The End of a Long Journey...or is it just the beginning

This morning, I made it to the workout room at Trevecca for a weigh-in, which I hadn't been able to do before Christmas. I was a little hesitant when I went to step on the scale, but today, I made it to my goal weight!

When I began this journey on June 6, 2007, I didn't know if I would be able to make it. Could I really lose 31 lbs? I have been the same weight for the majority of my adult life, and my goal would have me weighing less than I did at my 9th grade physical. But, I knew that I was unhappy with the way that I looked and felt about myself and I wanted to change.

So, Brad and I began a long journey. We began to radically change the foods that we ate, the way that we cooked, and I began to work out 5-6 days a week. And now, 8 months later, I weigh 31 lbs less (if I count what I weighed when Ella was born, I've lost 60 lbs!) and we eat a great, healthy diet. It wasn't easy, but looking back now, it was worth it. Though let me tell you, I want to eat some Chinese food (the one single food group that I have avoided for 8 months!). I have to give a good deal credit to Sparkpeople.com, the best diet plan ever. It helped me to track my food, my exercise, and give me accountability for my weight loss. If you have struggled with diets in the past, I encourage you to check it out.

Today is a great day, and I am excited. But this doesn't mean that I can stop exercising and eat what ever I want. I think that we have successfuly made a life change. I look forward to Ella (and her someday siblings) growing up in a healthy household that will help to give her a great start in life. I hope that our lives will continue to be different!

At least someone with the last name Manning....

is in the Superbowl. Peyton didn't make it, but Eli did. I had hoped that the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre would win, as they probably have the best chance of beating the hated Patriots. But perhaps Eli and the New York Football Giants will surprise me and kick their butts. Maybe Eli can do it for Peyton!

Some Random Thoughts for the New Year

After a long and enjoyable trip to Florida for the Christmas holidays, we have returned to freezing Nashvegas (although it's supposed to climb into the 50's tomorrow). Several thoughts to share as we begin the new year:

1. Christmas is so much more fun with a toddler. Ella loved every present that she opened, even the socks and underwear! We also enjoyed the fruits of reading her a new book "The Fruits of the Spirit" in which she learned that patience means waiting your turn. She patiently waited while other family members opened pictures. What an angel. While at my aunt's house, there were 17 members of our extended family. Before going to bed each night, Ella gave a kiss and a hug to every person in the house. She is a very loving child!

2. Brad and I made it to see a movie, without paying a babysitter (which then makes a 2 hour movie a $40 event). We saw Juno, which neither of us were sure about. But, it was incredible. All of the reviews say that it had quick and witty dialogue and it really did. It is a little racy, but we thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

3. The 2008 elections have started! Tonight, Brad and I have the T.V. tuned to C-Span as we watch the interesting event that is the Iowa Caucus. How cool would it be to live in Iowa and get to participate in this awesome portrait of a democratic America. If you haven't taken the time to watch it before, you're missing out. In precinct 53, it looks like Obama is going to win. The only question is what will happen in the rest of the night and the next few weeks.

4. It's one of my favorite times of year, NFL playoffs. The Colts, having earned a bye, will sit out this week, but there's still plenty of excitement to be had. It would be even better had the Giants pulled it out on Saturday night and kicked the Patriots butt. I hate the Patriots and if they make it to the Superbowl, I might just puke.

I head to California next week for a Pastor's conference, and I'm excited to support my pastors, spend some quality time with some of my closest friends, and enjoy the California sunshine :) Until then...

A cute, but crass, Ella story

Ella learned a fun song for her Christmas program at school (I promise that a video is on it's way), and here's how it goes:

Where is Santa?
Where is Santa?
I don't know,
I don't know.
Santa's coming,
Santa's coming.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

There is also a second verse about Rudolph. Well, we are in the beginning stages of potty training, and every day, Ella sits on the potty before we get dressed. This morning, it was taking an unusually long time, and so I asked her, "Is there any pee-pee coming?" And Ella responded "Yes, and Poopy, too!" Then slowly and quietly (with no prompting from me) she began to sing.

Where is pee-pee?
Where is poopy?
I don't know,
I don't know.
Pee-pee's coming,
Poopy's coming.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

I wasn't sure whether to laugh, because it was the funniest thing that I have heard in a long time, or to tell her that we don't sing songs about pee-pee and poopy. I have to say, being the parent of a toddler is a funny, funny thing.

Does this look like a man who should be president?

An Actual Sign from the Nashville Zoo

I'm not quite sure what to say about this, I don't think that there's much to be said :)

Tis the Season for Danger

As Advent begins tomorrow, I thought that I would clean up our living room and get out our mangers. Ella has a Little People manger that a nice family in our church got her when she was born, and Brad and I have an olive wood manger set that Brad got in Jerusalem. I am not one for much decorating, my mother calls me a minimalist, but I like to get out the mangers once Advent begins.

Ella was very excited when I got out her manger, she immediately began jumping up and down shouting, "The Danger, The Danger". No matter how many times I try to correct her, she insists that it's a Danger. Not only that, but there is no baby Jesus in our manger, instead we have a Baby Moses. And, maybe you can see in the picture of our danger, there is a donkey cart. Ours is really a "stroller". I tried to put the fruit piece in there and Ella said, "No fruit, that's Baby Moses' stroller".

You would think that the daughter of a pastor and a PhD student in religion would do a little better, but apparently we have a lot of work ahead of us convincing Ella of the real Christmas story that doesn't involved dangers, Baby Moses and his stroller.