A Doctor, a Lawywer, a Wedding, Oh My!

The weekend of May 17th was really busy. On Friday, we got to see Todd's brother Ryan graduate from medical school and on Saturday we went to David and J'lene's wedding. The following Wed., we saw my broyher Stephan sworn in as a lawyer and then as a deputy D.A.

I'm proud of Stephen and Ryan for all the hard work they've done. They were able to do all this while raising kids. I think their wives and kids should also be congratulated because of the support they gave and the sacrifices they made.

Last but not least, David and J'lene's wedding. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me and so I don't have any pictures. You'll have to look on my sister Julie's blog or Jeff and Kristy's blog to see pictures. The wedding was beautiful. It took place in the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday-saints. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the teachings of our church, we believe that life does not end with death. We believe that if married in one of these temples, by one who has the authority, a couple's marriage will last into the next life, where as in civil marriages it is always said "til death do you part". In order to enter into one of these temples, one has to be a member of the church and striving to live the commandments. The reason for this is because the Temple is the house of God, a holy and sacred place.

I am proud of David and J'lene for striving to live their lives in such a way that they were able to go to the house of the Lord and be married for time and all eternity. I know that they will be blessed for the good lives they are living.

If anyone has any questions about temples or our faith, I would be more than happy to answer them. The explanation I gave of the temple was a very brief one. So if you would like to learn more, please ask. You can also go to the official church websites I have posted to the right of my blog for more information on our beliefs.

The Competition is on!

To help encourage Todd and myself to lose more weight, I challenged him to a friendly competition. The competition will last from today and go until June 1st. The one that loses the biggest percentage of weight is the winner. The winner gets $5.00 per percentage lost to spend -- on games if it's Todd and clothes if it's me. The loser gets to go 1 month without sweets or fast food -- ouch.

Strategies -

LynMarie 1. Tempt Todd with Carl's Jr.

Todd 1. Buy icecream and put it in the freezer. (Todd has way more self control than I do and knows I would polish it off in one-two days.)

By the way, I have 3 more lbs to lose before I reach my goal for David's May 17th wedding.

Knee Update

It's been just over six weeks since the surgery and things are going very well. The incision is now a scar as you can see here and is almost four inches long. I went to the doctor yesterday and he told me that I could ditch the brace - so I happily threw it away before I left the building! I pretty much have the range of motion totally back, so it's a matter of building up strength again, and breaking down some scar tissue that's still inside the knee - mostly just below the kneecap.
Every two or three weeks I get to drop some exercises and add others. This has generally resulted in less time spent per day, but tougher workouts. I'm now down from over three hours a day to about an hour and a half, so it's just a matter of staying the course and consistently doing this stuff for the next several months. If all goes well the knee should be back to 100% by about the end of the year.

Cutie Pies

I was at my mom's house recently, and when I went outside I saw Dillon and Parker sitting under the lemon tree. They were just sitting there leaning against their basketballs.

Don't look if you have a weak stomach

As some of you know, Todd had knee surgery in March. Recently they removed the bandages and staples and here are the results.

He has physical therapy once a week and exercises he has to do everyday several times a day. Some of those include riding the stationary bike for 10 min. and squats. I am very proud of the dedication he has put into these exercises. I know it's difficult for him to add these exercises into his already busy schedule, but he is enduring to the end and the progress is showing.

I love you Todd. Thanks for your hard work.

Biggest Loser

Since his knee surgery Todd has lost about 20 lbs. He looks GREAT! Great job sweety. Keep it up.

Note - This is not an updated picture.

Littlest Loser

That's me and I'm proud of it. My goal is to lose 10 lbs. by my brother's May 17th wedding. So far I've lost 5. I'm halfway there. However, since November I've lost about 12 lbs. I have a goal weight to reach by our annual family lake trip in August. If I meet it, I will reward myself with a new bathing suit.

When I got married 7½ years ago, I wore a size 12 dress. I think my overall goal will be to fit in a size 12 dress again.

Note - This is not an updated picture.