It's Been A Long Time

Time flies. I just looked and realized that it has been almost 2 months since I have let all those that are interested know about by life! So sorry. I have had a lot going on at work and have just been super busy and just a tad stressed.

When I went back to my diet doctor I had gained 15 pounds. Bad, bad, Heather. I was just sick. So, when I started back on this round of shots on April 17, I felt like I was redoing what I had already done. It just upset me so much. So, I have lost all that I had gained plus I have lost 10 pounds more. So, all in all I am currently down 82 pounds. I think I am going to turn into a strawberry. But it is strawberry season and they are super yummy right now, so that is really not a bad thing. I am looking forward to ending this round which should be in about two weeks and having a salad and a piece of cheese. Cracker Barrell here I come. At that point I really hope that I am down 100 pounds. It is not likely, but it is what I am hoping for. At that point I will weigh what I weighed on my wedding day. At the point I am now, I still haven't weighed this is in almost eleven years. So that is where I am now at 235. Feels good.

I am planning to have Savannah dedicated at church in a few weeks. I think my parents are coming up for it, but I am not going to tell her yet because I hate getting her hopes up for something like that and the letting her down. It will be good. I haven't seen my dad since last August. I hate living so far away from them. I wish I could go see them every other month at least.

Well, until next time, I shall sign off. Hopefully, I will write before two months next time.

A Great Weekend

Last Friday I got up, got ready, cooked breakfast for my family, took Savannah to school--and then headed down the road to FREEDOM! I met my friend Rebecca in Greensboro, NC at noon at our hotel, The Drury Inn. They let us go ahead and check in which was really nice of them. After we settled into our room, we got into our suits and headed down to the pool, because it was super nice weather. We packed a cooler of drinks to take with us and we just sat at the pool, drank and talked all afternoon. I got a tad sunburned and have been a little itchy this week because of it.

I would like to interject at this point that I highly recommend the Drury Inn. For those of you who want to take your pets on vacate, this is the place because it is a pet friendly hotel. And, as a non-pet owner, I was not disgusted by pet hair in my room. Nor did I start sneezing or anything. If my daughter had been there she might have started freaking out at the sight of a dog, but that was a non-issue. Also, not only do they have a really good continental breakfast, they have cocktail hour and snacks from 5:30-7, every night of the week. The two nights we were there they had hot dogs, baked potatoes, nacho fixin's, salad and chips. The first night we only had drinks because we were going out to dinner. They give each adult three free drinks per night. Really good bloody marys!

After cocktail hour was over, we went upstairs and started getting ready for dinner and then we went to Carrabah's, which was right next door. Dinner was awesome. We got seafood canneloni and steak marsala and shared it and it was so yummy. Well complemented by a bottle of chardonnay!

Saturday morning we got up and stumbled downstairs to get breakfast and COFFEE! After that we headed to the mall, which was just across the street, to get pedicures and it was great. That is my favorite thing to have done. Then we just shopped around at all the kids stores (even on vacation we have to think about our kids first!), and of course, Victoria's Secret. Then we headed back to the hotel and ate lunch. After lunch we got to talking about my favorite grocery store, The Whole Foods Market. Well, Rebecca googled and found out that there is one in Winston-Salem, just twenty minutes up the road and she has never been to one and wanted to check it out. I was happy to comply as there is not one near my house and I LOVE it. So we got ready and headed down to the Whole Foods. I was in heaven when we pulled in to the parking lot. Needless to say, we were there for like three hours, she was very impressed and we had a happy old time.

We went back to the hotel, ate our hot dogs and baked potatoes and bloody marys, and vegged out in the room watching TV and talking for the rest of the night. It was an awesome time.

Next morning we went to breakfast and then packed up and were gone by ten in opposite directions. Hopefully we can plan to do this every year. We deserve it!

Maintaining

Life these days has one very important word in the forefront of my mind. . .maintenance. Maintaining my weight loss is key. I have however cooked several of my favorite meals and had the in-laws over for eating and fellowship. Two weeks ago I made pinto beans with ham and cornbread, scalloped potatoes, and apple crisp with ice cream. After that meal I was MISERABLE. The next week I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, crock pot corn, green beans and garlic bread. I kept myself in check and felt much better than the week before. The good thing about having everyone over was that we had very little leftovers, so I wasn't forced to eat them two days in a row. Not that it would have hurt my feelings, but it might have hurt my waistline. For anyone who doesn't know about crock pot corn, it is easy. Frozen, two pound bag of corn in a crock pot, put 1/2 stick butter, 8 ounces, cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar all on top of the corn, put on the lid and cook on low for 3 hours. Do not take off the lid for 3 hours. At the end, stir it all up and it is awesome! Big winner at my house.

Next weekend I am going to Greensboro, NC to meet my best friend Rebecca. We are staying three days with no men and no children. I am so excited, although I have never been away from Savannah that long. I think that it will be good for both of us. I am sure we are going to have a wonderful relaxing time!

Transistion and a party

Today I start another transistion in my diet. Thank God for eggs and cheese! It is so nice to have a slice of cheese when you want one, in moderation. When you know that you CAN have it, you don't feel so desperate. I enter transition down 71 pounds. I want to lose 99 pounds more. I am so happy about my success with hcg. Currently I am down from a size 26 to 18. AMAZING!

My Savannah's birthday party was on February 5th. She had a skating/pizza party at Hall's Skateland. We had a great turnout! Around 35 people. I made Savannah's cake and it was a big hit. Everyone said I did a great job. Savannah got lots of presents that she has really enjoyed playing with. Her favorite part of her party though was that her two best friends from school, Montana and Lauren were able to come. They really had a big time. The only down side for me was that I could have no pizza or cake. It will be worth it in the long run though.

Also, Sunshine came to visit us for several days. We had a good visit and she was also able to attend Savannah's party, which was nice.

Today is my baby's fifth birthday. I cannot believe it. I remember lying on a table in surgery and hearing her wail and then there she was face to face with me. Love at first sight. I can honestly say that it was the best day of my life. I told her this morning that her birthday was my favorite day of the year. Last night a baked and decorated a birthday cake for her class at preschool. Saturday she is having a big skating and pizza party for friends and family. I just can't believe that time is going so quickly.

My weight loss is going well. I am down 70 pounds. My BMI has dropped 10 points. I am very happy. I have dropped from a size 26 pants to 18. I have tried to not buy any clothes so I am wearing huge size 24 or 26 pants that I can barely keep up. I have to go get a few pairs of pants to wear to work at least. I am going to go consignment, because there is no need to pay full price for clothes that won't fit me next year. Plus, this will fit right in with my frugal lifestyle!

It is crazy, and I don't want to be sick, but I really want to go to the doctor so when I get on the scale they will go WOW, what did you do? I will just feel so validated!

This month is starting out well, I am looking forward to it continuing to be so.

A New Year

The first few weeks of the New Year have been very emotional ones for me. I have had several personal issues going on that have taken a toll on me, and currently trying to plow through them is an emotional drain. Not to mention the fact that the cold and the snow have made me depressed and I am desperatly trying to cling to promises that God has given us.

I am currently down 59 pounds. On this round of hcg I have lost the five pounds that I put on at Christmas and an additional twelve, so I feel super succesful. After the first day of HUNGER I was fine. I love the feeling of the weight just melting off. It is wonderful.

My goals for the year are to be a better wife. I want to be a less selfish person. Also, I want to be VERY frugal. I want to pay off some bills and get our savings up. I want us to get our finances IN CHECK! Clipping coupons helps on the grocery end, but I want to end frivoulous spending. These are my goals.

I really hope that at the time I go into transistion I will be down 80 pounds. That will be February 10, so I have almost another four weeks. I think that I should easily hit my goal. 90 would be even better. Keep posted and I will let you know.

How things are going these days. . .

Today is the third day of my second round of HCG shots. The first two days of course are loading days, so today is the first day on the 500 calories. Mentally, I am totally there. Physically, it has been a tough day. I am sure that I had the same hunger pangs when I did the first round three months ago, but I had pneumonia then and I didn't really care about anything. I really feel it now. I will be strong and prevail though. I haven't cheated so far, and I won't. This is too important to getting my life back. I am going to get a Vitatrim shot tomorrow, so hopefully that will boost my energy levels. The first few days are the most difficult. The thing about eating on a VLCD is that when you do get to eat, anything you eat tastes GREAT! So, at this point I am down 47 pounds and I am looking forward to seeing that number drop. It was kind of nice having my load days fall right at Christmas though!

Christmas was great. For the first time ever, I was actually ready a week ahead of time. I was able to not get stressed out at all, and really enjoy the evenings, making a gingerbread house and baking cookies with Savannah. I also enjoyed a rare night out with Scott, to go do some shopping and out to a nice dinner. I felt this Christmas season was really nice and relaxing and non-stressful. You just have to work a little in the weeks running up to it, to make it such. I really wanted to sit back and enjoy the time with my family.

Savannah has thoroughly enjoyed herself this Christmas. She loved all of her toys and was really excited about Santa coming. She was glad that Santa paid a visit to her school after she sent her letter, so she could revise her letter in person! As long as all of the Baby Alive dolls showed up under the tree, she was going to be happy. Which she was. She is a little mommy at heart. It really is quite touching.

As far as New Years resolutions go, I don't think I have actual resolutions. I made the commitment to a healthy lifestyle in September and I plan to continue on the journey. I started dedicating myself to consciously trying to save money on groceries and other things a few months ago, and of course I plan to continue this as well. I want to become a better wife, better mother, better friend and communicator. Ultimately, I want to do these things through the will of God and what he wants for me.

It is December 7, and I am currently down 47 pounds. I started eating sugar and carbs again on Saturday the 4th, and quite honestly it scares me to death! I have discovered that I am totally addicted to sugar. I can handle eating a small portion of pasta or potatoes and THANK GOODNESS I can now order a small cheeseburger and be totally satisfied, rather than a Whopper, but candy, cake, cookies, I taste that sugar and I want MORE! It is awful. I hope that doing this for a year will get me straightened out. I don't want to live my life without sugar, I have to be able to get it under control. At this point I can't wait to start back on my shots and get this weight loss started again.

Scott had his birthday yesterday. He turned 39, and I would love to throw him a party next year when he turns 40. Hard to believe that he was 20 when I first met him.

It is so cold here. Today the high is 22 degrees. I know that I have nothing on the Alaskans in the family, but it is still really cold. When I come to visit you, I would like it to be a least 50 degrees! We have a several inches of snow here and I hope it doesn't do this all winter. I think it is time for me to migrate south again!

As for everything else, we are busy getting ready for Christmas. We have already made the first batch of Christmas cookies, the tree is up and four presents are under it. Savannah is anxiously awaiting making the gingerbread house and she loves listening to Christmas carols. She also has an advent calender, which is helpful when she asks if Santa is coming today. The shopping is getting done, slowly but surely, and even though I am freezing my toes off, it still remains one of my favorite times of the year.

Transition

After my forty days of shots, I go into a period known as transition. On the day I started transition I had lost 40 pounds. I have been in transition for one week and I am now down 43 pounds! WooHoo! That is great for one week of transition. Transition is the first three weeks after the shot phase in which you can add certain other foods, such as eggs, dairy, small amounts of fat, more veggies and berries. I can also eat between 1200-1500 calories per day. Honestly though, I don't think I am hitting that everyday. I eat until I am full, and that happens fast. Like today, I had two eggs, two pieces of turkey bacon and a slice of cheese for breakfast. At lunch, I had a bowl of beanless chili, and I had the same for supper. And I had an apple at lunch. I am full, satisfied, and I really don't think I hit 1200. This satisfied feeling is awesome. I don't know that I have ever felt this way.

The three weeks following transistion, I can add everything else into my diet. In very small quantities. Otherwise I will be sick as a dog. I can add starch and sugar back in. I am almost afraid of it, but I am trying not to be. That is unhealthy in the total opposite direction. I want to have no issues with food at all. I have selected a few days that I am going to allow treats. My family Christmas party, my work Christmas party, Christmas Eve and my husbands birthday. But, I am going to be very careful.

Then Christmas Day I start my shots again. That day and the day after are my load days. Can't think of two better days! I just hope I don't make myself sick!

I am so glad the hcg diet entered my life. I do believe that it is saving it.

Clippin' Coupons

In the first phase of my diet, I have lost 40 pounds. I am currently in transition, which is when I can add fats, dairy and eggs. I also can eat more veggies and fruits, but I still have to be VERY careful about eating no sugar or starch. And it is everywhere! I will be in transition until December 4th. At that point I can have anything, but in serious moderation. Like I can maybe have it one or two days a week, and not all day, like one thing. I can do that until Christmas, when I have my load days ( when I can eat anything and everything that is not nailed down) and start over with my shots. I really hope that I lose another ten pounds before Christmas.

On another note, I have joined the coupon extravaganza! I have a binder full of baseball card holders, and they are the perfect size to put your coupon in and be able to see them, and to keep them organized. I clip coupons all Sunday afternoon and organize them. It is so fun and when you realize that you are going to get a super deal, it is so exciting! The secret is working the sales and the coupons together! I am a believer. I mean, why pay full price if you don't have to?

Fall

Today is voting day! I hope that we get a major change for this country, for the good. Everybody in office, just needs to be voted out (unless they are Republican, haha!).

I have now lost 34 pounds. I am very excited about this. I hope that I am down 40 pounds by the end of next week. That is a nice round number. Last night, for something different to eat, because I am so limited, I chopped up my ground beef (96% lean) and cooked it and then diced my tomato and put it in the pan and cooked it up with the beef and added salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic and a little crushed red pepper.. It was really good! It was kind of like a little chili. I will definitly try it again sometime.

This past weekend was Halloween and Savannah had a big time. Friday she went on a hayride and went trick-or-treating with her school. She was dressed as Super-Girl. Saturday we took her to a trunk or treat and then over to Derek's to trick or treat up and down his road. Derek and Haley did a cook-out and everyone came. Savannah and Cade had more fun handing out candy and drinks than they did trick-or-treating. They ended up with over 300 trick-or-treaters. Jackson was so cute, dressed as a cheeseburger.

Fall is definitly upon us, with the leaves on the ground and the nights getting to the 30's. Winter will be here before we know it.

Dreams?

Do you ever just want to have a pity party? I have so many things that I do have to be thankful for, including my amazing weight loss (now at 27 pounds), but I wish so badly that I could be a stay-at-home wife and mother. My daughter is growing up right before my eyes and I feel like someone else is raising her and the time that I have with her is what is "left over". I know that this isn't what God intends and it really upsets me. I wish that I could find a way to make it without having to work outside the home so much. And I do so hope that this is not a dream.

Family, Friends, and a Wedding

This past weekend was so great! My brother and his wife and girls came up Friday night, because we have a friend that we grew up with getting married Saturday morning. They got there at about 9pm and Savannah and Madison went wild. Savannah is almost 5 and Madison is 6, so they love to play together. Audrey is a 8 and a little calmer. But everyone was excited nonetheless and no one got to sleep until after 11:00.

The wedding was at 10am, so we had to rise and shine quite early and get everyone ready. We had no idea the wedding was outdoors and did not really dress accordingly. We still had a nice time though and it did warm up. The wedding was really nice and David looked so happy. His wife Beth seems to be really nice and it appears that they have a lot in common. I wish them all the happiness in the world!

At the reception we caught up with friends that we haven't seen in forever! I haven't seen Phil and Jeri since their wedding day 12 years ago! I hadn't seen Daniel and Zane in five years and it had been the same with David. With the exception of David and Beth, because according to David he had some "business" :) to attend to, we (me, Savannah, Ken, Rondi, Audrey, Madison, Daniel, Trish, Phil, Jeri, and Zane) went to Cheddar's for lunch. We had such a great time visiting.

Speaking of Cheddars for lunch. . . I knew that this would probably happen, so I had taken my meat in a container and I ate it on the way to the restaurant. Then at the restaurant, I ordered a tomato and an orange. I told the waiter that I was on a medically restricted diet and he was so accomadating. He didn't even charge me! I tipped him really well. I am just glad that I survived my first restuarant outing with such success! Especially at one of my favorite spots. IT CAN BE DONE! And I had it in me!

I went to my diet doctor yesterday. Officially three weeks and I am down 25 pounds! I am so excited. It is always nice to have a second person at a different scale confirm what your scales at home say. Look out people, you won't recognize me this time next year!

Success

Two weeks and a day in and I am down twenty pounds! And I am not hungry. I got hungry the first week a little bit, but now I get hungry at lunch and at dinner. When I am supposed to eat. In my whole life, I have never been so succesful at weight loss. I would love to fast forward to this time next year and see where I am at.

I have a fellow co-worker who is also doing this with me. She started her low calorie diet today. It will be exciting to do this with someone else. I hope that she has as much success as I have!

My Journey Begins. . . with Pneumonia

It was explained to me that the first two days that I injected with hcg, I would eat anything and everything that I could. They are called loading days. It is encouraged to eat as much fat and sugar that you can possible hold. I know! What a way to start a diet! As I said, I don't know exactly the science behind this but I was sure willing to give it a try. So, with much anticipation, I awoke Sunday morning, with a sore throat I might add, and gave myself my first injection. We had plans to meet my mother-in-law for breakfast at Cracker Barrel, where I intended to eat to great capacity. By the time we left the restaurant, I new that I had a bad sinus infection, and by that afternoon I was flat on my back. And on a day that I was supposed to be focused on eating! I tried to force myself as much as I could. The next day, I felt even worse, still trying to eat, and I had to go to work. By then end of the day, I told my boss that I would not be there the following day, that I had to go to the doctor.

Contagious pneumonia, the diagnosis is. And with a warning not to go back to work for the rest of the week and for goodness sake, don't give it to your daughter. Meanwhile, I am supposed to be preparing these very specific meals that I don't even feel like eating because I felt that bad. I may have never been that sick in my life. Scott helped me out immensly. Not only was he Savannah's only caregiver for the week, he prepared food for me and just did everything that needed to be done. And keeping Savannah out of my room was a chore in itself. Especially at bedtime, because she always wants me at bedtime. But, she survived, Scott survived and so did I. It took about a week and I am feeling much better.

Meanwhile though, as my body was at work, in that week while diligently giving myself my shots, I lost 14 pounds. In a week! And the doctor tells me that it is not water, it is fat. Visceral fat, which is the unwanted unneeded fat, not structural fat that we need. I am taking his word for it, but I am thrilled. I hope that at the end of forty days I will be down fifty pounds. That is my hope. All I can do is everything that I have been told, and we will see where I wind up.

And so, I continue on my journey, feeling much better now. I am changing my life and hopefully those around me as I go.

New Lease on Life

My life will be changing for the better soon. I am taking major action with my health. I have to make drastic changes, as I am now 150 pounds overweight. I have been for a long time and I am so over it. I will be blogging about my journey for my own sake. Others may join me for the ride!

About six weeks ago, one of my friends came into the bank and I had noticed that she had lost a lot of weight and I wanted to know how she had done it. She told me that she had been seeing a doctor that was giving her hcg shots (the pregnancy hormone) and eating organically. My friend, is also a filmmaker and she suddenly tilted her head and looked at me and asked me if I would be interested in being a case study in her documentary that she was making about the diet. All expenses paid.

Can I just say that at that moment, I felt as though God had handed me a gift straight from heaven. I immediatley said yes. I didn't have to think about it. I have to give myself shots everyday, but I don't even care. I need drastic intervention to take care of my health.

So, Tuesday I met my friend at the diet Doctor (Dr. Rodgers) and had my first consultation. He is so nice, and so are everyone that works at the office. They gave me the first month of medicene and injectors and explained the diet to me and everything that I needed to know and do/don't . I could hardly wipe the smile off of my face when I was leaving the office. I feel as though I have been handed a second chance at life. I start my first shot on Sunday the 26th. I can't wait.

Family Vacation

Tuesday, September 7 our family, plus Nana, left for our trip to Myrtle Beach. We were all very excited, as you might expect. Having lived there, we know our way around and have lots of friends that we were excited to see. We arrived at the Coral Beach Resort at about 3pm and checked in. After unloading, we went to Wal-Mart to buy some groceries and got settled in for the week.
Wednesday, Scott went to see his friends that he used to work with and Savannah and I went to see mine. My friend Rebecca was coming to meet us at the hotel to spend the afternoon on the beach with us and go to dinner. We had a great afternoon on the beach with her, even though I got a tad sunburned. Savannah had a blast in the ocean and playing with other kids. That night we got ready and went to eat at Joe's Crab Shack which was great as always and then went to Build-A-Bear Workshop, where we waited in line FOREVER! Finally we left with the ICarly bear, stuffed and loved and dressed in an ICarly outfit, to the tune of $40.00. Oh well, what is vacation for?!
Later that evening, Judy, Savannah and I were on the balcony listening to karaoke when Savannah decided to go inside. She didn't realized that the sliding glass door was closed and she slammed into it hard! I thought she had broken her nose. Anyway she fell back and was crying and I carried her to bed and she seemed to be okay. The next morning she woke up crying and saying that her foot hurt. It was swollen and she wouldn't step on if for anything. We ended up in urgent care and spent most of the day, with the end result being that she was in a boot and a wheelchair and couldn't stand on her foot until we got back home to see a specialist. But at least it wasn't broken! Thank God!
So, we set about making the most of our time. She actually was quite patient and really enjoyed the attention she got. She was able to get in the pool several times, and she rode the rides at the carnival. And boy has she enjoyed that wheelchair. She wants to go everywhere in it! Even to the bathroom.
Friday night, Scott and I had date night and we went to Crabby Mike's for crab legs. It was wonderful. Haven't been there for three years and I thouroughly enjoyed it. After we ate, we went to visit Missy and Damon and there little girl Hallie, who we hadn't seen in three years as well. It was great catching up with them.
Saturday was a really full day, as it was our last. We swam, and then went to visit Kevin, Candy and Talon. Afterward we visited with MaryLou and Chris for a few minutes. Then we went to Broadway and shopped around for a little bit and let Savannah ride the carnival rides. Afterward she went on a shopping spree at the Disney store and spent almost all of her vacation money that she had saved. After eating at Cheeseburger in Paradise we called it a night.
Sunday we came home and boy was I glad to be home. This has been our most challenging vacation ever, but we still made the best of it. It is still my favorite time of the year!

Wedding Weekend

Thursday, I left work at three and Savannah and I headed down the road to Lexington, South Carolina. Travel went rather smoothly until I hit Asheville right at rush hour and with road work going on, well, you get the picture. We got to our hotel at around 8:30. We made our way to our room, which was very comfy and nice and settled in for the evening.

Friday, at breakfast in the lobby, I ran into all my cousins from Alabama and my aunt Donna and uncle David. It was so good to see them. It seems like forever since I had talk to them. After breakfast, mom and I went to get a pedicure and Dad and Savannah met us at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. They have got awesome lunch specials! After lunch we went back to the hotel and went swimming. Savannah loves the pool. Friday evening, we all got dressed up and went to the rehearsal dinner, at which Savannah would eat nothing except chocolate cake. It was REALLY good chocolate cake. We had prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, squash casserole, steamed asparagus, salad, and mashed potatoes. It was delicious. It was kind of relaxed and we were able to visit with other family members.

Saturday, we went to Fatz for lunch and didn't get back to go swimming until 2:00 which was kind of dissapointing because Savannah had been wanting to swim with her cousins and they were packing up to leave at that point. But we still hung out at the pool with Mitch, Brian, Domini, and Donna and mom for a while. Savannah played in the pool till I dragged her out of it. After all we did need bath and showers before the big event!

THE BIG EVENT! was bigger than pretty much anything I have ever seen. There were over 800 people in attendance. The ceremony was gorgeous and the reception was over the top. We actually ended up leaving really early though because I was terrified that Savannah was going to get lost from me in the great throng of people. You can just turn around and she will disappear. Raegen looked gorgeous though and I am happy that she had her dream. After getting back to the hotel, Domini, Mitch, Corky, Brian, Chelsea and I all went to Applebee's while our parents babysat for a few hours. We had a great time catching up. The one bad thing about such large events is that I didn't even get to say hello to my cousin that got married, or her parents. That made me sad, because I love them very much and I don't know when I will see them next.

The ride back to Virginia on Sunday was not even overly long and mundane. It actually went by very quickly. Just hate that it had to end so quickly and that I have to get back to work. For this week anyway. Next week, I am headed to the beach!!

Visiting

Well, after a flurry of cleaning and getting the spare room ready, my parents arrived on Saturday. Surprisingly, it is still quite clean and it is now Tuesday afternoon. This has been of course, thanks to the effort of everyone.

We are having a great visit. Saturday, we had dinner and just hung out talking and visiting with each other. Savannah of course, wanted Granny to climb up and down the stairs about a thousand times to her room. She had out Hi-Ho Cherry-O! and Chutes and Ladders and Cootie! and all other games that are anywhere in the vicinity of being near our residence. She found them.

Sunday, we went to church and out to lunch at Los Arcos. After, we went home and rested and watched a little TV and just had a relaxing afternoon.

Monday, mom and dad had a day to themselves while Scott and I went to work and Savannah went to her first day of preschool. After supper last night we watched "Horton Hears A Who" and when Savannah went to bed, mom and dad watched "Kingdom Come" and laughed like hyenas. They laughed so loud that Savannah was having a hard time getting sleep. She kept saying, "What in the world is going on down there?"

So, today I am at work (you can tell I am working really hard, huh?), and Granny and Granddaddy have taken Savannah out for a day of fun. They went out for breakfast at the IHOP and then went shoe shopping. The last that I heard, they were at Sugar Hollow Park playing on the playground and getting ready to go on a hike. I also know that a visit to the Ice Cream Stop is on the agenda. Makes me wish that I was off work today! I am glad that she is having the opportunity to spend time with her grandparents.

Thankfully it is only Tuesday and we still have until Sunday till we have to say good bye. We are having a really great visit!

Oh! The Anticipation

They say that the most exciting thing about vacation is the anticipation of it, and I do believe that is true. I find myself almost wishing my life away for at least one month before anything exciting comes up. The next few weeks are going to be exciting at the Rhea household.

My parents are coming for a visit on Saturday and they are staying until Thursday. Savannah is so excited to see her Granny that it is about to drive her crazy. She hasn't seen Granny since the end of April when we went to visit them. My dad came for a short visit later in May, so we have seen him since, but it has been a long time since we have seen my mom. Four months to a four year old seems like forever.

Then, on Thursday, we are leaving (my parents, Savannah and I) for Lexington, SC to attend my cousin Raegen's wedding weekend extravaganza. I am so excited to get away for a few days and spend it with aunts, uncles and cousins. We are all staying at the same hotel, so our kids will be swimming and playing and having a ball together. That with the rehearsal dinner and wedding, will make for a fun, memorable and busy weekend.

Then, Savannah and I will come home and go to school and work for one week and then. . . off to the beach we go. Scott, Savannah and I will pick up Nana and head to Myrtle Beach for a week, where amidst all the touristy things that we love to do, and swimming and relaxing, I will feel at home, because it was once my home. I will visit some of my dearest friends and cry that I can't see them more often. We will go to Build-A-Bear and build a ridiculously overpriced stuffed animal and not bat an eye. I will pay ten dollars for tickets for my daughter to ride three rides at Broadway at the Beach and it will be over in five minutes. And I will love every second of it.
And so will she. Can you feel my anticipation building?

And then we will come home, and it will be over, and I am not anticipating that!