My Bucket List...

1. Be the best wife I can be
2. Inspire people to find better health for themselves
3. Own a really huge parrot and put it in shows
4. Travel around the world and try  ZUMBA classes in other countries
5. Impact a child
6. Be an interpreter for the Deaf
7. Love people with my WHOLE heart
8. Attend a cake convention
9. Go to Miami to dance with Beto Perez (creator of ZUMBA)
10. Drive a Ferrari
11. Know that my family and friends understand how important they are to me and how much of an impact they have made on my life and understand that they are appreciated more than my black heart is capable of showing

Some of my goals are materialistic, such as number 9 and 10, but most of my goals have purpose. I look back and read through my list and notice one thing is missing.  God.  However, know that he is not missing because if it were not for him my goals would not be what they are and they would certainly never be accomplished.

How am I doing?

The number "2" and the letter "F"...

My surgiversary was a complete success in and of itself but the celebration behind my surgiversary is brought to you by the number "2" and the letter "F".

The number two simply because it has been 2 years and 10lbs short of 200lbs down.  The letter "F" because, if it were not for my Friends and Family this whole process would not have turned out Fantastic.. 

I started out the day doing zumba, I continued the day with dinner with my friends and grandparents and I ended the day with a stroll through the downtown car show.  The car show years prior consisted of my husband pushing me in my wheel chair.  This year, however, I walked the whole thing except for two the last two blocks and that was because I took my husband up on his offer of a piggy back ride.  :D 

Here are a few pics of my support team and my Zumba instructor (Carrie) who played a HUGE part in how I look today.  If I did not have support and I had not seen Carrie speak I would not have did what I have done.

These people are the ones who made it easier to choose broccoli over cheesecake and health over a life of imprisonment in my own body.

For this I owe them the world......

I took two...

I remember when it took the two of us to help me get around Augustana in my wheelchair.  I remember when I use to sit down someplace and my butt took up two spaces.  The days of having the number of my weight begin with a 2 or 3 were not too long ago.

I have always taken two.

The funny thing about taking two is it has always been inconvenient, and at times, embarrassing. Now taking two takes on a whole new meaning.  I took two hours dancing at the zumbathon to help raise money for a tornado.  I played softball the other night and on my first time up to bat I took two bases. It takes two people to where my old pants.

You know what else involves the number two?!? My marriage, and if it would not have been for my other half all of this would be null and void and would have never become a reality.

Thanks Steve for my being my number two one.  I take up one seat, my weight begins and ends with the number one, my day starts and finishes with you, my number one.

What I have attempted to make great and ended up making worse...

I took fertility drugs this month to hopefully be pregnant by father's day so we did not have another crappy parents day pass as we have nothing to celebrate.  I did not tell my husband and I woke up this morning only to discover that my attempts have failed and the difference between this month and ALL the other months is that I have to endure the sadness alone because I did not tell my husband. Awesome.

Lutheran Social Services is coming to our house this friday to tell us whether we can barrow a kid or not.  I am starting to not feel so excited about fostering because now people are telling me about how horrible it is and how the kids you get are "crazy and messed up."  I am not so sure that that is what I want.  I do not want a kid who kills animals or any such silliness. I happen to love my pets very much and I do not want one to go missing.

Why can't we just have our own kids without all of this hassle?!?   Everyone else gets to, why can't we?