St. Patty's Day Get-Together

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Aunt Debbie and Uncle Steve came over today to make some St. Patrick's Day candies and have a corned beef dinner. It was so much fun!

Making candies :)


Say Cheese!

MMMM! Corned Beef!

Yummy!

Shocked Sunday - Child Neglect?

So... umm... yeah....

I had to call the police on my neighbor today. I was on my back porch enjoying the sunshine when some loud children caught my attention...

As I looked up I noticed a bunch of stuff on my neighbors roof- the one that sits below the upstairs...

I then heard a 'thump' and saw a child throwing stuff from the window... brooms, shoes, socks, clothes, toys... etc...

The closer I looked I noticed it was a small child- no younger than 2, no older than 3...

The closer I looked I noticed this boy was BUCK NAKED!

To my astonishment- this lil boy grabbed his 'boyhood' and started urinating on the roof!

To top it off the window was fully opened, the screen was ripped out on two edges and the lil boy started to climb out the window...

He never actually came out fully but I wasn't going to take any chances...

I quickly ran and got the phone and called the police...

The police showed up within 5-10 minutes... here... "do you have a two year old!?"...

"Um... not quite... I'm the one that called- it's my back door neighbors"...

Off they went...

Would you have called the police too??

Thousand Words Thursday - Dad's been gone 19 years today...

Today is one of those many days of the year that I dread waking up for. I wish more than anything I could just sleep from March 9th-March 11th and never have to face today.
It is surreal to think that he has been gone longer than he was in my life; actually almost twice as long. It is amazing what an impact someone can have on your life in such a short amount of time.


Dad, daddy, Bob, Robert Gordon Ballor- was a great man, a great husband to my mother and an excellent father to my two brothers and myself. He wasn't our biological father but he raised me from 2 until he passed away when I was 10. He taught me so many of the things I am confident in today. He taught me how to swim, how to ride a bike; all those precious childhood memories. He was also very handy. He would build us swingsets, playhouses and homemade stilts! How fun!!

The good thing is even though he had to be parted from his soulmate for 16 years- they are now together- up there in Heaven looking down on us. I'm sure mom and dad would be proud, especially of their miracle granddaughter and grandson that neither had the oppourtunity to meet.

We never know how much time God has given us to live on this earth or how quickly it will pass. Cherish everyday.

Addy Feeding Herself for the First Time!

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Playdate at Jessica's

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SILLY HEADS!

Our One Year Friend-aversary

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{Wendi, Mary, Jessica & Amanda}

Had dinner at On the Border in Auburn Hills, MI.
Afterwards Jessica and I went to see 'He's Just Not That Into You'

What an excellent night ladies! :)

Meaningful Monday - Life’s To-Do List

Just One More Thing I’d Like To Do Before The End of Time

Start a family: achieved 05/50/05 and 09/02/07

Have a hero that I adore, admire and look up to

Have a mentor

Be a mentor

Get back to my roots

Visit my grandparents’ birthplaces

Build something that lasts

Learn to fix my own car

Learn to drive a manual transmission vehicle

Learn martial arts

Be a good role model: ongoing

Learn the meaning of ‘my’ life: ongoing

Write a novel

Become a grandparent

Visit one other first world country

Visit a second world country

Visit a third world country: achieved 03/2003

Watch a tornado

Learn to play a musical instrument

At least ‘try’ to sing: ongoing

Volunteer

Backpack: achieved 08/2000

Touch a mountain

Drive cross-country (preferably Route 66)

Save a life

Find a religion

Learn to sail

Ride a horse, again

Build or buy a home

Invent something

Buy a brand new car: achieved 04/2008

Live in a big city

Live in the country

Have animals: achieved 05/2005

Learn a foreign language

Learn photography: achieved 08/2002

Make an out of state or out of country friend and never meet them, just talk like best friends via the Internet

Swim with dolphins

Go on a safari

Play with monkeys

Visit a rainforest

Without thinking twice, buy a pair of cowboy boots and a hat, maybe even some Wrangler’s and a country shirt

Visit Vegas

Visit Niagara Falls: achieved 06/2005

Visit Eiffel Tower in Paris

Visit Empire State Building in New York City: achieved 06/2005

Visit The Statue of Liberty: achieved 06/2005

Visit the Grand Canyon

Whale Watching: achieved 03/2003

Own a Jeep Wrangler

See an ocean: achieved 03/2003

Go shopping at United States biggest mall: http://www.mallofamerica.com/

Have a garden, vegetable and flowers

Ride in a hot air balloon

See the Aurora Borealis

Go white water rafting

Go canoeing, again

Be passionately kissed in the rain, again

Celebrate New Years Eve in Times Square

Donate blood: (plasma) achieved 2/2003

Learn yoga: achieved 01/2002

Learn to meditate: achieved 08/1999

Learn to self-hypnotize: achieved 08/1999

Learn to do pilates

Explore my spirituality

Finish college, get a degree

Fall madly in love: achieved 05/2004

Go snorkeling

Learn to dance

Lose weight: achieved 06/2008

Take mom to Nashville: no longer possible

Ride a motorcycle

Ride a trolley: achieved 03/2003

Ride in a plane: achieved 03/2003

Ride on a train: achieved 03/2003

Ride on a bus (Greyhound): achieved 03/2003

Go to a horse race

Go to an auto race

Go to a pro basketball game: achieved 04/2006

Go to a pro hockey game

Go to a pro baseball game, again

See a solar eclipse

See a volcano

Sleep on the beach

Sleep under the stars

Visit Hawaii

Visit Alaska

Visit Mt. Rushmore

Visit the Smithsonian Institute

Trace family tree as far back as I can go: achieved 1/2006

Try to ski

Decorate my own home: achieved 06/2004

Take a wilderness trip

Go to Mardi Gras

See the Northern Lights

Weight Loss Journey Bucket List: Last Updated: 03/01/09

Started: June 9, 2008.
Last updated: March 1, 2009

There was a point in my life that I was convincingly happy; I showed on the outside that I was content; but inside, inside a demon was screaming bloody murder!!!

I always told myself that I would not let my weight hold me back from anything.

I said that I would not let my size ever interfere with the things that I truly want to do… but to be brutally honest and forthcoming with that honestly… I have… so much!!!

I am going to start a list of the things that I know damn well my weight has held me back from doing. Mind you- these are in no particular order, just the order they appear in my head.

These are now goals that I would like to achieve during my weight loss journey:

1) Jump on a trampoline without fearing- 1: everyone laughing at me and/or 2: that the thing is going to collapse:
2) Dance on a bar top, or at least feel like I could without ridicule:
3) Sit down and not worry about if the chair will break: achieved 10/2008
4) Tie my shoes without physical exhaustion: achieved 8/2008
5) Mow the lawn without dripping sweat like a swine: achieved 9/2008
6) Jet ski, tube, maybe even water ski:
7) Get in a canoe without fearing it’s going to tip over, and being able to handle rowing it:
8) Get on a horse again! We were going to go horseback riding on our honeymoon, but at my all-time high weight- I really feared for the safety of the poor thing!:
9) To have my picture taken at the beach and not worry that people will look at it and say to themselves “beached whale”:
10) Tanning without worrying about what’s NOT going to get tan cause there’s some skin that shouldn’t be there, in the way:
11) Get in a bathing suit and not feel bad about it, I’m not going to ever say bikini- I am not sure that I will ever get there, or want to go there:
12) Do things like take swimming classes WITH my daughter:
13) Garden with ease:
14) Sunbathe- if only in my own back yard, but feel comfortable enough to do it at the beach: 15) Be comfortable nude in front of my husband: in process
16) Try on clothes and not feel the tears welling up in my eyes: achieved 11/2008
17) Be comfortable in a hot tub, jacuzzi or bubble bath:
18) Be in a hot tub, jacuzzi or bubble bath WITH my husband:
19) To be able to buy clothes just about anywhere rather than the ‘big girl’ shops: achieved 11/2008
20) Ride on an airplane comfortably- without having to ask for a seatbelt extender:
21) Buy and look damn good in a lil black dress, hell ANY dress, I have not worn a dress in a longgg time!:
22) At least try on a pair of high heel shoes, without feeling like an elephant on roller skates:
23) Get on an amusement park ride without a care in the world:
24) Go to a sporting event or concert and not worry about whether my ass will fit in the seat without squeezing through to my neighbor:
25) Not worry about renting only non-compact cars:
26) Go to a restaurant and not have to request a TABLE with CHAIRS rather than a booth: achieved 10/2008
27) Shower with grace: in process
28) Work out pretty much daily: ongoing
29) Teach my child(ren) a healthy lifestyle, to eat right and exercise: ongoing
30) Hike without getting downright winded:
31) Bike with ease: in process
32) Swim:
33) Play the sport I love- racquetball:
34) Go on kiddie rides at the carnival to experience my child’s pure, innocent pleasure- firsthand:
36) Run a mile without feeling like my heart is going to burst right out of my chest:
37) Climb stairs with ease: in process
38) Dance!:
39) Do a triathlon someday:
40) Give up cigarettes for the rest of my life: failed
41) Give up pop for the rest of my life: failed
42) Give up sweets for the rest of my life: failed
43) Quit making excuses: ongoing
44) Cross my legs with ease: achieved 10/2008
45) Own exercise equipment and use it for its intended purpose rather than a coat rack:
46) Find a WLS support group: achieved 6/2008 and ongoing
47) Attend counseling:
48) Be proud of my driver’s license picture:
49) Walk by a mirror and not be repulsed by what I see: ongoing
50) Paint my own toenails:
51) Wear my shirt tucked in, maybe even wear a belt! What a concept!:
52) Go to Disney World again and actually enjoy it:
53) Go on a cruise:
54) Scuba dive and/or snorkel:
55) To have my inner thighs NOT rub together:
56) Go on a waterslide, maybe even play with kids on a slip-n-slide!:
57) Jump off a diving board, maybe?:
58) Play with my kid(s) at the playground rather than just sitting there watching all the fun: achieved 08/2008
59) Be off all diabetes medications: achieved 06/09/08
60) Be off hypertension medication: achieved 06/09/08
61) Be off cholesterol medications: achieved 06/09/08
62) Be off reflux medication: achieved 06/09/08
63) Be off anxiety medication: achieved 06/09/08
64) Become a non-diabetic: achieved for sure: 11/2008
65) Be a size 28: achieved 06/17/08
66) Be a size 26: achieved 06/29/08
67) Be a size 24: achieved 07/12/08
68) Be a size 22: achieved 8/31/08
69) Be a size 20: achieved 10/04/08
70) Be a size 18: achieved 12/15/08
71) Be a size 16: achieved 02/04/09 (I BOUGHT MY VERY FIRST PAIR OF LEVI’S TODAY!!!)
72) Be a size 14: working on it!!
73) Be a size 12: maybe, just mayyybe!
74) Lose 10 pounds: achieved 06/14/08
75) Lose 20 pounds: achieved 06/18/08
76) Lose 30 pounds: achieved 06/28/08
77) Lose 40 pounds: achieved 07/11/08
78) Lose 50 pounds: achieved 07/28/08
79) Lose 60 pounds: achieved 08/18/08
80) Lose 70 pounds: achieved 09/11/08
81) Lose 80 pounds: achieved 10/06/08
82) Lose 90 pounds: achieved 11/14/08
83) Lose 100 pounds: achieved 12/09/08
84) Lose 113 pounds- REACH GOAL!: soooo close I can taste it! 2 more pounds to go!!!
85) Maintain excess weight loss for 1 year:
86) Renew wedding vows after maintaining excess weight loss for 1 year:
87) Maintain excess weight loss for 2 years:
88) Get plastic surgery after keeping weight off for 2 years:
89) Kite surf?:
90) Play tennis:
91) Join a sand volleyball league:
92) Join a softball league:
93) Roller skate, maybe even rollerblade someday, maybe even join a roller derby league?:
94) Maintain excess weight loss for life: ongoing

Playdate at Great Lakes Crossing Mall

The Crew!

Jubilant Jacob

Entertaining Emily

Bashful Brooke

Cutie Cuyler

Lovable Lily

Amusing Addy

(VIDEO & Pictures) Playdate at Wendi's

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Weight Loss Progress Report

My BMI used to say:
44.1
Your BMI score indicates that you are morbidly obese and have an extremely high level of health risk.

It now says:
24.0
Your BMI score indicates that you are of normal weight and have a minimal level of health risk.

Music Monday - Sara Bareilles

Great music!!

Sara Bareilles

Fun & Friends Friday - Valentine's Day Playdate

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Jessica & Emily
Amanada & Isaiah
Dana, Aubrey & Jackson
Mary & Addy


{Jessica lovin' on Jackson}


{Isaiah, Addy, Aubrey, Emily & Dana playin' with the kitchen}

Doing Valentines

Small Fry Saturday - EMILY'S 2nd BIRTHDAY!!!

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Emily, Jessica & Ken
Busia & Papa
Great Busia Busia
Great Gram
Grandma & Grandpa
Aunt Mandy & cousin Brayden
Uncle Jeff
Lily, Wendi & Steve
Isaiah, Amanda & Mike
Addy, Mary & Doug
Aubrey, Jackson, Dana & Bryan
Jacob, Mandi & Jason


{HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY JOAN!} (Don't forget to make a wish!!)

Scrumptious Sunday - Makayla's 3rd Birthday Party!

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{HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY MAKAYLA PAIGE!}

Soulful Saturday - Family Christmas 2008 (in 2009)

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{James, Orion, Erin, Matt, Laure, Aunt Debbie (MOM), Aunt Pat, Uncle Steve, Doug, Addison & Mary}
It's just not the same without you here Mom


{Aunt Pat jammin' with Orion with his new guitar!}
Aunt Pat gives the best presents ... hehehe!
Addy got a toy laptop from Aunt Pat. She loves that thing! She plays with it all the time.


{Aunt Debbie & Matt's girlfriend Laure}
She's so sweet!


{Aunt Debbie & Orion having one of Aunt Mary's marshmallow suckers}
Ever see anything more precious!?


{Mary & Addy with the plate I got from Aunt Debbie}
I adore cardinals. Aunt Pat also got me a cardinal salt & pepper shaker set :)


{Erin helping Orion open his new animal toys!}
How fun!


{Uncle Steve & Aunt Debbie}
They make the most amazing couple. Every couple should be as happy as them!


{Uncle Steve, Aunt Debbie & Aunt Pat}
Family doesn't get any better than this!


{Matt & Laure}
Aren't they just SO cute together!?


{Uncle James got colonge from Addy}
He's the best uncle!


{Matt, his girlfriend Laure, Uncle Steve, Aunt Debbie & Aunt Pat}
The holidays are so special!


(Doug, Addy & Mary}
I LOVE, CHERISH & ADORE our perfect lil family!