Getting Over the Plateau!

As you may know, I've been trying to work off the weight I gained when I got pregnant and it's been more than a year and a half since Toby was born.

I've been stuck in the 120's for almost a whole year, stuck on a weight plateau that has been extremely frustrating. And it doesn't help that I really like food and I have a hard time controlling my food intake at dinner time.

So one day about 3 weeks ago, I had this idea to write my goal on my hand, to see it whenever I would reach for food. Well, it worked! I would get a craving for a big bowl of ice cream and I would see my goal on my hand and I would change my mind. Also at this time I decided to try writing down what I ate and trying to figure out how many calories. I found out that when I gave in to the cravings, I would eat near 2000 calories!! That was an eye-opener.

Now I'm finally getting over this weight plateau and I'm only 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight!

Snake!

While I was out jogging today, I happened to look down and right at that spot was a snake! Makes me wonder how many snakes I have ran by without noticing them. I stopped and turned around and got a shot of the snake before it slithered away.

Anyone out there know what kind of snake it was? Can you tell by the picture? I would be interested to find out...

At the Splash Park-

There is a Splash Park within jogging distance and I took Toby there today.

At first he just stood there staring, but once I walked with him through a fountain, he got the hang of it.

Pretty soon, he was having a blast!

We both enjoyed ourselves so much, that I plan to take Toby there twice a week. And I'll be sure to bring Toby's swim trunks next time!

I'm already looking forward to that next time!

Disregard Last Post...

Well, Greg this morning just figured out how to put any photo of ours as the background of the blog-

So, that's what we'll do! We'll display our own work ...

And the Winner Is (for now)...

This background!

And that is not a marijuana leaf on the right side, just to reassure anyone worried.

I went through so many designs and websites. I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for and many came close, but in the end I decided I couldn't live with a design that was only on one side of the screen (which ruled out the nice globe design I found), or with something too dark or too simple, and I couldn't live with something that Greg commented on (..."that one looks like a Highway to Heaven scene"...).

For now I want a spring background and this one was the winner. Probably in the fall I'll want to change it again, something less bright.

Looking for a new template-

I've spent most of this morning looking for a new template to replace the standard Blogspot ones and so far, the ones we like are the ones that need to be downloaded (which I don't know how to do) instead of the xml codes to paste in (which I know how to do).

Can anyone suggest any good websites or ideas? We would love a template with an Old-World feel to it (maps, parchment paper, etc), a lightning or desert design, or maybe a neat desk look.

Anyways, I'm going to keep searching for a good one so stay tuned...

Stake 5k-

I love the Stake we are in! Weight-training and yoga classes, running groups, and every year they do a 5k race.

Greg rode his bike while I ran with Toby in the stroller. The first half was all uphill! As usual, I started running too fast so I was breathing heavily the whole time. Greg was so sweet, he got me cups of water along the way.

There was a little kid who was walking, but anytime I got close to passing him, he would sprint away. I guess he didn't want to be beat by an old lady with a stroller! The finish was a blur; I was dodging traffic and I had forgot where they said the finish line was supposed to be.

In the end, I tied my record of 33 minutes (I probably would have gone faster if I hadn't been pushing a stroller though) and an 11-yr old beat me at the finish line. After the race we had a good time eating bananas and chatting with ward members. Greg's hoping the next race will be a "Tour De Donut" and he'll explain it to you if you ask, but it sounds hilarious. I hope they do!

Our Own Little Zorro!

Yes, our own little "Zorro" carved his initial into his daddy's forehead!

Actually the two scratches happened on different days. It's just a big coincidence that they form a "T" for Toby.... or is it?? We may never know...

Pocket Watch Drawing

Sometimes I get in the mood to draw-

I drew this from a photo of Joseph Smith's pocket watch in the Ensign-

Remember Sony Walkmans?

Did I already post this? I don't remember. Oh well...

I got this phone awhile ago and at first I hated it. I ordered a flip phone and this one came instead and if anyone knows me, they know I don't like slider style phones. I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting another phone so Greg bought a 2 gig memory for it and I decided to keep it.

I'm glad I did because it turns out, this phone is perfect for running! It has a great setup for music (the phone is called Sony Walkman) and it has an application to track running time, distance, and even speed. It also graphs everything to track progress, and even gives out medals for goals completed!

Like every phone I get, I wanted to add a personal touch so I glued on some gems for fun.

Lift Where You Stand-

I made this for Greg at Christmas, but I wasn't able to put the photo on Plattspot until now.

I was going to make the plaque from scratch, but there was a sale at Hobby Lobby of wall hangings so I just bought one with the shape I liked and I painted over it.

It says, "Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand" from the talk by Dieter Uchtdorf at the fall 2008 General Conference. Greg was so moved by his talk that I decided to put the quote on a plaque for him.