It’s January 2009! Yeah! It’s that time of year for Goals, especially those of the weight-loss nature – drat! We both know that Weight Watchers works (say that three times fast) and we’ve done it before. However, this past fall Shawna had to have three different surgeries on her legs to remove varicose/damaged veins. She hasn’t been able to exercise since her first surgery in October, and won’t be able to start until a month after her last surgery in February. (Sterling was very sympathetic (or apathetic) and decided to also not work out until Shawna could again.)
So, in the meantime, it’s strictly calorie control – no fun. Shawna is tenacious – she’s an animal! Whatever she sets her mind to, she does! She’s already lost 8 percent of her body weight, and she looks yummy! Sterling has lost over 12 pounds, but it’s only 5 percent of his body weight.
This past week, Shawna got the early go-ahead from her Doc, and we’ve started running and exercising. Theoretically the weight will plateau for a little bit (since muscle weighs more than fat) and then keep decreasing. More importantly the inches will continue to come off.
We took “before” pictures, but we’re not posting them here – don’t want you to throw up on the computer… We’re getting ready for Triathlon season… tune in later this Spring/Summer to see how it goes!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Bryson's 12th Birthday
Bryson’s 12! He has had an amazing year, and had big changes as he transitions from a child to a young man. He was also ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood, and is very thrilled to be a Deacon and in Young Men’s. He is making great strides and growing up nicely! We celebrated his birthday the weekend after Christmas break, so he could have a party all for himself.
Bryson, Jamie Gallup, and Ashley ready to eat some cake!
Sandy Gallup made his birthday cake, the “all-spark” from the movie “Transformers.” (Sandy is a professional cake decorator.)
Bryson, Jamie Gallup, and Ashley ready to eat some cake! Sandy Gallup made his birthday cake, the “all-spark” from the movie “Transformers.” (Sandy is a professional cake decorator.) New Year's Eve at Disney World!!!
Ok, Disney World is our home away from home, except it’s a lot more expensive and the food doesn’t taste anything like what Shawna makes for us. Nevertheless, we had been told to go there to see the Christmas decorations, since “It’s absolutely beautiful!” So away we went.
On our drive out of Missouri, we literally drove out of an oncoming winter front, including freezing rain. We were able to get out from under it after a couple hours of driving. However, it caught back up to us, and rained buckets when we were in IL and KY. (We’ve had a lot of rain on other drives to DW too, hmm.) Then on the drive home, there were crowds of football fans all heading home after the Florida bowl games! It was bumper-to-bumper until past Atlanta. We didn’t stay at a Disney hotel, nor did we eat on their dining plan. However, we thought it was great! Our room was bigger, with queen beds, and we ate better meals (at IHOP and Outback) than the counter services at Disney World.
The decorations were very pretty, especially the extra lights they had on Cinderella’s Castle! They even had fake snow (a sort of bubble bath) falling down Main Street. (Ashley and Brandon were trying to catch it on their tongues like real snow – yucky!) They also had hats and noisemakers for everyone. (Hats – Yes. Noisemakers – No.) But probably the nicest thing was the cooler weather. We’ve never been except in the heat of summer, and it was nice to be there and not always be sweating. We didn’t feel as tired as we do in the summer. However, since the kids have school, we’re stuck with the summer visits, (unless we take them out of school…hey, that’s an idea.)
The fireworks were truly incredible! They’re like the 4th of July in two regards: they both have the same show a day early, and the fireworks come up at the same time from all around you. We’ve seen both, and they’re spectacular! On the 30th there weren’t very many people, and we had a front-row view right in front of the Castle. On New Years Eve however, they were at maximum capacity by 11 am. We couldn’t even park there, and “had” to go to Epcot for most of the day. In the evening, we went to customer relations, and asked if Magic Kingdom was still full. They said no, and allowed us to transfer our tickets (and gave us Hopper privileges) and go there. When we arrived, the park was still full, full. (We witnessed a lot of family meltdowns that day.) However, since we know the system, we were still able to ride a fair amount of rides before midnight. Then, pushing both kids in the double stroller, and with Summer and Shawna as secondary blockers, we managed work our way “up-stream” through the crowd (since DW must leave walkways open for crowd control/emergencies, etc.) and arrive right in front of Cinderella’s Castle and Main Street just as the fireworks started! Sterling and Shawna just giggled about it, since people had stood in those places for many hours to get a good view. Brandon and Ashley even got out of the stroller to see the fireworks this time, although they kept their hands on their ears.
After the show, we went back to the rides, which were deserted. (Most everyone went straight for the exits – silly.) We rode a bunch of rides until just after 1 am, and decided the kids were getting tired. As we excited the park, there were still hordes of people waiting to board the ferry and monorails to leave. So we walked a short distance to the Contemporary hotel, boarded the next monorail, and left without any wait! I think our DW experiences are much different, and happier, than the average tourist, which is probably why we keep going back…
Look we’re actually wearing jackets! It was beautiful weather! You can also see the fake snow (the white spots in the photo) falling around us. It was an artificial winter wonderland with my sweetie pie!
Ashley and Brandon like the fireworks, but they don’t care for the noise. Summer helped out a lot, and we were very excited she was able to come with us this year.
Three beautiful girls, having a party and hanging out at the home of a Million Dreams. Depends on who you’re with, I’d say. My dreams have already come true!
On our drive out of Missouri, we literally drove out of an oncoming winter front, including freezing rain. We were able to get out from under it after a couple hours of driving. However, it caught back up to us, and rained buckets when we were in IL and KY. (We’ve had a lot of rain on other drives to DW too, hmm.) Then on the drive home, there were crowds of football fans all heading home after the Florida bowl games! It was bumper-to-bumper until past Atlanta. We didn’t stay at a Disney hotel, nor did we eat on their dining plan. However, we thought it was great! Our room was bigger, with queen beds, and we ate better meals (at IHOP and Outback) than the counter services at Disney World.
The decorations were very pretty, especially the extra lights they had on Cinderella’s Castle! They even had fake snow (a sort of bubble bath) falling down Main Street. (Ashley and Brandon were trying to catch it on their tongues like real snow – yucky!) They also had hats and noisemakers for everyone. (Hats – Yes. Noisemakers – No.) But probably the nicest thing was the cooler weather. We’ve never been except in the heat of summer, and it was nice to be there and not always be sweating. We didn’t feel as tired as we do in the summer. However, since the kids have school, we’re stuck with the summer visits, (unless we take them out of school…hey, that’s an idea.)
The fireworks were truly incredible! They’re like the 4th of July in two regards: they both have the same show a day early, and the fireworks come up at the same time from all around you. We’ve seen both, and they’re spectacular! On the 30th there weren’t very many people, and we had a front-row view right in front of the Castle. On New Years Eve however, they were at maximum capacity by 11 am. We couldn’t even park there, and “had” to go to Epcot for most of the day. In the evening, we went to customer relations, and asked if Magic Kingdom was still full. They said no, and allowed us to transfer our tickets (and gave us Hopper privileges) and go there. When we arrived, the park was still full, full. (We witnessed a lot of family meltdowns that day.) However, since we know the system, we were still able to ride a fair amount of rides before midnight. Then, pushing both kids in the double stroller, and with Summer and Shawna as secondary blockers, we managed work our way “up-stream” through the crowd (since DW must leave walkways open for crowd control/emergencies, etc.) and arrive right in front of Cinderella’s Castle and Main Street just as the fireworks started! Sterling and Shawna just giggled about it, since people had stood in those places for many hours to get a good view. Brandon and Ashley even got out of the stroller to see the fireworks this time, although they kept their hands on their ears.
After the show, we went back to the rides, which were deserted. (Most everyone went straight for the exits – silly.) We rode a bunch of rides until just after 1 am, and decided the kids were getting tired. As we excited the park, there were still hordes of people waiting to board the ferry and monorails to leave. So we walked a short distance to the Contemporary hotel, boarded the next monorail, and left without any wait! I think our DW experiences are much different, and happier, than the average tourist, which is probably why we keep going back…
The fireworks were completely surrounding us! You can see the Christmas lights on Cinderella’s Castle.
Look we’re actually wearing jackets! It was beautiful weather! You can also see the fake snow (the white spots in the photo) falling around us. It was an artificial winter wonderland with my sweetie pie! 
Ashley and Brandon like the fireworks, but they don’t care for the noise. Summer helped out a lot, and we were very excited she was able to come with us this year.
Three beautiful girls, having a party and hanging out at the home of a Million Dreams. Depends on who you’re with, I’d say. My dreams have already come true!Christmas Day 2008
“Santa came! He did, I saw it.” It seems every year, no matter what roadblocks or instruction we give to the kids, there is always one little munchkin who quietly rises, ignores the warnings, and goes and peeks at what Santa may have left for all of us. This year was no different, although Ashley claimed she was trying to prevent Brandon from seeing the presents. Needless to say, we don’t have any pictures of them with the initial shock/surprise of Christmas morning, but they were pretty excited when they came running into our room while we were sleeping…
Sterling has the official duty of passing out the presents in such a way that no one goes too long without opening a present, and everyone finishes during the same round too. Plus he has to make the Christmas Bread – there’s so much pressure!
Grandpa and Grammom overlooking the production from the comfort of the couch.
Here’s a shot of the shredded wrapping paper and opened boxes from the morning’s festivities!
Shawna has the smile of satisfaction of another Christmas well-planned and executed. She’s the primary shopper, and does a fantastic job of giving everyone the joy of Christmas, both in presents, and with the love and spirit of the season!
Sterling has the official duty of passing out the presents in such a way that no one goes too long without opening a present, and everyone finishes during the same round too. Plus he has to make the Christmas Bread – there’s so much pressure!
Grandpa and Grammom overlooking the production from the comfort of the couch.
Here’s a shot of the shredded wrapping paper and opened boxes from the morning’s festivities! Shawna has the smile of satisfaction of another Christmas well-planned and executed. She’s the primary shopper, and does a fantastic job of giving everyone the joy of Christmas, both in presents, and with the love and spirit of the season!Christmas Eve at Grammom & Grandpa's House
Can you feel the excitement? It’s Christmas Eve! We went to Grammom and Grandpa’s house for the traditional “roast beast” (from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas) and Tapioca pudding.
Grammom thought the roast was undercooked, but we thought it was perfect!
The kids “hanging” with Dad. (Hanging, get it?) Ashley’s already learned the art of taking pictures and making either a funny face or hand signs.
Mom and Brandon posing. Aren’t they cute?
Brandon got the nut! He’s able to open the first present of Christmas and/or the family present, which was a snowboarding game for the Wii Fit board. It’s a lot of fun!
Back at our house, we open up one present, which is pajamas that Mom either sews or buys for all of us! We read from the Bible and also the book, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” We then set out our stockings, (with some milk, cookies and carrots for the reindeer) and go to bed with visions of sugarplums (actually more electronic games) dancing in our heads!
Grammom thought the roast was undercooked, but we thought it was perfect!
The kids “hanging” with Dad. (Hanging, get it?) Ashley’s already learned the art of taking pictures and making either a funny face or hand signs.
Mom and Brandon posing. Aren’t they cute? Brandon got the nut! He’s able to open the first present of Christmas and/or the family present, which was a snowboarding game for the Wii Fit board. It’s a lot of fun! Back at our house, we open up one present, which is pajamas that Mom either sews or buys for all of us! We read from the Bible and also the book, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” We then set out our stockings, (with some milk, cookies and carrots for the reindeer) and go to bed with visions of sugarplums (actually more electronic games) dancing in our heads!Snow Day
It was a Christmas miracle! On Christmas Eve it started snowing. It didn’t snow a lot, but it sure helps the Christmas atmosphere when there is fresh snow on the ground. We were able to play in the snow a little bit, but Ashley and Brandon mostly just liked shoveling the snow! (Hopefully they’ll enjoy doing it for many years to come.) The snow was light and fluffy (it was very cold) so we just cleaned the driveway and sidewalks. However, the best part was coming inside, and having Mom make us hot chocolate with marshmallows!
Aren’t we cute?
Look, I’m a big boy!
Cheese! Wait, what’s on Ashley’s thumb? Oh well, take the picture, it’s freezing out here.
Aren’t we cute?
Look, I’m a big boy!
Cheese! Wait, what’s on Ashley’s thumb? Oh well, take the picture, it’s freezing out here.New York City...
Out of the blue, Tim sends out an email, asking if anyone wanted to join him in NYC for a couple day visit. Well, there was only a week notice, but hey, that’s plenty! Grammom and Grandpa agreed to watch the kids; we used some frequent flyer miles for Shawna to fly (business class no less) and we went to the Big Apple!
We went and ate Reuben sandwiches at the same restaurant where they filmed “When Harry Met Sally.” The sandwiches were huge! Seriously, one shouldn’t eat that much meat at one setting. We also had NYC bagels, hot peanuts, pizza, and hot chocolate too! All the food in NYC was very expensive. Oddly, however, most of the other touristy stuff (toys, clothes, knick-knacks) were the same price as anywhere else.
We went and ate Reuben sandwiches at the same restaurant where they filmed “When Harry Met Sally.” The sandwiches were huge! Seriously, one shouldn’t eat that much meat at one setting. We also had NYC bagels, hot peanuts, pizza, and hot chocolate too! All the food in NYC was very expensive. Oddly, however, most of the other touristy stuff (toys, clothes, knick-knacks) were the same price as anywhere else.
Tim’s hotel was right on Times Square. They already had the “New Years ball” (the one you see fall every year) up in position. We were surprised to see the pole holding the ball was so short. Turns out it doesn’t fall very far… It would be fun to be there for New Years Eve, but looking down from the hotel room – not on the streets; too crowded. It was a perfect time to be there; everything was decorated for Christmas and it was purely magical.
We went to the Empire State Building, and it was really windy up there. It was however, a good view of the city. It must have been very exciting to be able to go to the top 80 years ago. We happened to ride up the elevator with a couple actors that we recognized, but didn’t know their names… We also went to ground zero, where the Twin Towers stood. Very sad. They’re building a set of inverted pools/waterfalls where the water descends and eventually disappears into the middle void.
We went to The Today Show, and saw Bette Middler (who was tiny – much smaller than what we thought). We were all able to get on TV in the background, but Tim and Sterling positioned themselves for close-ups. Their faces covered the whole foreground of the camera shot. One of Sterling’s friends even called to say that he saw him on TV (even though he didn’t know we were there.) We also saw the Radio City Rockettes for our final night!
We also went to the Statue of Liberty. While we were there it started snowing huge snowflakes! They were almost the size of a silver dollar - very pretty. We also went to Staten Island, but didn’t go in. Instead we went to Grand Central Station, Macy’s (where they shoot the parade) and the NYC library. Both very grand, but rather small for the amount of people they serve.
We had a wonderful time in New York! Thanks Tim for inviting us.
Kenzie's 14th Birthday Party!!
Wow, is Kenzie 14 already? Time flies. However, we couldn’t forget her birthday, since she reminded us continually. She had two parties, one with her friends (and she had a hard time limiting the number of guests), and another party with us.
She made cupcakes with her friends during her slumber party. They stayed up late on Friday night, having pizza and soda, along with the cupcakes and plenty of other treats. They were pretty wired!
On Sunday, we had her family party, and her birthday cake. She’s pretty excited to be another year older, and especially happy she can go to church dances and other similar activities!
She made cupcakes with her friends during her slumber party. They stayed up late on Friday night, having pizza and soda, along with the cupcakes and plenty of other treats. They were pretty wired!
On Sunday, we had her family party, and her birthday cake. She’s pretty excited to be another year older, and especially happy she can go to church dances and other similar activities!
Kenzie is a beautiful, young lady. 
We enjoyed watching Kenzie interact with her friends. She's very entertaining!! I thought this picture was interesting...how did we ever make it without cell phones growing up?
Summer & Ashley had fun playing with the wrapping paper.
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