Weighing In

Warning!  If the thought of looking at my stomach does not appeal to you, you should probably consider turning back now!


When I got pregnant with Aria back in March of 2011 I weighed in at a respectable 127lbs. I'm pretty certain that overnight I gained 10lbs (or so it seemed). During my pregnancy I was honestly not concerned with my weight. The ONLY time I stepped on a scale was when I made a visit to the doctor and even then I really didn't pay attention to what it read. My philosophy was that as long as I was healthy and not being scolded for weight gain by my doctor I had nothing to gain by looking at a scale.  I’m not exactly sure how much weight I ended up putting on but I know I had to have weighed around 152lbs (maybe even a little more) by the time I went into labor.  Honestly, I don’t think I ended up too bad off.

 This picture was taken about 2 weeks before Aria was born.

 

My initial thought was that as soon as Aria arrived and my body was back to normal I would jump right in to working out, cutting my calories, and getting rid of that excess weight.  But the more reading I did on breastfeeding, the more I grew concerned that if I began my workout routine and cut my calories I could face the possibility of my milk supply drying up before Aria turned one.  So I opted to sacrifice my body for another year to make sure I could reach my goal of not spending one dime on formula!  I lost a little weight after she was born but I stayed pretty steady around 145lbs for the majority of her first year of life.

 This picture was taken at my best friend's wedding in August 2012.

 

As soon as Aria turned one it was game on!  The first step for me was cutting my calories and getting used to not eating every dessert in site.  I saw a little change in my weight and after the holidays I added working out to the mix.  I am excited to say that so far I’ve lost about 11lbs!  I’ve still got some work to do to re-shape and get those last few pounds off, but it is really encouraging to see progress being made. 

So these aren't exactly before pictures, but I think this is a good starting point.  I’ve got to be honest, I’m not really comfortable putting my stomach on display for everyone to see, but I think it’s important to have some accountability.  I mean do I really want the last picture you see to be my “before” picture?? 

 

 

While I know that I will probably never have “washboard” abs, I definitely think I can shave off a little more of that muffin top.  So here’s to making good choices!


Stats:
February 26^th, 2013
Weight: 132.8lbs
Waist: 36 inches
Resource: The Daily Plate (I mainly use the free mobile app)

 

Change of Career

Over the past week I've been doing a lot of thinking and it is clear that I have chosen the wrong career.  If only I would have put more thought into the proper career path maybe I could have predicted recent trends and clearly seen that I should have made a career in the ammo making business!

Jason and I are taking our concealed carry class this coming Sunday so we began seeking ammo to practice with and use to for our qualification test.  After visiting multiple places it was clear that we were going to have a difficult time finding enough because no one can keep their shelves stocked!  It came down to standing in line with 30 other people just to get 1 box a piece!

Now I don't typically make political statements mostly because I can honestly say that I don't have all of the facts.  But I'm kind of sick of all of this gun control talk.  Here is my opinion - you can like it or not.  Doesn't matter to me because that is why I call it my opinion and not yours.

1. Cars kill people, not drunk drivers.  Such a ridiculous statement!  Well so is guns kill people, not the people holding them.
2. Violent video games and movies cause people to kill people.  Seriously?  While I agree that these two things should be viewed in moderation, I again cannot believe that a mentally sound person is going to up and decide to pull out a gun and shoot someone just because they played a video game or saw a movie.
3. You know how they say locks really only keep honest people out?  I think the same goes for banning certain guns.  You're keeping the honest people out and the dishonest ones will still find a way to get in.

Today I heard on Fox News that someone made the statement that women should not be allowed to carry guns on college campuses because the only self-defense they need are a whistle and knowledge of the nearest safe zone.  Maybe you don't believe that guns should be on college campuses, but please don't tell me that a whistle and a safe zone are going to protect me should someone decide to rape me.

It is clear that guns are going to be a source of debate for a while.  And while I don't feel the answer is to interfere with our rights to bear arms, I don't think it is a good idea to rely solely on guns for our safety.  Get educated on other methods to defend yourself because one day that may be your only option.

Inspiration

Many people have come into my life and I have been blessed to be inspired by a lot of them in some form or fashion.  One such inspiration is my friend Amanda Joiner. 

Amanda and I met while working together about 6 years ago and as fate would have it we were assigned to share an office.  Her amazing sense of humor along with the fact that she knew the lyrics to the entire RENT soundtrack meant that we were destined to hit it off right away.  But even though I enjoyed our mid-day RENT duets (which sometimes included dance routines), I feel that God had a plan for bringing her into my life.

When Amanda and I first met, I was struggling with my faith.  It's not that I didn't believe, but more like I had a lot of questions that were unanswered.  Amanda is such a strong Christian woman with an unwavering faith and as I got to know her better, I began to feel more comfortable discussing my questions with her. And when the day came for her to get married and move away to Houston I was sad, but I knew she had done something great in my life.

As time moved on and I got married, my chats with Amanda in our office in many ways helped to shape the foundation for my marriage.  Not long after I got married, I learned that Amanda and Brian had been having trouble conceiving a child.  So when it was time for me to make the call to tell her we were expecting a baby, I really struggled trying to find the right words to say.  I was relieved when she sounded genuinely  happy for me and thanked me for telling her rather than trying to avoid the topic.

She and Brian continued to try everything they could to get pregnant and you can read all about their journey on Amanda's blog.  One thing you will learn about Amanda from her blog is that she is not one to hide her emotions.  She is very open and honest with her feelings which I think helps others struggling with the same issues to realize they are not alone.  While Amanda and Brian's journey was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster, the overall theme has always remained that they will continue to trust in God.  What an amazing inspiration for anyone struggling with anything in their life!

In August of 2012 Amanda announced that they were finally pregnant!  And just when you think it can't get any better, they find out they are having TWINS; a boy AND a girl!  This past weekend I attended a baby shower for Amanda (see photo below) and as I sat there watching her open presents (By the way she is a great present opener.  It takes skill to put so much care into opening each individual gift while staying excited the entire time.) I couldn't help but feel so in awe of God's amazing work. 

Photo credit to Allison Oliver

Amanda's story and strength are an inspiration to many.  But what is really an inspiration to me is to see that throughout it all her faith has remained as strong as it was 6 years ago when we shared an office together.  Congratulations Amanda!  I know I will continue to be inspired as I watch you skillfully raise two babies at the same time!!

If I Can Just Get Through This Week...

I feel like my life is in a vicious cycle of "If I can just get through this week, life will slow down a bit!"  After being absent from the blogging scene for almost 2 years, I think it is safe to say that life will never slow down and I will forever live in a dream world where I imagine a full day of doing nothing but sitting on the couch eating Reece's Peanut Butter Eggs.  Surprisingly I'm okay with this!

Between a full-time job, a 1 year old daughter, and assisting my husband (who also has a full-time job) with running his Taekwondo school, I've had to redefine my definition of normal everyday life.  It can get hard at times, but I wouldn't change it for the world and I'm pretty sure it will only get crazier from here!

On December 4, 2011 I gave birth to the most amazing little girl in the world - Aria Ann.
My husband and I are fairly particular about posting pictures of her online, so I wouldn't count on seeing very many of them.  She is 1 now and is such a fun little girl.  She talks and laughs a lot and loves everyone she meets!

 

 

In September of 2012, my husband and I decided to take a chance on his dream of opening an Olympic style Taekwondo studio called Apex Martial Arts Academy (feel free to like us on Facebook).  What an adventure it has been so far!  We are learning a lot and have such an amazing group of students that I feel God hand-picked for us.  The picture below is actually of our "old" facility.  We just got word today that we are moving to an even more amazing location so I'm sure we will have more pictures to come!

 

 

 



So as this week comes to an end, I am under no illusion that next week I will be able to take it easy.  We are so blessed in our crazy life and I don't even know what normal is any more, but I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in our ever-changing life!