P.O.W Campout 2010

Over the last 7 years I have been getting together with the same group of ladies for our annual P.O.W (Pretty Outstanding Women) camping trip. This years campout was fun, enjoyable, rainy & relaxing. I look forward to the trip every year.

Sharyll & Vickie

For the last 5 years we have headed up to Tanner Flat Campground in Little Cottonwood Canyon. We have a normal campground that we reserve every year that we really like. This year Sharyll Madsen, Vickie Ricks, myself & their friend Lori were able to come up. We don't really plan any activities we just fly by the seat of our pants. We normally walk the entire campground once or twice a day. We also will find different trails that we can hike or explore. The rest of the time we work on projects, read, or play games.

Sharyll & Vickie setting up our shower! We like the luxury of a shower when camping!

We had a little run in with Mother Nature this year. Thursday brought about great weather until in the evening when it started to rain. When we woke up Friday morning we realized that the tent had leaked and that there was water under our air mattress. Luckily we have 3 or 4 hours of nice weather on Friday where we could dry out our bedding. However that changed very quickly. As Friday afternoon approached Mother Nature decided to open the heavens & allow it to pour. I don't remember the last time my shoes, socks & pants were so wet from all the rain. I even came prepared with a poncho but was not able to stay completely dry. On the positive side the rain let up just a little bit so that we could build a decent fire to stay warm. All of us were pretty wet & tired by this point. As we retired to bed we didn't realized that the tent was so wet that it had started to leak onto the two beds located on each side of the tent. Vickies bed was in the middle of the tent, Sharyll and I had ours on both ends of the tent. Needless to say Sharyll and I ended up sleeping in our cars while Vickie slept in the tent. Lori headed home Thursday night as she wasn't able to sleep over but still wanted to participate in part of the camping trip.

Even though the rain put a damper on the camping trip, it was nice to get away, relax and enjoy each others company.

We wanted a group picture but it was too late to ask any of the other campgrounds to take the picture. Well my thought was why not use the self timer on my camera. So we put the camera on the hood of one of the cars and started to take pictures. We had to take several as I wasn't sure what I was doing with the self timer.

We didn't realize the camera wasn't level that is why we are all leaning to one side.

Still leaning after rigging the camera to be more level

Sharyll has reached her breaking point & gets the case of the giggles.

Finally a decent group picture!

Another group picture with the self timer, this time we are level but not centered.

Each year Vickie likes to find different ways we can get creative with our pictures when we go on our walk about the campground. Here are a few pictures that shows her creativeness:

Sprawled out in the Fire Pit

Head on the chopping block (oops, I wasn't supposed to get her arm & leg in the picture)

Me posing with the "Berries"

Is Change Good or Bad?

What is your view on change? Is change good or bad? I truly believe it depends on the circumstances and how much of the change we have control over determines if the change is good or bad.

I am an optomistic person. I like to always see my glass as half full rather then half empty. I view change as a good thing. Going through changes is never easy and at times can be very frustrating & difficult but those tend to be the times that bring about great growth.

Listen to me carrying on about change. I have experienced a couple of changes in my life just recently that I feel will be monumental for me & my future.

Last weekend I moved back home to live with my dad and step mom. It took me forever to come to this decision, but once I did I was at peace with it. I had some reservations about it because I have been out on my own for the last 7 years and love every minute of my independence. Also I have never lived with my step mom before and I wasn't sure how that would impact our relationship. All I know is that when something feels right and everthing in tells you should do this, then I have to take the leap of faith. One of my motivations for making this decision is to pay off the debt I incurred for having my weight loss surgery. I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I know the sacrifices I make now will allow me to eventually purchase a place of my own.

I decided that while I would be living at home, I would take this opportunity to start attending the older singles ward. I thought it would be wise since I am living at home again that it would be best for us to go to different wards so that we can keep our relationships healthy & strong. This also allows me to meet new people, make new friends and be able to socialize with other single people.

I am very sad to leave my family ward. I have made so many friends there who have impacted my life for good. I will miss teaching my primary children. I have come to love them very much. They will always hold a special place in my heart. I was so hesitant to accept the calling to be a primary teacher at first. I thought to myself what could I possibly teach them. I learned an important lesson that I always need to trust in the Lord. He knows what is best and will not lead me astray.

Another change that has been monumental for me this year is finding the new & improved Becky. I am so blessed & grateful for the outcome I have had since my weight loss surgery. I have lost a 199 pounds. I am 1 pound away from losing 200 pounds. If I never lost another pound I could be happy with where I am at. However I am determined to break all of my belief barriers and reach my maintance goal of weighing 180 pounds. I have 78 pounds to go. I know I will make it.

While I was packing up all my belongings to prepare for my move, I came across 4 outfits that I use to wear prior to having my weight loss surgery. I hadn't taken the time to put the outfits on until last week . I was astonished at how much weight I have truly lost. It was empowering for me to try the clothes on. The clothes made me more determined to reach my goal and never go back to 458 pounds.

All of the clothes pictured below used to be very tight on me when I was at my heaviest weight. The levis were so tight that the seams on the pants ripped and I had to repair the levis to keep them.

It is so easy to loose sight of what is truly important which is good health & happiness. I want to live a long & lovely life. I think I am well on my way!

One Year Ago

Today is my one year surgery anniversary! I can't believe how fast the year flew by. This was the best decisions I ever made for myself! I would do it again if I had to make the decision all over again. I am truly blessed for all the wonderful friends & family who have supported me along the way. I couldn't do this without your support.

I met with my doctor today who was pleased with my overall success. He informed me that all of my labs came back with excellent results. My blood sugar, cholesterol, & blood pressure fell well within the normal ranges. Its nice to know that all of my hard work has paid off.

I am not quite to my goal weight of 180 pounds, but I know I will get there. I realize that my journey is going to take me longer then some but all that matters is that I reach my goal. I am determined to make it. My doctor reminded me to not get so caught up in the number & lose sight of whats most important which is staying active, feeling healthy & happy.

My ultimate goal is to stay focused & committed to my new lifestyle so that I can keep the weight off long term. I love my new life. I love all of the extra energy that I have. I love trying new things that I have never been able to do before. I am excited for my future and all that it has in store for me.

I'm Back

I'm back! I know it has been a long time since I have blogged. I couldn't remember how to log in to my blog so that goes to show it has been too long since my last post.

Life is great but seems a little busy for me lately. I am in the process of packing up my duplex to get ready to move. I will be moving in August. I am moving home to live with my dad & step mom for about 6 to 7 months to pay off my debt from my surgery. This decision was not easy for me to make, but after much thought & prayer I know that it is the right decision for me. I am going to miss living in Sugar House, my lovely duplex, my primary class, my friends and my ward. It is hard for us to experience change, but sometimes it brings about the greatest blessings.

I had a wonderful 4th of July weekend with my friend Deedre' and her parents. Deedre' invited me up to her parents cabin for the weekend. They have the most beautiful cabin up by Kamas and the Uintah Mountains. It was nice to get away and enjoy the beauty of our mountains. Deedre' and I spent a lot of our time exploring & hiking. We hiked Mirror Lake, Fehr Lake & Ruth Lake. I was impressed with how well I did an how far I have come in a year since my surgery. I would have never done any of these hikes before. I was able to do all 3 hikes and enjoy each of them tremendously. I do have to thank Deedre' for pushing me when I wanted to give up.

I am closely approaching my 1 year mark July 20th since my surgery. I can't believe how fast the year has flown by. I have lost a total of 189 pounds. I have 95 more pounds that I want to loose to get to my maintenance weight. I am determined to make it to my goal. At my year mark I was going to allow myself to introduce carbs & sweets back into my diet very slowly. I decided to wait until I reach my maintenance goal of 180 pounds before I introduce those foods again. I will get new pictures posted as soon as I can. I am excited for my future and the new experiences I get to explore along the way.

5K Pictures

Before the 5K

Me, Patty & Deedre'

My Dad & Step Mom

Yahoo! I did it! I completed my first 5K. It was the most exciting & motivating experience I have had in a long time. As I got closer to the finish line, I was overcome with a lot of different emotions but ultimately I was very happy to see how far I have come. I am proud of myself & all the hard work I did before hand to achieve this goal.

My finishing time was 1 hour 16 minutes. I think that is pretty good time for my first 5K. I have already committed to do another 5K in August. My goal is to focus on improving my time. This will help me stay motivated during my workouts as I work towards increasing my speed.

I am truly blessed for the family & friends that came out to support me. I want to thank them for taking time out of their Saturday to do the 5K. They are all troopers for coming especially since it rained during the majority of the walk. On the positive side, the rain made it much cooler. We didn't have to worry about getting hot.

I was doing really good with my pace until I got halfway through Sugarhouse park. Instead of walking on the paved road they had us walk on the outside of Sugarhouse park which meant walking through muddy grass. I wasn't prepared for walking in the grass and it slowed down my pace. By the time I got out of the park and back on the sidewalk it looked like Patty and I were the last two walkers. This bugged me at first, but then my friend Patty mentioned I shouldn't worry about it and just keep walking. On the bright side with us being the last 2 walkers that meant that a very cute police officer got to ride behind us in his police car since we were walking along 1700 East to 2100 south. This actually worked in our favor, it helped us to pick up the pace.

After the 5K

I made the mistake of sitting down too soon after my walk. I should have stretched & walked around more. I couldn't believe how stiff & sore I was all day on Saturday. I feel it even more today then I did yesterday. I can't wait to see my Chiropractor tomorrow.

I had a great time. I am so proud of myself and this huge accomplishment. It made me realize that I shouldn't be afraid to try new things & never limit myself. I look forward to my next 5K in August. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join. The more the merrier I say.

My First 5K

It is official, I am crazy! I have just registered to walk my very first 5K this coming Saturday. I am both excited & nervous. I am sure everything will be okay. My only goal is to cross the finish line, I am not focusing on how long its going to take me. The most important thing for me is that I finish the race. My dad and best friend have decided to join me for support as achieve this goal of mine. I will be taking pictures and will post them as soon as I can.

Now that I have shed 170 pounds, I find that I am able to do a lot more & have a lot more options open up to me with this new lease on life. I am amazed how much I am able to do physically now but that was so difficult for me before. I love taking the stairs at work every time I have to go downstairs. I love going for walks on my breaks & lunches. Its funny how things change. Before the surgery I would never consider going for walks on my breaks & lunches or taking the stairs. It would have been too much for me.

I started a "bucket list" so to speak of things I want to do now that I have more options after loosing all my weight. Some of the things that I want to do is go to Lagoon, Disney World, hiking, horseback riding and water skiing. If anyone has ideas or suggestions that I can add to my list, please share.

Weight Loss Update

I need to do a better job at blogging on a regular basis. It has been awhile since I have blogged about where I am with my weight loss. For the last month I haven't lost or gained any weight. I have hit those notorious plateaus. I have lost a total of 169 lbs. I haven't been able to pull past 169 pounds. I am grateful for very pound I have lost and appreciate the new lease on life I have.

I am more focused & motivated to get to my maintance goal of 180 pounds. I know it will happen, its just going to take more time, patience & discipline. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. July 20th will be 1 year to the date since I had the surgery. I have realized that the farther I get out from my surgery date, the more laid back I have become in tracking and measuring my food. This could be one reason why I have hit a plateau. It just requires some more tweaking & fine tuning as to what will and won't work for me.

I am very excited. On June 12th I will be walking in a 5K. I am nervous as I have never done a 5K but have been preparing for this one. My worst fear is that I will be the last person walking, holding up the race. I don't think that will happen as my time is pretty good, but it is still a fear of mine. Anyone is welcome to join me as I walk my first 5k. I will post information about it shortly. Also I will post new pictures as soon as I can get someone to take them.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.