6 Days Down

Well I'm just finishing my 6th day of the 100 day weight loss challenge and I feel really good. I've been eating 1200 calories, divided up over 5-6 small meals a day and I have not gotten hungry. I've given up coffee, diet coke and wine, and all types of sugar and processed food. I'm starting to have more energy. I'm going to try HOT YOGA on Monday...wish me luck! I've never done yoga let alone in a 105-110 degree room. Hopefully I will sweat 10 lbs off of me...LOL.

Well 1 week down, 14 weeks to go!!!!

Today I took the boys to the Woodland park Zoo. It was so fun to watch the boys. They love animals. This was Easton's 2nd trip to the zoo, the first with me. It was so fun to watch him get so excited now that he understands what animals are. He especially loved the otters and was chasing them along, the 2nd favorite thing was the Elk, he thought they were cool. My favorite animal was the Gorillas, there was a new baby and they were playing and rolling around and it was the most amazing thing to watch.

Happy New Year's

Well I have to say I'm so glad 2009 is going to be over in 1 hour and 45 minutes. It's been a tough year for me, emotionally, physically, mentally. I've been so challenged in so many ways.

The baby weight has not come off like it did my first pregnancy so I'm having major issues with that so I've decided to take the 100 days of Weight Loss Challenge by Linda Spangle. I'm starting on January 4th, and the 100th day will be the day we leave on our trip (too coincindetial if you ask me), must be God's way for showing me the way.

A year ago tonight my dad was diagnosed with Cancer. It's still so hard for me to believe he is gone.

I've become a person I don't like very much. I've become someone I don't even recognize anymore. I look forward to 2010 with open arms.

May the next 100 days be filled with renewal, self discovery, personal growth, and a shrinking body and regain my self esteem. May I look in the mirror and finally accept the person looking back.

I'm Back....

Well it's been about 6 months since I've posted anything. I have to say life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm making a goal for for 2010 to try and blog at least once a week if not more. Working full time, raising two active boys and sharing my life my with husband and our two dogs, leaves little time for myself...and it shows in my body.

I've put my own needs to the side and have been eating through my depression for the past 6 months. As many of you know I lost my father to Cancer back in March. It's been a rough 6 months, I'm on anti depressants and seeing a therapist (with the holidays it's been a few months) and I can tell I'm slipping as I'm eating to fill the void in my heart/life.

This grief is nothing like I've experienced before and unfortunately I turn to food when I'm sad or upset or just downright bored...I know how is that possible in such an active family? I get so caught up in my family that I just haven't taken care of myself physically the way I need to.

My 2nd goal for 2010 is to get healthy again, lose the weight and find happiness within myself again. Back in 2000 I lost 100 lbs in 11 months doing the PRISM weight loss program, I went from a 16/18 to a 9/10 pant size. www.plwp.com and swimming a 1/2 mile daily.

Well...those are my goals for 2010. Starting January 1st I will begin a 24 week program, it is broken down in to 4 phases, each consisting of 6 weeks. It consists of eating food the way God created it to be, in it's whole and natural state. This means oliminating processed food which shouldn't be hard for me since I have Celiac Disease and shouldn't be eating that type of food. But for me portion control and eating when I'm not hungry are my problems. Obstaining from those foods that are triggers for me. Diet Coke, Chips, Butter, Cheese, and of course Chocolate (became my best friend after being diagnosed with Celiac since it didn't have gluten in it) before that I hated chocolate. Go figure? OH and wine...my stress reliever, my sugar habit, bye bye. At least for now.

The first 6 weeks is about cleansing your body and removing foods from your system.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" Romans 12:2

Today is a new day...it is a celan slate with no mistakes on it.

Happy 1st Birthday Easton

We celebrated Easton's first birthday on Saturday, May 16th, 2009. What a beautiful day it was, we couldn't have asked for better weather.

We have nicknamed Easton "our little monkey" and so I thought it appropriate that we have a Monkey party.

I came up with the idea that I wanted to hang bamboo from our ceiling in our dining room and then have monkey's hanging down (like they were swinging through the jungle)...I found the bamboo at Michael's Arts & Crafts in Green and Brown. I let Brett be creative in how he hung it and he couldn't have done a better job! It looked just like I pictured! (See Photos)

The morning started off with me running all over to pick up the cake, pick up the balloons, etc. Mitchell had a baseball game that morning so Brett was with him, thank goodness for my mom who came down from Oak Harbor and watched the birthday boy for me.

Everything was all set by 1:30 just in the nick of time for people to start arriving to see Easton. In the invite I said Light appetizers...well they were definately not Light and everyone had eaten before they got there (Note to self....just put appetizers and skip the light part in the future).

We had a great turn out of friends and family. Brett's family included his dad Vic and his wife Linda, his mom Ginger and his dad Ted, his great niece Autumn and great nephew Ryan. For me my mom Connie, my step mom Diane, my little sister Meghan and her mom Melissa and step dad David, my cousin Jenn and her daughter Payton.

Easton was pretty miserable in the morning has he was in the process of cutting three molars. We all proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to him and when it came time for cake he wasn't really wanting it. But he decided to take a taste of the yummy Gluten Free cake I made and my mom iced it for me (since I had no clue how to do this). He liked it for the most part, but wasn't diving into it like most kids who get their first taste of sugar. However, he did decide to run his icing covered hand through his hair and gave himself a mohawk.

After cake we all decided to head for the front yard which was all in shade now and much cooler than our deck area. Brett and I bought him a Radio Flyer ATW (All Terrain Wagon) for his present along with a sun umbrella and an ice cooler for the back of it. The wagon was OVERFLOWING with presents from everyone. He got some great presents. One precious moment is when he got some books from Grandma Diane with Elmo on the front, Easton decided to give him a great big kiss...it was precious. Thank you everyone! I'm hoping to get thank you cards out here soon.

I'll be posting some photos soon, I realized this morning that they are on my laptop.

My Father Doug Saum Passes Away....

Beloved Father
Dear Dad, I just wanted you to know that I love you and will miss you dearly. I think back to all of our camping trips and how you showed me the love of nature, how to fish, catch squirrels, round up frogs, walking across the river without falling in, driving around at dusk looking for deer, how to shoot a gun, drinking hot chocolate in the early morning while you made me dollar size pancakes, how to build a fire, and playing cards into the night. I will miss sharing those times with you, but I'll never forget them. All my love - Heather

So it has taken me 2 months to be able to post this and even still I'm having a hard time typing this....

Doug Saum, 66, died March 20, 2009, at his home surrounded by his family. He was born March 5th, 1943 in Omak, WA.

When Doug was in the sixth grade his family moved to Whidbey Island where Doug finished school, graduating from Oak Harbor High School in 1961.

Doug went to work for the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Fire Department in 1965, spending a total of 30 years fighting fires in the "Structural" and "Crash" divisions of the department. Doug also became a member of the Oak Harbor Volunteer Fire Department in 1966 and spent more than 12 years serving his community on his days off from the Navy Fire Department.

Doug is survived by his wife, Connie at the family home in Oak Harbor, along with son Pat with wife Renee Saum of Ephrata, WA., son Brian Saum of Anchorage, Alaska, and daughter Heather with husband Brett Webb of Everett, WA. He is also survived by his father Perry "Dick" Cays of Oak Harbor, brother Terry, with wife Monica Cays of Bothell, sister Linda with husband Don Iverson of Montesano, WA., and three grandchildren, Darren Saum, Mitchell Webb and Easton Webb.

Doug's wishes were to have a gathering of family and friends at his favorite place to camp. The family is planning a gathering in his name for later this year where his life will be celebrated. The family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society for Lung Cancer Research. Arrangements were entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel, where family and friends may visit http://www.burleyfurneralchapel.com/ to sign a guest register and leave messages for the family.

**6/14/09**

Service to be held at Lake Creek, Winthrop, WA. up the Chewach River Rd. at 12:00 pm.

Brett and I will be over there from Wednesday, June 10th through Monday, June 15th. If you'd like to come celebrate his life with us, pack up your camping stuff and head on over. You can contact me via email at Heather_Webb@comcast.net for more information/directions.

Easton Update...

Hi Everyone
I justt wanted to update you on Easton. He had surgery yesterday morning at 8:30 and was done by 10 am. Things couldnt have gone better. Since the burn on his hand was so deep they decided not to take the graph from his cute baby bottom....(THANK GOODNESS), they needed all the layers of skin and so they cut a piece of skin from the crease where his thigh and privates meet, they stiched it up and so we will have no wound care so to speak. They said had they not done the graph it would never have healed on it's own.He is in a cast from the tips of his fingers to almost his shoulder, and will wear this for a week, after the week we go back to the hospital and they will take the cast off and see if the graph took. If so they will put a case back on him and let it continue to heal for another week. Then we will go back and they wil take it off and see how it's doing. The arm was healing nicely so they did not do the graph in this area.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, they worked...he still has his cute dimpled baby butt. (patient #412)

Easton's hand/arm before sugery