What was I thinking!?!

Most of you, if you have been reading my blog regularly, know that I have been losing weight and finally getting healthy...well, after hauling computers this morning I thought a hamburger sounded really good...so I headed to Wendy's thinking that in the past their hamburgers werent nearly as greasy as other places to grab a quick burger. After eating a small hamburger and a baked potato I feel absolutely miserable. My stomach hurts and I feel like BLAH! The bad thing is that I still have more work to do in the lab to get everything up and running. What was I thinking!?!

And so it begins...

--I posted this on my myspace this morning...so far the moving is going really well and we are ahead of schedule with only a few hangups...lets see how the rest of the day goes...

In about 5 minutes I start work and the moving in process begins...its been two weeks since we moved all the computers out of the lab for our new floor, and somehow the moving in process is bittersweet. On the positive side, we get our space back. I have been so displaced while at work lately that I would like to have a place to call "home" again - where we can actualyl have room to work and find things! On the not so positive side, its going to take a lot of work to get everything up and running again - hooking up computers takes a lot more time than unhooking them!

Should be a nice, long day... (thats sarcasm in case you didnt know!)

Exciting NEWS!!

All my efforts have finally paid off...I am offically in a size smaller jeans!!! While I have been able to see the changes in my face and through old and new pictures of myself, it never really seems concrete until you actually can wear a pair of your old jeans that are a size smaller!

How I made this discovery: Yesterday a woman I work with asked me if I was still losing weight and mentioned that she could really see a difference - I thought it was strange since I was wearing khaki pants and it was not the most flattering of outfits. So when I got home I decided to try on some old jeans with the hopes of just getting them on over my hips...when they actually went on easy and were able to zip up (with a little room to spare I might add!) I completely flipped out! I was so excited!! I made many phone calls and told pretty much everyone I saw at church. The ironic thing is that it motivated me even more to eat better and continue working out! I actually even said no to hanging out with everyone at a restaurant after church so I would have time to go home and workout!

I am just so pumped!

New Pictures!!

Birthday flowers from Rich...Gerbera Daisies are the best!

The fuzziest, most cuddly pink elephant from My Melissa!

Hailey trying to steal my new pink fuzzy elephant!

Happy Hailey Bean!

Jeanna and Hailey before the Greek Fest!

Yes, in case you haven't noticed, I

love this little girl!!

Thoughts...

Have you ever decided to take on something that you have no idea how you are going to accomplish it? Lately some of these thoughts have been going through my head about my upcoming trip to India. Every once in a while I stop and suddenly realize the extent of what I am taking on - of how far out of my comfort zone I am stepping - and then fear starts to set in...questioning if I can do this, if I am worthy of representing Christ, how I am going to be able to make it...then something like a random forward in my inbox changes my viewpoint...this is an email I just read and it spoke to me right when I needed it the most...so here it is - its worth the time and may just change your perspective as well.

The Piano Lesson

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a piano recital. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, the man reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part.
Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligatio. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.
That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly note-worthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music, but with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful.

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life.
Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.

Birthday Weekend Pictures!!

So these pictures are in kind of a "reverse order" due to the fact that this early in the morning I forgot that blogger uploads them in a funny order...

Ride home from the beach...I love road trips!
Me and Lindz after some fun in the sun!
The Girls!!
Hotties!
Me and Melissa after my birthday dinner
My Cindy Loo-Hoo do
New Hairdo - yes, that is Me!!
Me, Lindz and Jason at my birthday dinner...

Jason got a little red at the beach...

Another Amazing Birthday Weekend

It's official. I have been alive for 26 years. Kinda crazy since I dont feel 26 years old! Last year I kinda freaked about turning 25...you know that whole quarter of a century thing - so to combat the insane mush going through my head, I decided to have an insane amount of fun on my birthday as to remember it in a good light...man did it work! It was a whole birthday weekend of fun! Last year's birthday was one to be remembered - no one will forget the police showing up at the Preston house...

So once again this year, when the beginning of June came, it was time for my birthday weekend again. I gotta say I had one of the best, most relaxing weekends of my life. You may want to get a comfortable seat, this may take a while...

Friday - June 2nd...Kate and I decide to hang out at the pool with the kids she's a nanny for - we were blessed with beautiful weather and not a lot of people! It was so nice - I loved it! Later after we dropped off one of the kids at a friends house we stopped by Amber's where we had some fun times and interesting conversation (plus I got to see My Hailey Bean!!) THEN came Girls Night....YEA BUDDY! Talk about insane times - quick synopsis...hilarious inside jokes at Logan's, random videotaping including a highly intoxicated woman believing we were with MTV, Bounty-ing, Car Dancing!!!, fun times in the Tahoe, fun times on the roof of the Tahoe...and ending with an amazing new hairdo!

Saturday - June 3rd...I wake up to go get taped for a commercial (yes me!) and Kate decides to do my hair...I look in the mirror when shes done and dont recognize the person looking back at me! I seriously stopped and wondered who the hottie was - and whoa - it was ME! It was a fun day to see everyone's reactions...complete shock, utter disbelief and many DANG!s We headed to the beach for some awesome fun in the sun as well as some time I got to connect with God...I got many phone calls and text messages while we were there and I loved it!! Thanks Everyone!!!Headed to church later and then out to Applebee's for some embarassment - balloons tied in my hair making me look like Cindy Loo-Hoo from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But it was great fun! (Especially the car dancing...good times good times!)

Sunday - June 4th...Got to watch my babies at church - more shock and awe from the people there about my hair, headed up to the beach with a Tahoe full of people - most of which totally got into the car dancing! Then some more relaxing time at the beach with so many people I love!! We then headed to Redamak's and quite possibly the most fun of the day - the car ride! Craziness!!! Car dancing - videotaping - making faces at the other car...it was great! Then later off to nevaeH where we got into some awesome conversation! It was just amazing!

So here I am on Monday, June 5th, completely recharged, still looking cute as ever with my tan and my new hairstyle, looking forward to sharing the memories of the weekend (and the pictures) with everyone! Pictures to come...