First Day of School

Today Joseph started Kindergarten! Our miracle baby is growing up too fast. Kyle and I both dropped him off together and at first couldn't find his name on the door. Then Kyle noticed it said Garry Patton. Which is his name, but he goes by Joseph. We laughed and then headed into the room. While telling him bye, his sad little face just broke my heart. Needless to say when I picked him up, he was excited to see me and wrapped his little arms around my waist. Joseph said his teacher is really nice and he really likes her. The first day jitters are gone and he is ready for tomorrow. Here are a few pictures from this morning.

Happy 5th Birthday

This past week our family has had a few changes.
First we said goodbye to the Harrison Family. They have started their new journey to Wala Wala Washington. Good Luck to you guys, we love & miss you already!
We also celebrated Josephs 5th birthday. Yes I said 5TH! Time has really flown by this year. We decided to not have a big birthday party this year since we moves so far from family and he doesn't have a lot of friends yet. So we invited our family & friends to dinner Saturday night instead. We had a great time eating Josephs favorite meal, PIZZA, at West Crust in Lubbock.
Thank you to everyone who came to see us and for all the gifts. Joseph had a great time and has pretty much spent all of his money.... on more games...

Weight loss story

In January Kyle moved to Childress for his new job and I was stuck in Lubbock lonely, depressed and eating all day. When my FAT pants were getting too tight I knew I had hit my limit. I had to change and it had to be now. 

Five years of bad eating habits, lack of exercise, a horrific c-section scar and baby weight have taken over my body and my life.  This year I made it a goal to finally lose this weight and change my lifestyle. In January I started at 238, in 2009 I was up to 250. So this has been a long stressful battle for me. I am currently 203 and my goal weight is 145. That seems like a lot, but after losing 30lbs I know I can reach this goal before the end of the year.

So what did I do to lose 35lbs? Well it has been a combination of diet & exercise
And no it wasn't a diet program, it was just a change in my normal diet

This shows what a day of meals looks like

Diet-
I stopped eating fast food and fatty foods. Pizza was one of my favorite meals and it was the first to go.
Started eating smaller meals through out the day. About 6 meals a day.

Morning- Toast with boiled egg & water
                 Grapes & banana & water
                 Granola Bar & water
Afternoon- Whole wheat sandwich with turkey/mustard/Colby jack cheese & water
                    Grapes & water
            
Evening- Steamed Chicken breast with green beans
                 Sugar Free fudge bar

Exercise- I started the 30day shred with Jillian  and I wasn't a big fan
So I looked into this thing called Zumba that everyone was talking about. If you have never been and you have access to a class, you NEED to go. It is the best workout EVER!! I LOVE it soo much I am typing in All Caps :)

I went to zumba every morning at 9am to start my day. If not every day, every other day.
I love dancing and working out so why not do it at the same time right?!
Zumba gave me energy and worked my body good

 
This is crazy!! I didn't realize the difference until I took this picture today. I have about 60lbs to go to get back to my pre marriage/baby body! I can and will do this before the end of the year, which is when the first image was taken. I started at 238 and I got down to 200, but with moving and traveling it was hard to not gain a bit.  
I just started the Couch to 5K this week and I was actually able to run! I have not been able to run in 5 years. I am sore as hell, but I feel great. Now I just have to get my tummy toned. This is the part that is the hardest.

Since losing weight

- bought my first pair of GAP jeans since before I was married (they are snug but zip up)

- got rid of ALL my XXL shirts

- went from a 42DD to a 40C (which is getting too big now)

- size L t-shirt is looking decent on me ( depending on the store, but its better than 2xl)

- I can run again.... this is one of the biggest accomplishments for me

Even with all of these awesome changes, I just feel better all around

I hope that my story encourages people to take back their lives and lose the weight they have been battling with. Please share your story with others, because you never know who is reading and going through the same thing as you.

summer lovn'

This past week Joseph and I drove to Lubbock. We helped Grammy Patton move from her house and we also spent lots of time visiting family. The Harrison Gang drove in from Dallas that same week, so it was a great family reunion! Here is a look at some photos from our latest trip.

We have also began our count down to Josephs 5th Birthday { 18 days away }
I am going to be an emotional wreck that week. Not only does he turn 5, but he will be going to big kid school. Where is the time going?
We hope you are all enjoying your last days of summer!