QCDC "Back to School Bash"

On Friday, August 14, Queen City Dancing Queen had a "Back to School Bash" to collect school supplies for local school children whose parents can't afford to buy school supplies. It was a huge success.

Pam, Jenny Noto, and me!
There were 70+ people there. We did 20 minutes each of Urban Shimmy (belly dancing), Hit It (kick boxing), Zumba (latin), and Dance Out (hip hop with a little bit of country).

If you wanted to, you could dress in your gym clothes (something like you would have worn in gym ions ago). An instructor, who I had never met, went around while we were dancing and picked 3 costumes that she liked. I didn't know she was doing this. After it was over, she annouced who she picked. I was one of them. Then they let the people decide who the winner was based the amount of applause.

I was the winner! I got a nice Zumba t-shirt. I have lost 14 pounds, but why does the camera always add 10?

Mid-August

I can't believe it is already the middle of August. It has been so long since I had a new post that I almost forgot my user name and password to log in. Things have been pretty normal around the house lately. There hasn't been a lot going on, just the normal everyday stuff. Going to work, Zumba, shuffling the kids back and forth to friends houses, and still calorie counting.

I have lost a total of 13 pounds, 2.5" in my waist, 1.5" - hips, 4"- chest, 2" - thigh, .25" - calf, 1.5" - bicep, and 3% body fat. That is a total of 11.75 inches that I have lost. I feel so much better and my clothes are fitting better. I have had people ask me if I am loosing weight and it sure does feel good! I still need to loose about 13 pounds and 9% body fat to reach my goal, so I am about half way there.

Tyler turned 16 last Saturday. He does not have his license yet because he was a week late getting his permit. His Dad is taking him Monday to try for his license.

We are going to the beach next Thursday. I am looking forward to having a couple of days off. If Tyler gets his license, he will be driving to the beach.

School starts on the 25th. I am counting down the days. Tyler will be a junoir, Brittney a sophmore, and Autumn is in her last year of middle school. Where has the time gone?

Sunday

Brittney came home from Disney on Sunday. They stayed at the All Star Movies resort.

Brittney getting a hug from Minnie Mouse...how sweet!

Haley, Cat, Jordan, Alex and Brittney with Tinker Bell. Brittney said that Jordan is doing her "cheese" pose.

Brittney and Haley at Planet Hollywood...I think that is where they were.

Thank you Gina, Billy, Auntie, Uncle Doe Doe, Gumma and Gumpa for taking her with you!!!! She had so much fun!!!

Weekend Potpourri

This weekend went by too fast. Here is a little bit of what has been going on.

Brittney left around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday to go to Disney with Hailey and her family until next Sunday. She is soooo lucky! She called me around 3:00 p.m. to let me know that they had arrived. I didn't hear from her on Sunday, but they were going to Magic Kingdom all day and were staying for the SepctroMagic Parade and fireworks, so I am sure that she was tired and ready for bed when they got back to the hotel room. Hopefully she will call me today.

Late Friday night, early Saturday morning, my husband's cousin's husband shot and killed his daughter's boyfriend/fiance. From what I have heard, the daughter was on her way home from work and when she pulled in the driveway, she heard the shots. Her boyfriend had fallen asleep in the bonus room in the recliner while watching tv. Her dad came in and shot him once, then shot the tv, and then shot him again. He was on his way outside when his daughter was coming in the house. She asked him what he did and he said that her boyfriend said that he was going to kill him. Her dad walked outside, put the gun on the porch, and was waiting for the police to get there. This is so sad because they have an 8 month old little girl and one on the way. http://www.wsoctv.com/news/20025302/detail.html

Saturday I went to Zumba and then went to my mom's to help her out a little bit.

I went to my dad's on Sunday, after I took Nani to PetSmart. Of course, she got a new toy and she picked it out and loves it! I also had to get her some food. While I was there, they had their fish tanks on sale, so I got a bigger tank for the turtle. At my dad's, I was picking blueberries. He has a boxer named Callie. She is a big baby. She loves blueberries! I was squatting down picking off the bottom of the bush and she was right beside me eating them of the branches. Now I need to find a good low fat blueberry muffin recipe.

That's about it! What did you do this weekend?

Making Progress

On June 1st, I really started getting serious about my weight. My clothes were starting to get tight and I was getting frustrated buying new clothes. Everything felt like a tent. I found a free website where you can enter your weight, the weight you would like to be, your measurements, and your activity level. Then it will calculate the number of calories that you need to consume each day to get to your target weight. There is a daily journal where you can record the number of calories you consume each day and the activities that you do. I also have a calorie count book that I use if I can find an item online. If you would like to check it out, here is the site... http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/

Here is an example of what I eat:
Breakfast: one scrambled egg, one Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage patty
a.m. Snack: 100 calorie pack (Cheese Nips are my fav!)
Lunch: Zaxby's Grilled Chicken Sandwich (without the bread), a handful of fries w/ketchup
midday Snack: a couple miniature candy bars (I still need my chocolate!)
Dinner: grilled pork chop w/bbq sauce, yellow squash grilled (canola oil spray & Mrs. Dash)
p.m. Snack: Slim-a-Bear 100 calorie ice cream bar

Since I have been back from vacation, I have been doing Zumba two to three times a week. I went once before vacation. While on vacation I didn't count calories or workout.

I am happy to report that I have lost 6 pounds, 2.5 inches in my waist, 1.5 inches in my hips, a half inch in my thighs, and half inch in my bicep. I am so excited. I actually have a waist now. The pants that I wore on Monday kept feeling like they were going to fall off. I have way more energy, I sleep better, and I am not hungry all of the time. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat so that I am getting enough calories. I have also been drinking more water.

I just hope that I can keep it up!!!! Unlike in the past, I have not been depriving myself of the things that I want, like Pringles, chocolate, or fast food. I just make better choices. I will have 10 Pringles instead of half the can. I will have one or two mini candy bars instead of a full size bar. When I eat fast food, I will order the grilled chicken with no mayo., or order a burger, with no fries. If I want fries, I will take a couple from the kids or my hubby, that way I am not tempted to eat the whole order myself.

I hope to post a before and after pic in the next month or so!

Foto Friday

Camping

Last Friday we (me, Mom, Brittney, Autumn, Autumn's friend Kailee, my brother Alex, his girlfriend Brittany, and their baby Aden, along with my stepfather's family) went camping at the Asheville East KOA. This was my first time here. I fell in love with the place as soon as we got there. It only takes two hours to get there from home. They have activities every weekend for children. This weekend was Safari weekend. We also played Bingo on Saturday night. It was $1 per card. I didn't win any money, but I had a good time. The picture above is the lake. You can fish without a license, but you have to throw the large mouth bass back. They also have paddle boats that you can rent for $5 an hour.

This is our cabin. I loved getting up early in the morning and swinging while everyone else was still asleep. The air was a little chilly and you could here the birds chirping. It was very relaxing.

Here is a picture of the creek. I love this picture.

They also have a pool. It is kind of small and only goes to 4 ft, but it is nice to get in and cool off. Brittney is in the green tube and Kailee is beside of her. William's friend, Ander, is in the blue tube. William is Clay's grandson.

Autumn and Kailee in the creek. You can float down the creek in tubes. I didn't try it, but it looked like fun! Right before this picture was taken they saw a snake. I had to beg them to get back in so that I could take at least one picture. Speaking of snakes, they killed a Copperhead on Friday night.

This is (from left to right) Savannah, Clay's granddaughter, her friend Kaylee, and Brittney.

We had the two room cabin. This is a picture of one of the rooms. There was another set of bunk beds on the other wall. I was supposed to get the bottom bunk, but Brittney wanted it. So I slept on the top and my mom was under me. I had a hard time getting up there. Autumn had the other top and Brittney was under her. Kailee brought her air mattress and put it on the floor between the bunks.

This is the other room. This is where Alex and Brittany stayed. Aden slept in his playpen. Other than the beds, there was an air conditioner, ceiling fans, and electricity (but only one outlet in each room). We had to take showers and use the restroom at the bathhouse. It felt weird taking a shower in flip flops. They did keep the facilities clean though.

Before we left, we got everyone together for a group picture. This is a tradition. It took about 15 minutes to get everyone together. This is all of the people that were camping with us. We had 5 cabins, two campers and one or two tents. That's a lot of people. Not all of these people are related. Some are just close friends, but it felt like one big family.

Before I left I made a reservation for me, Chad and Nani to go back Labor Day weekend. I am looking forward to it. Chad is not thrilled, but he is going because I want to.

Tagged

I was tagged by Shannon.

8 things I am looking forward to.
1. Going to the beach in August.
2. Loosing weight.
3. Buying smaller clothes.
4. Getting my credit cards paid off.
5. Going back to the mountains with Chad and Nani for Labor Day weekend.
6. Getting Brittney's car running.
7. Tyler getting his license.
8. The economy rebounding.

8 Things I did yesterday.
1. Swinging on the porch of the cabin while everyone else was still asleep.
2. Packed up the truck to head home.
3. Drove home from the mountains.
4. Washed clothes.
5. Went to Wal-mart.
6. Stopped by my Dad's house.
7. Washed more clothes from the camping trip.
8. Grilled out.

8 things I wish I could do.
1. Take another vacation.
2. Go back to Hawaii.
3. Have all my bills paid off.
4. Get a new car.
5. Eat whatever I want and not gain weight.
6. Redo my kitchen.
7. Sleep til noon on Saturday.
8. Quit cleaning the office.

8 shows I watch regularly.
1. So You Think You Can Dance
2. Top Chef
3. Ruby
4. Survivor
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Desperate Housewives
7. Hell's Kitchen
8. Little People Big World
(Shannon's note: these are all DVR'd and are watched whenever I have a moment, could be weeks from now, lol) I agree and would also add that I like the DVR so that you can fast forward through the commercials and you can pause it when the kids are being loud!

8 people I tag.
1. (I am going to skip this part because I am not sure who to put here.)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Beach

Autumn wanted to go to the beach for her birthday, but we had to wait a couple of weeks before we could go. We had to wait on Brittney's dance recital and I didn't want to go the week after school got out. She invited two friends to go with here. We stayed at my grandmother's house at Holden Beach. We left on Sunday and came back today. It was Nani's first time on the beach. She loved it. By the time we left, she was covered with sand from head to tail.

Kaliee, Brandi, and Autumn

What was I thinking...including Brittney, there were four teen aged girls, but they had fun! At times, I thought I was going to pull my hair out!

I don't like to get in the ocean because I can't see my feet. When I was little, it didn't bother me and I would go in. Man, I was really pale! I wore sunblock, but I am still a little pink now. Chad and Tyler both look like lobsters.

Autumn wanted to go to Planet Hollywood in Myrtle Beach, so we went on Monday. We took my Dad for a late Father's Day dinner and we took my grandmother too. That is my Dad and grandmother standing in the background looking at the menu.

All of the girls ordered non-alcoholic drinks called "Finding Nemo".

This pic was taken at Planet Hollywood while we were waiting for our table.

On Tuesday, we went to Myrtle Waves. I didn't get any pictures there. We also took them to play putt-putt on Sunday night, walked on the pier and got ice cream on Monday night, and went to walk on the beach Tuesday night with flash lights right when it was getting dark. Nani went with us. Chad found this huge crab and Nani was trying to chase it. I wouldn't let her because I was afraid it would pinch her. We are planning to go back to the beach in August for Tyler's birthday and let him bring a friend. Brittney is going to invite Haley since she was in Massachusetts and couldn't go this time.

We are leaving on Friday for Asheville to go camping with my Mom and my step family.

Zumba

I am not going to be able to get out of bed tomorrow. Two girls that I work with have been going to Zumba 3 times a week. It is a Latin inspired dance exercise class. They have been asking me to go, but I was not able to because of Brittney and Autumn's after school activities. Well, now that school is out and dance is over, I decided to go. Wow! What a workout! I was soaking wet from head to toe. I didn't know that I could sweat so much. It is a lot of hip shaking. Lets just say...this white girl can't dance. I think I was a little stiff because I was worried that I looked like a fool. By the time I would pick up a move, it was time to move on. I was keeping up pretty good until it was time for Salsa. I think a lot of the time I was making up my own routine. I plan to go back because I am going to learn the routine if it kills me!

Happy 13th Birthday Autumn!!!!

Four years old.

Five years old (Kindergarten school picture).

Ten years old.

You are now officially a moody and argumentative teenager, but I still love you!!!!

You Never Know

My aunt, Judy Gray, died unexpectedly yesterday. I can't remember exactly how old she was, but she was around 60. I don't know all of the details, but I do know that she had a blockage in her intestines and she ended up with a tear in her stomach. They tried to operate, but there was nothing that the doctors could do. My Mom said her stomach swelled so much that it looked like she was having triplets. My uncle is distraught. They were married for 40 years.

You just never know when it is your time to go. That is why you need to make sure that your heart is right with the Lord and that you live each day for Him!

Dress Rehearsal

Dress rehearsal for the dance recital was today. Brittney is an assistant teacher for one of the predance classes. This is her first year being an assistant, and she loves it! That is her standing behind the curtain doing the routine so that if the girls forget what they are suppose to do, they look at her. Mrs. Lauren will be standing on the other side of the stage behind the curtain. Most of the time, they just do their own thing, or just stand there looking for Mom and Dad. Brittney is also a first year Trapette. The Trapettes always do the opening number which is "Show Business". They have to sing as well as dance. They went to a recording studio earlier this week and made a recording so that it would be louder, but they still have to sing at the recital. No lip syncing here! They just have to make sure that they stay with the recording. It just seems like yesterday when Brittney was 5 and taking her first tap and ballet combination class and now she is a Trapette. I am so proud of her!

After they finish "Show Business", they go behind the curtain to do their first dance. They tap to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

After tap, she has a little bit of a break. Then it is on to her jazz dance. It is mix starting with "Wind It Up" and then it goes into "Shorty Get Loose".

The last dance is tap again to "River Deep". They do this with one of smaller girls' tap class.

The blondie on the right side is Brittney's best friend, Haley.

THE 2008-09 TRAPETTES!

There is only one more week of dance and then the recital, but August will be here before we know it!

Foto Friday

Does anyone know what the round thing is,...

or what this is called?

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend/Tonight

I took Nani to be spayed on Friday. I took her back to the vet today because her incision was looking funny. She had aggravated the incision by licking it. They put this cone on her. She does not like it one bit. Tyler went to a ball with his girlfriend on Saturday.

My Mom and I had a baby shower for Aden on Sunday after church.

Brittney had dance at the high school tonight so that they could practice on stage before the recital. They are having dress rehearsal and pictures this Saturday and the recital is on June 13.

I usually take Nani with me on Monday nights when Brittney goes to dance. We walk when it is nice outside, or she will just sit on my lap at the studio. I couldn't take her tonight because we were at the school. She looks out the kitchen window when we leave. She has started tearing up the blind when she gets mad. This is what I came home to tonight:

Foto Friday

Autumn's 7th grade school softball pic. (Just got them today.)

May 27, 1973

Happy Birthday to me!