Great News

I just had some lab work done this week and the results came back as NON-DIABETIC!!!!!
I still have some weight to lose to get off all my medications and improve my long term fight against diabetes but I have made it to a major milestone.
I have also started hiking every week and have been to the waterfall a few times now. I am not too excited about the cold weather because I want to keep hiking. One of the thiings I have been dealing with due to weight loss is being cold all the time. I carry my electric heating pad with me in the house to stay warm. I don't know if I will be able to hike in the winter weather.
I just had to share my exciting news. Maybe by spring I will reach all my goals. I have been super frustrated with my weight loss but my Dr. reassured me that it is right where it should be and I need to not put so much pressure on myself to lose weight so fast. She said to expect 4 lbs a month from here on out for a healthy weight loss, I guess I need to re-think the goals I put up in early September. I am doing 300 or more crunches everday and at least as many push-ups. My diet is actually better this last few weeks and I have had a few medication changes that have thrown me a little out of whack but overall the news is very positive and my Dr. feels great about the progress. I am thrilled.
Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. This last year has been very difficult for me and I have been handling things by re-treating into my private world and coping with all this pretty much within the walls of my home and with my family, I hope I haven't hurt anyones feelings. I have not been out doing anything I usually do for quite sometime and many of you have continued to invite me to join you for social gathterings and I have not been there. Thank you for continuing to include me. It has meant a lot and I hope that I will be able to start handling some more of these events. I do miss all of you and your wonderful spirits. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. I love you all and hope you know how much you mean to me.

Whew!

Long summer! It has been great and even though school started 3 weeks ago I am just now feeling like summer is over. I am ready for fall. This is usually a hard time of the year for me, I tend to get seasonal depression about this time of year. I plan to have my great summer turn into a great fall. I have a few new goals that I felt like I needed to post somewhere so here they are. Size 10 by 10-01-09. Size 8 by 11-01-09 and Size 6 by 11-20-09. I hope it is not too optimistic but I am going to my sisters sealing in Nauvoo this November and I hope to be at my goal weight by then. I really have to pump it up now. I have been in a bit of a lull this last month and really need to step things up to get back on track. I walked 5.86 miles today and did 240 crunches. I plan to walk at least 40 minutes, minimum 5 days a week, more if possible. I plan to not only lose the weight but me more fit. That is really the ultimate goal. Stonger and healthier. I am down from a size 22 to a snug 12 and 30 lbs. 3o more to go in 3 months. I can do this.
Thanks for everyones encouragment and compliments, it helps me get past some frustrations and doubts.
I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. I am sorry I didn't see much of anybody these last few months. I miss you all and look forward to a less hectic schedule. Maybe I will get in a scrapbooking night with everyone so I can hear about all your summer adventures.
You are all amazing and inspiring, thanks for everything.

Okay, Okay

Well, I can't say that I have been too busy for this post, Don't get me wrong I have been busy but I have logged on here a couple of times to do this entry and have chickened out. I just hate to be the bearer of bad news and I don't want this news to be considered a cry for attention or sympathy but sooner or later everyone will hear about it and I would rather be the one doing the telling.

I have just been diagnosed with diabetes. Now before everyone goes off saying poor Nicole and that is to bad or so sad, know this. I have known for years that it was coming. My family is at high risk for it and I have polycystic ovaries (which many of you know) and that is an indicator of diabetes in women. I have been working with my Dr. who is fabulous and have managed to drop a little weight and with oral medication and diet it is well under control. I have made several concious decisions. 1. This is a new leg of my journey in life. It is an opportunity for me to learn more about myself and to improve in ways that I have needed to but never had the strong motivation to get me going. 2. I have decided that I have diabetes, It does not have me. I am learning my limits and the guidlines. I have much to learn and have made a comittment to myself to live my life to its fullest regardless of the stigma that comes with this condition. I realize it will be a life long process and that I can make this a crippling excuse or a strengthening experience. I choose to do the latter. Now having said that. Everyone reading this knows where I am coming from. I know many of you may have the reaction that I talked about earlier, please let that go and don't feel bad for me or worry about me. I don't want a pity party. I just want you all to know I love you and I am fine.

Now more fun things! Girls Camp was awesome! we got rained on every day. We didn't have to go tubing down the river because most girls were afloat on their air mattress' in the tents. Miraculously it always cleared up just long enough to do the important things that camp is meant for and overall everyone loved it, not one girl complained all week and we all came away knowing more about ourselves and our Savior. So I call it an overwhleming success.

News on the homefront is more or less the same. I head off to youth conference in two weeks then a week in Colorado for a family reunion and then a week in Arizona to visit some friends and family. So July is chalk full of fun and adventure.

Matt and Matthew are champs. They plug along just fine when I am gone but Iam always happy to get back to them and do my thing here at home. Matt continues to work hard and got an interesting call the other day from the guy who fired him in October asking him to come back and help them out. Some of you might know how this guy treated Matt and the problems we had with the job so I am glad to say Matt is so busy he couldn't go back if he wanted to, and believe me he doesn't.

Little Matthew is out playing all day most days. I have learned to relax a little and he has more freedom than he has in the past and is loving every minute of it. He just wants to go, go, go. It has been good for him and for me. He is such a good kid and so full of love. I am so blessed.

So in a nutshell there is the last month. Love you all. Hope your summer is going swimmingly!

Once again

Yes once again I have been swallowed up in the daily activities of life and completely neglected my blog and all of my friends out there. Sorry!

I have so much fun reading all of the events going on in your lives. I am glad I can share a few highlights from ours. I do miss you all. especially you ladies and families down there in the Az. desert. I miss all of you up here in the mountains too but I do get to at least see your cute faces every now and then.

So whats new? I guess I have to think about that for a minute. Baseball has been quite exciting this year. Matthew has improved so much and we are going to work hard this summer to prep him for next year. He will be in the majors next year and his coach feels like he has good potential. Batting, pitching and running faster are the main focus, oh wait thats pretty much everything in the game. He loves it and we love watching him out there.

His first game he had four good hits and made it all the way around the bases each time. No not homerun hits, base hits with a score. His team has done fair this year with 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie game. He has 2 games left this season we will see what happens.

Big Matt, Well work, work, work describes his life. He is still working 2 jobs. one full time and the other is contract work he does here at home. He also does most of the yard work and still finds time to go to Matthews games and practices, camping and spend time with me. He is amazing.

We did go camping last weekend and got soaked but it was so much fun, Matt and Matthew are heading out for a father, son campout tonight. I leave for girls camp in about 10 days.

Oh, I almost forgot our house got majorly flooded 2 weeks ago. PINEVIEW! Need I say more? Well I guess for those of you who don't know I should tell you it is the resevoir where we get our outside water from. IT STINKS! literally it smells like fish YUCK! I am still trying to get the oder out out of the house. It will take a bit more work but we almost have it clean.

I have lots of pictures here are a few.

The flood.

Opening ceremonies for the '09 season

Matthews 10th birthday and the invites we made.

Hope you all had a great mothers day and the summer is good to you. Love, love.

Wonderful Week

I am back, did you miss me? Ha ha J/K. Well I must tell you I had a wonderful week. I went to Womens Conference at BYU. It was like a breath of fresh air. The weather was gorgeous. The spirit was strong and I learned so much. Like on of the presenters said fill your bucket and go home to splash it all over the people you love. I think that was Hillary Weeks. It is very much a blur for me. I need to read my notes several times before it all gets sorted out.

The company is always great. I love all the ladies I get to spend time with down at Womens Conference. Some of them I met there and only see them once a year. It is so good to catch up and hear how they have been and how their families are doing. It is also a good time to reconnect with my friends here in the ward. We are all so busy that finding time to visit can be very hard and it is rare. The group is a large reason I go every year. We have so much fun. I feel like I am 12 again having a sleepover with all my friends. We laugh and stay up all night visiting and sharing stories and experiences. We really cover the gammet on topics but they all are funny.

This next week we get to put the garden in. WaaaaaaHooooo! I am so excited. My plants are so ready t o go in. I am having a hard time keeping them happy right now and have been worried about them but I have hardened them off and they are readyy to be transplanted. It will be a busy saturday. We will transplant, get another yard of dirt for the front flower beds and recover the pool area and level it off to get ready to put the pool up. Regular weekend yard work, and remove a few bushes in the back yard. I think then we will be pretty well set for the summer.

All else is well. I hope to have a few pictures to put on next time. Oh by the way Matthew is now ten. He had a great birthday party. We took him and a few friends bowling. They were so cute. He is a great kid. So full of love and excitement. He pitched a practice game the other night and did fantastic. He ended up striking out 4 boys and helped get 2 outs on first base. He is so jazzed about baseball this year that we can hardly get him to take off his baseball cap. He practices everyday. We have enjoyed watching him play and practice.

Ok I think that is all. Love to everyone.

Spring clean-up

We spent most of the day working in the yard. We are tired and dirty but we accomplished alot. I have plenty of room for my garden and wish I didn't have to wait 4 more weeks to plant.


My Awesome Hubby fixed my camera and it is now back in the hands of a shutterbug so watch out, here come the pictures.


My seedlings to be planted.

Matt tilling the garden area.

Matthew cleaning up around the grape vines.

More tilling.

Removing the fence posts for repair.

"Look, I can do it."

WIld day with the wild creatures

Matthew and I went to the Hogle Zoo on friday. It was a blast. We really needed a mommy, son day and this was perfect. Here are a few pic's.