The Big Reveal

We had to be at the mall at 8:30am for our final weigh-in and measurements. We all arrived on time and they made us wait outside until everyone arrived. We were all very nervous! Once they finally let us in we walked into the class room and this is what we saw.





Life size cardboard cutouts of ourselves. It was REALLY WEIRD! VERY WERID! They looked so real at a quick glance.

Once we got over the shock of them we started to really look and see the differences in everyone from when we started. Here are some of them.


Don't we all look great?

We then had to carry ourselves through the mall to where the fashion show was set up and place ourselves on the stage and practice walking the stage if we wished.






















Then we all headed to our hair and make-up appointments. It was fun to be pampered a bit.

Dot ~ we all enjoyed watching you put on your own make-up after the lady was finished with yours. And yes, it looked great after you were done!

After we all got made up and beautiful we went to Parisian's and put on our outfits for the fashion show. We all looked pretty spiffy!

We had to individually walk up on the stage and do a turn and then go stand by our cutouts while they read a little ditty about us and what we were wearing. I was so afraid I was going to fall flat on my face. My shoe did slide on a part of the stage when I came out. I could not look at my family either. I was way too nervous.

Then we all came back on stage where they annouced how each of us had done.

Then Beverly and I were brought to the front because we were the top two losers!!! Way to go Beverly!

Then the winner was announced.

WOW! I actually won! Thanks goes to all of you out there who supported me and put up with me and listened to me and prayed for me. Please keep it up. I still have a lonnnnnnng lonnnng way to go!

Last Chance Workout

Okay, this is really my last day before the final weigh-in. Unfortunately, my cold is getting worse again and I'm not feeling so good. I took some drugs and I'm going to go take a nap in just a few minutes. Maybe it will be enough so I can go to the gym this afternoon. I've not been in the gym in a week and I actually do miss it. At least this cold has kept my apetite down. I tend to want to eat when I get nervous or stressed.


I could not resist taking a picture of my ladies this morning. They have been hanging out on the bed with me while I try and sleep. Try is the key word here. I've just about given up. But aren't they sweet? Raven is bigger than Sadie now and I am surprised that Sadie is letting Raven lay beside her. Raven is bigger, but Sadie is still the boss.


For those who wish to come tomorrow and see me embarasse myself doing a fashion show and then our final weigh-in amounts we will be at the bottom level of Arbor Place Mall right outside of Parisians. Tanner is conducting a Women's Health Fair so you should not be able to miss it. Don't worry, the fewer the people the better! I'm just hoping to not stumble and fall off the stage, trip up the steps or do something totally embarassing. That means you guys better start praying now. And with this head cold I'm not thinking straight so who knows what I'm going to say!

On to a new topic.

Barry and I had the best time a couple of weeks ago when we went to my friend Brenda's wedding. We went to high school together and Brenda, Charisse and I were best friends. The wedding was in Gatlinburg, TN and we went up and stayed in a big cabin with Charisse and Donald (Barry's best friend from high school). We had such an incredible time. It was great to be with people you've known practically your whole life. I was able to let down my hair and just be me. I could be silly, serious, dumb, crazy, whatever and I knew I was accepted. I could say whatever and know I was still loved. It was awesome. I did not realize how important those friendships were until this weekend. Thanks you 3 for being my friends. Here are some pictures of us having a great time.

Week - 23 - Last Thursday's Weigh-in

Yes, I know I'm a bit behind with posting this. Please forgive me.

Weight Lost:
5.60 lbs - 42 lbs

Inches Lost:
Bust 1.75 - 8.50
Waist .50 - 9.00
Hips 1.50 - 7.50
Thigh 1.0- 5.00
Bicep .00 - 2.00
TOTAL 4.75 - 32.00

Percentage Weight Lost
2.13% - 16.01%

Percentage Inches Lost
2.82% - 17.39%

Total Percentage Lost
4.96% - 33.40%

So how about them apples. Pretty good huh! Check out this picture that was taken last week with some of my biggest weightloss supporters - Lindsey, Paige and Baby Megan is standing in for Tammy.















I've got 19 more days until our next weigh-in. OH MY ~ I just realized there are only 3 weeks till the next weigh-in this time instead of 4. I best get busy if I'm going to reach 50lbs. I've got 8lbs to lose in 3 weeks. HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really want to get to 50lbs. MUST DRINK MORE WATER, MUST EXERCISE MORE, MUST MOVE MORE, MUST EAT PROPERLY! It would be so cool to actually win! I will be excited for whoever wins, but I really want to win too! I suppose I better work HARDER!!!!

Below are some pictures of the family at Cagle's Dairy a few weeks ago. We had a really good time doing the corn maze. Barry and I challenged the kids and we sent them in ahead of us and we beat them by about 5 minutes. It was a lot of fun!

Week - 21 - Saturday - Silly Girls

5 more weeks to go. Can you belive it has almost been 6 months? I can't ! ! ! I've had a good week and a good day today.

Barry got up early and rode 30 miles this morning and got home right before it was time to watch soccer. He really is enjoying his bike and his legs are really looking good! Back off ladies ~ he's mine!

Devin had his first soccer game today and he scored the only goal on his team! GO DEVIN. It was a lot of fun watching him play this year. He has really improved and he did not want it to end. He kept saying he wanted to play more.

Emily has Payton and Jada over tonight and their plans were to sleep in the tent in the backyard. They went outside about 9:10pm and were back in the house about 10:00. They said they got spooked. They lasted longer than I thought they would. Girls are so silly! Hungry too. They just came downstairs and asked for donuts. Of course the answer was no! They settled on a piece of cheese. Yes I know, how boring.

Raven and Sadie enjoyed us being home today too. They followed me all over the house as I was cleaning up. My puppies are so sweeeet!

Since I am rambling I'm going to head on to bed. Good Night!

Week 21 - Monday - GO ME! GO ME! GO ME!

Well, I finally made it to 40lbs! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also have gone from a size 24 to a size 18 and I actually was able to wear an XL in regular people clothes! I was really surprised. I was looking for something to work out in because my sweats are beginning to hang a little too much. I'm afraid I'm going to lose my pants and that would be very bad and my short sleeved t-shirts are more like 3/4 length sleeved t-shirts. It is a good problem to have, but an expensive one too. I don't want to spend more than I have to quite yet.

We had a great time this weekend doing nothing. We tried to go to Helen, but at the last minute and was unable to find a hotel for us and the dogs. Oh well! We did go to Cagle's Dairy and do the corn field Maze. The kids really enjoyed it. Barry and I beat the kids by about 10 minutes (they had 5 minutes head start and we finished 5 minutes before them) and that was not so cool to them, but they got over it! I enjoyed singing "We are the Champions" to Devin.

But of course they got me back and ordered desert at lunch and I was only allowed 1 bite. It was really good too! Don't worry ~ they asked permission first and I was cool with it! Some days are easier than others!

Week - 20 - Friday - 6 weeks to go

Can you guys believe that I have been at this for 4.5 months? Does not seem like it and yet it does. I've only got 6 more weeks till the final weigh-in. Then it only gets harder because then I do not have the contest to keep me on track! But somehow if I know all these folks who are reading this they are not going to let me go backwards. I have no more excuses and I've shown ya'll I can really do this! WHAT WAS I THINKING????? Just teasing. It feels good to lose weight and I am going to keep it up. I have a dress that I wore right after I got married as well as my wedding dress and it sure would be cool if I could put those on again. My kids are not going to know what to think because they have never known a skinny mommy. As a matter of fact I'm not sure I know the skinny mommy. This should be a lot of fun discovering what kind of mom I will feel like being now. Watch out world, here we come.

Week - 20 - Wednesday - Spinning

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HINEY HURTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took a spinning class last night at the gym and my butt bones hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved the class. The instructor, Denise, was great. She instantly knew I was a newbe and came over and introduced herself and got me all set up on the bike and then came back over and readjusted after watching me. She was terrific. I would definately take another of her classes again. She was very attentative to all of the people in the class. It was good to see. Did I mention my but hurts????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hips and legs are a little sore, but my butt bones hurt! I closed the potty to sit and put my shoes on this morning and thought I was going to die everytime I moved. Soft seats are in for me today.

I am now down 39lbs and I am still making slow progress. Everyone keeps telling me it is the best way to do this so I'm cool. All is going well and I've been taking the stress of my life and trying to work it off in the gym. I think God created workouts to give us a time to pray. The harder I work out the harder I pray.

Thank you God for this opportunity to lose weight and thank you for being there when it is hard decision time and giving me the strength to make the correct decision no matter how it impacts me and then giving me a peace about the decisions I've made. You Rock God!!!

Week - 19 - Wednesday - Hump Day

Well, Hump Day is almost over. I had a really good ay except for not getting to the gym. I slept right through my alarm this morning and just drove right past the exit this afternoon. My routine is so far off right now. I've got to get it together. You guys need to keep praying for me. I cannot do this alone. God is the only one who can keep me going and keep me motivated. He is my strength and I do not need to forget or take advantage of that. I have to remember to lean on God and not me.

Week - 19 - Tuesday - Feeling Good

I got an really good night sleep last night and am feeling much better today. I really notice when I do not get my workouts in. Last week was tough for me and I was only in the gym once and I really did miss going. I really do see a difference in my stress level when I go to the gym and that is huge for me.

I had to go out this weekend and buy some shirts finally. My clothes were drooping way too much and I finally spent some money at Macy's. It felt good to have clothes that fit. Now my goal is to make them too big along with the others. Week before I cleaned out my closet and had a big box and 2 trash bags full of clothes I can no longer wear. I never want to see those clothes again!!

I hope everyone is having a great day ~ until next time.

Week - 19 - Monday - RED TAPE

For those of you who were not stupid like me and got your name changed on your SS Card when you actually got married Good going. For those of you who have not done it yet like me even after 16 years of marriage good luck. It was an ordeal to say the least! It took FOREVER! I was exhausted when I finally walked out of the office for the second time today at 2:15pm. It took from 8:15 to 2:15 to get this taken care of. I thought I would be in and out in less than an hour. I sat from 8:15 to 10:45 before I even got to the counter for the first time and I was number 17. I felt really sorry for all the old ladies sitting in there. I know they were exhausted!

None the less, I got it taken care of!!! Yeah!!!!!! Then on the way back from Carrollton my dad called and said they had found a blockage when they had done mom's stress test the week before and they are doing an angioplasty (spelling???) on Thursday. Man, the stress was piling on. I decided to go straight to the gym and try and work some of it out. Well sitting here and typing this I moved my leg and really felt my workout! I suppose I did a good job. Hopefully I will sleep well and can be at the gym bright and early in the morning to do it all over again. We have a band meeting for Devin at 6:00pm so I have to work out in the morning to get it all done.

I thought I was wanting the kids to start back to school again, but I should not of rushed it. I'll be ready to get our new routines in place and get this new schedule going.

I did enjoy working out tonight and I did feel better once I was there and Barry had supper cooked when I got out of the shower and it felt good to sit down and do dinner with the family. I enjoy hearing about everyone's day.

Hey - I'm 12.5 lbs away from being at 50. That is really cool! I cannot wait to get there. I've got 4 more weeks till my next weigh in so I'm hoping I can make it for that weigh in.

It's almost 9:00 and time for me and the kiddies to get in the bed.

Good Night Everyone!!!!

Week 17 - Thursday - Weigh-in #4

First number is for this month next number is total the for 4 months.

Weight Lost:
7.40 lbs - 36.40 lbs

Inches Lost:
Bust .75 - 6.75
Waist .50 - 8.50
Hips .50 - 6.00
Thigh .75 - 4.00
Bicep .50 - 2.00
TOTAL 3.00 - 27.25

Percentage Weight Lost
3.17% - 13.87%

Percentage Inches Lost
% - % (I'll have to update later)

Total Percentage Lost
% - %

Week - 17 - Thursday - Weigh-in is TONIGHT!

Tonight is weigh-in number 4. I cannot believe that I have been doing this for 4 months now. It seems like much longer and a much shorter time period.

My weight loss this month has slowed way down even though I've picked up my activity even more. They keep telling me it will pay off, but maybe not right at first. They've not steered me wrong yet so I'm going with it. I think I have lost 5lbs this month and have no idea about inches. I do know that I'm going to have to invest in some sweat pants real soon or I'm going to lose them in the gym one day and that would be VERY BAD!!!

I've had a great month and I am happy to say goodbye to every pound I've lost. I won't lie and say I am not disappointed that I've not lost more this month, but I am not going to let that beat me. Onward we go!

Thanks again everyone for you continued support and encouragement! It really makes a difference and it helps to keep me motivated!

Week 17 - Tuesday - Comparison

April 15, 2006........ ........................................August 5, 2006



Can you tell a difference yet?

Week 17 - Tuesday - Great Weekend in Gatlinburg

Since school starts on the 14th we decided to take the kids for a last trip for the summer. We headed to Gatlinburg Thursday evening after Emily's Cheerleading practice. We stayed in Chattanooga for the night and the kids enjoyed that since we lived there for 3 years. We got up and headed to Cade's Cove on Friday morning. What a beautiful place. We picnic'd in the grass and Emily was not happy (see picture below) about having lunch with the bugs. Especially since a giant wolf spider joined us on the blanket. I thought she was going to have a heart attack. She did not enjoy the event.












We then went on to Gatlinburg and stayed in a really awesome cabin overlooking the mountains. We had such an awesome view. We met up with a friend of ours who has recently been hired as a National Park Ranger and he is stationed in the Smokey Mountains. He invited us to join him on a talk and hike the next day. Barry told him we'd love to come. Trevor said it was 2.2 miles round trip and a moderate walk. (I'm not sure who's standards they use for moderate, but I would not consider that a moderate walk!) We began the hike at over 3,000 feet up and then went up another 600 feet. THIS IS NOT MODERATE HIKING in my book! I got to the point where I was unable to take a deep breath. My legs would burn sometimes when we were going up a steep rocky slope, but other than that I was fine except for my breathing. Barry hung back and walked with me and I totally appreciated that! I was not about to let my kids see me quit. When we made it to the top (1 hour later- which Trevor says is actually really good time for that trail) we stopped at a waterfall which was very COLD. When you walked underneath it the spray felt heavenly. I have to say the walk down was much easier, but horrible on the bladder!!!! Later Trevor was telling us that the air quality got worse as you got higher due to acid rain, and pollution that is trapped in the mountains from all of the surrounding cities (yes, this includes Atlanta! - shame on us). He said I had done very well and it did not appear that I was having a hard time at all! This made me feel better.