Boom Boom Boom

The craziest thing happened to us on Saturday... we were all dressed up and ready to go to a wedding in Mansfield...and we could not find the place!! We thought we knew where it was - we didn't.

We made 6 phone calls...no one answered. So what do we do?? Go to Red Lobster! It was the best ever! I had (close your ears Ryan...) fried shrimp and shrimp scampi!! Bae had clam chowder and James had the same as me along with shrimp pasta.

Oh, and the calamari appetizer...forgot about that...

Needless to say I had not eaten breakfast or lunch so I didn't guilt myself too badly.

So since we missed the wedding we were on time for Allison's birthday party! There were probably 20 kids. They had loud music, kickball and basketball - every kid's dream. Steph, of course, made me do the Electric Slide and a bunch of other dances I had no clue how to do.

Those kids must've listened to the Boom song at least 10 times. Seriously. So it's been in my head ever since.

Ryan commended my weight loss , he said he could tell. He and his friend Darren were showing the little kids how to play basket ball. Steph and I were the cheerleaders, imagine that. It was a fun night.




Ryan gave me my strict vacation orders: You can eat nothing that will make you gain anything...no noodles!

Do I look like a noodle lover?

Regardless, I will stick to the no noodle rule!

Happy summer friends.

Until next time...look in the window sill for your wedding ring and it will most likely be there :)

Nat.

Oh, and another thing!

Something else I forgot to complain about... since the 18.9 pounds have left me I am soooo cold! I am a freeze pop! I wear a sweater all day at work because I am so cold! I guess that poundage gave me some insulation.

Anyhoo, aside from that, I am feeling wonderful emotionally. I am looking forward to vacation coming up with my real father, grandmother and aunts/cousins, etc. We are going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The last time Pam and I were there, we were 12 and 13 years old. It was so much fun. Jr. (my dad) gave us our own room. Well...my brother Keith was in with us but we ran him out in a hurry! LOL.

Until next time...Keep singing...

Natalie

Doesn't make sense...

I am triple disappointed.

Well, I got on the scales...I lost 1.4 pounds. So, I am getting close to 20. I decided I am not telling Ryan until I hit 20 - he is getting tired of hearing about me losing something when I'm not working out LOL. I wore a pair of pants today that I haven't worn in forever and they are extra loose...so that's awesome. However...

...I went to Dunkin' Donuts to get my most favorite Cinnamon Latte (sweetened) and I thought heck, I might as well get a blueberry cake donut...

So, I did...

...and I took 2 bites... it tasted horrible. Too incredibly sweet. I tried to force feed myself and I gagged.

So, now I don't like sweets?? I quit eating junk and now I don't like junk?? What the heck is that all about?? I am not happy in the least about this.

Last night I got several texts from Ryan wanting to know my next work out ETA. We firmed that up and he is raring to go. I still have a crazy back ache! He has been working with my uncle Steve up at his office and he lets Ryan work on him. So I am going to let Ryan work on my back. If he's good enough for uncle Steve, he's good enough for me.

I guess one good thing about working out again is that it will give me an appetite. I haven't hardly eaten much because I'm not just feelin' it.

Before I close, I must report my YAHTZEE victory!! Last night Schwen came over and when it started to storm...lots of lightening and pounding thunder...I had to get out the dice! I used to always make her play Yahtzee. I love it! I did beat her two out of three games and on the first game I got a YAHTZEE! with 6's. I was thrilled. Jamie and Wendy looked at me like I was crazy because I do tend to get a little wound up.


Oh well. They think that's bad they should see me in Vegas.

Until next time...

N.

100% Pure Adrenaline

Confession: I starved for two days so I could eat Bailey Lakes Pizza last night. I wolfed down two pieces and almost threw up. I was so disappointed. Although, I did get on the scales this morning and I am....negative 17.5.

Clothes are getting loose, things are looking sloppy. I guess I will just have to go on a shopping spree! Darn!

I have been working on a list this summer. It's my Bucket List. You know, all the things I am going to do before I kick the bucket. Some things are completed, some in progress, some not even started yet!

NATALIE'S BUCKET LIST:
1. Sky diving. - in progress. I have the phone number to call and I am doing that soon.

2. Scuba Diving Certification - in progress.

3. Finish up my bachelor's degree.

4. Go to an Indians game ALONE (so I can pay attention) and score the entire game and sit RIGHT behind the plate. (I love to hear the ball hit the mit).

5. Visit the Statue of Liberty (been to NYC 2x and still have yet to do this).

6. See another Broadway production.

7. Go to Vegas with Wendy Lou, Jenny & Coby.

8. Swim with dolphins w Patti. (no sharks!)

9. Get my very own jet ski. (preferably purple)

10. Camp at Dad's this summer with all the grand kids - in progress.

11. Visit all the waterfalls in Ohio - two down, several to go.

12. Meet Brady Quinn (and hug him and ... sorry Grandma...she reads this...I need to cut that out).

13. Take a Winnebago trip out west for the WHOLE summer.

14. Go to Michigan with Jenny and Kattie.

15. Build a snowman with a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal. (seriously).

16. Take Baeleigh to American Girl New York and let her get WHATEVER she wants - in progress.

17. Go to Kings Island with Maddie & Gigi.

18. Scrapbook with Kerri Rae, Gigi and Wendy Lou all at the same time. (Thank the Lord there is no deadline on this list other than my death).

19. Take Bae to Niagara Falls.

20. Be in another play.

21. Girls trip with Leasey, Steph and Marla Lynn.

23. Surprise trip to Chicago with Amber.

24. Own a motorcycle. - in progress.

25. Buy a camper (with a shower and air conditioning, of course).

26. Finish my book...and get it published!

27. Get my poetry published.

28. Dance in the pouring down rain.

29. Go to China with Missie, Kieran, Debbie and Baeleigh for an orphanage mission's trip.

30. Find the thief that stole our television - in progress. (Smith & Wesson are on watch...)

31. Get all my junk out of the old house - in progress!

32. Lay on the beach for a few days - in progress.

33. Learn to ski.

34. Tour Europe.

35. Go to my friend Jim's wedding.

36. Kidnap my girlfriends unexpectedly and take them on a trip.

37. Get a milkshake and cheese stix at the Green Camp Dairy Bar.

38. Sing at my sister's wedding.

39. Have a summer car (of course a convertible).

40. Go golfing with dad.

41. Visit Wendy in Washington State.

42. Take Jamie to Aruba.

43. Go w/ Grannie and the Mullins' to Gatlinburg - in progress.

44. Vacation in the Florida Keys.

45. Never go to Disney World in the Summer again! - in progress!

46. Have my own barn with a horse, a billy goat and a pot belly pig.

47. Get a go cart.

48. Learn a second language.

49. Make amends with everyone that I need to make amends with.

50. Love and live like I've never loved or lived before...- in progress.

Where did the TV go??

After last week's killer workout, I have still been recovering with a back and foot injury.

But I lost another pound so I am not worrying about it. Currently at minus 16.

Jamie and I built a deck on the new house over Memorial Weekend. Actually, Jamie and his Dad did most of the work, I just drilled the fastener things. We invested in an awesome hidden fastener system so there are no screws on the top ( and I am reluctant to say "we" because really it was Jamie's idea.)


Anyhoo, we also bought a nice big outdoor fireplace that has a foresty theme.



Every night we have a fire and generally a marshmallow...or two...or three...

The only bad thing...we noticed the wood on the deck was getting a little brown from the heat so we decided to get some stone pavers at Menard's when we went to get the deck railing...

On Sunday, aka Father's Day, we went to eat with Roger and Christa after church and then headed to Mansfield. We got home around 7:00 p.m. We were carrying pavers from the garage through to Kitchen to the deck...and then after passing through 4 or 5 times, Jamie looked over in the living room and said....

"The T.V. is gone!"

And that, it was. Some crook came in our house while we were gone that afternoon and took our 50" plasma. They left the Wii and thank you Jesus they left my Dyson vacuum.

So, now that the T.V. is gone, we spend even MORE time out by the fire! Jamie is cussing about the T.V. being gone, but that is beside the point.

I'm not mad at the crooks...God knows who, what and where they are! And I am clinging to: "Do not take revenge but leave room for God's wrath." Not that my wrath isn't as hateful (probably more) but I have made a personal goal of not wasting my time and energy on worthless people.

At any rate, if you see my T.V., don't tell Jamie because I like him sitting with me out by the fire :)

NRP

I hit 15!

I had to text Ryan this morning to tell him that I finally hit the 15 pound mark! All I could think about was..."I can't wait to eat some chocolate!"

Chocolate is my downfall. Chocolate is divine. Chocolate...makes...me...fat...
So, I need to keep holding off on the chocolate.

I must admit that I have not worked out since last Saturday. Ryan kicked my butt so badly that I am just now overcoming the abdominal pain and lower back pain. I'm not even kidding. I think I pulled something.

We are working out next week one day - haven't figured it out yet. But one thing is certain...I do have muscles under there -trust me - I felt the pain!

I have made some daily changes wherein I only order "skinny" lattes at Starbucks and I only do Tuesdays and Fridays. I also have promised myself to always take the stairs instead of the elevator over at the courthouses.

Speaking of which...Kevin had a civil trial on Wednesday... I got to do two days of witness prep...it was awesome! Then I got to go to Court and we won! The family was an extra nice group of people and it was great to see them get what they deserved. Cases where justice is served keeps us going through the bad days...

Which, honestly, bad days at the office are few and far between. That's why I love it!

So keep your fingers crossed for me that I make it negative 20 before the middle of July.

Hugs,
NRP

Negative 14 ~ It hurts to breathe...

It was a good weekend. Since "da girlz" didn't have appropriate funds to go on a girlz trip this year, we decided on a girlz weekend. It was a lot of fun! Lisa and I spent the night at Steph's. Marla came out after Alexa's game (in which we were the cheerleading section for 2.5 innings and embarrassed poor Lex to death!) Steph made a slide show with all our pictures from past vacation and also our outing to Taylor Swift/Rascal Flatts.

On Saturday, Ryan decided to kill me. We worked out in the afternoon and since, I can't breathe wihout it hurting immensely. I'm not kidding. We ran, lifted (might I add he increased my reps to 20 from 10) and still, today, my core is crazy hurting. Below is our pic after running 1.5 miles:

Notice that my face is beet red. Notice that Ryan's is not. Notice that I am a dripping wet sweat-hog. Notice that Ryan is not. Notice that I am 38 years old...obviously...Ryan is not! Trying to keep up with an 18 year old is nuttyness.

So, while we -- excuse me -- while I am killing myself -- my dearly beloved friend Steph is...

SLEEPING....or "cat-napping" as she calls it. Okay, to be fair, she just had kidney stone surgery - the same one that I had back in 2001. Remember that Schwen??? It was awful lying in your car, calling grandma Sharon, thinking that I had a pinched nerve in my back!

Well, I'm negative 14 pounds...I guess that counts for something...

Until next time...Rock on...

N.

Blind Date

The title is not implying the80's movie Blind Date starring Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger.

This is another story for Baeleigh...so when I'm old (getting closer every day) and gray (thanks to Laura, that will never be my fate) and when I have Alzheimer's (already losing my mind) then she will know about my one and only blind date.

I was 24 years old, on the break from a wacko relationship (ever had one of those??) and I was tired of men. period.

Some friends of mine at work, Jody and Meg, were dating and Jody wanted to fix me up on a blind ate with one of his friends from High School.

ME: No way. I hate men.
JO: Aww, c'mon it will be fun.
ME: No means no.
JO: Okay, you are missing out ...

~ magic words ~ if you ever want me to do something tell me I am going to miss out...I hate missing out!

ME: Okay. But just this once. Is he cute?
JO: You are asking me?? I'm a guy.
ME: All I have to say is I better get a good meal outta this...

~ famous last words...~

I was famished. Hadn't eaten a THING all day. We (Me, Jody and Meg) got off at 8:00 p.m. so we left Meijer's and went to Ashland to get JP.

We go to this apartment that looked like a cross between the Reptile and Aquatic buildings at the Cleveland Metro Zoo. Three aquariums: One 60 gallon tank full of salt water fish (a tiger something or other, a puffer, and all these cute gold fish...oh wait, they were dinner...) One tank that held a brown snake named Houdini (because he kept escaping) and lastly, a large tank with a 20 foot albino boa named Baby. Baby my foot - it was a monster!

And the telephone...it was one of those that had a neon ring around it...so, so cool.

As I'm standing in awe and fear of being attacked by something coming out of the palm tree in the living room, Jody brought him out. "This is Jamie." He's a hot guy, dressed in a polo button down, jeans, and has good hair. Okay, we are off to a decent start. Except, he didn't speak. He raised his hand, "hi" and then went back into the kitchen to finish making Long Island Ice Teas. (Baeleigh, don't ask what that is...that's for when you are over 21).

It was a long ride to Akron. Jody was dead set on taking us to a novelty restaurant...then he dropped the bomb...SUSHI.

What?? Raw fish? Me, who hates orange cheese and tomatoes and onions and anything that isn't pizza?? Seriously??

The chef brought out a disgusting seaweed wrap...they were all digging in...I was gagging. "another Mai Tai, please" I was starving and getting my nutrition from the orange on my drinks!

The chef felt bad for me, and brought scallops and chopsticks. Uggghhh..hard enough to grip them and awful to taste them! But Jamie liked them - down the hatch.

Finally, after 6 Mai Tai's and 6 orange wedges....the chef hands me...chicken...with a fork! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Food at last!

What a crazy first date. Who ever actually marries their blind date?? Well, I did.

And even though I married my blind date...he has NEVER been allowed to order my food for me...EVER!

There you go Beebs...how Mommy and Daddy met...

xoxo
NP

How does one cookie make you gain a whole pound??

I was down three for a total of 13 pounds and I got a little too excited I guess...I ate a cookie yesterday...Jamie made these to-die-for Hershey's chocolate chip pan cookies...my mouth is watering as I am typing this - no joke.

So I get on the scales this morning and I gained a pound! So now I'm at negative twelve. I'm not telling Ryan...I just have to lose this pound by Thursday and he'll never know the difference :)

I am a carb addict. I can't pass up the sugar very well, but I guess that's a discipline I am going to have to master if I am going to keep at this nonsense. I say nonsense because this morning when I was doing ten pound curls (yes, I am very weak, ten pounds in each hand about kills me!) I was thinking..."this is nonsense to put your body through this kind of hell..." and then I put on a top and a pair of pants that I couldn't fit into a month ago and then I decided it was worth it.

My mind is an ever buzzing machine...the thoughts are constantly circulating.

So, no more pics until my friend Schwen emails me the secret to posting them the right way. I keep having problems.

Speaking of Schwen, (my only blog reader...) Mackenzie graduated yesterday - she has grown up to such a wonderful person. Not a surprise at all since she was raised by Glenda and Tammy! They are the sweetest people around. Anyhow, at Mik's Baccalaureate she gave her testimony and she talked about me showing her Jeremiah 29:11 in the bible as my life verse and then she adopted it as her life verse "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, a plan to prosper you and not to harm you; a plan to give you hope and a future."

She also announced that she is attending Bapitst Bible College this fall and how she was excited to attend a Christian college. God is going to use her so much - she is awesome.

During her whole speech, I cried my eyes out of course. For one that she even remembered that I shared that verse with her (she was 13 I think), but also in awe of what God does with people -- and how He uses His Word to get us through our every day life. I know in my own life, I have found ways to distract me from God's Word to justify my decisions. Of course, now, I am regretting that. But thank God that His Word never changes...His mind never changes...His loyalty to His children...NEVER CHANGES.

At any rate, (sorry I am babbling) thinking of the all the kids that you and I have had contact with, many that we love like "our own" - what a blessing that it is for us to see what an impact God had on their lives, especially when they grow up and serve God.

I MISS U! And may I leave you with this song to resonate through your brain today...

We are boosters, Bibletime boosters! Every where we gooooo, people wanna knoooowwww, Who we are...
So we tell them!
Who are! Who are! Who are we???

Bible time Boosters can't you seee?? (make sure you show off your ribbons!!)

Ha~!

NRP