Vacay Day 4

Today started out with Olivia showing me that she accidentally broke her signature headband. She insisted that we get her another one, but since Charming Charlie is nowhere near here, we tried changing the subject and keeping her distracted, which seemed to work most of the day.

Daddy had a fun-filled day of surprises in store for us. He wouldn't even tell us what to wear, except he told O to pack her backpack bc we were going exploring. Dan took us to downtown Gatlinburg. We parked in The Ripley's parking garage and walked to The Donut Friar...oh my goodness, homemade donuts...so sinfully delicious. I highly recommend this local bakery. Great customer service, atmosphere, and reasonably priced.

Then we walked on to his second surprise of the day, OberGatlinburg. We took the awesome aerial tramway all the way up the mountain. Then we got out and had no idea what to expect. Dan took us to the Alpine Slide area and asked if we thought it would be a smart idea with Gabe/Olivia. I wasn't sure bc it's a huge skylift ride to the top and then 1800' down the slide, but truth be known, I was a little scared of it myself. I finally gave in and said why not, and oh my goodness, it was a BLAST & the kids loved it! Olivia sat with me and Gabe with Dan. We could control how fast we went and it was like we were in a bobsled, totally fun!
Then we rode the tramway back to Gatlinburg and Dan took us to lunch at No Way Jose's Mexican Cantina. It's located right on the river and had huge tasty portions. I'm going to have to workout like crazy once I get back in the Fort bc this is nuts, but it's vacation, right!
After lunch Dan took us for a long car ride to Cades Cove. Gabe & O both took naps, while Dan & I saw Deer, Turkey & horses. It's a beautiful drive and last year we saw bears.
Then we went back to the cabin to relax and I did some laundry. Later on we went out to the Tanger Outlets to look for a headband for O, but no such luck. We then found a Wal-Mart and got some needed necessities, and buy golly, I found Olivia 9 adorable headbands for less than the price of one at Charming Charlie. Sweet deal! The best part was upon leaving Wal-Mart, I felt a trickle on my foot, looked down & noticed that Gabe peed on me. Yes, that's right, he peed thru his diaper, even though I just checked his diaper before going in there. Oh well, I fit right in at Wal-Mart, right. Good times friends, good times!

Overall, despite getting peed on, it was a nice day and the best part of all, I see that Dan is photo journaling our vacation on his iPad! Awesome!

Day 3

Today was day 3 of our vacation and I'm loving the relaxation! There's something special about the Smokey Mountains that calms one. Maybe it's the ever-abundant earth that God has created and being surrounded by the tranquility of it all without the everyday stressful distractions. I feel so blessed that my parents are letting us stay at their incredible cabin for the week and even happier that we could bring our kids with us. I hope they remember this vacation! I posted some of the highlights from our day. Enjoy!

Vacay Day 2: Mother's Day

Day 2 of vacation was very nice, as I was able to sleep in until 9:00am! Then Dan and the kids took me to breakfast. After that we went to Ripley's Aquarium, which was incredible. The kids loved all of the engaging exhibits. They were very well behaved too, which was a relief. We had fun "popping our heads up" into some of the aquariums. I think the neatest part was going under the aquariums. We even saw a giant sea turtle up close and personal! We were amazed! I highly suggest a visit here!
Then I checked in on Facebook and saw that I won Keepsake Portraits & Designs' Mother's Day Contest! Yay! This news made my day even brighter! I can't wait to get some outdoor professional pics of the kids done!
Then we went to the grocery store to stock this cabin with food for the week. Always a fun time at the grocery, riiiight. Later on Dan made me a delicious dinner and now we are winding down and relaxing. I look forward to some peace and quiet in the hot tub later on tonight. Until tomorrow, here are pics from Mother's Day adventures...Peace & Joy!

Our First "Family" Vacation: Day 1

It's finally here, our first family vacation to the Cozy Nest! We are still on the road to Gatlinburg, TN, but the kids have been relatively well behaved (knock on wood) for such a long car ride. We stopped at Town Center Mall to stretch our legs and have lunch at Qdoba. Then we got back in the car to continue our drive. Louisville traffic was very slow, but luckily Olivia hasn't had any accidents so far. After awhile we stopped at a rest stop to take a facilities break and now we are back on our way south to the Cozy Nest! Here are pictures of our adventures so far...I plan on blogging everyday, so stay tuned!

Toddler Tuesday @ Jefferson Pointe

Today my friend Nikki Riemer invited us to Toddler Time at Jefferson Pointe. I wasn't quite sure what to expect or how my kids would react, but why not, eh. It begins at 11:00am and lasts 30 minutes, just enough time to hold a toddler's attention. The lady who puts it on does a great job of engaging the toddlers with sing-along-songs, such as "The Hokey Pokey" "5 Little Monkeys" & "The Eensy Weensy Spider"...Gabe instantaniously loved it and after a while, Olivia got off of my lap and started dancing too.

They mix songs in with games and random door prizes for kids and adults too. Some of the kids won a big box of goldfish, Dora fruit snacks box, a case of Juicy Juice Boxes, and balloon art. The random prizes for adults were some awesome Vera Bradley goodies, Enzo Pizza, Debrands. The best part about Toddler Time at Jefferson Pointe is that it is FREE and they act like they really appreciate you taking time out of your day to be there! They gave each of the mom's a pink rose for Mother's Day! We will def be going back to Toddler Time at Jefferson Pointe on Tuesdays at 11:00am! We hope to see you there!

My Workout Blessing of a Buddy

I wanted to take the time to let everyone know about how thankful I am for my workout buddy, Deedra. She is truly a blessing in my life and I appreciate her dedication to the fitness lifestyle. Deedra helps push me and is a great accountability partner. She's been pushing herself even harder this past month and I am so proud of her.

Thank you Deedra for being you and giving your time to our friendship! I look forward to training for the Fort4Fitness with you!

4 mile to 13.1...is it possible???

I have never been a long-distance runner at all. Both of my sisters are awesome runners, but not me. I guess it wasn't in the plan, but I now realize that I can help shape my fitness destiny (so to speak). Over the past 6 months I have been able to participate in two 4-mile races. The first one, being the Fort4Fitness, and the second one was the Gallopping Gobbler.

The Fort4Fitness gave me a very accomplishing feeling and the race was set-up exceptionally well. I knew other people who were participating in it, but I didn't see any of them that day, so I ran it by myself. It was fun to see other people committed to the same cause (to get healthy). I enjoyed running/jogging/walking it by myself and seeing people along the way cheering us on. The finish line part was incredible and it really gave you a rush there at the end!

Since then I have been extremely focused on getting fit. I have been committed to win it in eating healthy and exercising=a wonderful new lifestyle that I plan on keeping and sharing with my children. My husband has been a huge help too, as he is my partner in this lifestyle change. I feel extremely blessed to have him helping me out with this, as he is wonderful at planning meals, making meals, teaching me how to prepare the meals, helps me plan workouts, etc. This is truly rewarding and for this I am thankful.

I am also thankful for my Dr. for helping me with this lifestyle change, as if she weren't willing to be my partner for the Tumble X Biggest Loser Contest, then I wouldn't have gotten off to this healthy start. Dr. Justina Girod, you are truly a fantastic person and I am so grateful for your friendship and commitment.

My babysitter, Erin Fallat, is also a huge blessing, as she and her husband are also in the TX Biggest Loser Contest too, and because we made this crazy deal, that if they participated in Biggest Loser, that I would run the 13.1 (Half-Marathon) Fort4Fitness with her come September 29th. I thank you Erin, for pushing me to this new level. Although, I think this is very far-fetched, the feeling of accomplishment will be well worth it!

So...4 mile to 13.1, is it even possible??? I still have lots of time to get there, but I am in it to win it! Win it meaning getting healthier in every way (mind, body and soul). Fully committed friends!

Goodbye Women's Dept. Hello Misses!

Well tonight I was excited to get to go shopping and get 2 really cute dresses from the Misses Department and NOT the Women's Department! Happy day!!! This working out thing is really paying off!

The best thing tonight was when Olivia was in the dressing room with me and says, "Mommy, you look so pretty, you look JUST like Tangled!"

Getting fit and loving life friends! Be blessed!

Amy

Hit & Run

Today goes down in history as the day I was literally involved in a hit & run. I still can't believe what happened, but I thank God for watching over Olivia, Gabe & me today because it could have been so much worse!

Here's my story... On Thursdays I always take my kids to my mother-in-law's house so that she can watch them while I work. I got to her house around 7:45am and it was still a little dark out, but it wasn't snowing yet. My mother-in-law lives on a residential street in town (around Parkview Main Hospital), but I always have to park in front of her house on the side of the street to unload the kids. I got out of my seat, closed my cardoor, unbuckled Olivia out of her carseat, and proceeded to put her coat on her before we went into Grandma Rhonda's house. Right as I was zipping Olivia's coat up, BOOM, my cardoor comes slamming into my body because a car hit my cardoor as this car was driving on the wrong side of the street at around 30mph. My whole body clenched and I fell to the ground screaming and crying out for help. I saw the dark colored car keep driving and then it turned onto Delaware. I was in shock and couldn't stop crying. I am so glad that Olivia and Gabe are safe and that I am not hurt worse than I am. A police officer came to the scene to fill out a police report and the EMS came but I ended up having Dan come to his mom's house to take me to the ER. Parkview ER was great and really all that is wrong with me is a little whiplash, left hip pain, some neck pain, head pain and I think my nose is broken, but nothing big.

It's interesting because I pray everyday for God to make me a shephard and to be able to use me to reach out to people and help touch lives, and here this happens. I can't help but to think about why this possibly happened, other than its part of HIS greater plan. Who knows about the person who hit me and I am not blaming them or anything, but who knows about their guilt they are living with and maybe that will help them turn to God. Just my 2cents on the matter.

I thank God for the gift of life and for keeping us safe in his arms today!

The BEFORE PICS

I am going to publicly humiliate myself, so that I never EVER let myself go again. Life is too precious and short to risk my health and the care of my family if something were to happen to me. So here it is friends, the really BIG BEFORE pictures (these pics were taken in June 2011). I am still working on the AFTER pics, but its a work in progress. I feel so much better when I take care of my body by eating healthy and getting exercise. So to all of my friends and family, please help me out by not offering me sweets, instead offer encouraging words. Here's to a healthy LIFESTYLE!

Sports Bras and Pharmacies

Look at that grin on Gabe's face. He apparently likes the bra store.

Ok, here is my random post for the day...I'd like to discuss 2 topics that are on my mind. SPORTS BRAS AND PHARMACIES

If you think about it, they really go hand in hand. Ok, not really, but here's my story, for what it's worth. You be the judge.

First of all, I don't know about you, but I have a VERY difficult time finding sports bras that fit right and have support. It's so embarassing to go to the gym and be flopping all over the place. Yes, I just said flopping. I wish that I could just get a normal Champion sports bra at Target, but thanks to breastfeeding with 2 kids and being blessed with some sort of odd genetic gene of big boobs, this is not the case. Instead, I get to go to Barbara's New Beginnings and spend $76 on a special sports bra that actually fits. With the cost of the sports bra, one would think that its made of gold and will make me look super hot, but I guess it will only make me look hot if I am sweating.

So, for any of you that are looking for a great sports bra, try the Shock Absorber sports bra. They have many size options. I am not going to disclose my size because it is really a SHOCKER!

For those with lil ones that get the joy of going to the bra store with your children, Barbara's New Beginnings (thankfully) has a little Dora table and chairs set with books to keep the lil ones entertained. They also have a wonderful staff of friendly ladies there who will make you feel at home and won't judge the fact that you have to bring the crew with you.

I hope that this sports bra holds up to its price. Time will tell. If it does, I will go back.

Then the next part of this random post is about pharmacies. Today I had to go to the pharmacy to get a prescription that was called in. I went to Meijer to pick up the script and boy was that a joke. There was a huge line of people waiting at the pick-up window. Then some guy decides to not see the line and cut everyone. The tech said, "Next" and he turned around at us and told us that he was next. I just told him that it was fine because it wasn't worth it. Kill them with kindness is my motto, or so I try to live by it, right?!

When it was finally my turn, the tech tells me that he can't find the Rx and that it must be on their voicemail that they haven't checked in a long time. He said that it will take a long time for the them to fill it. GREAT! So, I said, "Would it be terrible of me if I asked you to transfer that script to the Chestnut Scott's Pharmacy?" He said no problem and by the time I drove 10 mins. down the street, it was all ready for me. Happy day!

So for anyone needing a great pharmacy, I would highly suggest giving Scott's pharmacy a try. They have a drive-thru pharmacy at the Chestnut location (SR 14 & Scott Rd.), which is wonderful. We have had to transfer the few meds that we are on from Walgreens to Scott's due to Anthem BCBS Insurance. I can only imagine how this has had an impact on the other pharmacies all over! I just really appreciate Scott's pharmacy for being amazing each and every time I go there. It may not be a FREE Antibiotic, but the stress-free time is worth the money for me.

Until next time, be well!

Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend was wonderful! I enjoyed spending quality time at home with Dan, Olivia & Gabe. It was what a weekend is meant to be, nothing fancy; just spending time at home. There were a few necessary outings to the gym, church and the grocery, but other than that, there were no plans.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having plans, being social and keeping busy, but sometimes it's nice not to be anywhere in particular and just focus on the family.

The gym was great too! I feel so much better when I workout. I have been trying very hard to accomplish this weight-loss goal since last year, but Tumble X's Biggest Loser contest really helped jump start the progress. I can't wait to see what results I get in Season 2!

If anyone else wants to join this fun contest, let me know! You can still enroll up until tomorrow! I highly recommend it! I feel better than I have in years and have tons more energy!

Peace and Blessings,

Amy

Beefcake!

I have convinced Dan to do Tumble X's Biggest Loser Season 2 contest with me, which started today. Last time I did it with my awesome Doctor (Dr. Justina Girod) and we had a great time losing weight together and came in 2nd place. This time we wanted to do it again, but thought it might be nice to have our hubby's involved, to help support the cause of a healthy lifestyle. We both talked with our spouses and they agreed to the challenge. The rest is history in the making...

Dan and I had to come up with a team name, so we decided on BEEFCAKE! Everytime he quotes Southpark's Cartman stating "BEEFCAKE" it cracks me up. WE are beefcake's and "can't hardly fit through the door", but we are on our way to being fit forever!

Stay tuned!

Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas Family & Friends! This Christmas was extremely neat because Olivia is actually at the age where she understands the concept. She really got into it and has even asked her daddy if she could, "Get a really nice gift for baby Jesus?" I promise to blog more later, but I just wanted to give everyone a quick update before 2011 was over. Peace~

Biggest Loser update

Saturday marks the 1/3 of-the-way completion mark for the Tumble X Biggest Loser Contest that I'm in. I'll get measured for the month on Saturday, so it'll be very interesting to see where I'm at compared to a month ago.
I feel like I have much more energy and I can also do more without feeling out of breath. Life is way too valuable to not take care of your body! My family depends on me and I have to be the best I can be for myself. Olivia and Gabe only get one mommy and I def want to live a long healthy life for them! I keep telling myself that whenever I am too tired to workout, or want to skimp on my nutrition. Dan's also been a big help as far as workouts and food is concerned. I am truly blessed to have such a strong support system!

Accomplishments this past month:
-I participated in my first 4 mile race. Although, I wanted so badly to take the t-shirt and run the opposite direction (aka, skip out), I am so glad that I finished!
-I've been keeping track of all of my BLT's (bites, licks & tastes). It really helps me get a grip on where I am with my progress. For example, I'm struggling with why in the world I take in so many more darn carbs than protein. Hey, they say that you are what you eat, so my nutrition is crucial in this contest!
-I've made it to the gym 6 days a week for the past month! It feels to get past that hump of getting on a routine. I think that's a huge struggle at first...getting over the excuses and just saying, I have to make it happen no matter what!

Last but not least, REST is extremely important to a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, I'm going to get my beauty rest...night night!