Thursday Thirteen ~ I Am Thankful...

1. T - For the Turkey and all the Trimmings on our Tables Today.
2. H - That my Hubby and I are not as Heavy and are much more Healthy these days.
3. A - Because I am Anxiously Awaiting the Arrival of Jessica and CJ.
4. N - For Nice November days above 70 degrees, (at the beginning of the month, when I started writing this).
5. K - For all of our Kids...even when they drive us Krazy.
6. S - For the Snowy Sign from God that told my dd not to re-enlist.
7. G - That we have 3 Gorgeous Grandsons, AJ, CJ, and HD.
8. I - For the Incredible Internet, that allows us all to keep In touch this way.
9. V - For my Very, Very good friends, (you know who you are) :)
10. I - That nothing is Impossible with God! Even If it seems so at times.
11. N - For New Neighbors ...and Not being too Near to them, Now that we moved.
12. G - That I am able to Get closer to God each and every day.
13. S - For every Soldier and Service person keeping our country Safe.

Thursday Thirteen ~ 13 Pictures of my Summer so far

It has been a very busy Summer. We've had many grad parties, a church picnic, two 50th birthday parties, (including mine), a 30th birthday party, an 80th birthday party...something every single weekend. This makes it a bit difficult for those of us who are trying to lose weight. It's not just the temptation of wonderful desserts and foods at these parties, but mostly the fact that there are generally not a whole lot of healthier choices to be had...unless one brings one's own food to each party...and that's no fun. All in all, I feel like I'm doing pretty well just to "maintain" lately.

The first half of the Summer, I didn't have a digital camera...and then a couple of weeks ago, after I'd gotten a camera for my birthday, my computer crashed. Therefore...I'm going to try to upload some of the pics I just now got off my camera. Here we go...

1. Above is our church picnic, once again, graciously hosted by the Peterson's. The pork chops were provided and grilled by other church members, and then beans and coleslaw were made and served by still other members who worked very hard to put on a delicious meal, (not to mention the numerous desserts brought by everyone to share). I did indulge in a very small sliver of cheesecake there, if I remember correctly. Thanks everyone, for all you did to make it a day of great food and fun.
2. After the dinner, we made our way down the hill to "gather at the river" for baptism. Below is the lovely little Lydia, just before her "dunking" by Pastor Al.


3. We do Karaoke the 4th Friday of every month at our church. This was perhaps our youngest Karaoke participant yet. Some of you will recognize him as Lisa's little guy, Sam. Actually...he was "helping" his Daddy, sing a song here. It may have been "The Streak"?
   
   
   


4. In June, two of my late sister Patty's daughters, visited MN from AZ. Above is me with April who is 17. I'm wearing my new size 16 capris in the pic. Yes, I have lost over 30 lbs, even though I look HUGE next to little Miss Size 0 there.
5. Below is one of me with her 15 yo sister, Sarah. She's such a sweetheart.
   
   
   


6. Above, is a picture of me, April and my sister Laurie. Some people say she and I look a lot alike, as we get older. I never used to look like any of my siblings when I was a kid.


7. Below, April wanted a pic with her 3 uncles, and they were all happy to oblige. L to R: My brothers, Dan, Mike and Bob give April a "lift" while Bob's wife, Rose looks on.

8. In August, Ray's Aunt Marilyn turned 80! Above: she is opening the gift from us. The date on the pic is wrong, it was actually 08/02/2008.

9. Below, is a pic of Marilyn with her nephew, (my dh Ray) and niece, (his sis Cheryl), and some of our children and grandchildren. Is Marilyn not the youngest, (and shortest), octogenarian you've ever seen? She barely comes up to my chin!

L-R: Molly, Sarah, with her husband, Brad behind her, Dan D. (Ruth's fiance), Ray, Ruth, me with Marilyn in front of me, Cheryl, her hubby Darryl, their sons Alan and Kevin, and Alan's wife, Becca holding their daughter Brooklyn. Their son, Brian is standing directly in front of his Great-Great Aunt Marilyn.

10.The next day, we had a get-together at my parents' house to see April and Sarah off. They were both heading back to AZ the following day. Above is my sweet niece Katie, and her cousins, Tiegen and Grayson.

11. Below: "sisters holding sisters"- April is holding cutie-pie, Elizabeth while Sarah has Liz's big sis, Katie in her arms. I think they're all adorable. 12. Above is a "Kodak moment" of my mother reading to 3 of her youngest grandchildren, L to R: Tiegen, Shelby (Connie's daughter), and Grayson. Mom's oldest grandkids are in their mid 30's now. She also has a few great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter!

13. Below is another cute one of "2 sisters and 2 brothers", my brother Bob's little girls and my sister Kathy's little boys on tractors. I'm pretty sure I have the cutest nieces and nephews on the planet...but then, I may be a little biased.

13 Random Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. I met my husband on an online dating service.


2. I was once a "carnie" (and coincidentally, so was my husband).


3. I am the 5th of 10 children.


4. My first child was born in '79...and my last one in '97.


5. I had open-heart surgery at the age of 43.


6. I have a "twin cousin", (my cousin and I were born the same day in the same hospital).


7. When I was a little girl, I had a pet chicken named "Henrietta".


8. If you have ever told me when your birthday was...chances are I still remember.


9. I took care of my grandson for 5 months while my daughter served in Iraq.


10. I have been mistaken for my youngest daughter's grandma...but have also been thought to be my grandson's mother.


11. I'm a "Veggietale-ian". I am trying to collect every VeggieTales DVD ever made.


12. I have never given birth on or before my due date... child #3 was 29 days late!


13. I HATE sports. Yes, ALL sports. No, I'm not looking forward to 8 . 8 . 08.

Thursday Thirteen #1~ 13 Reasons to Lose Weight

This is my very first "Thursday Thirteen". Since I've now lost Thirteen pounds, I thought it only appropriate to list my top 13 reasons to lose weight. Here they are...

1. To feel better about myself.



2. To be healthier.



3. To not be afraid to go to the doctor, because they'll make me get on the scale.



4. So I don't have to worry about other people's lawn chairs breaking when I sit on them.



5. To NOT get "those looks" when eating at restaurant, even when I'm making wise choices and taking only ONE trip to the buffet.



6. So I can cut up my "Catherines" credit card and wear clothes that don't say "PLUS size".



7. So I don't have to hide behind someone or something when posing for a picture.



8. So my doctor will never again have to say, "You really need to lose some weight", but just says, see you again next year.



9. So a regular bath towel goes all the way around me.



10. So my grandchildren will never remember me as being fat.



11. So my 11yo daughter is never again embarrassed for her friends to meet her fat mom.



12. To be able to get up off the floor or out of my couch without making a loud groaning sound.



13. So I don't think evil thoughts whenever I see a skinny woman.