Is Anyone Else Having Trouble?

Is anyone else having trouble reading blogs? Whenver I connect to someone's blog that has their "Followers" on their page, it redirects me, and won't allow me to read it. I was having this problem with my own blog earlier this week, and took my followers gadget off of my page which resolved the problem, but there are several blogs I have not been able to read in days because of this (if you have followers on your page, you are one of them.) Anyways, I was just curious if this was a problem with my computer or with blogger. I would love a response if anyone is out there reading this... I miss reading about you all!

I haven't forgot...

I only have about 30 seconds to post, so here's the scoop...

Brian is still painting the house. We changed the color twice!... I explain more later. WE HAVE GOT TO ROCK THIS OUT BEFORE THE WEATHER CHANGES. I'll post pics and everything later, but I have been so busy, and we just don't have a moment to stop.

That I Mean What I Say When I Say "I Do"

Those are the words that rung true in our lives tonight. They are the words that are in the new Matthew West song found at this link (just double click on When I Say I Do). IT IS WORTH IT TO GO LISTEN TO THIS SONG... it's my new favorite.

Brian and I had our re commitment ceremony at church tonight. I have been a naysayer of this ceremony, but I knew Brian wanted to do it. I realized that I the reason I didn't really want to do this was that I really wanted my family there, but when Brian squeezed my hands (as tightly as the day we were married), I knew what really mattered at that moment was the love that we have for each other, and our commitment before God.

Pastor Jeff Gannon put on a really nice ceremony for the couples

Kind of funny side story... during the ring exchange you may notice this is my promise ring... my wedding ring has a chipped diamond and has been in for repairs for 3 months. It's supposed to be back next week. I sure do miss it, but this promise ring has been around for a long time now, so it was still very special.He tried to steal the kiss early, but I made him wait until Pastor Jeff announced us officially remarried!

It turned out to be a very fun evening for us. I do still love him, and would marry him again any day. I want to do this again someday in Hawaii with our kids. I want them to see and understand the commitment we made to each other and to our family. The theory of "Fireproof" is not that a fire will never come, but that the material is strong enough to withstand the heat. With the firm foundation of God, and our commitment to continue to love each other unconditionally, and forever, the Anderson Family is fireproof.

P.S. - Thanks Stephanie for the pics! You were a great 'Matron of Honor'!!!

New Adventure

Congratulations Brian! It's time for our family to start a new adventure. At 5:00 this evening our 10-week stint of unemployment ended. Brian accepted a job with Terradyne Golf Course. He will start as their Assistant Superintendent on March the 1st. I know that earlier I did not sound so excited, but I am very thankful to God for blessing our family with this job at a time when the unemployment rates are higher than ever. It doesn't seem like it fits us perfectly, but I know God has a plan for us, so I won't second guess Him.

So we have lots to do before March 1st. First of all we have to have the most fun we can fit into this week. I want to treat this week like a mini-vacation for our family. Next week it's back to work, and boy are we going to miss having our daddy around all day to play with and love on us. The other thing we have to do is to get the house painted... crazy I know, but we had planned on hiring it out, and now we would like to save the money, so Brian is going to do it himself!!! I am not sure about this, but we've painted the inside plenty, so now it's time to try the outside... wish us luck. I am sure it's not that hard. I need to make sure it's warm enough for the paint to cure, but we'll get professional advice before we do something silly.

We do have a fun and busy weekend ahead. This evening 5 other girls and I went to the Women's Fair. If you don't live around here, basically our Expo Center sets up hundreds of boothe's devoted to women. This includes jewelry, purses, chiropractors, salons... if it's for women, it's there. So we went tonight and explored the booths. I bought this necklace which I LOVE! You can take the different pieces off and replace them with others. I am going to go to their store in town and buy about 5 other pieces so I can mix and match the pieces... what fun! While the girls were out the daddies and babies stayed home and had pizza and watched movies. (Don't you wish you were a fly on the wall for that one.)

Tomorrow the boys have swim lessons, and then we have to drop of Carter Boo with Nana so that we can take Cole to see "Jack and The Beanstalk" with the Wichita Children's Theatre. They're having their picnic show, so Cole will get to eat pizza and have POP... his favorite! I would imaging we will squeeze a trip to the paint store into the afternoon, and in the evening our church is having an event where we get to drop off our kiddos for three hours and have Date Night. Fun, fun, fun!

Sunday will be the normal trip to church, and in the evening we will have our final Fireproof session, followed by our vow renewal and a dinner.

Now you know all the details of our weekend. I hope you all have a great one also!

To Work or Not To Work, That is the Question...

Well, Brian was FINALLY offered 2 different jobs yesterday. I wish I could be more excited, but neither one feels like a perfect fit for our family. I should be excited that he is being offered a job in this economy, but I just don't feel the thrill rushing through my blood like I though I would. Here is a rundown...

Clearwater Golf Course offered him the General Manager position. He would be running both sides of the golf course (pro shop/grounds). The new owners seem so nice, but here's the problem...
1. The offer is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than what we expected. They want to come back with a counter offer today, but is it worth...
2. The 60 minute daily drive
3. The long hours
4. The responsibility of running an entire golf course with only part-time help
5. The fact that he will never get a day off because he will be in charge of that place running?????

Terradyne is expected to offer him the Assistant Superintendent job today. Brian seems really excited about this job... as am I... kind of. It's closer to home. He would get guaranteed time off. He won't have ALL of the responsibility, but enough. So what's the problem...
1. The pay once again does not come close to what we were making at Willowbend...

So to work, or not to work that is the question... When either paycheck is only going to bring in as much as the unemployment we're on now, it's hard to get excited.

Attn: Panera... If you need baby models, call me!

Happy Valentines Day... Uh maybe weekend?

Oh, what a busy Valentine's weekend this has been. Such a good one, but I'm exhausted! It started on Friday evening when some of our best friends told us they would watch the boys so we could go out. So we did a little planning, made some reservations, and gathered all of the gear it takes to care for two toddlers late into the evening... suddenly I realized I had nothing to wear! NO, REALLY, I had nothing dressy to wear. I have lost so much weight that the only pants I own right now are jeans or yoga pants, and a skirt has been out of the question for a couple of years now... so I rushed out to find something... don't laugh, but these legs haven't seen the light of day in quite some time. Cole even said, "what are you wearin' mom?"... " a skirt Cole!"

After dropping the boys off, we headed to The Old Town Warren to watch He's Just Not That Into You. The funniest part of that was that when we arrived, there were no seats left in the theatre except two in the front row, so I headed over towards them and realized that some of our other best friends were going to be sitting right next to us!... I felt like a date crasher... thank you Kristina and Andy for being so gracious and allowing us to sit next to you.

When the movie was over, Brian and I headed to our FAVORITE restaurant, Cafe Bel Ami. It's a tiny cafe downtown. I say that we can only afford to eat there once a year, but I want to lick my plate it's so good. They had a live string quartet there on Friday night, and when we arrived they were playing the Beauty and the Beast theme song. So romantic.

Saturday we went to the YMCA to work off some of our Valentines splurge, and then Brian had two different interviews (I know, so weird to interview on a Saturday.) So while Brian was interviewing I had lunch with Nana and the W-O-Es. We tried Hu Hot. I did enjoy it, and Cole thought it was great getting to watch them cook his food on the "hot, hot, grill".

After lunch we took the boys to get new shoes. Like Nana says, "it would be easier and cheaper to just buy them boxes for their feet." I'm beginning to agree. MY BOYS HAVE HUGE FEET... and you know what they say about boys with huge feet,... huge shoes! Carter is now wearing a size 7.5, and Cole needed a 12. I don't really know how to explain this to someone who doesn't have toddlers with a shoe size to compare this to, but I had to move Cole up to the boys shoes this time instead of the toddlers shoes... he's only 2. It's so hard knowing if you are getting the right shoes for your kids. Cole was so interested in the basketballs they had in the store that I was just chasing him around trying to check the length, and Carter thought that they all crawled the same... uh Carter, ... why don't you try walking in them, please and thank you in advance. Here are some pics of them in their new shoes with their "Valemtimes" from their buddy Mason. Thanks Mason!

Saturday evening we stayed in, cooked chili, and watched movies. Just where I wanted to be, cozied up with the ones I love.

Sunday was another packed day. Church, lunch, a quick trip to Newton to buy the boys some spring digs... (hope they can wear them soon!), followed by dinner, and back to church for our last Fireproof class. Next week at Fireproof our pastor will be renewing our vows. I'm not sure this is how I pictured our vow renewal (a mass of people doing it also), but I think it's important, so we are going to do it.

So, it was a good weekend. Thank goodness we have an extra day to recover. I hope my "Valemtimes" know how much I love them.

Happy Birthday Dear Daddy!

I love hearing Cole sing those words. We have been talking a lot about birthdays because our daddy Brian turned 28 today! We had a fun and special day with our daddy. Since he wasn't working we got to spend the WHOLE day with him!

(You know I am not an experienced blogger yet because I didn't have my camera the entire day, but I will share some memories and a couple of pics!)

We started the day off by taking all of the babies to Jimmy's Diner for breakfast. Brian loves pancakes and chocolate milk, so I knew this would start his morning off right.

Then we went to the Great Plains Nature Center. We were a little late for story time, but the lady that runs the center opened up a snake cage, and just dropped a snake in daddy's hands... YUCK, GROSS, EWWWW, GET ME AWAY! Then we spent about an hour touring the nature center. Cole loved pushing the buttons to make the bird sounds and standing around the huge aquarium.

The rest of the afternoon was leading up to this evening... the big surprise. I can't say I have ever done much like this, but I decided to invite 12 of our closest friends and family over for a mini-surprise party for Brian. I cooked Diet Coke Chicken, Green Bean Casserole, and Rolls for dinner and ordered a DQ ice cream cake. I told Brian around 4:45 that I wasn't feeling well and that I needed him to take the kiddos to the YMCA so I could lay down for awhile, then I scurried to clean the house, cook dinner, and set up tables before everyone arrived at 6:30. Brian arrived at 6:45 (thinking he was picking me up to go out to dinner) to find friends and family to wish him a Happy Day! What fun!

I hope he always realizes how much I adore him. One line of the card I bought him says, "And I'll be making another wish- for a hundred more lifetimes to share with you."... now you know what I'm wishing for when I blow out the candles on my birthday cake... Happy Birthday Brian, I love you.

Playdough

I told Cole this morning that while daddy was "working" (actually at an interview with the City of Derby), that we could play Playdough... as you can see he was thrilled!

It always amazes me how those colorful balls of nothingness can excite. Santa brought Cole this Playdough organizer for Christmas. It came with all kinds of tools for him... shots, knives, scissors... how painful and destructive...I'd never noticed the theme... maybe that's why he likes it so much.

We spent time cutting and pressing shapes into the dough. We rolled up snakes and chopped them into pieces, or waved the "scarwy nake" in each others faces.

He also loves making "paghetti"... it takes his entire body to make a heaping pile of pink spaghetti, but oh, so worth it.


Carter Boo wanted desperately to play Playdough also this morning, but I would not let him... do you know what slobbery Playdough looks like? I do! He finally settled on his favorite pastime, putting things in and out of each other... this can be anything... a ball in a cup, a straw into a lid top, anything... today it was putting one shot into another shot.

I really do love mornings like this when things are low key and I can just play with my boys.

Checkmate...

I was taken by the sermon our Pastor Jeff Gannon gave at church yesterday. What he said I always want to remember.

He was discussing an Champion Chess Player that was at an art museum looking at a painting titled "Checkmate". The Chess Player looked at it and told his friend that there was something wrong with the picture. He studied it for quite some time, moving his hands back and forth, pondering the problem... then he said, "AHA, either this artist is going to have to change the painting or the title, because The King has one more move."

Remember... God does not promise us an easy life, but when we feel backed into a corner, THE KING always has one more move!

50 Pounds...

I've wanted to start a blog for quite some time, and just never seem to get around to it, but I think it's truly time... I've spent two weeks "designing" my blog... not that it's anything great, I'm just that technology illiterate (ha!)! So here it is The Anderson Shuffle... a daily encounter... with the Anderson's... RAW!

I'm starting out by sharing my latest (and close to greatest) personal accomplishment...

I'VE NOW LOST 50 POUNDS!

I'm going to go back a little bit to confess some things and answer some questions about what I've been doing over the past few years and weeks..

As some of you may know I lost my best friend and mom 5 years ago to a heart condition. She was taken suddenly and unexpectedly on New Years Eve of 2003. She had been to the doctor for a full physical just a few weeks before, and she was found to be healthy except overweight. (I haven't had a full physical, but looking at myself a few months ago, I'm sure the doctor would say the same thing to me.)

I ate my way through lots of pain and stress, had two babies in two years, and quickly found myself at a place I never thought I would be... not wanting to move, breathing heavy when I did, not wanting my picture taken, and wishing it could be erased when someone did. I don't know what made the light bulb come on, but on August 15th, I decided it was time to change.

We started out by joining our local YMCA, and on August 15th, Brian and I made our first trip there. I trudged through 10 minutes on an ARC trainer and wanted to fall of and lay on the floor when I was done, but for dignity's sake, I got off and took a couple of laps around the track... READY TO GO HOME AND NEVER COME BACK!... but we did, day after day, week after week. Next Sunday will be our 6-month anniversary to a healthier life. A lot of things have changed...

1. I now eat 1550 calories per day. Not to say I never go over, but a piece of birthday cake is now a sliver (literally), and I'd prefer a salad over a cheeseburger. My body craves something different now, and I try to be more sensitive to what I really need. LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR... I am not on a diet. I never will be. They don't work, they don't last, they deprive you. I will not be deprived. I eat sweets, carbs, regular fat items, etc. I am making this change for good... I needed bread yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

2. I am still a popoholic... but now I drink diet pop. I HATE that word, but I know it's been a key to my success. Anyone who knows me, knows I loved drinking 2-5 Cokes per day. Now I drink about 2 diet drinks per day... there is a wonderful world of diet drinks out there... Diet Dr. Pepper was my starter (the least repulsive), followed by Diet Coke. This week we tried sugar free Koolaid (we had a free sample, but it's DELICIOUS), and Diet Root beer. YUMMY!

3. I work out 5-6 times per week. I do 60 minutes of cardio, and about 30 minutes of weight. I try and treat it like brushing my teeth... you just have to do it. I had a friend tell me very early into my journey "The only way you can lose weight is through pee, poop, and sweat." Gross, I know, but true, and I try and remind myself of this when I don't want to go. I love spin class the most, but spend time on the arc trainer, and have even started jogging.

So there you have it... no secrets. I started this journey weighing 259 lbs, and now weigh 209 lbs. Brace yourself... I have pictures if you want to see me in my sports bra and yoga pants...

Me in August: 259 lbs... hard to admit to.

A side view...

Me today... 209 lbs! Still a long way to go, but much better.

A side view of me today! (Sorry it's so grainy... I'm having trouble with my pics.)

I have to say I have truly and selfishly done this for myself. However, I hope that because of doing this my children have a mommy that lives a long and healthy life, and can drive them crazy late into their 70's! I want to do things differently. Like I said I am not perfect, and I have a long way to go, but I am seeing changes now, and that is exciting!

(P.S.- I am sorry for some of the layout errors... I cannot seem to get the spacing to save changes... it's driving me crazy, but I'll never post this if I just don't let it go.)