Stacey's Wedding

Stacey is a flute player in Northwinds. We got to know Stacey and her parents when the band traveled to Germany during the summer of 2005. After Stacey got engaged she asked Ken to play his trumpet at her wedding. Yesterday, May 30, was the big day. Ken sounded great and the wedding was beautiful. We had fun hanging out with fellow Northwinds members Colleen and Nancy and Nancy's husband Rick at the reception. I enjoyed dancing to several songs the DJ played and drinking my favorite drink, vodka and cranberry. The pictures are from the wedding.

Mom's Birthday- May 28

Last week was a busy week and I didn't have time to Blog. On Wednesday I flew to Detroit to train 5th grade teachers on how to teach Summer Adventures in Reading. Kimberly and I had to make handouts for the teachers since the sales rep had not ordered any materials for the training. The Kinkos in St. Peters scanned the pages I wanted copied Tuesday night and emailed them to the Detroit store. When I flew into Detroit on Wednesday morning I was able to drive to the Kinkos and pick up the copies. Very cool! The number of teachers attending the training was lower than we were told, so Kimberly and I did the training together tag team style! It worked well and Jill, or manager, took us out for a yummy Italian meal afterwards.
Since the training was from 4:30 - 7:30 I wasn't able to catch a flight back home on Wednesday night and had to take a 6:50 flight out on Thursday morning so I would have enough time to drive to Germantown, IL for a sales presentation Thursday afternoon. Upon arriving into St. Louis, I drove to Jilly's Cupcakes and bought some cupcakes for my mom's birthday.
After the sales presentation in Germantown, I met my parents for mom's birthday dinner. We had a delicious dinner at Outlaw Blues Restaurant in Shiloh, IL. After dinner we went back to their house and sampled the yummy cupcakes from Jilly's. Mom enjoyed listening to the American Idol CD I created for her featuring songs from the top 4 contestants. Her favorite song is "Mad World" sung by Adam Lambert. I downloaded the songs from iTunes and created the CD.
My mom has always enjoyed listening to pop music. When I was growing up I remember the radio was always on while she was doing housework. She also listened to music outside when she was working in the yard. I would drive my Big Wheel around the patio and sing along. I guess that's the reason why I always have music playing in my house. My favorite feature of our house is our whole house audio system because I am able to play my digital music collection in any room of the house. I know mom would love that too. I see an iPod in her future!
I am happy I was able to help my mom celebrate her birthday. The pictures are from her birthday celebration. When the server at Outlaw Blues found out it was mom's birthday, she brought her a mini chocolate cake. Everyone knows how much mom loves cake!

Enchanted April

My mother-and-law and I watched the movie "Enchanted April" while we were at the lake this weekend. We watched "Enchanted April" while the guys watched war movies in another room. The movie is based on Elizabeth von Arnim's novel and tells the story of four dissimilar women in 1920s England who leave their damp and rainy environs to go on a holiday to a secluded coastal castle in Italy. Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Wilkins, who belong to the same ladies' club but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading an advertisement for villas for rent in a newspaper. They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages. Having decided to seek other ladies to help share expenses, they reluctantly take on the waspish, elderly Mrs Fisher and the stunning, but aloof, Lady Caroline Dester. The four women come together at the castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love. It was a very good film and I highly recommend it. The film was recently released on DVD and after doing a bit of research I found that it was also a play that appeared on Broadway with Molly Ringwald.

The Lake

The picture was taken from the back yard of the Talley lake home at Porto Cima at the Lake of the Ozarks. The house sits on hole 15. If you look closely, you can see a boat on the lake.
I enjoyed a relaxing weekend with Ken and his parents at the Talley lake home. Ken's back was bothering him so he wasn't able to play golf on this trip. Ken and his dad used the power washer and cleaned the front porch and entryway instead. I enjoyed a 3.5 mile walk everyday. It was fun to look for critters during my walks. I saw chipmunks, lizards, and squirrels during my walking adventures. On an evening drive we saw deer, turkeys, and a groundhog. We enjoyed relaxing on the deck and watching the bluebirds decide which bluebird house they want to nest in.
We went shopping at the outlet mall, enjoyed a yummy BBQ at the yacht club and relaxed at the house. I tried to stay on points but it was difficult. Yesterday we ordered pizza from JJ Twigs Pizza and Pub. I couldn't resist eating a slice of the double decker pizza even though I knew it was a ton of points! I enjoyed spending time with my wonderful husband and his parents and when I return home I will work hard to stay on points!

St. Louis Cardinal game

Ken and I were invited to the Cardinal/Cubs game last night. It was game 3 in the series and the Cardinals won! A sweep. We had great seats, 3 rows behind the Cubs dugout. A highlight of the game came early on when Albert belted a run into Big Mac Land and the ball hit the I on the sign and made the light go out. The picture above is of Albert right before he hit the home run! We get free Big Macs today if we show our ticket. I looked it up and a Big Mac is 10 points without the special sauce, 13 points with the sauce!
I tried to stay on points while I was at the game but it was hard. I had a hot dog, a beer, and a pretzel. I probably wouldn't have eaten all of that but the person taking us to the game paid for everything. I need to say no to free food!

American Idol

The American Idol finale was last night. Kris Allen was the winner. I am happy that Kris won because he truly stands for what American Idol is all about: natural talent, undiscovered American, and positive role model. All of the contestants were talented this year but Adam Lambert clearly has the most talent and I know he will have a successful career. In fact, after I heard Adam sing with KISS last night, I had forgotten who and what Kris had sung! Adam is a superstar.
I haven't followed every season of American Idol, but I felt connected to the show this year since my parents and I had seen a live taping of the final 13 in Los Angeles back in March. What a day! How exciting that experience was and what a story. In fact, I have pleasant memories of the entire trip and I am so happy I was able to take my parents to sunny CA.
How did we get tickets to see a live taping of American Idol? Well, mom had told me about a week before our departure to CA that she wanted to see a live taping of a TV show. I got online and searched for tickets and all I was able to find were tickets to "Dr. Phil" and "The Late, Late, Show with Craig Ferguson." It wasn't too hard to pick Craig over Dr. Phil! I printed out our tickets and we were set. We followed the directions on the tickets and arrived at CBS studios a few minutes early. We were told that they had already filled the theater for Craig's show. We were VERY disappointed and were about to leave when the guy taking the tickets said, "We're sorry we couldn't get you into this show but go down a couple of blocks, turn right, and we will try to get you in to see American Idol." Dad and I took off and mom followed behind and we got in another line. This time we were at the front of the line. We waited for what seemed like a day but finally got in to see the show. We were seat fillers for VIPs who did not show and we were told that we would have to get up from our seat if we were tapped on the shoulder. All three of us sat together, in the third row and we never had to leave our seats! We saw the final 13 of Season 8. The show was on for two hours that night and it was Michael Jackson night and all of the contestants performed Michael Jackson songs. We saw the famous judges: Randy, Kara, Paula, and Simon and Ryan Seacrest, the host. It was fun to see what happens "behind the scenes" and on the commercial breaks. We sat next to Adam's friends that night and they asked us to cheer him on. What an exciting experience! After all of the excitement, we went to the original Big Boy restaurant for dinner and then headed back to cousin Eileen's in Palm Desert. We all dreamed of our superstar expereince and still can't stop talking about it.

Best Friends

I went to the hospital to visit Ginger today. She looked great considering all she has been through. I got to see Ginger's parents and Jason's mom. Since I was there the parents left to go see the baby and Ginger and I spent a few hours alone before Jason returned. It was nice to spend the time together and Ginger was able to open up and speak freely since it was just the two of us. I'm glad that I was home today and that I could help comfort a friend in need. I pray that the baby continues to improve each day and that baby Abigail Elizabeth gets healthy and can join her parents at home.
I heard from another friend/co-worker today. She called me and we had several wonderful conversations on the phone. It felt like old times. I pray that this friend can begin to trust me again and that our friendship can be renewed. Although I have made peace with not having this person in my life as a friend, (only a co-worker), I realized today just how much I have missed her.

Baby Girl Tice

I heard from Ginger this morning and she called to tell me that she delivered her baby girl via Cesarean section at 5:11 pm on May 18. The baby girl weighed in at 7lbs, 4 ounces. When the doctors noticed it was a meconium birth, they had to rush the baby to Children's Hospital where she was put on a ventilator and will have to stay for 5-7 days. Ginger barely saw her baby girl and that is the reason why they haven't named her. Jason and his parents went to Children's Hospital last night to see the baby. Meconium births are common in late term babies so she will end up being OK, but I have said a few extra prayers for the family. Ginger's parents arrived into town on Sunday, so they were present for the birth and stayed with Ginger while Jason was visiting their daughter. Ginger will be released from the hospital on Friday. I have spoken to her twice today and she assured me that she was resting and that she was doing well. I will go to the hospital and visit her tomorrow. I have never been a mother, but it must feel awful to give birth and then have your baby taken away. No time for bonding. I pray that all goes well.

Mother's Day 2009

These photos were taken on Mother's Day. Ken and I hosted a lunch at our house for our mothers. We were delighted that Grandma Talley and Aunt Geri were in town to join in on the fun. I made Ken's favorite...Tator Tot Casserole. We also had chicken, fresh green beans, applesauce, salad, and rolls. My mom made an angel food cake for dessert and Ken's mom brought a cheesecake. We also had fresh strawberries, pecan pie, and tea and coffee. My dad gave each mom a garden troll and he had everyone sign a message on the troll. Ken and I gave the mom's a recyclable grocery bag filled with goodies: tea, tea cookies, bath and body gel, lotion, and a gift card to St. Louis Bread Company. What a wonderful day!

Blessings for Grandma Talley

The Talley family has a lot to be thankful for today. Yesterday, Grandma Talley choked on a piece of chicken at KFC. When she turned blue, Sharon, her daughter, hit her on the back. Sharon was unable to help grandma and asked if anyone knew how to perform the Heimlich procedure. A good Samaritan performed the Heimlich and grandma was able to cough up the chicken. What a blessing that the lady, a stranger, was willing to step in and help. It goes to show that there are good people in the world. Grandma Talley is doing well and went to a revival at her church later that day! Grandma is a tough gal! I hope I'm able to get around like she does when I'm 89! We are all looking forward to helping her celebrate her 90th birthday in August.

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Facebook | My Photos - Mobile Uploads

Scale Change

I just wasn't ready to accept that I hadn't lost any weight after working so hard last week. I climbed on the scale again and this time the number was 192.6! I checked three more times just to make sure and the scale showed the number 192.6 each time. This means I lost 1.4 pounds this week! Now that's more like it. I'm ready to do my walking DVD and then it will be time to hit the books and study up on Summer Adventures in Reading

The Beginning

This is my first attempt at blogging. I want to create a place where I can reflect on the interesting places I visit for work and a place to comment on the wonderful people I get to meet.
I also want a place to reflect on my weight loss journey.
This is week 3 of my weight loss journey. Since it is nearing the end of the school year I have been working from home for the past 2 weeks. I slowly began counting points and exercising 2 weeks ago. My initial weigh in was 198.4 pounds. I am at least 30 pounds heavier than I was last year at this time! I made some progress when I weighed in last week. The scale reflected that I had lost 4.4 pounds! When I weighed in today, it showed that I had lost nothing. I am currently at 194. I was very disappointed because I had worked really hard last week. I will continue to pursue my weight loss goals and will not let the scale get me down.
I am going to do my Leslie Sansom walking DVD this morning and then take an afternoon walk. This will be a nice way to break up the day as I will be studying Summer Adventures in Reading for an upcoming Detroit Public School training as well as finishing my Chicago year end reports.