We Went to Mississippi, Y'all.

April 11th, Tom and I boarded a 5:15 AM flight bound for Jackson, MS.  We left the kids at home with my mom to attend the 25th anniversary of the appointment of the judge Tom clerked for while we lived in Mississippi.  We were only in Jackson a little over 24 hours, but it was worth the trip!

After landing and waiting an hour on the plane, just three feet from the jetway, we finally deboarded and met up with some of Tom's former coworkers and spouses at Mama Hamils.   I am a little upset that Tom never took me here when I was pregnant and we were living here, because I am still dreaming about the food.

It is buffet style, and being a lady, I can't tell you the exact number of plates I burned through.  

After lunch we headed a little bit north to visit our old neighbors.  Our neighbors were like our family while we lived there, and we couldn't have asked for better ones.

This was the first time we met their littlest, who isn't so little anymore.

We checked into our hotel in downtown Jackson, and then headed to the Jackson Mississippi museum of Art for our event.

I was giddy because I finally got to wrap a big hug around this girl-

Tresa and I had our first babies just a week apart.  We met briefly, then realized that we worked in the same building.  We would waddle around the grounds during our lunch break, hugely pregnant. We threw each other a baby shower (we were each other's only guests). We each had our next two babies about the same time, although I had long moved to Pittsburgh,where we joke I live her parallel life. 

After the event, we hit a club downtown where I did a shot. Yes, a shot. 

The shot was in honor of this girl (on the left), N. N recently got married to a fellow we all love. And this other girl, K, is soon to tie the knot, too!

Less than 24 hours after we arrived, we made our way to a breakfast the next morning to say farewell to the judge and to finally meet the rest of Tresa's boys.  How handsome is this crew?

Now, I just need to get Tresa to Pittsburgh...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A Much Needed Kick-In-The-Pants

Isn't it funny how a God so carefully navigates us to where we need to be? Had Tom not had so much work and the kids had not been sick, we likely would have been away this past weekend, skiing. But instead, we were here, and headed to our home parish Sunday morning for mass.  There was a guest priest.

It was Father Joseph Freedy, age 35. A young priest recently put in charge of vocations by the Pittsburgh Diocese. He was dynamic, and inspiring.  Every person in the pews listened to every word spoken.  I would have stayed longer, if he would have kept talking.  So when he mentioned he was giving a talk the next night from 6:30-9, Tom and I agreed we needed a sitter. 

Father Joe talked from 6:30-9:30 to a packed room.  That is three hours on a Monday night.  Even after short breaks, no one left early, or  cut out, or appeared to be dozing off.  Tom ended up getting stuck at work, but I am so grateful for the chance to hear this man talk about God's love for us. I wish everyone reading this could have been there.  Because I will be honest.  It has been a long time since I have been really, sincerely excited to go mass.  With the three kids in tow, and a not-so-dynamic priest, it has been hard to muster a lot of extra enthusiasm.  A great kick-in-pants during Lent.

Here is a link to a talk he recently gave:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b-5MltgR9Xc

My Whole30 Experience

This post is overdue, but even as I write this, I am digesting my whole30 compliant dinner.  I did complete 35 days on the Whole30 (I finally buckled to a craving for an Elmo cookie from Oakmont Bakery).  That was 30 days with no dairy, no sugar (and I mean not an ounce), no soy, no alcohol, no grains, and no legumes.  I never thought I could complete something like this with my constantly waivering willpower, but I DID.  Tom was extremely skeptical at first (he knows my track record) and I know he never thought in a million years this would work for me. 

But it DID. 

I started at 

Pretty much my average these post baby days. 

I was embarrassed to meet one of Patrick's classmate's parents looking like this, in this exact bathing suit, just three days before I started my Whole30:

But 30 days later, I was here:

And here-

That was a loss of 11.5 at 30 days, and at the end of 35, I actually hit 144.5 ( for a loss of 13.5 lbs). I minimally exercised -maybe twice a week. I chalk up nearly all the loss to getting rid of all the processed crap I was eating. My arms were thinner, I didn't have to squeeze into the suit, and I felt better. 

Since finishing, I have stayed on for another round, but this time came with several cheat days( 4 to be exact). I am starting over officially today hoping to tackle another 5-7 lbs by the end of March.  

Overall, it wasn't as hard as I thought to give everything up.  The weight literally just fell off the fist two weeks and that was a great motivator. The weight wasn't as quick to come off during the second half, but I incorporated some exercise in and was happy with the overall end result. 

The two biggest downsides to the program were the cost (holy cow-my grocery bill just about doubled) and having to cook every single meal.  I got a little smarter toward the middle and started doubling recipes for more leftovers, but it seemed like I was always cooking or doing dishes.  I have also had eggs everyday for breakfast since January 5th. No joke. Boy, would a bagel be nice.

I learned that I love pad Thai made with spaghetti squash instead of noodles. I learned to COOK spaghetti squash. I now have a fondness for banana with almond butter. I learned there is sugar added to just about EVERYTHING (look at the label on your mustard, your spaghetti sauce, your bacon, the turkey breast you bought Thanksgiving). I learned to drink my coffee black. 

I never found the "jump out of bed" energy in the morning, but I did have much more energy throughout the day.  So much more so, I felt brave enough to give up coffee for Lent.

I still have a ways to go to hit my goal weight, but for the first time, I had a birthday where I was in better shape than I was the year prior. I will repost another after photo around March 26th when I wrap up Whole30, Round Two.

Mardi Gras!

We got fancy around here after dinner. A little fun before Lent begins.

New Year's 2015

We scooped up the kids and headed to Seven Springs on New Year's Eve.  We stopped at a ski rental shop just off the exit and rented Patrick tiny skiis and boots for the season.  Tommy is close in enough in size he can piggy back off of Patrick's rental.  There was no snow to be seen except what the snow makers were blasting onto the slopes. Patrick headed out with Daddy for a few runs on the bunny slope and the beginner hills.  This guy is a pro at riding the lift now!

We had an early midnight around 7:00 and let the kids make all the noise they wanted after we finished dinner (a bucket of KFC!). 

New Year's Day Tommy got the first run with daddy, and Tom said it was like Tommy's legs ceased to work once he got on the skis.  At one point, Tommy skid down the bunny slope nearly sitting on his skiis. 

We read, built Legos, and played a game go pick-up sticks.

Later on New Years Day, we took all three kids to the bunny slope so I could see the boys skiing firsthand. Tommy did better, Patrick practiced some turning, and Kaya ate a lot of snow. She also insisted on having a snack and her milk cup with her at all times on the slope.

Just before leaving, Baba and Grampy stopped by.  We tried hard for a posed picture...

Whole30, Day One

Thought I would post my three meals (no snacking) from my first day of the challenge.  The kale I had with my eggs was a bit strong, but I got most of it down.  Lunch and dinner were keepers!

Breakfast: 3 organic eggs cooked in a bed of kale that was sautéed with coconut oil, green onions, lemon juice, and garlic. Black coffee. I had to get up 30 minutes early to cook this.

Lunch: fresh spinach, and carrots, with canned beets, with a drizzle of macadamia nut oil.  Organic chicken nuggets (breaded with arrowroot powder and fried in coconut oil)

Dinner: sweet potatoe with a  teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter), asparagus sautéed in ghee, and chicken cooked with extra virgin olive oil and fresh rosemary. The next two days are supposed to feel similar to having a hangover. Can't wait.