Almost to SPRING BREAK!!!

We are almost to spring break....come on Friday!

I got some good news on part of my labs the other day. My Vitamin A has went from a 0.08 to a 0.37. It is still in the low normal range, but it is making an improvement. My Vitamin D went from a 27 to a 40. My Potassium was low, and I was given a prescription to take for that. My Ferretin level is still pretty low, but there is such a wide range for "normal". I am still investigating getting an iron transfusion.

I have mentioned before that through my cooking classes, I have realized that I don't hate mushrooms (guess it was a childhood thing or something). I am ready to try out this Roasted Portobello Mushroom recipe over the break. Other than cooking for Easter, I am not going to be doing much cooking. Since we are staying in town, HH is humoring me and going to several restaurants that I've been interested in trying out for some time.

I signed up for 15 more cooking classes! I am most excited about the cake decorating (6 part series), the regions of France (3-part series), and the two date night classes HH and I will take. The date night classes are so much fun, and I picked them both with my favorite chef.

Weekend Update...

I made this as an early Easter present for HH. He really liked it.

This was the checkerboard cake PRE-DISASTER. Yeah, about 1/3 of it collapsed on the way to my parent's house. The checkerboard effect worked wonders, but I have some work to do in order to become a cake master.

HH and I went on The Dinner Train. It is an attraction in my hometown, but I have never been on. It was great to share this special event with HH.

My friend Vicki, who also had my WLS, created this piece in an hour and a half as the worship service was going on. How awesome is that?

Five days until SPRING BREAK!

Two more GED classes then I get a month off!

BABIES - Official Trailer

I can't wait to see this!

Three Years Ago Today...

I will write a detailed post tonight. I am thankful for my life that I've been given. (Above is the scale with my weight as of this morning.)

Below is the recap of my first and second years post op:

Two Years Post-Op

One Year Post-Op

Jerry's Latest...

"Look Mrs. F....I'm living the hobo life."

My Next Cooking Challenge!

Checkboard Cake for Easter

I didn't realize that I just needed a "Four Piece Checkerboard Cake Divider" to create this cake. I got it for $10 from Amazon.

This post comes from Tiffany's husband, otherwise known as "HH".

Tiffany has asked me to post a review of her "smore brownies", which she made recently. Since she asked me to do so, I think you can guess at the content of my review. Nobody ever asks a reviewer to post something on their blog unless the reviewer has something wonderful to say, and this instance is no exception.

I don't really like brownies. Given the choice, I typically choose just about any other kind of dessert. But these brownies are in a different category. They are, simply put, the best brownies I have ever tasted. They're chewy. They're chocolatey. They're gooey. They're marshmallowy. They're sweet. They're awesome. One might surmise that, because they are called "smore brownies", it is because they taste like smores. This is not the case. The real reason is because, as soon as you eat one, you want S'MORE. You want SOME MORE. 'Nuff said.

Micahel Buble

Words cannot come close to expressing how much FUN we had at the Michael Buble concert. The arena was not too huge, so there were no "bad" seats. I could go see him again ANYTIME! He had such a pleasant personality, and was very funny.

Jerry's latest picture as we left the room today....

Naturally 7 Wall of Sound

This group opened up for Michael Buble. Most warm-up acts are terrible, but these guys were amazing!!! I will be purchasing their albums soon!

I've Got a Reputation to Uphold...

My aunt asked if I would exercise some of my culinary expertise and bring some yummy food to our Easter gathering. After searching the Taste of Home website, here is what I've come up with:

Tortellini Bean Salad

Asparagus Ham Rolls

Surprise Cookie Pops

I will be up early on Easter morning! HH will be preaching, then we need to take all this stuff to my aunts. It will be a great time.

Things That Make You Want to Go Mmmmm......(Live from Tiffany's Kitchen)

Picture my mom took of HH and I on Sunday at the pizza place. (Gotta love acne!)

Smore brownies!!! Holy YUM!!! HH said these were the best brownies he had ever had in his life. He will be doing a guest post about them over the next few days. (As you remember, my first baking experiment of Peanut Butter and Bacon cookies didn't go over well with HH. Although, I certainly found a new love in them!)

The ever important first bite!

These Paprika Cheddar Drop Biscuits were amazing. They make me want to venture out and make the Red Lobster biscuits soon. HH is full now, but promised to try one later on tonight.

I used whole wheat pasta, and only did one cup of milk because of the comments left by others who had tried the recipe.

Ok....my neighbors in our condo complex are happy this evening, because I shared the majority of the goods I made today. I just left a little bit of leftovers for HH and I tomorrow for lunch. Question about freezing things: I would have loved to freeze the biscuits and the pasta bake, but in my past experience things just don't turn out that well when you reheat. What step am I missing? Are there certain foods that lend themselves better to freezing than others?

Another thought on evolving.....I was getting plates ready to take brownies to two different sets of neighbors. I commented to HH about how I really wanted to share them with others. Part of cooking for me now is the experience of creating something, and watching others enjoy it. I've made brownies and cookies before I had weight loss surgery, and polished them completely off myself. I can still do that now, although it would take me longer. Yet, I really don't want to. Yes, I want the yummy treat, but the desire to have it ALL is not there. (Please don't read into this as a blanket statement that all overweight people cannot control what or how much they eat....this is me being introspective on my habits and old demons.) This is a big step for me.

Dusting Off The New Year's Resolutions...

I proudly made my 12 Baking Resolutions of 2010, and only did ONE of them. Yeah....way to go me. Well, I am dusting off those resolutions and making TWO items today (I am off work today). Thanks to Joy the Baker for having so many recipes to try!

S'mores Brownies

Giant Sweet Paprika Biscuits

For dinner tonight we are having a Penne and Smoked Sausage Bake. There will be pictures to come.

I had labs drawn today. I learned something new....you must fast for a Vitamin A lab. I try to err on the side of caution and always fast with labs, and bring something in my purse to eat as soon as I get done.

Two Things I'm Just Not Into Anymore...

Ice Cream: Yeah, this comes as a big shock to me too. This one has been a gradual process, but I'm pretty much at the point where I can say I want to pass on ice cream. (Which is a shame with spring and summer coming up!) I started getting a small ice cream, and couldn't finish it. Then I switched to the children's cone, and have started getting to the point where I don't want to finish that either. We have Graeter's Ice Cream here (making me a 100% ice cream snob), and I know my introduction to this delight had to at least put 10-15 pounds on me in college.

Hawaiian Bread Rolls with Spinach Dip: I used to tear this stuff up. I learned about it at grad school when someone brought it to a potluck we were having during class. I was hooked instantly. I had some the other day, and it has just lost its appeal to me. Not a bad thing, really.

If you have a chance, go over and read Hobo Teacher's Post called "Walk this Way." Hobo Teacher is the Brian Reagan (one of my favorite comedians) of teaching, and even if you are not a teacher, I promise this post is worthwhile! I had HH read it aloud last night, and I was cracking up!

Ruby

I was watching Ruby latest episode "Sleepless in Savannah" on Sunday night. Towards the beginning of the episode, Ruby was meeting with the Overeaters Anonymous counselor as a group. She was talking about how many fat women had poor relationships (or their father was absent) with their fathers during their younger years. She called this a specific name, but it escaped me before I had the chance to google it. I am going to catch a rerun of the episode in order to learn more about it.

I'm not looking for someone to "blame" my obesity on. I know at some point in my development I have to take responsibility for my actions. Yet, I am intrigued by this concept because my father and I began to have a strained relationship in middle school and it became very much so in high school. In fifth grade I weighed 135 pounds, in seventh grade I weighed 210 pounds, and my junior year of high school I weighed 317 pounds. These are massive amounts of weight gain without some major traumatic event to contribute to it.

I get to see Michael Buble in Cincinnati on Wednesday. I cannot wait!

The Weekend

It has been a busy weekend, but a good one.

There was a women's conference at my church that I attended Friday night and Saturday morning. I am very slow to open up to people, but I met a woman named Rose who I am interested in getting to know.

I had lunch with my best friend Wendy, then dinner with a couple from our church named Beth and David. We are working at getting to know people better in the church. This is not a struggle for HH, but I am more reserved and guarded. This has resulted in me not having many friends at church. I want to change that.

Today we had a guest speaker, Joshua Harris, speak at our church. His message really resonated with me. Our church was a packed house.

Insert some FAMILY DRAMA before the weekend wraps up....

I found out my family was going to a local pizza place today for a late lunch. This is the second time that HH and I have not been invited. It really rubbed me the wrong way. I know that we are often busy, but the place is not that far away, and it would be nice to be included. I called my dad to ask him if the next time they were going out for pizza if they would call us and invite us. Dad said it was just decided a little bit ago, and for us to come along. It was not really meant as a suggestion. Great....now we have to go, and dad is not in a good mood.

I have to give hats off to HH. He is really good about defusing situations. My dad just couldn't stay mad with Ben. The meal turned out very well.

Sunday afternoon nap time....my favorite.

Show Us Your Life: Mission Trips (Longer Post)

Today over at Kelly's Korner, we are posting about mission trips that we have been on. I have been fortunate to get to go on several....so here is the scoop.

My first mission trip was Spring Break 1998 my freshman year with the Baptist Student Union. I was a new christian, and honestly I thought it was just a great way to spend time with my friends during spring break, and it was only $65. I didn't know this trip was going to change my life. We went to East Saint Louis, Illinois. (Most of East Saint Louis looks like this, so I felt it was an accurate portrait of the area.) We went to the Christian Activities Center there, and worked with kids. God really started to work in my heart that I wanted to work with kids from poverty. I also met a boy who was beating the odds and was in college. He was the hero of the center. I also started learning about the vast differences in how schools are funded unfairly. I also read Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol. I also really got to know Mandi and Penny, who are still my best friends.

I knew that God wanted me to do summer missions for the summer of 1999 (my sophomore year of college). I told my dad that I had applied to do missions, and had been accepted. He had intentions that I would come home and work all summer. With summer missions (10 weeks), you got paid $600, which was basically your money for groceries and small expenses as not to be a burden on the family that you lived with. I got my acceptance to Savannah, Georgia, and my dad went crazy. I was crushed. I ended up declining the opportunity, to go home and please my dad. I got hired at a day care, but after two weeks, the lady pulled me into her office, and told me that she had over hired. I was her last hire, so she had to let me go. She was a Christian, and I told her I could not believe what an answer to prayer she was. There were no more jobs in my town because college students were pretty much placed. Within a day, I had made some calls, and I was on a plane to Savannah.

Again, God solidified my love for inner city kids. I taught Vacation Bible School, led Backyard Bible Clubs, worked with youth groups, and many other things. I also had my first experience being a minority. I was in an all African American community, and attended an African American church. It was great being put in that position, because it has taught me great sensitivity to others.

Two spring breaks in a row, we went to Saint Simons Island, Georgia. I learned that some wealthy people think they have everything together and that they don't need God. I also met a lot of genuine lovers of Christ.

At the end of my junior year of college (summer of 2000), I went to San Antonio, Texas. My dad didn't even buck at all when I told him I was applying for the program again. He said that it was such a positive experience for me last time, he thought that it would be a good thing. I again worked in a housing project community, but unlike the previous summer where I served alone, I was able to serve with a team. I became absolutely convinced that God wanted me to teach in the inner city.

My two best friends took a trip to San Fransisco in 2000, and we spent one day doing mission work. It was great serving along side them.

God has blessed me with many opportunities to be able to serve away from home. Those trips were life changing, and being able to spend two summers immersed in ministry really helped define who I am as a person today.

I would like to take a foreign mission trip, but many of them are in remote areas. With Ben's epilepsy (although he has not had any episodes for some time), and me working to come out of some pretty steep vitamin deficiencies, unless we went to a major city, I really don't feel that it is advisable to take another one for awhile.

Need Some Foodie Friends....

We are going out with another couple from church tomorrow night. We suggest three restaurants, and they ask if they could go with another option...Applebees. GAG! GAG! GAG! I know that my tastes have become much more refined over the years, but I have just never been a big fan of their food. I don't think the food quality is good. For years I would rather not go out to eat as often, but go to a better quality restaurant less frequently.

I know it is supposed to be about the company, but couldn't some of my friends become foodies too?

Discussing Probability...

I am teaching my students about probability, and start explaining what the term "likely" meant. Once I was pretty confident that all the kids were getting it, I asked for them to give me some examples of things that were more likely to happen than not. Grant says, "That the police will come knock on our door soon."

WOW....it is so common that you are expecting it...AT TEN YEARS OLD.

Being Lazy

I've been lazy with the camera. I've had a few good picture ops, and have not taken them. I will get back on the saddle with that, really.

For St. Pattys day, HH got me two Krispy Kreme green donuts. Yummo! Since we are tee-totalers (non-drinkers), he got me my drink of choice (which so happened to be green)...Diet Mountain Dew, and he had a lemon-lime Gatorade. It was a great toast.

Comment that melted my heart today....Nyelah comes back from violin lessons, and she knew she had missed our read aloud time, and she says, "What did I miss from Petey?" This is one of my favorite read alouds to my students, but it does take a bit to "get into" the book. Most of the kids are really hooked into the story, and we are only on chapter five. She asked if she could borrow the book to read the chapter so she would be up to date for tomorrow. I have lots to learn as a teacher, but one thing I have never regretted is all the read-alouds I have shared with my students. What good is it to teach kids the strategies to make them better readers, if in the end they don't have a desire to READ?

Countdowns Begin

13 days until SPRING BREAK

18 days until standardized testing

This year is going to come to a wrap up much more quickly than I want. This is my second favorite class of all time. I'm going to try to enjoy every last minute I have with them.

We are going to hear Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy speak next month! This is the family that the movie The Blindside was based off of. I am so excited for this opportunity. I loved the movie, and Sandra Bullock was quoted as saying that Leigh Anne Tuohy was one of the most genuine loving people she had ever met.

Ok...time to get ready for work. Today is my early day coming home! Wooo Hooo!

John Caparulo

John Caparulo

We are going to get our comedy on in just a little bit! :)

Cheerleading Competition

The girls did such a great job! Sorry for the poor picture quality.

Baby Kate....Welcome Home

This was an amazing part of my day, going with HH to meet baby Kate. Adoption has long since been on my heart, so it was great seeing this come to pass for my cousins. They said when she was brought to their hotel room that her clothes had holes in them, and that her diaper was being held on with a bungee cord. I started to cry. They have not just adopted a child, but they have saved a child's life. This child will be loved beyond measure. Her parents couldn't be more proud.

HH's Lucky To Be....

I had to go all over the city to find these chocolate gold coins, but I was determined! They completely made the gift. HH was very happy. :)

Yeah It's Her Thing...

I invited our former student teacher back to our class yesterday. He is doing the rest of his student teaching assignment with another teacher now. We were talking about assimilation, and I knew that he could relate perfectly since he came from Quito to the states. He did a really good job explaining what was easy and what was difficult about adjusting to life in the US. He took questions from the students, and I was really proud of the questions my students asked (and how closely they stayed on topic). Then my student teacher asks....

"In Ecuador when you go to restaurants are the portions super big like they are here in the United States?"

I can tell she is really judgemental on what she sees on other people's plates/shopping carts, etc. The talk has not come yet, but words are a brewing. We all have different things we are fixated on, and this is certainly one of hers. I feel like the pot calling the kettle black here, but for me the fixation comes from I can't ever let myself get so close to dying again. I think I would have been dead by 35 had I not had the DS, and continued to put on 15-20 pounds per year.

Yesterday on the way to lunch, Haley informed me that I really needed to wear a lighter color pink shirt with my skirt. I said, "Well since this is such an emergency, do you think the principal will let me run home and change?" She said, "I was just telling you because I thought you would want to know." Kids are hilarious!

We went to watch the cheerleading competition, and my girls did a great job. There was one elementary school that looked like they were a college team. I had no idea that elementary girls could do so much. It was incredible.

We also attended Marriage Rocks, which was a fun date night event at a big church in town. There was singing, skits, a game show, etc. We enjoyed ourselves. We topped off the night with Olive Garden. Mmmmm! There are a few Italian restaurants I like better, but they are more pricy, and this was our first date, so we have strong memories.

Howard Stern responds to critics about Gabourey Sidibe *Part 1*

I don't even have words.

Ready for the Weekend!!!

I started making out the official schedule for our "Staycation" in Louisville yesterday. It is going to be great. Today, I am going to make some phone calls to make reservations. It is certainly centered around a "foodie" theme. There have been so many restaurants I have wanted to visit, but just not had the opportunity to do so. I am also going to catch up on my New Year's BAKING RESOLUTION!!! I need to make three things! HH and the neighbors of my condo should love me.

I am also looking forward to April because I won't be teaching GED any. I have learned a lot in cooking classes, but have not been able to make HH many meals at all. He has been such a good trooper about it. I know I will be taking more classes in April, but without GED on top of it, more cooking will be in order. It will be great to be reintroduced to my kitchen again.

I forgot to post last night about how upset I got at the parents at the game last night. The kids lost the game, and the parents were awful. I mean the things that came out of their mouths I could never imagine saying to my child. It is an elementary school basketball game....it is not like next month's rent is riding on the outcome. There is one boy in particular that I am very fond of named Clarence. He comes to my room when he is in trouble (but it is really that his teacher can't manage the class, he is always fine with me), so we have a bond. Clarence is a big boy, and I am proud of him for exercising, and I can tell that it takes a good deal of effort for him to move up and down the court, but he does. He does it pretty well for that matter. His mom was saying all kinds of nasty things like, "What do I have to threaten you with in order to make you play better?" I could go on and on. The parents kept saying how the kids "just gave up," and the like. On the way home HH and I were talking, and I said I wanted our kids to participate in Upward Sports, which is a Christian based sports team where more emphasis is placed on having fun, learning a sport, showing good sportsmanship, and in general just celebrating the small milestones along the way. VERY. LOW. PRESSURE.

I have to get hoping on HH's two other things for St. Patrick's Day. One is easy, the other one involves a trip to the craft store. I'll post pictures later.

Skirt Frenzy Continued....

I love this wrap that can go with so many dresses. I didn't have it tied for most of the day. This dress is super comfy too.

It's the end of the day, and Jerry had yet another creative pose again. He is a bull in this one. Another student remarked that I take lots of pictures of Jerry, and I said it was because of all the creative poses he does.

This is today's outfit. I got approval from Haley in my room as this being the best outfit I have worn so far. Cooking class was cancelled tonight, so we went to the basketball game tonight. It feels great to relax.

I found out a lady at work had gastric bypass about the same time I had the DS. It's nice to have someone who has walked in my shoes.

Trucking Along

This week is going by, and I'm trying to stay on top of things.

I started a new GED class last night. This one has thirteen people. It is not the largest class I've done (24), but it does make me feel like I can't teach them all adequately because their math needs are so different. One lady asked if she had to take the book home, or if she could just leave it here. This is right after I finish assigning HOMEWORK out of the book. When I say she needs to take it with her, she mouths, "F*CK." I'm not holding out too high of hopes that she will be passing at the end of the month. HH dropped me off, so we didn't have to leave a car downtown. This is the place where my car got broken into and laptop was stolen. I haven't had a desire to go back there since. I did get to see one of the guys I used to work with. He said he missed my efficiency. That made me feel really good.

I just purchased tickets for HH and I to see David Copperfield. I am pumped because he typically only does Vegas, but he has a show in Muncie, Indiana in May on a Sunday. We are so there!

Never Make Impulse Purchases...

Or you end up bringing home a CASE of Thin Mints!!!

Second dress...I love this one! HH doesn't care for the irregularity of the pattern, but I like it a lot! :)

Salt in the Wounds...

My student teacher starts talking to me about her bias towards morbidly obese people today on our planning. SERIOUSLY. She worked as a director of an after school program for two years, and pretty much made big generalizations about how lazy all fat people were. How she had so little sympathy for them watching the garbage they shuffled into their mouth, and not trying to help themselves. She went on and on.

I didn't know what to say today that didn't involve dropping several F bombs. I am going to try to simmer down, but this needs to be addressed. Any suggestions?

HH took a picture of us on Saturday night while waiting for our dinner guests.

Here is my creation based off what I saw at the Love Actually Blog. This is a great resource. I'm not too creative, but I love their ideas. HH loved the candy inside the pot of gold!

I told you all I've really been getting into the skirts and dresses thing. This is what I wore yesterday. I love maxi dresses. They look very nice, yet it feels like you are wearing pajamas all day long. This picture was taken at the very end of the day, so I know I look a bit tired.

We wrapped up one GED class last night, and a new one begins on Wednesday. There were at least fifty people out in the main area when a teenager comes in just swinging nunchucks (the real big things) for a few minutes. Finally he makes eye contact with the librarian and says, "What, I can't have these in here?" Of course the librarian says no, and fortunately he leaves. All my students certified except the two boys who put zero effort into showing up or doing any homework.

HH did a good job of explaining the "diet coke relationships." On the show Ruby (Style Network), she has been on again-off again with Deeny for eight and a half years. That is a really long time. Denny is very fit. What finally drove him away the last time? She just couldn't lose the weight. Ruby's closest friends (and myself watching) think he is a snake with other motives.

I had my own "diet coke" relationship years ago. His name was Nate. We always were doing things together, and I had just enough "hope" that more would eventually develop. After over a year, one day he asked me to do something after church, to which I replied, "No." He pressed further to see if I had another obligation, etc, only to find out I didn't. I said to him, "We've been friends for over a year, and you have had long enough to decide if you like me." I severed our relationship, and looking back it was the most emotionally healthy thing for me to do.

The body image process is still just that...a process. I was encouraging a girl who had been losing weight in the "Biggest Loser" competition at our school. I was saying how she had to about be at goal. She said she needed to lose 53 more pounds, because she really wanted to reach 150. I had no idea that I was sixty pounds smaller than her. I still have a lot to work on in this regard.

"Diet Coke relationships"

This is a guest post written by Tiffany's husband-the one who she calls "HH".

The other evening, Tiffany and I were watching a reality TV show in which the main character (a woman who was recovering from obesity) was in the midst of a very involved relationship with a certain man. They flirted; they had fun together; they shared all kinds of deep, personal things with each other.

So they're dating, right?

Wrong.

Oh. So they're just friends?

No. Not exactly...

Then what are they?

Even they do not know! Seriously. They have no word for what they are. They are "more than friends". But they do not want to date each other. At least they don't think so. Yet. Maybe.

If these people were categorizing their relationship on facebook, they would have chosen the "it's complicated" option-know what I mean?

Tiffany was confused about these people, to say the least. How could they not know the nature of their relationship, she wondered. But unlike many of the mysteries of the universe, I actually had an answer to this question.

"I know what that guy is to her", I said.

"Really? What?"

"He's a Diet Coke".

Diet Coke relationships are unfamiliar to people with full emotional health, but I am not one of those people. So I can speak from personal experience, for the benefit of those that (happily) are unfamiliar with Diet Coke Relationships.

A Diet Coke is not as good as a regular Coke, but it tastes almost as good. It makes a reasonable substitute for Coke, when you can't get anything better. And because it has no calories, you don't feel that you're responsible for quite as much as when you drink real Coke. If you get really practiced at drinking Diet Coke, you actually begin to convince yourself that it tastes just as good. This is self-delusion, of course, but it works to the benefit of the drinker. Diet Coke is better for you, after all.

Many modern relationships are like Diet Coke. In these relationships, men and women relate to each other on a deep, personal level. They talk to one another about all subjects, and offer each other great amounts of emotional nourishment. They comfort each other, share all the details of their lives with each other, and give each other all sorts of encouragement and praise. In fact, they do all the things that dating couples do-with notable exceptions. They don't kiss, say they're dating, or plan their futures together.

So if you're in a "Diet Coke relationship", you will find that your relational needs are being met-almost. And "almost" is as close as you're ever going to get from that relationship. Usually, every Diet Coke relationship has one partner who wishes that it was more than that. But he/she is wishing in vain. The other partner will never consent, even though the feelings between them are strong. The reason for this brings us to another feature of the Diet Coke relationship:

Diet Coke relationships allow the participants to have most of the benefits of a dating relatonship, but without the commitment or responsibility of a real boyfriend/girlfriend. Diet Coke relationships don't turn into real dating relationships because one partner finds it so much more comfortable to keep things as the are. But they rarely revert to being mere friendships, because one partner wants more than that.

But there is an even bigger problem here than having a real relationship dangled just out of your reach. As I said before, prolonged exposure to Diet Coke causes a person to start thinking that it tastes as good as regular Coke. Given the option, such a person might continue to drink Diet Coke, even when regular Coke is available. Just so, the members of a Diet Coke relationship may continue to spend time on each other, even though they might have a shot at a real relatonship with someone else. Furthermore, they may take enough comfort in their relationship with each otherto discourage them from seeking out a real relationship with anyone else. But here is where my analogy breaks down, for Diet Coke is a healthier substitute for regular Coke. But Diet Coke relationships are less satisfying versions of real relaionships. The one gives you taste without unwanted calories; the other gives you just enough pleasure to prevent you from getting the emotional nourishment you need.

When I first met Tiffany, I was in one of these relationships. Speaking as a man, I believe that from a biblical perspective, I was to blame for letting this situation develop. Miss R. and I had known each other for years, and we meant a lot to each other, but she had long since made it clear to me that she was not interested in dating. When she said that, I should have just left the whole thing alone. But I did not, and the result was a Diet Coke relationship. She was my Diet Coke, and I was hers. I still wonder if I somehow kept her from forming a healthy relational bond with someone else during that time.

When Tiffany found out about Miss R, I told her that she was my friend. That was true, and it sounded innocent enough. But Tiffany was perceptive enough to sense the Diet Coke-ness about this whole arrangement. Maybe I wasn't "dating" Miss R, but she could still be rightly seen as a rival. And Tiffany didn't like that at all.

So she did the best thing she could have done for me. She asked me to choose between Miss R. and her. The one could continue to have my attentions, and the other I would never see again.

Praise be to God, I chose the real thing.

When I told Miss R. about this, I received a confirmation that both Tiffany and I had made the right decision. Miss R. reacted exactly as a woman could be expeced to react WHEN HER BOYFRIEND LEAVES HER FOR ANOTHER WOMAN. Sure, maybe Miss R. was never my girlfriend, but the bond between us was stronger than any two friends' should have been. If I was to have a successful relationship with Tiffany, that bond had to be severed. Thank God it was.

So here is my advice to all of you who are single: Don't settle for Diet Coke! Have friendships. Date. But never settle for a friendship in the hope that it will develop into a dating relationship. And never foster a close friendship with someone who you know wants to date you. No matter how much they say they are satisfied with friendship, they are lying-perhaps even to themselves. This will cost you some pain in the short term-but in the long run, you and all your beverage-themed relationships will benefit from it.

This is HH, signing off.

A Change Is Happening...

It started a few weeks ago when I said I was going to stop dressing like a vagabond at work. I started wearing skirts. I have lots of nice clothing, I just got lazy with what I was wearing. It has been a short time period, but I really like wearing skirts/dresses a lot. I feel so pretty when I am wearing one. Now, that is all I want to wear! I am really enjoying looking so cute and feeling so feminine. I bought several new outfits from my favorite store, Cato, this weekend. I will have HH take some pictures of me so I can post them.



"I feel pretty....Oh so pretty...." :)

Show Us Your Life: Your Daily Routine

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner Blog for Show Us Your Life Friday.....

Here is a typical day for me...

5:00: Alarm goes off. I read the Word, eat, work on plans for the school day. I used to go to work way early and get things done. People at this school are more social (that is not bad), but I've found I don't get as much done in the mornings when I am at work.

8:00: At work, getting ready for the day. I will often times have a morning meeting.

8:50-9:20: Community meeting (school-wide) in our gym.

9:20-9:40: Math small group

9:40-10:00: First Guided Reading Group

10:00-10:40: Planning

10:40-11:20: Shared Reading

11:20-11:40: Lunch with my students in our classroom. I love eating lunch with them.

11:40-11:55: Read Aloud

11:55-12:15: Guided Reading Group Two (Students are reading from their personal libraries)

12:15-12:30: Reading Conferencing

12:30-1:00: Mini-Writer's Workshop

1:00-2:00: Math

2:00-3:00: Social Studies

3:00-3:30: Recess

3:30-3:45: In Class closing meeting, getting ready for dismissal

3:45: Dismissal

After school I usually have a meeting, GED class, or cooking class. I rarely get home before five.

When I get home, it's all about hanging out with HH. We watch TV shows or a movie, and talk about the day.

10:00-11:30: Floating bedtime for me.

Friday Night FUN!

HH was ready to kick the evening off in high gear with such a huge candy bar. He lovingly paused so I could capture it with the camera. We had stopped to get a singing congratulations card and a big Hershey bar for one of my students. (He got accepted into one of THE best middle schools in our state, and it is nationally ranked as well.)

The girls out doing there halftime show. On Friday, we will be watching their cheerleading competition.

Posing by the Alice and Wonderland advertisement...

An upclose shot HH took....

Showing the LOVE of the Gigi's Cupcakes (a Nashville based bakery, new to our city)....

HH took me there after having my mole removed the other day.

More than just cupcakes.....works of ART!

These cupcakes are certainly knife and fork jobs. I can only eat about half the icing on these cupcakes, but they are pretty awesome.