Anniversary Trip Part 3: Monterey aka Paradise!

Monterey did not disappoint - we felt worlds away from the desert (it was literally 50 degrees hotter back home than the cool temps by the ocean). We brought our bikes and rode all over the Monterey Trail, visiting Fisherman's Wharf for a whale watching tour, trying new places to eat, and just taking in the scenery and wildlife.

It was so peaceful and calm - we watched otters play in the water below our oceanside table at the outdoor restaurant at our hotel - the Monterey Plaza. Dolphins swam by in the distance while we sat around the fire pit on the hotel patio - yeah, it was awesome.

Our whale watching tour was amazing because not only did we see the anticipated humpback whales but we also saw a pod of killer whales, which is more rare. Our tour guide said that only about 10% of their tours see killer whales. We followed them for awhile and then turned the boat to find the humpback whales who were slower but so huge and impressive!

Betty watched the kids for us and boy did we leave her with a rough week - the morning of the day we were to leave, our air conditioning went out so we had to quickly pack up the kids for two days at Mema's house, then Miles and Henry got sick, our toilet broke and overflowed, what else?? They still had fun and were well taken care of, but it seemed like a doozy of a week... sorry Betty!

I hope we can make time to go away for a few days every year - it was really so good to just focus on each other and make some new memories. It is good to miss the kids. I'd like to miss them at least once a year. :)

Anniversary Trip Part 2: Copa Soccer Game

Bucket list: attend a USA men's soccer team game. Check!!

Matt was like a little kid on Christmas! Even the 75% Colombian crowds and $45 parking couldn't dampen his enthusiasm. It was pretty amazing!

Anniversary Trip Part 1: Disneyland

Matt and I went on a much-needed vacation sans children to celebrate our 11th anniversary - we weren't able to do anything big for our 10th anniversary since Henry was just a month old, so this year we planned a trip to Monterey, CA to revisit the same places we went on our honeymoon. We decided at the last minute to add in a day trip to Disneyland and at first it was weird to not have the kids there, but then we realized we could DO WHATEVER WE WANTED and we just went with it! No extra bathroom breaks or meltdowns or naps or tears. It really was so much fun! We also got to stay two nights with Stephanie, and of course we never took a photo. Thanks for letting us crash at your place Steph!

Girls Night Out

These girls are just my favorite! Janel, Melinda and I finally got together for a much-needed girls dinner!! Janel and I play tennis together every week and Melinda and I are doing our weight loss program together.

We realized that we have lost a combined total of over 80 lbs, and we are kicking ourselves for not taking a "before" photo together.  Losing weight is so much easier with a friend and now a spouse too! Matt has joined the lean and green movement! 

He's Here! Baby Everett!

We got to hold sweet Everett Daniel Coontz for a few hours before heading home - he was born on May 27th and is as cute as can be! I just love holding these straight-from-heaven new babies. Everett is the 12th grandchild for my parents. He looked like McKinley to me at first, but then kind of like a mix between her and Gabe... babies change so much in the beginning, it's hard to tell. But he has those super cute Becky lips :) Can't wait to see him again soon!

Baby Coontz Watch 2016

The kids and I drove up to Cedar City once we heard Becky was in labor - we had to meet this new little cousin, and we figured we could hang out with May and Grandpa before he got there. So, we hit the road! 

We went swimming in the hotel pool, hung out at the park and played games, and checked in with Becky and Danny to see when they were coming home. 

Recognizing Myself Again

So that title may sound a little melodramatic, but it's how I feel about my weight loss progress so far. I don't think I need to be a certain size to be happy, but I just wanted to feel like myself again. I wanted to not catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror or a photo and think - is that really what I look like?

I am convinced that a friend and I were both led to a health program at almost the exact same time, by different people, so we could lose this weight together. We ultimately brought it up hesitantly with each other and were so excited to find out we were both looking into the same program - it sounded like something we could do! Eat 5 small meals a day plus one lean and green meal, low carb, low fat protein, natural fats like avocado, olives and olive oil, plus a ton of water...  we could do this!!

I have liked this program so much in fact, that I have decided to become a health coach in order to cement these eating habits by teaching others, and to continue to lose weight in the process. When I first started, I said I wanted to lose 60 lbs. Well, I am now down 40+ lbs in a little over 3 months and I am feeling so much more like myself.

I have energy - I actually WANT to walk to the kids to school. I am loving tennis again and even feel faster (maybe it's my imagination, but I know I can get to the ball much quicker now. 40 lbs off my knees is no joke). And it makes me want to start up basketball again - I have missed it so much since being pregnant with Henry and moving far away from our group of women who I played with every week for more than 12 years! I felt sad at the thought I might never play again... Now maybe I will start my own women's group up here in North Las Vegas.

Here are my 3 month mark before and afters - I just look happier in the afters, even though of course I smiled in the befores, taking those photos and measurements were torture!

I am now officially down 43 lbs and I have lost an entire four-year-old! I weighed Penelope today and she weighs 42.8 lbs. That just blows my mind! Where was that weight? It's scary to think about, honestly. You can tell Penelope was very happy to be in this photo with me... little stinker. Maybe I can convince her to take a better one with me for my birthday. :)