Well today is the 4th day of our “change” and for the past 3 evenings we have gone for our walk and it has been good.  I stepped on the scale this morning and I am already down almost 9 lbs.  I was amazed, but I do know that most of it is water weight.  That’s fine, it’s a start.  Oh and last night, I made this awesome dinner.  They are “Spicy Turkey Burgers.”  All I can say is YUM!!!  The thing I thought seemed kind of weird was the pickled onions, but they enhance the flavor of the burger.  Here is the recipe.

Spicy Turkey Burgers with Pickled Onions

Makes 4 servings

I have been so behind on blogging.  I’m sorry.  Things have just been nutty at work and I had started a new part time job, but I’m just not going to do it.  It winds us being like a pyramid thing.  They want you to get your friends and family into it and I’m just not willing to do that.  I thought it was going to be great to work with a financial company that I could help others with their finances.

Anyway, Brian and I started our new “lifestyle change” yesterday.  We are going to go by calories.  I found a website that I can add all my information on-line of what I have to eat and it keeps track of all my intakes.  Brian even likes the idea of it.  Also, we started walking last night.  We are starting easy, walking 2 times around the neighborhood.  It takes us about 20 minutes to do that.  Right now with starting that way, we can still feel the burn in our legs, but then we will just be leading up to walking farther and farther.  I’m proud of us for making a goal and sticking with it.  Thursday will be kind of boring for me.  I enjoy walking with my husband, and I’ll be walking on my own.  Oh well, I guess I could see what time my son is working to see if he wants to walk with me.

Have a great and blessed day!!!  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO

This week has just been kind of crazy.  Everything with work and I am getting a part time job on top of that.  I’m going to be working with Primerica.  It will be nice to have someone help me with my finances and for me to be able to help someone else with theirs.  I think the thing that is really gearing me up for this job is that I can basically do this anytime I want to.  I don’t have a schedule and they have a lot of fun.  As a matter of fact, they are having a pool party tomorrow evening and it sounds like it will be a ball, but I’m not going to be able to go, I already have a commitment that evening, and it is Amanda’s 20th birthday.  SCARY!!!  Anyway, Primerica will show me how to get out of debt and have my house paid off in no time.  That would be awesome.  I will be getting my license or certification for everything that is involved.  Once I do that, I’m sure I will be able to explain things better. 

We are going to the Amicus banquet tomorrow evening.  That is our exchange student program that we help fund through our church.  We went last year, but we were invited this year also.  We have thought about having an exchange student probably after Brian is moved out of the house.  But who knows what we will do.  I’m sure if it is what we are supposed to do, God will lead us to do that.

Anyway, sorry I didn’t write all week, I really didn’t have much to say but also I have just been busy.

Have a great and blessed weekend.  Enjoy every minute you get with your families.  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO

Well, our office is going to be moving in about 7 weeks.  We are moving to the new, beautiful, Briarcliff building.  We also found out that the Federal Marshal’s offices will be in there too.  At least we will have protection there.  LOL  Anyway, Julie is going nuts and starting to have dreams about the move.  Since she is one of the head people dealing with the move, certain things are starting to get to her.  So the office looks like it is going to be huge, and there is going to be plenty of room for us to grow.  Not real sure if it is going to grow at all, due to they have been laying people off in several of our offices.  It is kind of scary, but if I was to lose my job, Brian and I have already talked about what we would do.  First off, we would give it up to God and just follow him in what he tells us to do.  Second, I don’t know, we would figure that out when or if it ever happens.

We are going to take the kids to the Omaha zoo next month.  We went a few weeks ago and loved it.  Brian and I really want to have that experience again, but this time we want to share it with the kids.  I think they would really enjoy it.  Brian wants to go the first weekend in August, I would rather go the 3rd weekend in August.  I think either way, we need to just see how the weather is going to be.

On a more serious note, Brian and I have been talking a lot about our weight.  Especially mine with the health issues that I have had lately.  We are maybe looking into the lap band.  I was kind of reading up on it last night and it looks like my insurance will cover about 80% to 90%.  Which would be great, but I am still going to take some time to think about this.  I was looking at the lap band vs. stapling.  The whole stapling thing is really scary.  You lose a lot of your small intestine, and they literally cut your stomach.  Then there is the possibility of a leakage thru the staples.  YUCK!!!  It is a huge and scary step.  But I will let everyone know what we decide to do.

I hope everyone has a blessed day and keep pressing into Jesus!!!  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO

This weekend kind of sucked.  We didn’t do anything for the 4th of July because I had a stupid headache all day long.  Then on Saturday, I didn’t have my wounded heart group so I worked on the laundry and got the house picked up.  Brian had his men’s group then had band practice that morning till about 11:30.  Again we didn’t go anywhere, we started to clean out the garage.  Surprisingly, we did get it almost completely done.  Then by 4 pm his buddy Todd came over and they were up till about 2 am.  I’m a wuss and went to bed.  So yesterday, we were at church until 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm.  By the time we got home, Brian had a bad headache and slept until 4:30 pm.  So again, we didn’t do anything.  I almost feel depressed.  I’m not sure what is causing that, but it sucks.

I sure hope everyone had a great weekend.  I really don’t have a lot to say.  So talk to y’all later.  Love, love!!!

God Bless America!!!  I hope everyone has a very safe and happy 4th.  We decided not to get any fireworks this year.  The kids are all grown and we really don’t have any plans for today.  I know that our son is going to go out with his girlfriend and another couple.  They are going to go on a picnic and the boys are going to get everything together.  I thought that was really sweet.

Be safe and have a blessed day.  Love, love!!!

So last night, we get home from work, I go upstairs, put my pj’s on and just lay around.  I decided that I wasn’t going to go anywhere last night.  After being up by 4:00 am and getting home from work around 5:15 pm, I was just dead dog tired.  We sat downstairs in the basement and it was almost freezing down there.  But it was a nice quiet night.  We read our daily reading together and it was going along with what we have always been talking about.  He have been wondering about community living and taking care of the homeless in our area.  See here lately, we have even asked a couple of people what they think about it.  What we would like to do is get a warehouse, or an old hotel, or something to that effect, clean it up and have the rooms basically turned into apartments without kitchens, we would have the kitchen area as the “common room” where we would have meals together, etc.  I’m sure a lot of people think this is a weird thing, but it is what we have always wanted to do.  I would love to be downtown and also be able to do my photography on the streets.  I think it would be really cool.  So anyway, the reading last night definitely talked about taking care of the homeless.  Is that something that God is saying to me?  Or is it still something that just burns deep down and I want to do myself?  Does that make sense?

Anyway, the last couple of days here at work have just been so boring.  There really isn’t anything for me to do.  I can only do so much filing, and the reports are done and stacked on my desk.  Seriously, when are they going to come put the permits in the reports and get these things off my desk.  I’m tired of looking at them.

Well, I hope everyone is having a great day.  Try to keep cool.  Today it is supposed to be 91 and very muggy.  It was funny when Julie got back into the office.  She walked in and her glasses just fogged up immediately.  I was teasing her saying can you see me?  Huh? Huh? Huh?  LOL  Anyhow, take care and I will talk to you later.  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO

Group this morning was pretty good.  We are starting a new book called How to Reach Secular People by George G. Hunter III.  Honestly, when I was reading the forward, I was thinkingOH NO, how am I going to get into this book.  Lord Donald Soper was the one writing the forward and he uses so much theological stuff and words us common folk don’t understand.  But once I got into the introduction, I wiped my brow from the sweat and said “good, I’m glad that Hunter isn’t speaking this way.”  So far I am really liking this book.  Chapter 1 is talking about 3 Myths about secular people, and 10 Characteristics of secular people.  I’m hoping that it will give me some better guidelines but then again, I know that I always need to listen to what God is telling me when talking with secular people.

Well, I talked to my daughter last night about the whole situation with Chris and why she was talking to him after the fact.  Apparently she did have a set of pajamas over at his apartment, and he had a few CD’s at her apartment.  After we left, he came over with her pajamas and they talked about that he doesn’t want to talk to her at all because she has broken his heart.  He asked her why she didn’t say anything to him and she said she had been telling him how she felt, but he just wouldn’t listen to what she was saying because he is so obsessed with her.  She said she is glad that he doesn’t want to talk to her for the simple fact that she will now be able to get some rest.  I truly do hope that it is over and he does leave her alone.

Have a blessed day and just enjoy life!!!  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO

I have been trying to keep myself busy with things, but it isn’t exactly easy to do when there isn’t any work to be done.  I have a few pages for filing, but it isn’t like I can stretch that along to make it go for the next 3 1/2 hours.  I guess I can go try to organize something that Julie hasn’t already organized.  LOL  Days like this are tough.  I’m already tired and not having something to do makes it worse.

So how was everyone’s weekend?  Ours was very eventful with our daughter.  OK so she has been seeing this kid named Chris.  Well maybe I shouldn’t say kid, he is 23 years old, but he acts like a child.  Anyway, she told him that she really didn’t want to be with him and that she just wanted to stay friends with him.  Since her break up with Brandon, she hasn’t been on her own since she was 16.  Well anyway, he just can’t take that and is always trying to be with her.  He comes to work and hangs out at her cash register, tries to kiss her at work, has been looking in her windows if she is home, he will walk into her apartment if she doesn’t lock the door immediately after she gets in there.  He is a stalker.  So yesterday was the last straw with him looking in her windows trying to see her.  Brian and I went to her apartment and asked her if she wanted us to talk to him.  She said yes.  So Brian very calmly went over and told Chris that he needed to quit calling her, texting her, looking in her windows, hanging out at Wal-Mart while she is working, etc.  He said, “Chris, in my opinion, I see you as a stalker.”  I thought Chris’ jaw was going to hit the floor.  Apparently he didn’t see it as stalking.  So all was good and we told Amanda that she needs to cut the ties or what we just said to him would be in vain and it would all continue.  After we had our talk with both of them, my mother in law was trying to get in touch with Amanda to see if she was OK, needless to say, she never answered her phone.  We were getting concerned since we couldn’t reach her either.  We went back to the apartment and low and behold, where was she?  Sitting outside on the steps going to the upper apartments talking to Chris.  Needless to say, we aren’t happy at all.  Does she not realize that he is going to keep stalking her?  He can’t seem to take no as a answer.  I know that now if she has any other troubles with him, she is on her own.  We aren’t going to “help” her out in that situation any longer.

Have a great day and hopefully your Monday isn’t bad at all.  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO

That yesterday was the first time that Brian and I turned our air conditioning on?  Yep, we broke down and switched it over.  It has been actually fairly nice, but the last couple of days, the humidity has been unbearable.  So even though we turned the air on last evening, before we went to bed we did turn it off and had our window open and the fan on.  I did turn it back on this morning just to take the edge off and the animals won’t suffer.

Hope everyone’s summer is going well.  We have just been busy and at work things have been a little crazy.  Not really with projects, but I have been adding one of my Engineers contacts into the system.  There were over 900 contacts.  So that is what I have been working on in between projects and any free time I might have.

Last night Brian and I got into the word and did the daily reading.  We shared with each other what we got out of the reading and probed each other with questions on why we feel a certain way.  It was a great night.  I absolutely love it when we get a chance to get into each others lives deeply and authentically.

Hope everyone has a blessed day!!!  Love, love!!!  XOXOXO