What's the story behind your pets? (A writing prompt)

I'm so glad it's Friday! Even though the kids had two days off for snow days (Wednesday and Thursday) I am totally ready for the weekend.

I don't have much to say, so I'll do a writing prompt today. I know I've written about my pets a trillion times, but I love to write about them, so I'll do an in-depth post of my pets :)

We have three pets right now: Phoebe, Estelle, and Joey. Phoebe and Estelle are cats, and Joey is a dog. Jerry and I have always named our pets after "Friends" characters--we loved the tv series!

I'll write a little about Chandler, too, because he was our first pet (cat) that we got together. He passed away a few years ago.

Chandler

We adopted Chandler from the animal shelter when he was just a kitten. He had a sister, Monica, who adopted as well. I hate talking about Monica, because it makes me really sad--but she died just a year or so after we got them.

At the time Chandler died, he was the fattest cat you've ever seen. He weighed 26 pounds at one point! Chandler was the most loyal and chill pet we've ever had. When Noah and Eli were born, he loved them and stayed right by their sides. Most cats avoid little kids, but Chandler let the boys play with him and he was just very chill.

Chandler was the BEST at killing catching birds! For being a fat cat, I have no idea how he was able to grab a full-size robin out of the air and leave it on the porch for us. I eventually decided he needed to be a house cat, because I felt bad for the birds.

I wrote a post when Chandler crossed the rainbow bridge, which you can read here. 

I miss Chandler so much sometimes! Telling the kids (especially Eli) was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Now, for our current pets...


Phoebe

Phoebe is a female orange tabby, which is actually very rare. Most orange tabbies are male. I didn't know this until several years after we adopted her. When we got Phoebe, she was a stray that a friend-of-a-friend had taken in. Someone in a Mom's Club that I belonged to asked if anyone was interested in taking in a stray cat that her sister had, and Jerry convinced me that we should. I always want to take in animals! But I'm the practical one when it comes to that.

When we picked her up, I remember thinking how soft she was. Her fur feels like rabbit fur. And she's very petite--she only weights about 7-8 pounds. She was missing half of her tail and we could feel a lump under her skin that I was SURE was a bb (from a bb gun). Eventually, we learned that it actually was a bb, meaning someone had shot her!

Phoebe is special. There is something about her that is very human-like. She's extremely sympathetic--whenever someone in our family is upset, crying, she comes and loves on us. When I broke my jaw, she was all over me all the time. When I go through depressive episodes, it's the same. I'm convinced that she has some sort of sixth sense for sadness/depression and she tries to help.

Phoebe didn't always love on us like she does now. She was very skittish and generally avoided people. One day, we noticed that she was hiding in a closet a lot. It was odd. When I took her out, I noticed a wound on her back near her tail that looked very infected. I don't know how it happened, but I'm assuming she got in a fight with another animal (at the time, we let her go outdoors).

(I love this picture! It's funny because now it's the squirrels that are looking in our windows, hahaha)

I took her to the vet, and he said she would need surgery. The wound was very infected and he'd have to cut away the dead skin and sew it up; but he said that he wasn't sure she'd have enough skin left to sew up. I said I wanted him to try doing the surgery anyway.

After surgery (it went well!) she had to wear a cone on her neck for two weeks. We had to keep her away from the other pets to make sure that she didn't somehow get the cone off or something like that. So, Jerry and I kept her in our bedroom and bathroom. We put a litter box in the bathroom and we didn't let her leave the bedroom/bathroom for two weeks.

At that time, I think she learned that we were kind, and we were doing what was best for her. She became more and more friendly toward us. By the end of the two weeks, it was like we had a different cat! She was so cuddly and loving. And she's been like that ever since. She is still wary of strangers, especially young kids. When Luke and Riley come over, she hides out in my bedroom, but she adores Jerry, me, and the kids.

Phoebe LOVES peppermint. Whenever I even put on Burt's Bees lip balm, she comes running in to try to lick my lips (yes, I let her, haha). She even climbs the Christmas tree to get candy canes!

We had a very interesting scare with Phoebe, in which I was SURE she was dead and never coming back. Ever since then, we've done our best to keep her inside. She is super sneaky and tries to get out whenever she can, but we try not to let her out. It was so scary when she was gone! Cats like her are the reason behind "Cats have 9 lives". She's used up 8 of hers, I'm sure.

I adore Phoebe. She's now about 13 years old (we don't know for sure, because she was a stray--but the vet estimated about two years old when we got her in 2009). I hope she's one of those cats that will live until she's 25!


Estelle

Most people don't know exactly who Estelle was on the show Friends. She was Joey's agent--she was rarely on the show, but when she was, she certainly had a smoker's voice and her personality was... large.

My friend Andrea called me (in 2009) and said that there was a stray cat in her neighborhood who was getting food from all the neighbors, and she was a "beautiful!!!" cat. Andrea is allergic to cats, otherwise she certainly would have taken Estelle in. I really didn't want a third cat (at the time, we had Chandler and Phoebe); Jerry said we should at least go look at her.

Since I'm a total sucker, I agreed to go check her out. When I got to Andrea's, Estelle was in her garage eating food that Andrea had given her. She was the ugliest cat I'd ever seen! 😂

I don't know if I'd ever seen a tortoiseshell cat before, but I definitely didn't think she was "beautiful!!!" like Andrea claimed. She looked like a stereotypical "alley cat" and that if she were human, she'd be a chain-smoker with a chain-smoker's voice and have a big personality. We both knew immediately that we'd name her Estelle.

Since we got her, I've learned so much about tortoiseshell cats! Firstly, tortoiseshell cats are almost always female (unlike the orange tabbies).

From the day we brought her home, I was unsure about Estelle attitude--she was constantly flicking her tail when we would pet her, and having had cats my entire life, I was sure that meant she was mad. Cats (in my experience) would only move their tails like that when they were about to bite. To this day, 11 years later, she's still flicking her tail constantly!

I also learned that tortoiseshell ("torties") are very vocal. And Estelle will tell you just how vocal she is, haha. The second we walk in the door, she meows at us. And if you call her name or pet her or give her attention in any way, she "talks" to us. I've never had a cat like her before!

From going to Purina events, I learned about "tortitude"--which is "tortie attitude"--and Estelle definitely has attitude. She is very much "in charge" all the time and she lets us know by voicing her opinion (literally). She completely ignores us sometimes, and other times, she adores us.

I'm her favorite--probably because I'm around her the most--and she follows me around like a dog. When I sit down, she's on my lap in seconds. If I have my feet up and my computer on my lap (like right now), she curls up and sleeps on my shins.

Estelle is the most curious cat I've ever seen. Curiosity is also a typical trait of torties.

She certainly has tortitude, and she makes us laugh every day. Some days, she's totally interested in "the red dot"; others, she looks at us like we're complete idiots for thinking she'll fall for it. She knows how to play "fetch", too. She loves the wires that have the plastic covers over them (whenever I strip a wire for whatever reason, I cut the rest of it into pieces that are about 4-5 inches long just for spoiled Estelle). We can throw one, and then she'll go fetch it and bring it back to us to throw again.

When she wants to, of course! ;)


Joey

We adopted Joey in 2015, long after I had established my Runs for Cookies blog in 2011. Jerry and I had been talking for a long time about getting a dog for the boys--I feel like boys should grow up with a dog--and I read SO much about different breeds. Everything was so conflicting, and I hated the internet for giving me TOO MUCH information about everything.

I told Eli that morning that we were thinking about getting a dog. His request was that we get a "black dog". I kind of didn't want a black dog--I'm not sure why, but I just didn't think black dogs were as cute as other colors.

Jerry and I went to the animal shelter and check out some dogs. I wanted to be able to spend some time with the dogs to see their temperament, and the shelter allowed us to do that. We were even able to take dogs into the room where they had cats, so we could see their reactions.

We walked through the rows of kennels, letting the animal control officer know of any that we'd want to spend some time with. I walked right past Joey's kennel, but Jerry saw something in him and he told the officer we wanted to see him. Jerry is usually very "go with the flow" and I was surprised that he said that. Anyway, we continued through the rows until we'd chosen 3-4 different dogs to see.

The first dog that we had brought into the room with us was a mixed breed (I can't remember what breeds). I loved that dog! He was very sweet, and I loved that he didn't jump up on us or get too crazy when we petted him. I was sure that's the dog I wanted. But Jerry really wanted to see Joey (who the shelter had named "Louie").

When Louie came in, he went right to Jerry. He didn't jump--he just rolled right onto his back and let us rub his belly. Jerry immediately wanted him. He was SO sure that I didn't even argue.

And he couldn't have made a better decision.

Louie--who we renamed Joey--was the best dog we could have gotten! And it just so happened that he was black, which was what Eli requested. (I later learned that black dogs are much less likely to get adopted... so sad!)

From the very start, we knew that Joey was perfect for our family. He's a black lab/chow chow mix (also called a "chabrador" or a "chowbrador"). He loves humans, and thinks he is one. We don't have a fenced in yard, but we don't need one--he sticks right by us, and has never wandered off.

This is a before and after photo--before and after we adopted him:

The cats completely own him--he knows that Estelle is the boss of everybody, and he listens to her. However, we call him "The Sheriff" sometimes, because when we say, "ES-TELLE!" (when she's mean to Phoebe or she looks like she's about to claw the furniture or something like that), Joey rushes over to put his face right in her face and stop her from doing whatever it is she's going to do. It's hilarious!

Phoebe and Joey are buddies, in a way. Since Estelle is the boss, Phoebe and Joey are on their own. And they are each jealous of each other. If I call Joey, then Phoebe comes, too. If I call Phoebe, then Joey is there instantly. The two of them sleep with Eli every night (Estelle sleeps with me).

Joey would be "the perfect dog" if he could just learn to walk with a leash. Whenever I put a leash on him, he pulls on it. I wish he would learn that he could walk the same speed if he would just step a couple of inches backward to stop choking himself! We've had him for five years now (I can't believe it's been that long!) and he still hasn't gotten used to the leash.

But he's such a great dog in every other way that the leash thing is no big deal. And I love that the boys have a great dog to grow up with.

---

I really can't stress this enough...

PLEASE, if you are thinking of getting a pet, go to a shelter! There are so many fantastic cats and dogs at shelters and it breaks my heart to think that they may spend the rest of their lives there. My kids know that we'll never get a kitten or a puppy--and it's because I have told them that the kittens and puppies are the first to get adopted. There are adult cats and dogs at the shelter that are SO great--like Joey!--and they just need a little love. They will be your best friend for choosing them.

You can find just about any breed at a shelter. And my favorite breed is "mutt" ;)  So it doesn't hurt to check them out at least.

Phoebe, Estelle, and Joey are the best pets ever--I love their different personalities! From Phoebe's sixth sense of sympathy to Estelle's tortitude to Joey's "big dumb puppy love", we have the most amazing and entertaining pets.

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Blessing in Disguise? (Jerry's ridiculous haircut story)

Just a forewarning: there are gross photos in this post, so don't look at if you're eating.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know the short story about Jerry's haircut. But more came of it after that, and it turned out to be kind of a big deal.

A little over a week ago, Jerry decided to cut his own hair (with clippers). Usually, I'll cut it for him--I've been cutting Noah's, Eli's, and Jerry's hair forever. I don't know why he wanted to do it himself, but he came out of the bathroom and he'd clearly cut his hair.

It didn't look too bad, actually, but I noticed that he missed a spot behind his right ear. I told him I'd fix it for him, but he said he could do it. So, he went in the bathroom, and we were talking while he started up the clippers. I wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing (and neither was he, obviously).

He said, "OH NO!" and I immediately felt panicked. Then a million thoughts went through my mind in a fraction of a second and I burst out laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. I knew what the "OH NO!" was... because it was a huge fear of mine every time I cut the boys' hair.

He forgot to put the blade guard on, so he shaved the spot completely bald.

Yes, seriously. I was DYING. We both laughed so hard that we were crying. We were wheezing.

I asked what he was going to do, and (I don't even know if he was joking) he said he that was going to shave the other side off, just like the first, so it would look deliberate. When he said that, we both started laughing all over again.

And then he did it!

I have not laughed so hard in the longest time. I immediately posted pictures, because it was a funny story.

He wore a hat, but the next day, he decided he was going to just shave his whole head. Everything. And this is when things got strange.

When he shaved his head, there was a "weird" spot on his scalp that we'd not noticed before. We started Googling every phrase we could think of: "weird spot on scalp", "bumpy patch of skin on scalp", "bumps on scalp", etc. The only thing that came remotely close in resemblance (ugh, the Google images of everything we looked at will never leave my mind!) was a birthmark--and he was sure he hadn't been born with it.

I told him he really should make an appointment with the dermatologist. So, he was able to see our dermatologist rather quickly, and she did a biopsy. Yesterday, the results came back and the office called him. They told him that it was a "nevus sebaceous"--which actually IS the birthmark thing we'd saw online!

It's basically a hair follicle tumor--almost always benign--but it's a congenital malformation, so it happens before birth. If it's not removed early, then as an adult, and changes appearance to look like what Jerry's looked like.

The doctor said it was benign, but that our insurance would cover its removal because there is the potential for it to turn cancerous. He asked how soon he could get in (he hated how it looked--after shaving his head, it stood out). Yesterday was a snow day for the kids (today was, too!) and a lot of people had canceled appointments at the dermatologist's office. So, he was able to get in just an hour after the phone call.

He went in and the doctor numbed his scalp, and then cut out an eye-shaped piece out around the nevus sebaceous. This is the piece that she removed:

She gave him eight stitches to close it up. Now, he'll have a minor scar, but he's glad that the thing was removed. His head his killing him, though.

So, it's interesting that what was a hilarious story about his haircut turned into finding this tumor on his scalp and then having it removed. I don't know if he ever would have noticed it otherwise!

I'm glad that it was benign and that everything turned out well. We will always laugh hysterically about his accidental haircut, though ;)

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First Week Back on Weight Watchers

Last week, I wrote about starting Weight Watchers again (not going to meetings or doing it online or anything--just following the PointsPlus Points plan that I did several years ago). I was ready to change something up because I just wasn't sticking with calorie counting, and I really want to drop these extra pounds I've picked up.

I also wrote out a 33-week training plan to get ready for the Detroit Half Marathon in October. My friend Adam and I are going to run it together, and rather than jump right into a running plan, I'm starting from the very bottom as far as training goes. I decided to drag it out because it's 33 weeks away, and I feel like I will enjoy it more this way.

I decided to do my Six-Month Half Marathon Plan for Beginners (which will be seven weeks from now). That plan starts out super easy--it's for people who haven't yet started running. So, my plan is to start now by just walking three times a week for the first seven weeks, and then start the training plan... as if I was a true beginner.

Anyway, I'm going to call this past week "Week 0" as far as Weight Watchers. It was hard to get back into the routine of counting points! I did manage to count PointsPlus for four days out of seven. The weekend was super busy and I didn't plan ahead, so I didn't do great.

However, I got my Weight Watchers materials in the mail a couple of days ago (I ordered them on eBay) and I started a 12-week tracking book today. The materials I got are great! Not only the tracker, but look at all this stuff:

Not pictured is the WW PointsPlus calculator that came with it, too. (I know I can use an app, but I really want to go old school with a paper journal and calculator.)

I really like the "Success Handbook" and "Find Your Fingerprint" books--I'd never seen those before. They're actually workbooks about the mental side of losing weight. It'll take me forever to actually read through them, but I had no idea that they existed when I was doing the plan before.

Anyway, it was fun to get the materials (I had all of this stuff before--except for those books--and it was kind of nostalgic looking through it).

Today, I spent some time calculating PointsPlus for the dinners I plan to make this week. Planning it out ahead of time was crucial when I was doing WW before. When days are busy and hectic, knowing what I'm going to cook and how many PP it's going to be makes the plan much less stressful.

SO, I'll consider last week a warm-up for this week ;)  I counted four days, which is four more than I counted in who knows how long. So it was semi-successful.

Also, I actually did start my walking plan this week. I LOVE that there is no pressure as far as pace or heart rate or anything like that. Just simply walking 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I even printed out my plan on orange paper and stuck it on the fridge so that it glares at me.

The weather has been really mild this winter, and lately, it's been getting into the 40's and even 50's. On Monday, I took Eli to get new shoes and a haircut, and then we went to pick up Noah from school. We got there way too early, and had 35 minutes to kill.

Eli stayed in the car to play a game on his phone, but I took the opportunity to walk around the college campus for 30 minutes. I wasn't prepared--I was wearing jeans and boots (soft boots), but it didn't matter because I didn't need a Garmin or heart rate monitor or anything to just walk for 30 minutes.

So, I set the timer on my phone and I started walking. I walked a fairly brisk pace, but again--that wasn't my focus. I felt so... free? I'm not sure what the word is for how it felt. It was just really nice to go for an impromptu walk without an agenda.

Late last night, it started snowing. And it hasn't stopped since! The kids' schools were canceled today, but I have no idea why because the roads were totally fine. It was warm outside, and the snow was melting as soon as it hit the pavement (but it was sticking to the grass and trees).

It's the only kind of snow that I really like--when it's warm enough outside to not have to bundle up, and the snow is super light and feathery. It sticks to the trees and looks beautiful, but it doesn't cause the roads to be slippery.

I decided to take Joey for a walk at around 10:00 this morning. We walked to my parents' house and back (which is two miles round trip when I take a certain route) so even though I wasn't keeping track of the time, I am sure it was at least 30 minutes. I wasn't cruising, so I know I didn't do 15-minute miles; probably more like 17 or 18. Again, it's nice not to know!

Joey was thrilled to run around in the snow (we stopped at my parents' house, so I let him off leash for a few minutes).

I've been in a lot of pain today--all of my joints are aching. This happens to me once in a while, and I hate it. I told my doctor about it, and he said it could be from the change in weather--the barometric pressure or something. I started paying attention to when it happens, and I think he might be right! (As crazy as it sounds.)

I've noticed that whenever we have a relatively dramatic shift in temperatures (like the 50 degree temps to all the snow today), my whole body hurts. Today was really bad. Other than my walk, I had a pretty lazy day, watching a couple of documentaries. I'm hoping I can get some sleep tonight. I just can't get comfortable!

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RECIPE: Vegetable Fried Rice

Noah is obsessed with everything that has soy sauce, and he especially adores fried rice. I usually make a double batch of this on Sunday evening so that he can take leftovers for lunch at school all week. Cold, leftover rice works best for fried rice, but since I'm terrible at planning ahead, I make this with fresh, hot rice as well.

For the fried rice seasoning, I make a big batch of it and store it in a mason jar. (You use 1 tsp. per cup of cooked rice when making fried rice)

Here is a printer-friendly version of the recipe!

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. light tasting olive oil (or canola or vegetable oil), divided
4 eggs (you can skip the eggs to make it vegan)
6 cups cooked white rice (I love Jasmine rice for this!)
1-2 bags of frozen peas and carrots (I use two)
2 Tbsp. fried rice seasoning (see recipe below)
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil

Fried Rice Seasoning (this makes a large batch to keep on hand; I store it in a mason jar):
4 Tbsp. garlic powder
4 tsp. ground ginger (powder)
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil over med-high heat. Beat the eggs in a bowl, and then add to the skillet. Cook through, until scrambled, and then set the eggs aside in a bowl.

Add the other 1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil to the skillet, and turn the heat on high. Add the rice and stir to coat it evenly in oil. Add the frozen peas and carrots and stir as it continues to cook.

Meanwhile, combine the fried rice seasoning (2 Tbsp), soy sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl. When the rice is starting to brown and the vegetables are heated through, add the seasoning mixture to the skillet and stir well to coat all the rice.

Finally, add the scrambled eggs back into the skillet. Mix it all together and serve. Makes 6 servings.

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Eli's First Rubik's Cube Tournament

(I love that Eli chose to wear the squirrel shirt he got for Christmas!)

Eli has something very much in common with me--we both tend to get interested in something and then basically make it our life's calling, and then we lose interest and move on to something else.

I thought that the Rubik's Cube was going to be another of those things with Eli--he'd get super into it, spend all of his money on new cubes, and then quit doing it after a couple of months. However, he's held the interest for a while now, and other than baseball, it's his very favorite activity.

A few months ago, he asked me if he could sign up for a tournament at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I knew absolutely nothing about these tournaments. I said sure, but I really didn't think he'd still be interested by the time it came around. It was only $10 to sign up, though, and they capped it at 150 people; so, I signed him up.

He was looking forward to it for weeks--and yesterday was the big day. The competition actually started Saturday, but he wasn't signed up for any of those events (there are events for all sorts of different cube varieties as well as things like solving it blindfolded or one-handed). Eli signed up for four of Sunday's events: the 3x3x3, 2x2x2, Pyraminx, and Skewb. Jerry and I went with him.

His best times are with the 2x2x2 cube (which is much harder than you would think it is!). He averages about 4 seconds at home, with a personal best of 1.8 seconds.

The first event was for the 3x3x3 cube, which he's good at. Well, *I* consider it good, but "good" is all relative when it comes to cubing. (It's like running; a 10-minute mile might be a personal best for one runner, but another runner might be super disappointed with that if they are used to getting 7-minute miles.)

Eli solves the 3x3x3 (that's the original cube that became uber popular in the 80's) in about 25 seconds. In my eyes, that's "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"-amazing, but in a competition, it's on the slower side.

Anyway, Eli wasn't expecting to win--he was just going for the experience of it.

I don't know what I expected of the competition, but it was much more relaxed than I imagined. I thought it would be dead silent and all eyes on a group of competitors. It was nothing like that, however!

Jerry went up on the balcony to take a panoramic picture from above:

Here's how the competition works:

There are three groups of tables set up, and each participant has an assigned number to represent the group of tables they'll need to go to for each event (the order is completely random--they just do it to keep everything organized into waves).

When their wave is called, the competitor brings their cube to a table and sets it on a card with their name on it. Then they sit in a little waiting area and wait to be called to a table.

At the table, there are four chairs--two for judges and two for the competitors (so there is one judge for each competitor). There is a timing mat and timer display for each competitor. The competitor sits down at the table next to their judge, and in front of them is their cube, which has been scrambled by a "scrambler" (a person who uses randomized algorithms on a computer in order to scramble the cubes fairly). The cube is covered with a box so that the competitor can't see it yet.

When they are ready, the judge removes the box and the competitor has 15 seconds to inspect the cube and then start solving. (The timing mats have little sensor buttons for your hands--you set the cube on the mat, then place your hands on the buttons. When you're ready to start, you remove your hands, which starts the timer. When you're finished, you set the cube on the mat and then touch the buttons again to stop the timer.) Eli got a mat for Christmas, so he's been using it to practice.

After the solve, the competitor has to sign their slip of paper after the judge writes their time on it. Then their cube is taken away in the little box to have it scrambled again. The competitor is called back to a table, maybe with the same judge or maybe with another) and they repeat the whole thing. They get five attempts for each event.

Out of the five attempts, the best time and the worst time are thrown out. Then, the middle three are averaged together, and that is the number that is used for competition.

Don't worry, I won't recap all 20 of Eli's solves ;)  We got there about 45 minutes before his first event, so he spent the whole time practicing (as were all of the other competitors).

His first event was the 3x3x3. I was super excited and nervous for him. I could see he was nervous, but I don't think he wanted to show it. Everything happened so fast once his name was called. I took a video of each of his solves, so every time I heard his name, I had to rush over to his table before he started.

Here is a video of his first ever solve for competition:

His finish time was good! (Relatively, of course)

It wasn't good enough to make the second round, though. The top 64 competitors move to Round 2; the person in 64th place had an average solve time of 18.62 seconds--so the competition was tough! Eli's average ended up being 25.62, with a best time of 21.62.

The day moved so quickly! After the 3x3x3 was the Pyraminx (shaped like a pyramid). And then we headed outside for lunch. We walked a few blocks to Chipotle (Eli's favorite) for lunch and then went back to the competition.

The Skewb was next, and finally, the 2x2x2 (which Eli was most looking forward to, because his 4-second average at home would certainly get him to the next round in competition). Unfortunately, it didn't go so well. He was most nervous for that event, probably because he was expecting it to be his best. His times were slower than he was used to, and then on his fourth attempt, he got a two-second penalty.

He had the cube solved, but when he dropped it to the mat to finish, the layer turned enough to cause a penalty. I had no idea that the two seconds would end up being such a big deal, but if he hadn't gotten that penalty, he likely would have made it to the second round. He finished in 61st place out of 119, so basically right in the middle.

I was disappointed about the 2x2x2 because I knew he was hoping to do really well and he said he was disappointed. However, he said the day was one of the "funnest days of his life", so he obviously enjoyed the whole experience!

He started looking up other upcoming competitions so he can do another. (Again, it's like running... once you do your first race, you start signing up for all sorts of them.) I told him that, like running, he can just focus on competing with himself and bettering his own times.

I loved getting to spend the day with him, watching him do something he loves to do. And honestly, the competition itself was really interesting! Watching people solve the cubes super fast or one-handed was fun.

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A Day With Eli

I am too exhausted to write a whole post for today, so I'll save it for tomorrow. But today was really nice to spend time with Eli at his Rubik's Cube tournament--I was so proud of him! I will write about it tomorrow. I'm pretty spent today. It was a LONG day...

...I'm just so happy to be his mom! What a special kid.

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Build-A-Bear With Luke for His Birthday

It's so hard to believe it's been almost three years since I became an aunt! I have loved every second of the moments I've spent with Luke and Riley (and now baby Shelby). Luke's third birthday is next month, and Becky requested that, instead of a gift, we could take him out somewhere or do something with him for memories instead. I loved that idea!

The kids have a trillion toys anyways, so the idea of doing something fun with him instead of buying something sounded much better. I wish I'd have thought of that when my kids were little!

Anyway, when Noah was two years old, my brother's first wife, Danielle, took Noah to Build-A-Bear. It was SO cute! I think Build-A-Bear was still pretty new then, but we were in Minnesota to visit Brian and Danielle, and we went to the Mall of America. We rode on some of the rides at the theme park inside (I actually have a memory of getting on a ride with Noah where I was too fat for the lap bar to lock!) and Danielle took Noah to Build-A-Bear.

I'd been thinking for a while that I'd like to take Luke and Riley there when they were a good age for it, so I thought this would be a good time to take Luke. Jerry was off work today, and obviously the kids didn't have school, so the four of us were able to go pick up Luke and take him to the mall in Toledo.

Luke is a total chatterbox, and I love it! His carseat was in the back of my (tiny) Jeep Renegade, and I was in the middle seat with Eli on my other side. We were squished! But Luke asked me more questions in that 45 minute ride than I've ever been asked in a lifetime, hahaha. He's at such a fun age!

At the mall, we went into the Build-A-Bear store and Luke was hoping that they had elephants (he has a stuffed elephant at home and said he wanted a friend for it). They had unicorns and warthogs, but no elephants!

At first, he was going to choose a bear that was covered completely in sequins--and I was totally fine letting him choose anything he wanted--but he ended up choosing a soft teddy bear instead. I have to admit I was kind of relieved. The sequins were a bit much!

We brought it over to the stuffing machine, where Luke had to step on a pedal to make the stuffing come out and into the bear.

Then, he had to do a little routine to add a heart inside the bear--which was super adorable.

Then we went looking for clothing/accessories. I didn't make any suggestions, because I wanted to see what his (almost) three-year old mind came up with. And it was hilarious! The first thing he chose was a pair of boxer briefs. I had a hard time getting him to look for a shirt and pants, because he wanted things like a skateboard, a bed, butterfly wings, etc.

Finally, he chose a shirt--it was a Tigers shirt, but not the Detroit Tigers. It was a random team I'd never heard of (I didn't even know what sport it was!) so I thought that was funny. And he chose a pair of jeans that had holes in the knees, just like the jeans he was wearing. (In the car, he told me that he didn't like the holes in his jeans and he was pulling the white threads off, hahaha.)

He found a rocket backpack from Paw Patrol that he wanted to get instead of the butterfly wings. And he wanted red boots and sunglasses. And a winter hat. It was SO cute to watch him pick everything out! And, being his aunt, of course I didn't give him a budget ;)

After we (I) got the bear dressed, he got to name him on a birth certificate (Luke's first choice was "Dad", but he settled on "Barry", hahaha). We took his picture with Barry:

After we paid a small fortune for his bear, he was able to take his bear out of the store inside of a little backpack. He was so cute I almost couldn't stand it. (People at the mall were literally pointing and saying how cute he was!)

We got Chick-fil-A for lunch. For some reason, Chick-fil-A is a huge deal around here--people love it--but we don't have one close by. Toledo is the closest, as far as I know, so when in Toledo, chicken it is!

After lunch, we squished back into the car and drove him home. Tomorrow, Brian, Becky, and the kids are going to Hilton Head to visit my parents, so Becky was packing for the trip. Luke gave Jerry the royal tour of the new house (Jerry hadn't seen it yet) and then we came home. I was SO EXHAUSTED for some reason (so was Jerry). I just watched a movie called "After" on Netflix, and loved it. It's a teen drama--if any of you were into Twilight, then definitely watch "After"!

Tomorrow, Eli is going to be in a Rubik's Cube competition in Ann Arbor at U of M. I'm so excited/nervous for him! He's super fast (he can solve the 3x3x3 in under 20 seconds now, although his average is about 25 seconds). He's going to be in four different competitions (different for each cube--the 2x2, 3x3, Pyraminx, and Skewb). It'll be a long day--about 8:00-5:30, if he makes it to the final round on the 2x2 and 3x3. He's just hoping to make it to the second round. Wish him luck, please!

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Removing My Brother's Popcorn Ceiling

Well, I'm at it again... this time I'm removing my brother's popcorn ceiling.

My brother, Nathan, has an amazing house with a TON of potential! He's had it for a long time, but he works so much that he doesn't have the time to do the cosmetic things he could to update it. After I finished his bathroom, I couldn't stop thinking about the other things I could do.

The first thing was his popcorn ceiling. Since I believe we should work from top to bottom, I thought that'd be a great project to tackle. He didn't ask me to do it, but I told him I'd do whatever he'd like me to do to the house--even if it was just organizing a closet or something. I love doing that kind of stuff!

He gave me the go-ahead to remove the popcorn ceiling, so I actually did start it yesterday. He has the popcorn ceiling everywhere except for the kitchen and the bathroom that he already remodeled.

I decided to start with the hallway. It's a long hallway, and since there wasn't furniture or anything in there, I figure it'd be the best place to start. He just got new carpeting, so I was really worried about getting the drywall compound on his carpet. I bought lots of plastic sheeting to tape across the floor.

I dropped Noah off at school, then went home and grabbed the stuff I needed (drywall knives, water sprayer, my Bose speaker for my podcasts (a necessity when scraping ceiling texture), Joey (to play with Nathan's black lab, Bailey), and a few other things.

Instead of bringing spray bottles, like I used in my house, I saw a sprayer in my garage that I thought would be so much easier--it's one of those pump sprayers that you pump a handle on the top and then you just press a button and the water comes out for a long time before having to pump again. I knew this would help save my hands from the horrible carpal tunnel syndrome.

I sprayed the ceiling with water, waited about 10 minutes, then started scraping. I was surprised to see it was coming off fairly easily! I noticed that the texture was painted white. The "stomped" texture in my house wasn't painted, so it came off in small clumps; since Nathan's was painted, it came off in strips.

For some reason, though, it required much more water than mine did. I was sliding around the plastic in my bare feet, absolutely sure that the mud was soaking through the plastic somehow and embedding itself in the carpet.

I'd bought a heavy duty scraper from Lowe's, but it wasn't working nearly as well as my 10" drywall knife. The heavy duty scraper kept nicking the drywall paper, so I quit trying to use that and just worked with the drywall knife.

I'm thrilled that he doesn't have crown moulding to cover up seams, like in my house, because I really didn't want to have to tape and mud the seams. Instead, he has a really nice rounded moulding that I think will look fantastic when it's done.

I managed to get the ceiling scraped and I started to sand it when I realized it was 1:50 PM. I had to leave by 2:00 to stop and get some raffle tickets from Eli's baseball coach and then get to Noah's school on time to pick him up.

Clean-up was the worst!! I had drywall compound stuck to my feet, and I obviously had to keep walking along the plastic to clean up (pulling the plastic from the walls).

The mess doesn't look so bad in this picture, but that mud on the plastic is soaking wet and is like walking through a mud pit! See the path through the center that looks like there isn't so much mud? That's because it was stuck to my feet after walking through.

I used SO many rags! I didn't need nearly that many with my house (but with my house, we weren't worried so much about the carpet, since we knew we'd be replacing it). I managed to get the plastic all rolled up and into the trash (with all the heavy drywall compound), and then I vacuumed the floor of the extra little bits. Thankfully, his carpet still looked brand new.

I noticed that I had a TON of compound in my hair and all over my clothes. I took this selfie before I was even halfway done... my hair was MUCH worse later on:

Eli's baseball coach owns a very nice furniture store, so I was horribly embarrassed to stop in there looking like I did. I hurriedly stuck my head under Nathan's bathroom sink and rinsed my hair the best I could, and then I threw a sweatshirt over my drywall-compound-coated t-shirt. My black yoga pants were just hopeless.

Anyway, I didn't make a ton of progress (I scraped off all the texture in the hallway and sanded the spots that were pretty bad). On Monday, I plan to go over there again and apply a skim coat of drywall compound to the spots that need it. I think I may prime and paint the hallway ceiling before scraping the ceiling in the living room. I'd hate for his house to be as big of a mess as mine was when I was doing three rooms at the same time!

I loved working on it, and I actually asked Nathan if he'd be interested in selling his house as-is, right now. I'd love to buy it and flip it or live in it; however, he said he wants to wait a few years before he sells it. Regardless, I'm going to have fun updating it!

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RECIPE: One Pot Goulash

To be honest, I have no idea what "real" goulash is, but I'm pretty sure this isn't it, haha. However, this is what I know of "goulash"--it's what my mom used to make when I was a kid. I've always loved it, and it's a serious comfort food.

This is SO fast and easy to make and I love that it's all done in one pot. There are few ingredients, and everyone in the family loves it. It's a go-to recipe when I just don't know what to make, because I usually have the ingredients on hand. I'm surprised I haven't posted it here yet!

Here is a printer-friendly version of the recipe!


One Pot Goulash

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef (or turkey—I like turkey)
4 cups water
16 oz. pasta (I use whatever shape I have in the panty—even spaghetti that I break in half)*
1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. white sugar**

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat and add the olive oil. Add onions, and cook for a minute or two and then add the ground beef or turkey. Cook until the meat is cooked through, and then drain any excess fat.

Add the tomatoes, water, pasta, and sugar (yes, you add the pasta at this time, before it starts boiling).

Bring to a boil, and then cook until pasta is tender and water is absorbed (you may need to add more water—just stir occasionally and test the noodles so you know when it’s done). Makes 6 servings (roughly 1-1/3 cup each).

*It seems odd to add the pasta to the water before it's boiling, but for some reason, that's what makes this dish distinct. It makes the pasta a little gummy (not as bad as that sounds, honest!).

**The sugar is a must in this recipe, too. It makes the sauce just a little sweeter than a typical pasta sauce. And again, it's what makes this "goulash" and not just "pasta with meat sauce" haha.

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Weight Fluctuations: Comparison Photos of All My Gains and Losses Through the Years

As almost anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight will tell you, weight loss is not linear.

There are certainly people who drop a large amount of weight and keep it off (to within a few pounds) for years--even decades (I hate those people!)--but I am not one of them. 

I started losing weight 10-1/2 years ago (can you believe it's been that long?). And in that amount of time, my weight has gone from 253 pounds at my highest to 121 pounds at my lowest, and lots of places in between. Here is a photo of the most drastic difference--I've seen it a million times, but it still kind of blows my mind. The left photo was from 2009 and the right was in 2016.

Anyway, I've given a lot of thought over why the ups and downs in weight happens, and for me, it's due to all sorts of different things--mostly different points in my life and what's going on at the time. I'm a stress eater, and when I have a lot of stress in my life, well, I gain weight. I also have bipolar disorder, and when I have periods of hypomania, I have an easier time losing the weight. Depression causes me to gain weight.

There is one thing that remains constant, though. Whenever I eat less, I lose weight. Simple! I either count calories or Weight Watchers Points, but when I am actively measuring out my food and logging it, I lose weight. It's never failed me.

Over the last decade, I've tried eating a whole foods diet, intuitive eating, intermittent fasting, various challenges that I usually quit, and more, but I've never found those things sustainable for very long. I'm a big numbers person, and I need the accountability of measuring out my portions and logging them. Even if I just give an honest estimate on occasion, like when I go to a wedding or something, it works.

I'm super super bummed that all of my Weight Watchers journals/food logs are missing. I think they must have gotten thrown away somehow when I was remodeling or when I cleaned the house and got rid of a TON of stuff in 2017. I can't even being to tell you how upset I was not to be able to find them! They had so much information.

However, there is nothing I can do about it now. I've searched every square inch of my house and garage, and they are just gone. 

Without the books, it was hard to put together today's post. But I looked up everything I did have on apps and my blog and all that to try to put it together. Some of the numbers may be a little off, but I did my best to make it accurate! 

Anyway, here is a timeline (in photos and commentary) of the significant weight losses I've had over the last 10 years. I'm not saying I'm *proud* that my weight has gone up and down--I wish I could keep it steady!--but I just thought it would be fun to see. The times in between these periods were spent gaining weight, as you'll read in the commentary. To see my weight graphs, you can check out this post: Weight Timeline.

So, here are some comparison photos of the times I dropped some weight that I'd gained. I'm hoping this helps me to see that I can do it again. Today is Day 1 of counting Weight Watchers PointsPlus. I'm feeling really excited about it!

I started losing weight on August 19, 2003 using the Weight Watchers Winning Points plan. The further I went with it, the easier it got because I was seeing progress. I didn't go over my points during a single week for an entire year! No binges. And I lost weight every single week.

I continued to lose weight after this, but I was on and off again trying to count Points, and then binge eating, and emotional eating. I stayed around 143 until I broke my jaw in November. With my liquid diet and my jaw being wired shut, I dropped down to 128. But as soon as the wires came off, I gained it right back... plus some, as you can see below!

I challenged myself to consciously cut calories and get my weight down as low as I could before having skin removal surgery in November 2011. I got down to 143 before surgery, and then the doctor removed two pounds of skin. I continued with a lower calorie diet until I reached 133 pounds (it wasn't my goal weight at the time--128 was--but I changed it after realizing that 128 felt unattainable).

After this, I started marathon training, and compensated all the running with extra food. I ate too much during the training, and after the marathon in May, I continued to eat poorly except I wasn't exercising enough to keep from gaining.

After having a hard time at the half-marathon I ran in Minnesota with Renee, and then seeing my photos, I really wanted to drop the extra weight before the filming of From Fat to Finish Line.

I had shunned the Weight Watchers Flex plan when they rolled it out in 2010, because I really liked the Winning Points plan. However, because I felt like I needed a change, I decided to give the Flex (PointsPlus) plan a try for just six weeks--and if I hated it, then I'd at least be able to say I tried.

Much to my surprise, I actually really liked it! I still had the flexibility to eat whatever I wanted, just in smaller portions. It wasn't complicated with too many rules to follow. And Jerry's employer was paying for Weight Watchers at Work for employees and spouses! It was easy to follow once I got the hang of it.

I actually reached my (new) official goal weight of 133 on 12-12-12! I was thrilled. When I hit my Weight Watchers goal weight (different from my personal goal weight), I had to keep it off and then weigh in within two pounds six weeks later in order to make "Lifetime" status. The timing was horrible--I was in Miami/Key West for the week before I had to weigh in! I actually did it, though. I maintained my weight on a trip to Key West. I weighed in and made Lifetime!

Stephanie took a photoshoot of me (second photo above) and I couldn't believe it was me. Seeing my before and after photos was unbelievable.

Then again, life happened. I started training for the Chicago Marathon and was running a LOT--200 miles a month at one point--and maintained my weight within 10 pounds for the rest of the year. By April of 2014, however, I was back in the 150's. I had stopped counting PointsPlus (I can't remember why--maybe depression after the race, maybe stress, I'm not sure).

I tried off and on all year to lose the weight, but I just couldn't stick with anything. Then in December, I got a stress fracture in my left fibula. It really messed up my running schedule. I'd been planning to run the Detroit Half Marathon in October 2015 with Jerry and Thomas, but after trying to continue to run (and constantly re-injuring it), I finally decided to give it the six weeks it needed to heal.

In the meantime, I decided to give calorie counting a good try so I could drop some weight. I also made the following declaration to Thomas while feeling stubborn one day: "I'm going to get back to my goal weight and run a PR in the 10K in the spring". At the time I said that, I was 160 pounds and my 10K pace was 11:00/mile. (For a PR, I'd need a 7:55/mile pace.) It was a crazy goal. But after that bold statement, I was determined to do it.

I started counting calories until my fracture healed, and then started training...

I couldn't BELIEVE the transformation from my calorie counting and 10K training. I tried training differently, and I think that helped me to drop to my lowest adult weight of 121. I wasn't even trying to keep losing weight after I hit my goal of 133--it just kept coming off. I kicked ass in the 10K, running 49:03 (a 17-second PR). 

After that race, it was like a ton of bricks fell right on top of me. I fell into a deep depression that lasted 10 months. I had to really push myself to do the necessary tasks of daily life. I think I had been very hypomanic during my training and then after the race, I felt burnt out and disappointed it was over, and I just melted into the depression.

In February, I saw my primary care doctor who highly recommended I see a psychiatrist. (I had been on a waiting list to see one for months--it's impossible to get mental health care!). My primary care doctor suspected I had bipolar, which I thought was ridiculous. The photo of me below is when I hit rock bottom mentally--you can't tell by my fake smile in the picture, but I felt worse than ever before. 

In fact, the reason I was wearing that shirt was because I'd called my friend John in San Diego just a few hours earlier and asked if I could get a flight to his house that day to stay a few days with him and his husband, Ric. They are two of the kindest people I know, and John helps so many people with mental health just by being aware and truly caring.

I felt like I just needed them. I felt like it was a choice between San Diego or the hospital to help my mental health. I decided to try San Diego first. I got on a plane that very day and went to stay with John and Ric. I came home feeling recharged, but still felt like I needed to see a psychiatrist.

In April, I was finally able to get in to a psychiatrist. I liked him so much right away. I wrote the whole story about it here, which explains everything. But ultimately, I was diagnosed with bipolar and I started medication for it. Four days later, I felt like a different person. A million times better. And most of 2017 was AMAZING. I think the meds put me into a hypomanic state for a little while while I got used to them, but I haven't had a significant hypomanic state since then. 

The name of the game in 2017 was to do what made me happy! I quit running and I started eating whatever I wanted to eat (and NOT eat when I wasn't hungry... I quit the emotional eating because I was happy!). I all-but stopped drinking alcohol--simply because I didn't feel the need to "relax" or "relieve anxiety". I was happy. The weight just came off easily, and I was back down to my goal weight within a few months.

I started to feel mildly depressed again at the end of the year (nothing at all like before, though!). Just not so "crazy" happy. The meds felt like they were doing their job--keeping me from being too low or too high with my moods. And they've been doing that ever since! I do have periods of depression and hypomania here and there, but they are like gentle waves rather than huge crashing ones. 

I stayed between 160-170 for over a year, usually in the mid-160's. However, the last month or so, I've been avoiding the scale because I'm sure it's up again, maybe even the mid-170's (in my mind, I feel like it's going to read 253 pounds again). I didn't look today--I had Jerry write it down for me--but I'll look at it when I weigh in next week. 

Today is Day 1 of Weight Watchers Flex Points. I feel very optimistic about it. It helps a lot that my friend Adam is being super supportive (he's not doing Weight Watchers, but we are both reading an inspiring book and we made plans to run the Detroit Half together in October. 

My sister is doing Weight Watchers as well, and she's doing awesome with it. She texts daily to see how things are going and to give me ideas of what she's eating, etc. Jerry is also doing Weight Watchers again.

This post is so much longer than I anticipated! Like I said, I didn't post these photos because I'm "proud" of all the times I lost weight--hahaha. I just wanted to show that weight loss (or MINE, anyway) doesn't have a finish line. I'm constantly having to work on it, and sometimes I just don't have the energy to put as much effort into it as other times. Last year was the worst yet! (I'm almost positive it was due to stress). 

I need to start working on stress reduction, and maybe that will help me continue on with Weight Watchers. Let's hope so! :)

And because I never post photos anymore, here is one from literally right now. I'm sitting in the waiting room at Noah's doctor's appointment as I type this post, so I took a quick selfie--no make-up, hair a complete mess, and looking totally unsure of myself (there is no one else in this room, otherwise I wouldn't have the nerve to take a selfie, haha)

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