Let's Do This Thing

                I have been hesitant to do this post.  Mainly because it is not the first time I have posted about my big plans to get healthier and lose some weight.  I have actually done it, too.  I have said I was going to get healthier and lose weight and did it.  During my hubby’s last deployment in 2012-2013, I lost over 25 lbs.  The hubs actually lost a little more I think.  Unfortunately, when he got home, it was too easy to jump back into old habits.  This was especially true because after a deployment he wants to eat at all those yummy restaurants and meals he missed during deployment.  Heck, I don’t blame him.  To be honest, this isn’t the first time that has happened.  I usually lose weight while he was deployed and then gain it back (and then some) when he gets home.  I actually had a friend at work years ago tell me shortly after a deployment, “Your hubby must have gotten home again.  You’ve got that happy weight gain going on.”  I wasn’t offended.  She was correct.  I call it the deployment weight cycle.  He leaves.  I lose.  He comes home.  I gain.

                What is different this time?  The hubby and I are doing it together.  We are working out together 5-days a week and making healthier choices at home when it comes to our eating.  Right now, we are following Chris Powell’s carb-cycling plan, which basically means you alternate high and low-carb days and get one “reward” day a week where you can eat the foods you love, within reason.  While we have been working on nutrition for the past month, we have only been following this plan for a week and so far, I am happy with not only the results, but with how I feel overall.  My favorite thing about the program is that it doesn’t require me to give up foods that I love, mainly cheese.  On the low-carb days, you eat more fat, which means cheese!  It also lets me have Greek yogurt on a daily basis if I want and pretty much unlimited veggies.  So many eating programs want me to give up dairy and I will be honest, I could give up meat before dairy. I just like that the plan is flexible, gives me options, and I feel like I am eating super healthy and not starving myself.  That is a big win for me!  The only negative I have found (and it might really be a positive) is that I have to eat 5 times a day, which means I feel like I am thinking of food ALL THE TIME.  Honestly, I am pretty sick of thinking about my next meal. 

                We actually started working out prior to New Year’s, just to avoid this being another New Year’s resolution.  We’ve been doing Insanity Max: 30 and it is kicking my butt.  We are working out 5-days a week together, most days at around 5:30 am.  Hubs is also usually working out one other time a day.  Overachiever.  Early morning workouts are not my thing, but it is getting easier.  I have found that getting up early seems to improve my energy level and motivation the rest of the day.  Now, I just need to get where I can go to sleep earlier.  I LOVE Shaun T and Insanity is how I lost 25 lbs. in two months last time.  I’m not expecting to lose the weight as fast this time, mostly because I am eating a lot more food.  Previously, I am pretty sure I wasn’t eating enough.  However, I want to make sure I am completely doing it the right way this time and in a way that will be sustainable after I reach my goal.

                After four weeks, we have our results folks.  I have 8 ½ pounds and over 11 inches, 2 of those from my waist alone.  Even better, I feel great, my energy level is so much higher and I am not hungry.  If anything, I spend a lot of my day feeling overly full.  The hubby has lost a little more than I have weight wise, which seems unfair, but he has been working out more and is a guy.  Plus, I have lost way more inches, not that this is a competition or anything.  HA HA.  

I Owe My Daughter an Apology

Letter to my daughter:

Dear Lila, 

I owe you an apology.  I am sorry for being so short with you at the bus stop this morning.  I was aggravated that you didn’t know where your book bag was when the bus arrived, but I should have handled it better.  I saw the expression on your face when you walked away and I know I hurt your feelings.  I truly am sorry about for that and for sending you off to school upset. I know that misplacing your book bag was a mistake and luckily, it was found in time.  I know that you will do better from now on with keeping up with it at the bus stop.  I want you to know that I love you and am proud of you and that I make mistakes, too, like I did this morning when I hurt your feelings when I was aggravated and short.  I am sorry. 

I love you, 

Mom

You see, this morning I had one of those sucky parenting moments.  Most, if not all, of us have them. While playing at the bus stop, Lila misplaced her backpack this morning and when the bus arrived she couldn’t find it. Luckily, one of the parents found it in time.  It really wasn’t that big of a deal.  However, I was immediately aggravated and impatient and when she ran by me on her way to the bus after finding it, I very shortly said something to the effect of, “Not keeping up with your book bag is NOT OKAY.  YOU. WILL. KEEP. IT. WITH. YOU. FROM. NOW. ON.”  The expression on her face as she kept heading to the bus said it all. Her eyes watered up and she immediately put her head down and kept walking.  Her facial expression has stuck with me all day.  I screwed up.  I sucked at being a parent in that moment.  So, how do I fix it?  I apologize. I remember that look and hope that next time I am aggravated over something simple, I will remember it and remember that we all make mistakes and that’s okay.  I’ll try to cut her some slack.  I’ll try to do the same for myself.  I now that those sucky parenting moments are going to happen.  I just have to try to do my best to fix them the best I can, learn from them and work to be better.  

WA to GA to FL to Germany....We made it!!!

View from the castle ruins in Velburg, Germany

I seriously planned to blog this entire trip from Washington to Germany, but I very quickly realized that with our time so limited, blogging would not stay at the top of my priority list.  So, I figure I will try to give everyone a quick update of what the past month plus looked like for the West Fam. It has been wild, crazy and we’re still not completely settled in Germany, but we are beginning to feel like we are on the downhill slope.

We left Washington headed to Georgia on May 30^th.  We spent a couple of days exploring southern Utah, made a quick trip to the Big Texan and Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX and then pretty much headed straight for Georgia.  Thoughts on the trip:

1.       Southern Utah – AWESOME!  BEAUTIFUL!!!  I would love to go back when we get another chance.

2.       Cadillac Ranch – Nothing like teaching your children how to graffiti at a young age!  Also, I am quite sure that walking across a dirt field in the middle of crazy winds has to be one of the more miserable things I have ever done.  It gave me a new respect for what my hubby went through during his time in the sandbox…on top of the whole war thing.

3.       The Big Texan – Food was good.  Hotel was cheesy awesomeness.  Loved that they had a fenced in doggy area.  Cory and Grayson both woke up sick the next morning.  Can’t say for sure it was the restaurant as it could have been the gas station chicken fingers they had for lunch.

4.       The rest of the trip – lots of driving, the shortest stay ever at a Motel 6 and thankfully, a safe trip home.

Once we got to Georgia it was a whirlwind of trying to see everyone we wanted to see and that wanted to see us.  This consisted of multiple trips from Cairo to Columbus and back again, a quick trip to the beach and an even quicker trip to Six Flags to see our besties from Athens and their kiddos. Before we knew it, time was up and there were so many people we didn’t manage to fit in our schedule.  L  I guess it is always that way when you live far away and have limited time at home. All too soon, it was time to head to Germany.

Cairo to Tallahassee to Conyers to Baltimore to Germany

July 7:  Get up at 5:45 a.m. and go to Tallahassee to pick up rental van to drive to Baltimore.  We would have flown from GA to Baltimore, but Hobbs, our very large German Shorthaired Pointer required a GIANT kennel and there wasn’t a flight from GA to Baltimore that could fit it in their plane. I think it is safe to say we love our dog, or are just gluttons from punishment. Then stop in Conyers, GA to pick up USDA paperwork that allows us to take Hobbs to Germany. (Side note:  This was the biggest pain ever.  It had already required multiple vet visits, multiple faxes back and forth to the USDA, a drive up to the USDA the prior week and then the stress of making sure we made it to Conyers on the 7^th by the time they closed at 3 p.m., providing they didn’t decide to close early like they did the week prior). I also spent approximately 3 hours on the internet in the car attempting to find a hotel near the Baltimore airport that would accept our giant dog without charging us 5 million dollars.  We finally made it into Baltimore at about 1:30 am.  It was a super-long day and we were exhausted, but on the positive side, driving through Washington, D.C. at night was pretty cool.  Also, I learned that the Pentagon is a lot closer to the White House than I ever realized.

July 8:  Get up early and go to pick up aforementioned giant dog kennel.  As we didn’t have room in the car for all our luggage and the dog, we had to ship it to a friend’s parents’ house to pick it up.  Thanks, Amy’s Dad!  Then, we had to run to pick up an extra suitcase for all our odds and ends that wouldn’t fit into our suitcase.  Go back to hotel, reorganize everything and pack all suitcases and carry-ons.  This brings our total bags to:  5 checked suitcases, 2 car seats, one stroller, one backpack carrier, one duffel bag, two laptop bags and 5 carry-on bags.  Kids had to carry on their own backpacks!  Since we wouldn’t all fit in the van, Cory, Hobbs and Grayson rode in the van to the airport while Lila, Collis and I took the shuttle. We got to the airport about 9:30 pm. Then we proceeded to wait in line for what seemed like FOREVER!  Okay, maybe it just seemed that way because we had three kids and a giant dog kennel we were toting around.  Got everything checked in with one of our suitcases weighing in at 69 lbs. with a 70 lb. limit.  WHEW!!!  After that we had to wait until almost midnight to hand over Hobbs to the folks to put him on the plane.  Then, it was off to clear security.  Yep, it was another rather insane moment or two.  Get to the gate, load the plane and get everyone settled for our 1:40 am takeoff.  Our plane was HUGE and had two stories.  It was pretty cool!  Our flight attendants were fantastic, bringing us bottled water before we even took off.  Grayson was asleep before takeoff and the other two kids followed shortly behind and slept pretty much the entire 7 hour and a few flight. Once again, I can’t complain even a little about the flight.  We were served two meals and the crew met our every need.  Grayson and I got a row to ourselves, so he was able to stretch out and sleep comfortably.

July 9:  Flight landed in Germany at about 3:30 pm local time (12:30 GA time).  Then it was quite a few hours of hurry up and wait military style.  Hobbs apparently spent a lot of the flight howling/barking as he was hoarse when he barked when we got him back.  I didn’t even know dogs were capable of getting hoarse, but it happens.  We cleared customs (so much easier than I expected) and then sat down to wait and find out the next steps.  As our base was a good distance from the airport and it was getting late, they put us up in a hotel for the night.  This required about a 30-45 minute bus ride.  We couldn’t get Hobbs’ kennel to fit under the bus, but luckily our bus driver was super nice and allowed him to ride on the bus with us.  We got to the hotel, had an awesome German meal at their restaurant and got everyone settled for the night.  I was worried we wouldn’t sleep as it was still 6 hours earlier, but I guess the benefit of an overnight flight and super-long day was that we feel asleep pretty easily.

July 10: Get up at 10 am to get on another base.  Unfortunately, this bus driver wasn’t as nice and we had to find a way to fit Hobbs under the bus for the ride to out next destination which was 8 hours with stops.  Luckily, once again, he seemed to be doing fine on the other end and we did get to take him out once and walk him a bunch. After the long ride, we met up with our sponsor who brought us to our hotel where we

will be for the next few weeks until we get our house. 5 beds, 1 room, no phone, but a HUGE tub!  I’m happy.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat at this awesome Greek restaurant right around the corner and then to bed.

Group selfie!!!

July 11:  Cory had to go to work, so I was a little freaked about the whole foreign country, not speaking the language and having to drag around 3 kids and a dog all day.  Luckily for me, I met up with our neighbor at the hotel who also just got here and her three boys who are a little older.  We decided to hike up to the castle ruins in the town we are in.  The locals told us to just keep going uphill.  Well, we did for a bit and then apparently we ended up going AROUND more than up and went all the way AROUND the hill where the ruins were located before a local on the other side told us to go UP…I guess we didn’t get it the first time.  After about 2 hours of walking we finally found the ruins and the view was spectacular.  We all loved it and then came back down for lunch at our hotel, which was delicious. Then it was naptime for the kiddos while we waited for Cory to get home.  We ended the day with another dinner at the Greek restaurant before settling in for the night.  Lesson of the Day:  Everything is easier with a friend, even if both of you are lost and end up on the scenic route.  It just isn’t as scary as doing it by yourself.

July 12:  Today, Cory was with us so we decided to hike back up to the ruins where he could see.  Now that we knew the way, it only took us about 30 minutes instead of 2 plus hours.  J Of course, we did see a lot more of the countryside when we got lost yesterday. It was still awesome, even if my calves were still killing me from yesterday. We also ran into this great group of Germans.  They spoke very little English and we spoke even less German, so it resulted in lots of laughter, hand motions and shrugged shoulders.  The older gentleman that was with the group actually helped Grayson down the castle stairs by holding his hand and then carrying him.  I guess when it comes to toddlers, there is no language barrier. After seeing the ruins, we did some more exploring around town and figuring out where everything is located.  Tomorrow, some friends that are already here are picking us up and taking us to their house as everything is closed on Sunday for the most part.

Castle ruins - Velburg, Germany

Huge Cross on a Hill over Velburg

This trip has definitely been a wild ride.  A little (okay a lot) stressful at times, but still pretty fabulous.  We are surrounded by beautiful old buildings and while being in a hotel in a local village has me way outside of my comfort zone, I am getting more comfortable by the second.  So far, we have realized that a lot of Germans speak at least some English and seem fairly accepting of our attempts at German, albeit with a southern twang that I am pretty sure doesn’t exist over here.  The produce in Bavaria has been nothing short of amazing.  I’ve yet to see a leaf of iceberg lettuce (gag) anywhere and every salad I have been served as been crispy and delicious.  We are trying to make sure we learn a few more German phrases every day and looking up phrases that we don’t understand when we get back to our hotel room.  We finally got our cell phones set up, but still need to get calling cards to call back to the states. We are walking…A LOT and trying to no get ran over.  This is definitely not the most pedestrian friendly area. A lot of the streets are super narrow with no sidewalks, so you have to pay attention. On a plus, though, our dog can go with us pretty much anywhere, except the grocery store.  He has been to eat with us wherever we go, which is nice. We should be in our house by the end of the month, which from what I understand is near a chocolate factory.  I guess all the walking will help to balance out the chocolate eating that I am sure is to come!  I am sure I missed 100 different details and will try to keep the blog more updated moving forward.  Much love and miss you all!

Building in Velburg, 1400

GA here we come...

Packed in like sardines!

After a few crazy days on the road and at the urging of friends and family, I decided it was time to update everyone on our trip with a blog post. As most of you know, we are in the middle of a PCS (permanent change of station) move to Germany.  However, before we go, we are road-tripping to Georgia to see family and friends. 

Beautiful Oregon

Day 1 (May 30, 2014)- After an insane day of cleaning, attempting to get everything in the car, realizing it wouldn’t all fit, giving some more stuff away last minute and then conning our friends that we gave the freebies to into taking our trash, we left Steilacoom around 6 p.m. and headed out. As we were getting ready to pull out, we realized that we left food that was meant for the cooler in our fridge.  Unfortunately, we had already turned in our keys to the property company, so we had to call and leave them a message letting them know we left it.  Who knows how much they will charge us to “clean” the fridge for that one.  We ended up driving to The Dalles, OR which was approximately 212 miles. It was a beautiful drive through the Columbia River Gorge at sunset.  After a very tiring day, we settled in at the hotel and due to our lack of organizational skills, we had to haul pretty much EVERYTHING up to our room and then back down in the morning. Needless to say, we reorganized and got all we need for the trip to GA in one suitcase so we only have to unpack one every night instead of all of them. 

Snake River in Idaho

Day 2:  We headed out of The Dalles towards Idaho.  It was a pretty cool drive watching the constantly changing terrain…mountains, green valleys and then into the desert.  It was a gorgeous sunny day, but as we crossed over into Idaho we encountered this crazy weather.  All of a sudden it got really dark, cloudy and super windy, but never did rain.  I guess it was basically a huge wind storm.  Also, on a really cool note, we saw 4 different dust devils. As we got closer to Twin Falls, we realized there was a Chili’s.  As Cory hasn’t eaten at Chili’s since we moved to Washington, we decided to head there for dinner…and then, our Bimbo (GPS) made us miss the Exit as it had been moved.  Lesson learned:  If you miss an exit on the Interstate in rural Idaho, it may require you drive 16 miles out of the way to get back to said exit.  UGH!  On a good note, we still got our Chili’s and then settled in at the hotel.  Another funny story for the day – I ran into a store in the desert of Oregon while Cory walked Hobbs.  When I came out, Cory tells me, “Hobbs had his first run in with the desert.”  Cory walked him through a field and when they got back on the road, Hobbs was limping like he was dying.  Come to find out, he had picked up a few sand spurs.  When Cory first told me that, I was sure that he had seen a snake.  I was glad it was just sand spurs.  Ha ha!  Total mileage for the day:  Approx. 471 miles.   

Day 3: Today was pretty awesome.  We got up this morning and let the kids play in the pool at the hotel for a bit before heading out on the road and ended our day in Tropic, UT which is just a few miles from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park.  As we headed out this morning, we stopped at a gas station and to fill up. It was the first gas station we ever saw that sold growlers of beer, including Mac and Jacks.  Also, we crossed the Snake River up from Twin Falls which was pretty cool. The drive through Idaho farm country, once again made me want to buy a ranch one day.  Of course, that might be one of those dreams that would be more work than I can possibly imagine it. Once again, we saw a ton of different landscapes and terrain. The drive through northern Utah was alright, but nothing overly special to me.  However, as we got further south, it was gorgeous. Lots of open land and cattle/sheep ranches.  The boys were excited to see REAL cowboys.  We also ran into the group from goldRush Rally in Salinas, UT.  Lots of beautiful and exotic cars.  Once we hit southern Utah and the beginning of the canyons, I was blown away. It is truly amazing.  We came through as the sun was getting ready to set and the sunlight off the canyon walls in Red Canyon are indescribable.  We took a few pictures, but they don’t come close to doing justice to the natural beauty of this place.  As I often am, I find myself truly blown away by God’s awesome artistry.  I am definitely looking forward to exploring more tomorrow!  Today’s mileage: Approx.:  489 miles

Tomorrow is a day of exploring, so while I am sure we will rack up some driving miles, I am not sure we will make much distance towards home.  We are planning to get up early and go explore Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park and the Grand Canyon.  A lot of it will be just scenic drives, but we may try to get in a little hiking as well if any of the trails are dog friendly.

For anyone wondering what our plan is or why we can’t tell you when exactly we will make it to Georgia that is because we really don’t have a plan per se.  We just head out in the morning and drive.  When we feel like we are a few hours from a stopping point, I start Googling dog-friendly hotels in towns on the atlas that are about that far away.  Also, we haven’t completely mapped out what roads we are taking so our plans are just pretty fluid.  We hope to make it to Georgia by Thursday or Friday, but that all depends on what fun things we find on the way that change those plans!  All in all the trip is going well.  The kids are travelling pretty well and Hobbs has been great.  The only issue is that after all those hours on the road, the kids are pretty wild when we get to the hotel at night and it takes forever to get them down for the night.  Hoping that we can get them out of the car more tomorrow and they can get more exercise, so maybe they will be better at night.

Red Canyon in Utah

Miles travelled:  1,172

Mileage left to Georgia:   2,180 miles give or take, depending on how many times we get tempted from the path, which with us, tends to be fairly often.