, we were there for Haley to have impressions and pictures made for her new contraptions that will be going in her mouth in two weeks.

Technically, I think they are called expanders. To expand her pallet.

Sounds like fun huh?

And she gets the bonus of having to have 2 expanders, one top and one bottom.

Because she has a tiny little mouth.

You could have fooled me since that little mouth can speak a whole bunch of words.

But I digress.

And after she wears the expanders for 3-4 months, she will then have a new set of contraptions made that are called twin blocks. Those are supposed to force her bottom teeth forward and her top teeth backwards to give her a new and improved bite.

Sounds painful to me, but I'm not telling her that.

What I am telling her is that she will thank us when she gets to middle school.

As Dr.Jason says he feels certain she will have a nice bite and a beautiful smile by then.

Oh, and I also threatened her life if she didn't wear the retainer things and/or lost them.

Because I once lost a retainer and it was hell on earth for me. So it's only fair.

You can't say I'm not giving you quality reading lately. I mean who doesn't want to hear Weight Watchers updates and Dental Procedure Updates? I mean really people, I should be charging for this stuff. That way I could make enough money to pay for Haley's new bionic mouth.

Tipsy Girl's Night

A few nights ago, I got to get away with some of my favorite girls and go to an awesome place called Tipsy Canvas. This place is so neat! It's the perfect place for a girl's night.

Basically, you go to the studio, bring your own food and beverages (yes, adult beverages are allowed) and you paint an awesome picture to take home.

The picture idea is preset and Dusti the owner is there to show you how to make you artwork beautiful. She also has several examples of how to change up the design a little if you want.

The girls and I painted a fall pumpkins themed painting. And Dusti used step by step instructions to show us how to make the perfect pumpkins.

Now I have to say, I am pretty crafty and I was sure this was something I could do. But Dusti made it so easy that anyone can do a perfect painting!

We had a variety of different designs, but they all came out as something that you would be proud to display at home. I just love mine!

And getting to hang out with 8 other girls and drink a little wine and eat some yummy treats was a blast.

Thank you so much to Claire and Leigh for allowing me to tag along on what was a very fun girls night. And thanks to the two best husbands ever for watching the kids late into the night. I have a feeling they enjoyed themselves though getting to hang out and catch up.