Seattle 2010

We really had a great time in seattle!! Im surprised as I personally hate big cities. We stayed on Bainbridge Island which had a 35min ferry trip over to the downtown Seattle waterfront. The first day I took the girls over and stepped off the boat (did not take car) I was in
awe of the sights and smells. It was a short walk to Pikes Market from the waterfront. We did this I believe 3 times and once I took the car over so I could drive to the Seattle Premium Outlets. I was excited to eat as we have hardly anything were we live and nothing really good. First stop (besides starbucks) was the Crepe De France, where we had 2 different kinds of crepes, strawberry Nutella and a salmon crepe with some kind of delicious sauce poured over the top. The buildings were neat to see, especially the old ones. The kids and I really enjoyed the perfromers! Oh man, and the shopping was fantastic!!! They had a ross downtown where I bought this amazingly huge suitcase (biggest I had ever seen). I had to walk through downtown with it back down to the ferry, it wasd quite a site, but so worth it:)

After Paul was done training we stayed over in the Seattle Center area, right next to the space needle. We were going to eat there but I forgot to make the reservations. We hung out there for a day, took the girls to the childrens museum and the Pacific Science Center. I was so mad that I didnt have my camera that day. We also took in a Laser light show to the Beattles. The next day we rode the monorail over to downtown, close to Pikes Market again so Paul could say he'd been there. It was a Sunday so VERY crowded and stressful but it was ok.
We were suppose to get on a 10pm flight but we decided to go on a 6pm one instead as we were so tired of spending money.

The plane coming into Anchorage was horrible! Paul and Mercy were nauseated from the turbulance, bouncing and swaying. I was in tears holding on to Justinas and some guys arm who was on the other side of me. Paul and Mercy were on the otherside. Yes, Paul was not very fond of the death grip I had on this guys arm! :) No worries he was 50 and had bad breath:) Needless to say I was happy to be back on the ground!

You can click on slideshow to see larger pics...

Oregon 2010

Behold its the much talked about BFF in the upper left pick with her hubby (and our good friend), Andre and Jasmine. We did not want to leave them!!! We had sooo much fun hanging out, visiting and playing games. We were very ministered to and encouraged by these two people who love the Lord and desire to follow hard after Him. The Lord had us there for a reason no doubt about it:) When we drove down the road away from thier house I felt so thankful that they have been and will always be a part of our life no matter how far away we live.

Down in the bottom middle is my Aunt Celia who I love dearly and was very thankful to spend some time with her and my Uncle Kenny.


We realized that maybe we shouldnt put off seeing family and friends as much as we have! Utah will be next:) But someday Im determined to go somewhere other than Oregon, Washington and Utah:)

Bailey (Jasmines daughter) and Justina, and Mercy and Hannah.

Multnomah Falls

Were off...

Well today is the day.  We are leaving tonight for Portland and my hands are literally shaking right now and my stomach feels yucky.  I HATE to fly, for me its like getting on a really scary rollercoaster, having the guy come around and strap you in, and thinking why the heck am I doing this, GET ME OFF!!! 

I have medication but I know its not strong enough.  Last time I took 2 Valums and still got off a loaded plane, yes they had to open the door for me!  When they asked me why I needed off the plane I told them "theres a wierd guy, he looks like a terreriost."  You can imagine the looks everybody gave me.  In my defense the plane was also delayed for mechanical reasons.  Somehow I made it home:)  So I think I may forgoe the medication and try some natural melatonin. 

We plan on visiting family and friends before we head off to Seattle.  Paul is doing a tower climbing training on Bainbridge Island (the whole reason were going).  I will just have to go to Pikes Market and the Mall to kill the time:)  Were staying through the next weekend so we can do the "vacation thing" in Seattle.  I know we plan on going to the Seattle Center where we will go oup the Space Needle and have lunch and head over to the science center for a laser light show to Micheal Jackson, wooohooo.  Then I will drag Paul to the monorail where we will head over to Pikes Market and eat french crepes and truffles, mmmm.  I am nervous that I will forget somthing fun as right now I feel overwhelmed and loopy with all the things I have to do and organize. 

Im bringing my camera of course so I will take pictures of my truffles and crepes for ya all to see:) 

TTFN

Fashion Show...

Ok so my girls are very girly and love to create fashion shows as well as plays and dances. We usually recieve tickets to the events and then proceed through the security gate to find our seats awaiting us. This time was extra special as on our seats were paper and pens for autographs!

Scary Bubble Monster...

I was surprised at how insane she could look!

Alright alright....

This blog just haunts me sometimes when I have not posted for awhile.  I think ohhh what if someone goes there only to be dissapointed that there is nothing new.  So I can get a little desperate and post weird things like baby making cakes, which for me I would say is a little distasteful, so I removed that one. 

There has not been a lot going on in the Barlow home.  Paul is doing better but found out he has a hiatel hernia and now has to deal with that.  We are not happy with the doctor as he chose do go ahead with a 30,000 dollar surgery anyhow.  However paul is feeling better:)  Justina and Mercy are still skating.  Justina will do a competition this spring, she is really doing well.  School is well, going.  Justina pretty much hates school work but is doing much better in Math.  Mercy on the other hand always wants to do school and loves learning.  The other night I was trying to do something in the kitchen, Mercy was asking questions about extra school that she wanted to do and I had to tell her "stop doing school".  She loves to read and write but I think math is her favorite. 

Heffy, our dog is also doing well:)  We adopted her last summer.  She is a retired sled dog, shes about 8 years old.  We really love her and she has been perfect for us.  She has one blue eye and the other is blue and brown.

All for now.

Justinas 1st Ice Skating Show...

Just click on pic and it will redirect you...  I cant figure out how to actually upload a video that I can actually play on here, its very frustrating. 

This is why I am always scared at night to walk from my front door to my car door!!!!

Its totally looking up at me...just waiting to eat me!

Paul update...

Paul is doing well, we are not sure if this surgery will take until its been several weeks.  He really tried to milk me for sympathy the whole week that he was home!  Now Im happy to report he is back at work!  I love him but having him wonder around the house all day complaining of being hungry and not being able to eat certain things was driving me nuts. 

A friend of mine sent me these...

Little John the Baptist

Matt. 18:4-5


"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.


And who ever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. "

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed him "playing church" with their cat.

He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back To the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water.


She called out, "Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!"


Johnny looked up at her and said, "He should have thought about that before he joined my church."

All about Paul...

OK, so Walt calls the other night and asks Paul how things are going and if he has had his surgery yet.  He goes on to say that he reads our blog all the time and never sees anything about him, at least this is what Paul told me.  I felt really bad but Walt its not my fault.  Paul tells me not to talk about him on the blog, at least nothing medical or real personal.  I told Paul that from now on Im going to post about everybody in this family, after all it is the Barlow Family Blog. 

To start Ill say that in the last 5 or 6 weeks Ive hardly seen him.  First Paul had to take a full week trip to Kodiak (Sun to Sun) for work.  This was shortly after we had spent a week in kodiak all together.  Then he had to go to fairbanks for awhile, then Anchorage, then Fairbanks again, then Juneau, then Ketchikan, then Fairbanks again.  Uhhhhhhh he has been worked hard and spread thin but is enjoying a little time off for now.  He does have to go to fairbanks again sometime soon and probably some other places. 

Next I will talk about surgery.  Paul has had bad stomach problems for a long time and found out not to long ago that his flipper  or valve thing between the stomach and the esophogus does not open and close properly.  They recomended surgery.  He is doing a new not so invasive surgery that would require specialist to be flown in to evaluate the doctor who is doing this.  He will be the first on the peninsula to have this done.  He is tentavly scheduled for Dec 7th.  We really hope this helps him as he needs to get off the perscription nexium that is only causing worse problems.  He will basically have to eat baby food for 2 weeks, no fruits, nothing tomatoe based among a long list of dont eats.  He cannot lift anything over 5 pounds which will really prove to be difficult for him durring work.  I will be watching him like a hawk! 

Thats whats going on in the life of Paul for now, but I will keep you posted from now on:) 

Does anyone else have a problem not finding the spell check when their posting????  It drives me nuts
s knowing how many words I misspelled!

20 of the things we are most thankful for...

This has a little of what we all are thankful for, not all in order...
1.  That God gave His only Son that we may live forever with Him  (definatley # 1)

2.  The Holy Spirit that enables us to live for Christ  (and definatley # 2)

3.  Family

4.  Friends that love and encourage you!  They are hard to find these days.

5.  My girls said parents:)  I think they said that out of obligation or sympathy...

6.  They also said church

7.  and clothes of course

8.  Home, where we can stay warm and cozy

9.  Food, which we probably spend a lot of time not truly appreciating because we just expect it to be there in abundunce at any given time

10.  Hot Showers!  Can you imagine taking cold ones?

11.  Gods Word, should of been part of the top 3! 

12.  Justina says a bed to sleep in, I agree

13.  Mercy says school, good girl

14.  Music, sometimes it makes life more tolerable:)

15.  4wd Vehicle with great tires to get to and fro

16.  Pauls Job for sure, the Lord has blessed him with a job that is able to meet all our needs and enable me to stay home and torture the children (and myself) with math

17.  I feel very thankful for the good times that make you laugh really hard

18.  Gas and electricity, how else could we enjoy hot cocoa, mac and cheese, family movies, heat, those wonderful hot showers, and good lighting

19.  Good godly teachers that teach through Gods Word

20.  Anything that kills spiders!

118...

Since my last post I decided to do 30 injections as opposed to 23. I have done really well with little or no hunger or cravings. Today actually was my last injection. This morning I weighed 118, remember I started out 137, thats 19 pounds! I may lose another half pound or more tomorrow. After that you dont want to lose or gain 2 pounds for 3 weeks. I found out that I cannot cheat at all with sugar and carbs as it will destroy what Ive done the last 30 days. No potatoes, stuffing, or pumpkin pie for me this Thanksgiving. I will make do after 3 more days of my 500 calorie diet to allow the HCG to leave my system I will be able to eat 1,500 calories. The conditions are no sugar, carbs and artificial sweetners of course. I can have stevia. Im going to try and make a pumpkin cheesecake with it. Im also going to make a cranberry cream sauce to go in my turkey if possible. When I say no sugar Im not talking about naturally occurring ones in fruits and vegis. I will finally be able to eat breakfast! After 3 weeks I will gradually reintroduce healthy carbs back into my diet. It just take that 3 weeks for your body to adjust to its new weight and reset the hypothalamus gland thingy ma bobber:)

As for noticable changes in the way I look... My face is thinner for sure, my butt dissappeared somewhere(wish I would of measured), my neck shrunk an inch and a half, 4 inches of my thighs, almost 4 inches of my waist, yes garsh darnet the padding above my chest is gone which I guess is a good thing but it added a little extra umphhh if you know what I mean. I can wear cute little shoes that I couldnt wear before without making my thighs seem extra monsterous (is that a word). NO belly bulge or love handles! Now I can wear nice form fitting shirts without the tire:) I fit into the clothes that I have kept in a box for the last 4 years. Its hard to really pinpoint a size as it varies by brand. Before I could wear an 8 in Levis but a 10 in American eagle and most Gap jeans. Now I know for sure I could buy a 4 in levis(misses) if not a 2.

I have to admit I have not bought any new clothes because I want to wait awhile to make sure I can keep this off. However I am tempted to at least buy one pair of cute jeans as my old 6 and 8s look like Im carrying a load in the back after 10 minutes of putting them on.

I am putting everything in place to succeed in keeping my weight loss. I just read Master your Metabolism by the gal off biggest loser. I think she really hit the nail on the head with that book. I read a lot of books on health and weight loss and hers is one of my favorites. Its all about your hormones-metabolism and what throws them off and causes us to gain even when were doing whats right. I also read a lot about Fiber and monounsaturated fats which is essential in weight loss and health. But you have to get those hormones going the right direction!!!!!!

I know it sounds like I have put a lot of focus on me and this diet but I do have to say that Ive recognized that changing the outside does NOT make you happy!!!! I still look in the mirror and think uhhhh I still have so far to go. I found myself to be still so discontent. It makes really realize that I need to focus more on the Lord and not on me in order to have joy.

Oh yeah and I know I spelled a lot of things wrong but I cannot find the spellcheck anymore!

Update...

So far I have lost 15 pounds wellll 14.4, but by tomorrow morning it will be at least 15 I hope. I have done really well with only one relapse on Friday night. All I had was a few sample cups of soup and a few samples of dessert. It was a church party, we had a soup and pie contest. It was difficult mentally not to eat a lot more than I did. I won the soup contest with a sausage and bean soup. I won a $50 gift certificate to a nice resturuant!!!

I really dont "feel" thinner but Paul says he notices. I have lost over 3 inches off my belly, almost 3 inces off my thighs, last I checked an inch off my neck and I didnt really measure anything else. I would still like to lose quite a bit from my thigh area but Im ready to be done. Im only doing a total of 23 injections. After that I have 3 weeks of no carbs and sugar to stabalize the weight that I have lost, which is the most critical part of this diet. My last injection is Friday. Yes Thanksgiving falls into the no carbs no sugar, and yes I will cheat slightly:) Im going to make this chocolate cake...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481393@N07/3560662052/

Its not the end of the world I still have December to bake yummy stuff with sugar:)

Girls costumes...

 

 

Down 9 pounds so far...

Mercy and Justina update...

They are both in iceskating and doing really well. Justina is picking it up fast and will be in her first show and group competition this year. She is a natural! Mercy is fearless and determined and is the best in her class of course:)

As for school, Mercy is starting to read sentences and is doing well in math. Justina is still progressing even though she hates school and has quite the attitude. Im doing an incentive chart and it seems to be working thus far. Justina is working towards a full length mirror with a white frame that she will decerate with jewels and put in her room. Mercy is just working and does not know what for.

Halloween is coming up and this year I decided to actually buy nice costumes. They are very excited. Justina is going to be twister, yes the game. Mercy is going to be Dorothy. They are going to a skate party so I am going to make liitle red sparkley slip covers for Mercys skates. I can't wait to post pics when all is over:)

Before I forget...

Diet Update:

Well I did not start on Tuesday like I posted. I went to the Doctors and had really high blood pressure and a fever so he decided that he first wanted blood tests. Blood tests came out good, so I started on Friday. You "load" for 2 days and then you start eating 500 calories of only certain things. Loading is eating whatever the heck you want and a lot of it:) So Sunday I officially started the 500 calorie end of it.

To clear things up my scale was off (I knew this but somehow forgot). In order to give you my accurate results I must tell you that after my loading days I was 137.2, I now have a very accurate scale (well as accurate as you can get). I never was 139 I guess but oh well I could stand to loose a few thighs, I mean pounds.

After only 2 days, drum role please....I have lost 5.6 pounds. It will taper off very soon to only be about 2/3 pounds a day. But for now Im pretty amazed. Dont get me wrong, I know if I got off the diet and started eating like I was I would gain it back just as fast. Then you say "why even do the diet if you would just gain it back?". I say if you want to know the answer to that question you would have to read about the diet yourself because I dont want to explain it:)

Im hoping to back up my weight loss with inches lost so I will keep anybody who cares updated.

A little humor to brighten your day!

The boss was concerned that his employees weren’t giving him enough respect, so he tried the old fashioned method of persuasion: He brought in a sign that said “I’m the Boss” and taped it to his door. After lunch, he noticed someone had taped another note under his. “Your wife called. She wants her sign back!”