Addy with her Easter Presents

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Addy got a gardening kit and bathing suit from the Easter Bunny (early) :)

(VIDEO & Pictures) Family Easter 2009

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{Evan, Orion, Addy, Drew & Owen}

What an amazing day filled with love, laughs and a ton of great food and fun!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Orion!

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Make a wish Orion!!

HAHA! "Fingerpainting"

Visiting the Cemetary

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The three of us at the cemetary

A poem I put on one of my favorite pictures...

Bedtime

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Addy's Black Eye

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Still sooo sweet!

Not-so-April Fools Day!

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My poor baby girl!

Addy took a tumble off the side of the couch today. We took her to the ER just to be safe. All is well - just one heck of a black eye!

(VIDEOS & Pictures) Happy 3rd Birthday Aubrey!

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First Things First Friday - Dr. Appointment

It was a beautiful day outside today - too bad I've spent the better part of it indoors.

I had a doctor appointment at 1045 this morning. I didn't get in to see him until about 11:55! I was upset to say the least. It's one thing to be running behind; but over an hour!? Give me a break.
The doctor was utterly shocked to see me- he said he didn't recognize me. It is still extremely hard to get used to this new kind of attention. I used to just want to hide in a corner as much as possible- now I just want to live every day to the fullest!
I talked to the doctor about my progress and such and he is 1) very pleased with the results but 2) very worried. I had blood tests come back a few months ago that showed my thiamine levels were low so I was put on shots for a while. I haven't looked into if it's gotten better since then or not. So he wrote me a script to go get a lot of blood drawn as well as a bone density test.
Addy was too hungry to wait through getting all that done after the appointment so I will just go Monday to get that stuff taken care of.
I also talked to the doctor about trying to conceive. He said it was far too soon to start and he doesn't want me to start trying until I am for sure done losing weight. He said the recommendation is to wait 18-24 months post op to start trying; I always heard it was 12-18. So I thought I was nearly in the safe zone. I don't know what to think of this. I mean- I think my weight has pretty much stabilized- I only lose a pound every few weeks lately. I guess maybe I’ll reach a happy medium and not actively “try” but not actively “prevent”, either.
We talked briefly about my excess skin removal- only to conclude it’s obviously best to wait until I’ve had another baby.
So I guess my time frame- if I went by exactly what the doctor said would be something like:
Baby born in early 2011 when Addy is just over 3 years old.
Plastic surgery mid-late 2011…
Not liking the looks of this…
I’m thinking baby born around mid 2010 when Addy is 2 ½ and plastic surgery around late 2010-early 2011.

Dr. Appt., Errands, Massage n Such

Wow, today has been a busy day to say the least.
I had my yearly exam aka- “yearly invasion” this morning. During the procedure the doctor found a “mass” on my ovary so she had me go in for an ultrasound this afternoon.
She also started me on prenatal vitamins and extra folic acid so I can start trying to conceive.
While waiting for my ultrasound Addy and I went to brunch at Cracker Barrel and to Toys R Us. I love spending time with my lil girl!
During the ultrasound the tech. said that the cysts do not look like anything that I need to worry about. But a radiologist will call me within a couple days to let me know for sure.
After my appointments I came home only long enough to relax for a little bit before running off to my chiropractor. I had a massage, my first real massage, tonight. It wasn’t as great as I pictured or hoped it would be- but it was still nothing to complain about.
Overall - today hasn’t been too bad…

Happy 17th Birthday Chrissy!

Happy 17th Birthday Chrissy!

Addy adores her cousin Chrissy so much!!

Opening cards and candy from Aunt Mary, Uncle Doug & Addy

Smooooootches!

Welcome to the World Brielle Lynn Elliott!

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Our newest addition to the Elliott clan; our great niece.

Welcome to the world miss Brielle Lynn!

03/17/09, 2:46am, 6 pounds, 14 oz., 18 inches.

Proud parents: Adrianna & Brandon

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