The Story of Us - Darrell & Cathy

Stop and Smell the Roses

2009-03-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been as diligent as I should be in posting. Who has time?? Although, this week I have actually left work each night by no later than 5:45PM. So, rather than the 60 hour week I normally work, I worked a 43 hour week. Whew!

So, what has been going on....not much on the Wii front. I didn't want to be told how bad I was doing so I haven't done anything in three weeks. But now that Brent and Amanda have their Wii Fit, I might have to pick up the competitive edge and start a family challenge. Maybe we could band together and challenge another family....Hey Di...Don't you have a Wii Fit?? Dianna and her family verse Cathy and her family; I'm liking that idea!

Wii Bit of Frustration

2009-02-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I spent the entire weekend watching what I eat, cleaning (exercise) and playing Wii Fit games (again, exercise). I had a very diffult time sleeping Sunday night...ah, make that Monday morning. I finally drifted off around 2:15 or 2:30AM. I woke up at 7:07 and normally leave for work by 7:15. So I was running late and did not weigh in. I didn't have time to eat at work...I mean, I had nothing but a banana, Cranberry juice and a V8. Last night I fixed a plate of spagetti.

This morning I was sure I was going to have a nice report from my Wii Fit Expert. But alas, she was rather rude when she told me I gained 1/2 pound! What is up with that??? Let's hope the report tomorrow is better.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

2009-02-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is amazing how time flies these days. I remember when I was younger, right about the age my kids are today, that it seemed time stood still. There were all these little milestones to look forward to; birth of children, first days of school, last days of school, marriages, birth of grandchildren and retirement. Of course the one I am anticipating now is retirement. Only 438 days until I'm eligible to retire! Oh, I will probably work a few more months, but knowing I can say stuff it at any time....that is so appealing!

The kids have asked that I blog about weight. Gee, such a personal note on a public forum. Here goes. I'm going to go back a few years in which I had once again developed a tumor in the salivary gland. Past history dictated that I would lose 20 to 30 pounds in a very short period of time. Well, first of all the others were in the roof of the mouth while this one was in the neck. Second, there were those nasty steroid shots and pills. I didn't loose a pound!

Six months later I tried Atkins and did great. I lost 27 pounds and felt great...for a while. It took me 2 years to gain 10 pounds back and it took me 6 months to gain almost 30 more pounds. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and was on 9 different prescriptions to deal with all my symptoms. And I didn't seem to be getting any better. Then in the early winter of 2007 I stopped all but two of the meds. I immediately lost 10 pounds. About 4 months later I stopped all meds and lost another 10 pounds. Hmmmm... In September 2008 my irregular heartbeat was out of control again. So...back on the two meds I had previously stopped. Sure enough, I gained 10 pounds in 2 months!

After hearing the kids talk about their Wii Fit experiences, I decided to check it out. I have been Wii Fitting it for about 10 days, off and on. More on than off! I think I missed 3 days. Funny, I would never have dreamed that 40 pounds overweight would be border line obese. But my Wii Fit age runs between 35 and 47, which is good to know (those of you who don't know about the Wii Fit age just need to try it out). So far I have dropped 2 pounds which doesn't seem like much but it should be easier to manage and keep off. I haven't really changed my diet too much, but I have been ensuring 3 meals a day.

Over the next few months I will be updating my progress as I master some of the games and activities. They aren't as easy as they look, and speaking of easy, I will probably remain in the beginners category the rest of my life. After all, if I have trouble reaching amateur in the beginners category, how can I every become an expert?? It's all about the balance!

So, look for my updates, take up the challenge, and let's all get fit! I will talk to you in a Wii bit.

December is Upon Us

2008-12-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is already December. Wow, the year has really gone by quickly! Thanksgiving was a bit disjointed this year. Darrell's brother Lloyd and sister-in-law, Nancy hosted Thanksgiving dinner in their home in Argyle Texas. We ended up having dinner in three shifts...first the kids and Lloyd as Lloyd had to go to work. Jay and Darrell were both out on the road having difficulty due to the holiday travels. Jay arrived in town first with Darrell soon behind. Jay decided to wait in Denton until Darrell arrived so he could pick him up from the truck stop. The women in the meantime had planned on waiting but hunger finally took over and we sat down to dinner. Finally Jay and Darrell arrived and had their dinner. Overall we had a good time and a great feast!

Friday Darrell and I did some shopping but waited until late in the afternoon. I was a bit surprised how empty the stores were but later found out the reason was because most people shopped in the early hours (whiled we were still sleeping). We decorated for Christmas and had a wonderful dinner in the apartment. On Saturday Darrell wanted to visit with his brother so we drove up to Argyle. But not before spending some time on eBay shopping. I looked for the gift I wanted to get for the kids for Christmas and having a difficult time finding it, decided to check out eBay. Pay dirt! So I spend the morning showing Darrell how the whole eBay thing works. Darrell got into the bidding a bit but I had my rock bottom dollar and wasn't going to go over it (and some people were going well over my price). It took almost 2 hours but I finally won the coveted purchase (I'd say but then the kids would know what they were getting for Christmas)!

Upon return from Lloyd and Nancy's house we met Mike, Kristina, Joshua and Kylie Ostrow for dinner at "On the Border". Afterwards we stopped at the Ostrow home for a game called "Up the River". It was certainly a lot of fun and those with the early leads ended up loosing the game (namely Darrell and I).

It was wonderful having Darrell around for the weekend but wished it could have been longer. With such little time we have to spend together, the time spent is much more enjoyable and precious. Our next time together will be the week after Christmas in Tennessee for about 10 days. I'm looking forward to being home and enjoying family!

Only 522 days until I can move back to Tennessee and retire!

Are You Ready To Rumble?

2008-11-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

Normally I would not post so soon but I must share my week with everyone. Little did I know the activities of the week would be such a special morale booster for my staff who have been suffering from overwork and feeling unappreciated in the past few months. That's another really long story....

Each day the Director has a briefing with the management staff to determine what has occured the previous day and of course any announcements. Well, last Monday it was announced that there was a CFC fund raiser activity that would include a Nintendo Wii Boxing Tournament between the Medical Center Director and the VISN Director. For those of you who don't know what CFC is, it is the Combined Federal Campaign which is a huge federal fund raiser for various charity groups. So when someone calls me at home for a donation I tell them...I really do give at the office! HA!

Ok, so back to this Wii Boxing Tournament. Somewhere between morning meeting and 4PM the plans changed a bit. I received a call from the Director's Staff Assistant telling me I had been challenged to a Boxing match by the Assistant Director. Seems each one of the Executives was challenging one of the middle managers. Now, I knew that a Wii was the newest in a series of game boxes sold in the past 25 years, but that was the limit to my knowledge. Why, I remember our first Nintendo. Frankly...I didn't realize that Wii was a Nintendo and better yet...I thought Nintendo was no longer a product that was used. What do I know since the boys are all grown up???

On with the story. So, I agreed to the match with no real information. Talking to Chris and then Brent I soon learned that this was going to be a very physical game. I was actually going to have to box! Uh oh! My opponent is 29 years old and probably owns a Wii. I'm 53 and not in good physical shape. I resigned myself to the fact that the chances of me winning were pretty slim so if I couldn't beat my opponent, I would need to put on a good show. So I informed my staff of what was going down and I was relying on them to help me put on a good show. The date for the tourament was set for Friday afternoon at 2:30PM.

Thursday we were informed that each of us had been assigned stage names. The Director was named Rocky. The Chief of Staff was named The Innoculator, the Chief of Engineering was named The Builder and I was named The Sterlizer. You know, I'm responsible for the sterilization of instruments. Ok, so you might need to work in a hospital to appreciate the humor of it all! These were just some of the names there were twelve boxers in all. On my way into the office on Friday I walked with someone who was carrying a 4 foot needle and syringe she had made out of cardboard containers and a chopstick. She made it for her boss, The Innoculator. I'm thinking, ok, the presentation war is on! So, I called my staff together and told them we needed to work together to make a great presentation. My staff informed me that I was to only worry about the match, they would take care of everything else.

The teamwork displayed by my staff was great....we gave a wonderful presentation! I wore a surgical gown that on the back said "Cathy The Sterilizer (SNIP SNIP)". A crash cart was prepared with Wade The Enforcer written all over it (he was my opponent. A Last Will and Testament, Organ Donation form and Death Certificate were presented to my opponent. And when I was called to "the ring", I was escorted by all my staff banging together bedpans. The noise was so loud you couldn't hear anything else! My opponent and I pushed each other a little bit before we put into our "corners". We were handed our controls and the match was on. Within 30 seconds the Enforcer was Sterilized! I knocked my opponent out in 30 seconds...the quickest match of the day! The crash cart was brought out and my opponent was escorted out. In the end 5 of the 6 executives lost their match.

Morning meeting tomorrow should proved quite interesting!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Time of Thanks

2008-11-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving, which leads to Christmas, and finally the new year. Wow! It seems that time is just speeding by. That's ok...only 535 days until I'm eligble for retirement.

This week Mom and Dad West drove to Dallas to visit Lloyd and Nancy, on to Murfreesboro to visit Darrell and stopping in Champaign to have dinner with Brent and Amanda. That was more than 2000 miles in 5 days! They are amazing, or crazy...not sure which! HA! Mom West had surgery a couple of weeks ago and is still recovering. In truth I hope the trip wasn't too hard on either one of them.

I went to FLorida to visit family last week. Dianna and her fiance, Jonathan picked me up from the airport in Fort Meyers and we drove to Marco Island where sister Libby and her family were staying. We had a couple of great days on Marco Island before heading for Venice. We stopped to visit Mom and Dad Beirne and both look really great! Finally we met up with Mitzi Pape at Dianna's house. We shopped, ate and went for spa services...the perfect long weekend!

Next week is thanksgiving and Darrell is suppose to come to Dallas. We are planning on having dinner with Lloyd and Nancy and their family. I'm thankful for all of my family and friends for their love and support and most of all, for helping me to find balance in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2008-10-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Good. I was able to get a few very nice days in Murfreesboro, TN last week. The days were warm, the nights cool and Darrell was home for the weekend. It was as if all the stars were in their right place! We did go to Nashville on Monday but the rest of the time was spent enjoying being home! I read some on the back deck, we had friends over for dinner and we watched a couple of movies. It was all so very relaxing.

The Bad. I needed the trip home. Work has been so stressful that I was having major episodes with my PVC's and didn't have to worry about being on a treadmill. My pulse was elevated as if I was on a treadmill! I had a doctor's apppointment on the same day I was to fly home and he didn't like my pulse. So, he sent me to have an EKG. He didn't like the results of that so sent me to Cardiology. A Echocardiogram was done and afterwards the doctor told me I needed to stick around and have the problem resolved. I would be called for an appointment. A few minutes later a technician called me again and said they wanted to take a couple more pictures. When I arrived I was told he was going to put an IV in....my immediate response....OH CRAP! Then he told me he would be shooting air into the line. I was like WHAT???? I thought that was bad, very very bad. He said a little was ok. Apparently it was ok because I'm still here! HA! Now I haven't heard the results of that test but if it was bad I would expect they would have made a quick appointment for me. Instead, my appointment was made for November 12th. So, I'm back on medication and trying to get regulated again. Retirement would help!

The Ugly. Well, it is official. Thom is in Afganistan. I don't think I have to say anything else about that except maybe....keep him in your prayers!

This weekend I'm going to a pumpkin stew dinner at Lloyd and Nancy's house. I'm curious to see how that works! I also have to made about 200 greeting cards to sell at a fund raiser for work. No rest for the wicked!

More to come later!

Happy New Year!

2008-10-02T00:19:00.001-07:00

October and a Happy New Year wish??? Well, for the federal government, more specifically the federal budget, October 1st begins the new year. And for the second time in 35 years, The Department of Veterans Affairs will have a budget immediately. Generally speaking, the budget isn't signed for months. Here is a little piece of trivia....Typically fiscal years end either December 31st or June 30...Anyone know why the federal government's fiscal year ends at the end of September? Well, many many years ago the budget was so difficult to get passed through Congress that even though the fiscal year ended at the end of June, spending was limited to emergencies only. Generally speaking, the budget wasn't signed until late September. So, Congress made the decision to make a change. October 1 would be the beginning of a new fiscal year.

Now, when I joined the Federal Government some 29-1/2 years ago we generally were on emergency spending (we call it a continuing resolution) for about the first 2 to 3 weeks of the new fiscal year. About 15 years ago that changed. When President Clinton first came into office he worked hard to balance the budget...there was a power struggle and the federal budget was not passed until the second week of January. I remember this period well....many employees were laid off and others continued to work but received no pay checks...I was part of the latter! Each year has been a repeat of that ugly year without all the drama or the layoffs. Last year the federal budget wasn't signed until March. We continued to operate into the negative...makes it hard to know where you stand when you are always operating in the red!

My understanding is that only portions of the budget has been signed and the Department of Veterans Affairs was one of the lucky departments to be signed....then again...it is not politically correct to send our sons and daughters to war and not have a veterans program for them when they returned!

More to come later!

Uneventful Week

2008-07-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a quiet week. So quiet, that on Tuesday I went to work at 6:00AM and it was 11:30 before anyone knew I was there. I picked up the phone to call someone and my QA Manager noticed my phone line lit up. He came back to my office (which is in the back of the department) unlocked the door and said, You are here...how long have you been here? When I told him he accused me of hiding....ah, yyeeaahh! I left about 12:30 and turned in an application for the VISN office. Then I drove to the North side of Dallas to have dinner with Darrell. I wanted to take him to a really nice place on that end of town but they didn't open until 5PM and Darrell wanted to get back in the road. Instead, we had dinner at Olive Garden.

Yesterday I went to a card class and made some more beautiful cards. I was with Nancy and some of her friends. Afterwards I went to an open house for one of my employees. She is a poster child for changing her life. A few years ago she was on the streets. Today she has a decent job, is a hard worker and bought her first house through Habitat for Humanity. She has every right to be proud! Today I went to the grocery store and came home to clean the apartment...very boring but a nice quite day.

So hope you all have a great week.

How the WEST Was Won

2008-07-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Michigan City, IN over the 4th of July. Darrell and I babysat while Brent, Amanda, Chris and Lara went to the fireworks. It was a rather cool night so they returned earlier than expected shivering. We went to the beach which was interesting...it looked much like Venice Beach without all the ocean shells, seaweed and other trash. There were small waves, the sand was a bit different and the weather was quite a bit cooler. We were there for about an hour which was about perfect for all of us. The only missing link(s)- Thom, Heidi and Matthew. Maybe next year...of course it is difficult to plan around Uncle Sam! :( Family discussion has been possibly going to PA next year and taking a side trip to Watkins Glen NY. We shall see....

Well, it has been a very interesting week at work. I think some of my employees are starting to fall apart from all of the stress that has been building for weeks of being overworked and understaffed. They were almost at the stage of fist fighting. It seems that the numbers never change...I'm STILL 22 people short. About the time I hire, I loose a couple. As a matter of fact, one of the guys I hired about a month ago.....lost him to drugs almost immediately. He hasn't shown up for work in more than a week and I hear his probation officer is looking for him too. Yes, I said, probation officer. I have quite a few guys who work for me on probation. And there are a good many women who also have or have had problems with the law in the past. It is a tough neighborhood, that is for sure! So, next weekend I'm planning a Team Building get together for the Item Managers. We are going to make greeting cards and place some small games to help bring them together.

My weekend has been uneventful. I helped my friend Patty move some of her belongings out of her house. And I spent a good amount of time working on some crafting projects I've wanted to do. I'm still looking for the ideal project to work on for Christmas this year. I have 64 employees now (doesn't look like I will ever be full staff) and I need something crafty, easy and quick. So all ideas are welcomed!!

We had a great time in Michigan City over the 4th of July. The only missing link - Thom, Heidi and Matthew. The weekend would have been perfect if they could have joined us. Maybe next year! We are discussing ideas for the next family trip and I think most would like to go to PA to the farm house with a couple of side trips into New York. Thom/Heidi, what do you think? Of course, it is difficult to plan around the Marine Corps! :(

Well, need to finish laundry and get my bed re-made. Hope you all have a great week!

I'm Baaaaccck!

2008-07-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Frankly, I have been so busy with work and moving, I haven't had time to do anything.

I moved into a new apartment. It's brand new and very nice. The bathroom is bigger than my bathroom in Murfreesboro but doesn't have both a shower and tub. Who needs both??? I'm on the first floor which has it benefits but I get a lot of noise from above. Apparently there is a small child overhead running back and forth and back and forth. It hasn't been too bad yet though. The other problem that is the pool outside my bedroom window. Although there has not been a lot of late night activity yet, most of the buildings are still vacant. It is a beautiful view if not for the noise.

The apartment has two bathrooms and 2 bedrooms, which will be good because I will have a room-mate for a few months. Patty was the HR Manager for the Dallas VA but has taken a job in the VISN office which is just north of Mansfield. Patty is having a new house built and needs a place to live since she sold her old home.

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Remember all of our soldiers serving home and abroad!

It's All in the Juice!

2008-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in beautiful Venice Florida working on becoming more healthy. We arrived at Dianna's house around 2PM and Shawna had a class for us on the juicing techniques we would be using for the week. Basically, we would not eat anything solid for 7 days. We are juicing all different types of vegetables and fruits....and those that can't be juiced will be soaked. For instance, I have had raisin water, cranberry water and our newest....prune water. We have apple juice/cider with Psyllium each morning (a full 32 ozs). For lunch we have 8 ozs of some vegetable juices. This might consist of celery, carrots, lettuce, spinach, garlic, ginger, broccilli, cabbage in any combination. Generally speaking only about 4 vegetables go into the juice machine for one meal. Then we have a snack of fruit juice. We have had pears, strawberries, apples, oranges, lemons and grapes. We have a couple of pineapples we are going to try probably tomorrow. And in the evening we will have another vegetable juice. Later we might have some hot vegetable broth or tea.

So, how do I feel. Well....right now rather tired. We went to Siesta Key Beach very early but within an hour we decided it was just to cool, windy and there was no sun. Although we might have had some benefits, the wind just wasn't worth it. So, instead we met Grandma Beirne in downtown Venice Island. From there we went to see Dianna's Island home then drove down to the beaches. We decided to get out at Casperson Beach to look for sharks teeth. From there we went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Englewood. Shawna took a nap for about 30 minutes and when we left we headed to a craft store. We were all so tired we couldn't think of what we wanted and decided to bag it all! I can't decide it the tiredness comes from no food or the fact that we ran ourselves to death since 7AM.

More to come!

Feeling Froggy!

2008-02-27T16:36:00.001-08:00

Well, for the past 5 days I have been sick. Serves me right! I had a staff meeting last Wednesday with my employees and basically read them the riot act for there sick leave utilization. Many of the employees have worked for us more than 5 years and have no leave built up what-so-ever. I told them that no one had to own up but there are those who won't come to work because they have a headache, or their big toe hurts, or they have bad breath. And of course they laughed but got the point. As I was giving this speech for the second shift I started coughing. I even had to give my voice a rest and have my QA Manager present some of the meeting information. So Thursday I woke up and felt terrible. Of course no way could I call in the day after I dressed my employees out for calling in sick so much! Friday I could hardly get out of bed because I felt so weak. I went to work and by 11:00 I had two big lumps in my neck that I could feel in my throat...though my throat wasn't sore. I also had sooooo much pain in my face from sinus swelling. I finally gave up the fight and went home. I slept until 7AM Saturday morning, getting up only to get a drink of water and to go to the bathroom. I tried to do a couple of things but was so weak. It took me ALL WEEKEND to clean my apartment. My apartment is about as big as our living room in MBoro.

So Monday I went to work feeling bad. I went to morning meeting and at the end told my boss I was headed to the doctor's office and would probably go home again. I couldn't get into see my doctor so I went to the ER. My right ear was infected...that was a surprise as it didn't even bother me. Ok guys, you might not want to read this part...only for the women! And I had developed a new symptom on Sunday.....breast pain and lump. I was sure it was an infection that was affecting the lymph nodes. So the doctor put me on strong meds and sent me home for a couple of days. The next day I was back in the ER. Did you know that the infection was climbing up the ducts as I had red streaks going in funny shapes, one of which was climbing the breast like blood poisioning. Frankly, I was worried that the infection was in the blood vessels and I did have blood poisoning. The doctor ran some tests and felt that it was still the infection. I was really feeling much better so since I was at the VA anyway, I went to the office and worked a few hours. So in all I was in the office part time during the three days and back full time today.

Now, here is the best part.....I lost my voice....T O D A Y! I can't figure out why after everything else I was loosing my voice. I finally feel better and loose my voice. My bosses secretary called me today and seems she is in the same shape....well, minus the breast. After being home sick for 4 days and finally starting to feel better she got up this morning and had lost her voice. This is some weird virus/infection that we are sharing around work!

I'm on my way to Florida Saturday to spend time with family. I'm looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad getting some quite time with them. Mitizi and Shawna Pape will be there and we all will be staying at Dianna's. Shawna is into a juicing program and is going to teach us all how to be healthier. I for one am looking forward to it. However....juicing spinach??? I'm not sure I will be able to get past the look! It should prove interesting! Since I will be relaxing I may have time to do more postings. So, look for our progress as the week goes!

Air Conditioner

2008-02-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it?? I'm running the air conditioner and it is only February! Ok, so I only run it for about 2 hours each day to cool things off. Today it was 78, yesterday was 80. The only thing I like about Dallas is the warmer weather! HA!

I haven't posted for a while. I'm still working 12 to 14 hour days and I am exhausted when I get home. The good news is that I hired a Supervisory, Inventory Management Specialist who is dynamite! He started on Monday but spent the first 3 days in orientation. Thursday was his first day in SPD. He has already developed some great ideas for improving the service from our department. Once I get him trained on the software program I think I will be able to slow down....ALOT! Then I can post more often and you won't see such long posts when I do post on a regular basis (was that confusing to anyone else???).

Speaking of work...we have had a tough few weeks at the Dallas VA. Apparently there were two suicides by outpatients and then last week we had one commit suicide inside the hospital. Unfortunately....all were OIF/OEF (Iraqi war) veterans. Seems the men of this ware are having a difficult time adjusting. It is surprising since every morning we discuss the steps taken to help the returning vets....it just doesn't seem to be enough. I heard that CBS is putting together a documentary on the situation and have interview staff from the Dallas VA.

So, the diet. Well, I haven't done very well the past couple of weeks but I haven't gained anything back so I'm still ahead. I have been working with a friend who is the Chief of Human Resources (a good friend to have!) and got her kick started last week. She and I walked everyday at lunch but we both had to attend a mandatory managers meeting on Thursday and she wasn't in the office on Friday so that was the extent of my exercise program. I will vow to try better this week!

Wednesday, February 6th (the date is important to point the silliness of what happened) I came home from work to find an eviction notice on my front door for non payment of my February rent and oh, by the way I had to be out by February 10th. Of course I paid my rent...even hand delivered it! So, I had to wait around on Thursday for the office to open so I could give them a piece of my mind. To date I don't know if has been resolved because they were suppose to call me and so far they have not. Not that unusual...they haven't returned any call I've made to them...including when I complained about getting high from the fumes coming out of the apartment across the courtyard from me. Ah, apartment living...IT SUCKS!

Next weekend I'm off to Jacksonville, NC to see Matthew. Ok, so maybe to see Thom and Heidi too! HA!

2008-01-20T17:34:00.001-08:00

Well, the kids have been on me for a couple of weeks to update our blog, so here I am. We had a really wonderful New Years Eve and day. And then there was the cold! It was 7 degrees with a wind chill of -3….Brrrrrrrr!!! I couldn’t wait to get out of Illinois (sorry Brent and Amanda) and back where it was warm. I went to work on Friday, January 5th and told everyone I was glad to be back where it was warm. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy….remember, I work in Dallas and it was 38 degrees. Warm for me, cold for those who are accustom to much warmer temps!

So, I guess there is this family contest going on. One of the reasons I was pushed to get our blog updated. It has to do with all the weight a number of us have gained over the last few years. Apparently Chris and Lara are working out fairly regularly and trying to cut back. Lara is TRYING to work closely with Chris but somehow he is beginning to push back a little. Keep it up Lara! We all support your effort. Of course Lara doesn’t need to loose weight…she needs to gain a little! Brent and Amanda reached their goals a few years ago and for the most part are maintaining well. Oh, the gain a few pounds but quickly work it back off. So they are being the motivators for the rest of us…thus my reason for writing now! HA!

Darrell is trying the Slimfast drinks. He likes them and they serve as his breakfast. However, he just can’t seem to break the burger and fry habit out on the road. I explained that McDonald’s serves salads but he says they get boring really fast. Darrell has a high Cholesterol rate, so he really needs to cut those burgers and fries. Anyone with suggestions for his road meals please give him a call. He needs all the moral dietary support he can get.

I, on the other, have been trying to look at something different. I’m trying to cleanse my system. Ok, it isn’t as gross as it sounds! Basically we all have toxins in our system that build up over a period of time. It comes in the form of the chemicals put into our foods, into the animals that end up on our tables, in our hair and body products that are absorbed in to our systems and in chemicals sprayed around our yards. On the Wednesday after New Years Brent, Amanda, Makenna and I went to a Chinese restaurant and the next 2-1/2 days I was miserable, hurting from head to toe. Toxic MSG! I picked up some books on cleansing and organic eating, a juicer and some organic foods. Interesting enough there is a section on Fibromaylsia and toxicity, which really didn't surprise me. The organic foods are not as easy to find as I thought but I found enough to get me through the next week. I began with juicing lemons. Basically I took the ends of the lemons and a portion of the thick outer skin. I placed them in the juicer and juice flows out one side while bulk is kicked out the other side. The juice was a bit of a milky color but tastes very lemony. I have been putting about ½ ounce in each bottle of water which has helped me to drink more water. After two days of drinking about 10 glasses of water and eating some organic granola cereal and some fruit I felt sooooo much better! The side benefit was the loss of 7 pounds, 3 of which I re-gained when I went back to whole foods again. One of the books gave ideas for getting rid of toxins but in reality it sounds more like an external cleanse which is not the same as organic foods. So, still trying to find a store that can accommodate me!

So, stay tuned to our blogs as we all try our hand at the West Biggest Loser program.

2007-12-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Darrell and I have enjoyed keeping up with the kids and their activities through the use of the blogspot.com so we decided it was time for us start keeping our own blog. This will be a great tool to let everyone know what is going on in our lives, and with a link to the kids' blogs you have an opportunity to keep up with what is going on with all of us!

Today is the day we celebrated the West Family Christmas. First let me explain how this works. Since the boys all have extended families, about 6 years ago we decided to celebrate our family time together over New Years. This gives the kids the opportunity to celebrate with their other families yet still give us time together. The idea was that we would always have a chance to be together as a family. Then again, we didn' t count on Thom's repeated deployments so we are missing Thom, Heidi and Matthew this year. Thom is out to sea and Heidi and Matthew are in Virginia Beach.

Anyway, today Amanda cooked a wonderful meal. Everything was good but the best part was the gravy. Oh, my! The pot roast was as tender as could be. And the gravy on top added a touch of vegetable flavor that was really good. We had mashed potatoes with gravy. Did I mention the gravy was GREAT?? Makenna decided it was time to take a nap about 10 minutes into the meal. We ended up having to rush the meal a bit and move on to opening Christmas presents because Darrell had to get on the road. Yep, another really short weekend because of his job. He ended up missing Makenna opening gifts because she was still napping when he left.

Tonight the Colts game is on TV. Chris and Lara were all set to watch the game but Chris has crashed for the evening. We had planned to play some games but......Chris just can't seem to run with the big dogs (so he's sleeping on the porch)! HA! They did watch the Patriots game on Saturday and I was rather surprised of the smack being spoken by both Chris and Lara! Me thinks they don't care much for the New Englanders! HA!

So, Heidi and Matthew had a really rough Christmas. Both were sick about a week before Christmas with a 24 hour bug. Then a couple of days later (as Heidi was trying to drive to Virginia Beach) Matthew decided he still had the bug and spent Christmas eve day at the hospital being re-hydrated and then again Christmas day and night in the hospital. Poor guy was just miserable...and Heidi was worn out! Matthew seems to be on the mend now but I'm sure Heidi is just waiting for the next thing! Thom can't come home soon enough for Heidi!

We want to wish all of you a Happy New Year....may all your dreams for the new year come true!

Love to all!

Darrell and Cathy