Cake, Eagles, and Haircuts

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We attended an Eagle Court of Honor on Sunday evening. While there, I was so taken with this cake that I just had to take a picture of it!

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It was made by my friend Charla, who has a gift for this sort of thing, as you can clearly see.

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The new Eagle Scout is Monte, the oldest son of my friends Wyndie and Eugene.
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That's them in the photo, along with one of Monte's former Boy Scout leaders, Robert, on the left.

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Of course, Sarah and I had to avoid the cake, the chocolate chip cookies, the snicker-doodles, the rolls, the chips...
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But Sarah found something even better: Baby Clarissa! Sarah would rather hold a baby than eat any time.
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Jacob and Dylan certainly enjoyed the good food at the Court of Honor. Charla's cake looks totally scrumptious!
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I lost track of how many chocolate chip cookies Dylan ate. They are his absolute favorite.
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I'd been noticing for weeks that both my sons were becoming pretty shaggy, so the very next day (yesterday) they were sent off for haircuts.
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Ahhh, my sons look like boys again! I think they look so handsome in a shorter style.

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Thank you, Barbara (Baby Clarissa's mom), for giving me my boys back!

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Sarah had her hair done at the same time. Doris, a sweet gal from church and a professional hairdresser, wanted to do Sarah's hair as a birthday gift.

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And here she is! Doris promised she would make Sarah love her curly hair, and by golly, Sarah does love it!
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It just goes to show:
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Life--like cake and cookies--is sweet!

HCG: Week Three

We are now halfway through this diet. Thank goodness. Hate the diet...love the results!

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In 21 days I have lost 22.4 lbs and Sarah has lost 20.2 lbs.

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I'm still off the third hypertension med, and my latest readings were 120/76 and 125/76. Plus I'm in the process of cutting back the doubled medication to its original dosage.

A lot of people wonder what you eat on a 500-calorie diet. Here is my typical day in menus:

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Breakfast: .35 cc of hCG under my tongue and iced tea made from decaffeinated green tea. I sip it all day long.

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Herbal teas are also allowed, hot or cold. The only sweetener allowed is Stevia. (English Toffee-flavored Stevia drops are heavenly in tea!)
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Mid-Morning Snack: Melba toast and an orange, the biggest orange I can find!
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Lunch: A vegetable and 100 grams of protein, just slightly more than 3.5 oz. It makes the cutest little hamburger patties you've ever seen!

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At left is a typical lunch. Notice the size of the burger compared to the regular-sized radishes.
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I usually have a ground beef, chicken, or turkey patty, or sometimes 6-7 medium shrimp.

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Mid-Afternoon Snack: More Melba toast and a sugar-free Jello cup.
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Dinner: Another vegetable (different from the lunch choice) and 100 grams of a different protein.

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We usually have a teeny-tiny strip of steak or chicken breast. White fish, like tilapia, is also allowed, but not fatty fish like tuna or salmon.
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This steak-and-cabbage stew was dinner a few nights ago. Quite tasty!

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Dessert: The biggest apple I can get my hands on: Granny Smith, gala, golden delicious, etc. Once Sarah and I splurged on a cupful each of fresh strawberries for dessert, but that's a luxury now that berries are out of season.

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There are also 2 more .35 cc doses of hCG spread out through the day. I was told to take the drops 10 minutes before eating, but I now take it at various times of the day. I don't see any difference in the rate of weight loss.

Fruits and Vegetables: 2 fruits and 2 vegetables are allowed per day. The fruits and the Melba toast may be eaten with lunch and dinner, but I prefer to spread them out as snacks to keep my blood sugar stable.

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Allowed fruits are oranges, apples, strawberries, or half of a grapefruit. They must be eaten separately and you shouldn't eat the same fruit twice in one day.

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The same rules apply to vegetables: choose 2 different vegetables in a day, and never mix them at the same meal. Some modern versions of the diet allow combining of vegetables, but I'm following Dr. Simeons's original protocal.

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Allowed vegetables: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, radishes, celery, asparagus, or onion. Healthy, but not exactly nutrient-dense. Sarah and I usually have a small, sliced tomato; or half a diced cucumber in vinegar; or steamed, seasoned cabbage.

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Serving sizes for the vegetables aren't specific. It just states that you can have a "large handful." Any seasonings are allowable as long as they contain no fats.

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Proteins, though, are strictly measured. The 100 grams is pre-cooked weight, so I find it simpler to spend a couple of hours cutting the meat into correct portions and sealing them in snack bags. For the next 2 weeks we just pull them out of the freezer as needed.

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At right are my cute little freezer-ready bags of tilapia, shrimp, steak, chicken breast, 93% lean ground beef, and ground chicken and turkey.

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I've stated before that I don't believe fat-free or extreme low-fat diets are healthy. I've also said I don't approve of rigidly restricted-calorie diets. I still don't, at least for the long term.

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However, according to Dr. Simeons, while hCG is releasing abnormal fat deposits into the bloodstream it is necessary to limit the amount of fat in the diet so it doesn't overload the system. And supposedly all the nutrients we need are stored in those fat deposits.
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It makes sense, and it seems to be working. Both Sarah and I feel fine. For me, the first week was rough, but my energy has been climbing ever since. (Still hungry, though!)

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And due to the caloric restriction, Simeons does discourage exercise during the 40 days of the diet. He allows a 20-minute daily walk for those who feel they must get in some cardio. Sarah was doing more than twice that and still felt fine.

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Lose weight without exercise? Sign me up!
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Dr. Simeons's diet actually prohibits the use of Chapstick, lotion, makeup, and cream-based products such as shampoo and conditioner in order to further limit fats being absorbed into the body, but I can't go quite that far. I'm not sure being thin would be worth looking like a dried up old prune! Besides, even with my Chapstick and lotions, I'm still losing steadily.

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I continue to study the research and anecdotal information on this diet, and it is not without its controversies. I'll go into that information next week.

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Meanwhile, I just have to say:
**********Works for me!

Busy Days, Busy Nights

I love having teenagers. They are so busy, so funny, so passionate about everything.

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Still, sometimes I miss the days when they were small and I had them at home with me most of the time. When we sat together most nights, watching videos, playing games, cuddling, tickling, teasing.

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Today was one of those days where we barely saw each other. It actually began last night, when Dylan went on an overnight campout at Los Burros with his Scout troop and Jacob stayed the night at his friend Kyle's house.

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Dylan spent this morning on a 20-mile biking adventure, while Jacob worked for a neighbor. When Dylan returned at 3pm, he immediately left to spend the rest of the day at his friend Eric's house.

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Left to ourselves, Sarah and I decided to have a girls' afternoon out. We went to see the movie 2012.

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I LOVED it! I'm a huge fan of disaster movies, science fiction, and special effects, and this film satisfied my desire for excitement and escapism perfectly. Nonstop action! Throughout the movie I found myself holding my breath, every muscle tensed. I had to keep reminding myself to relax.

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Critics have claimed that the special effects are great (they are) but that the plot is weak. I have to disagree. I think the characters are well-developed and the story is complex enough to stand strong in the midst of sweeping destruction and mind-boggling special effects.

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The tale springs from the fact that the Mayan calendar--which has been remarkably accurate for thousands of years--ends on December 21, 2012. Some believe it means the world will end by some horrible catastrophe at that time.

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What do you think?

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I think you can only fit so much calendar onto one rock! I do believe we are living in the "last days," but I'm afraid we'll bring about our own destruction. The wheels are already in motion...

Sarah enjoyed the movie, too, though she'd have preferred to see New Moon, the second of the Twilight films. We'll go next weekend, when the madness dies down.

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We saw Jacob briefly before he took off again with a big group of friends. They were heading to a friend's house to do some "turkey bowling." I've never done it myself, but I guess it involves hurling a frozen turkey down the lane toward 10 soda bottles. Sounds like good times!
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As for Sarah, tonight she invited over 2 friends, Emmi and Gina, to watch The Proposal on DVD. Thus I have been banished to my home office to write this post.

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That's the kind of day it has been, fun and busy but not much together time. But that's okay. My kids are involved in worthwhile activities with good friends.

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And maybe this is nature's way of cutting the apron strings, of preparing me for that empty nest that's approaching far too quickly.

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Meanwhile, I will cherish every remaining moment we spend under the same roof!

Missionaries in the Family

In Saturday's post I mentioned my Uncle Ernie and Aunt Alma, who were missionaries on the nearby White Mountain Apache reservation at the time Mark and I moved here, back in 1990.

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It brought a flood of pleasant memories.

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When we came to the White Mountains, we had no other family here. My parents and my brother Jeff lived in Utah. The rest of my siblings and Mark's family lived 3 hours away, in Mesa.
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So it was wonderful to have Ernie and Alma living less than an hour away, in the town of Whiteriver.
We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. We visited their home and saw the Apache mementos they would take to California with them when they returned home in a few months, including a cradleboard blessed for fertility by the medicine man. Mark handled it, as instructed. Two weeks later Jacob was conceived!

We also enjoyed having Ernie and Alma show us around the reservation. These photos were all taken on 13 Oct 1990. At that time I was 36, Mark was 22, and Sarah was 11 months old.

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We first went to Geronimo's Cave, which required some steep climbing, so Mark went alone and brought me some quartz crystals from inside the cave. Then we had a picnic lunch at Lower Log Camp, next to a stream. All but the final 2 photos were taken at Lower Log Camp.

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At right are Uncle Ernie and me (and little Sarah in the playpen). Ernie is my dad's older brother, and they look very much alike. Being with Ernie made me miss my dad a little bit less.
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Here we have Alma making her way across the creek to take pictures of wildflowers. One of her pics is featured below. Nicely done!

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The top photo shows Uncle Ernie and me (holding Sarah) while we started a fire and set up our picnic area. In the second shot, Alma and Ernie continue to get us all set up, and in the third, Aunt Alma stands by our yummy picnic lunch.

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Most reservations are located on the most inhospitable land the US government could find, but this reservation is in beautiful country. Plenty of forests for logging, camping, hiking, and hunting; lakes and streams for fishing; mountains for skiing; grazing lands.

We continued to live without family in the White Mountains for a year and a half after Ernie and Alma returned home, but by then we were established and had begun making connections at home, work, and church.

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They got us through the first several months of homesickness.
Eventually Jeff and Dana moved their family back to this area, where Dana spent a good part of her childhood and where she has many relatives still. A year later my parents joined us, moving their mobile home here.

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At left is our sweet Sarah. She spent a lot of time fishing with her dad and loved being outdoors.

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Here is the stream that flowed past our picnic site. Mark always had his fishing gear handy and had to try out any new bodies of water. I don't recall that he had any success here.
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This is one of my favorite pictures of Sarah with her dad. She could sit for hours in his lap and quietly watch him fishing.






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After our lunch, we headed up to Hawley Lake. On our way we passed this deer at the side of the road.

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When we arrived at beautiful Hawley Lake, Mark immediately had to try it out, and his luck improved. It became one of his favorite fishing spots, but this trip was our first introduction to the place.

That's me looking out on the lake one last time before our lovely day ended.
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Yes, those are glad memories of happy times. We love you and miss you, Uncle Ernie and Aunt Alma!

HCG: Week Two

Our second week on the hCG diet was a success! In 14 days I've lost 17.6 lbs and Sarah is down 17.4 lbs.

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I wish I could say I'm not hungry on 500 calories a day, but to me each day feels like Fast Sunday, only without the huge meal at the end of the day. Apparently it's something to do with the hormonal shifts of my pre-menopause. Lucky me.
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Sarah, though, feels great. She's never hungry and has enough energy to walk 45 minutes per day. Her results are typical of what most people report while using hCG.
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A little history on the diet: It was developed by British doctor A.T.W. Simeons during the 1950s and 60s. His full biography can be found here:

www.hcgdiettips.com/drsimeonsbio.html

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Dr. Simeons was a decorated, experienced physician whose opinion and assistance were highly sought after. He spent many years working in Africa and India due to his interest in tropical diseases. In fact, he received the Red Cross Order of Merit for discovering a malaria treatment.

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While working with pregnant women living in poverty, Dr. Simeons was intrigued that nearly starving women delivered fat, healthy babies. Eventually the role of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in pregnancy was discovered and he began working with it to find a cure for obesity.

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His theory was, if the hormone hCG releases adipose (fat) tissue to make it available to the fetus, it might also release abnormal fat in the obese.

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As we all know, fat is stored by our bodies during times of plenty in order to make nutrition available to us during lean times. Dr. Simeons found that a 500-calorie diet composed of specific, extremely low-fat foods forced the body to rely upon the fat released by the hCG.
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He released his findings on the benefits of hCG in 1954 and continued working out his approach to weight loss. In the mid-60s he published his book, Pounds and Inches, outlining his "Weight Loss Cure Protocol" for both doctors and patients.

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In 1969 Dr. Simeons opened a clinic in Rome, where he'd been living since 1950. For 20 years he successfully and safely treated weight issues of the wealthy and famous.
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For decades, clinics and spas were the only venue available to participate in Dr. Simeons's weight cure prototocol. HCG, obtained from the urine of pregnant women, was expensive and given daily by injection, plus Dr. Simeon felt there were too many temptations in the world for the average person to stick to such a restricted diet on their own.

Today, hCG is available in various forms, including the homeopathic drops Sarah and I take under the tongue 3 times a day.

HCG is not approved by the FDA for weight loss, but it is approved for use in fertility treatments, which involve doses more than 10 times greater than that used for weight loss. I've spent many hours researching hCG, and there are simply NO concerns about the hormone itself. We all have some in our bodies naturally, including men, and pregnant women have very high amounts. (Pregnancy tests read the hCG level in urine.)

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The only concerns I found relate to the restrictive 500-calorie portion of the diet, but I'll go into that next week.

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For now, I'm thrilled with my progress. First, my total weight loss since New Year's Eve is 28 lbs (before starting the hCG, I had kept off some of the weight I'd lost in the spring), and as of this morning the number on the scale was one I haven't seen since 2005!

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Even better, I've already achieved 2 of my 3 goals. I stopped taking the new, potentially dangerous blood pressure medication a week ago and tonight my blood pressure was exactly 120/80. Earlier in the week I had readings of 119/78 and 115/73. As for my 3rd goal, to lose at least 20 lbs, I expect to achieve that sometime this week. Ultimately I hope to be able to stop one more medication and reduce the dosage of the final one, but that's a ways down the road.

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But that road will be so much easier to travel now!

Apache Girl

Since our town is near the White Mountain Apache reservation, we have many students of Native American descent. They dress, talk, and act just like all teenagers do and in general blend in with the rest of the student body. They participate in sports and clubs and hang out with friends and get after-school jobs. Typical teen stuff.

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But I like when their culture comes to school with them. My own heritage is pretty much Heinz 57: English, Irish, German, Dutch, French, a smidge of Spanish. I embrace every line with pride, but there's always been just a little extra pride in being descended from my Cherokee great-grandmother, Nancey Ellen Simpson of Oklahoma. I have a special place in my heart for Native American culture.
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My students likewise embrace their heritage. Occasionally this student, Asia, wears traditional Apache dress to school, and she graciously allowed me to photograph her.

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Above is the casual dress typically worn by Apache women. We see them in town all the time and I hear they are extremely comfortable. (Although Asia says the mocassins are painful when walking on gravel!) You can click on the photos to see the beautiful turquoise jewelry and beadwork on the mocassins.

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My Uncle Ernie and Aunt Alma served a mission on the nearby Apache reservation back when we first moved to this area, 1990-91. Aunt Alma was given several of these dresses as gifts and wore them often.

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Ever since then, I've longed to own at least one such dress myself, but unfortunately they can't be bought off the rack at WalMart or Fashion Bug. Traditionally they are made by the older women who pass on the skill to their daughters and granddaughters.

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At right, Asia is modeling a traditional ceremonial dress worn for such events as the Apache Sunrise Ceremony, which celebrates a young girl becoming a woman. The metal attachments tinkle against each other, producing a sound like light rainfall on a tin roof.

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I feel it is so important for all of us to honor our heritage and celebrate the cultures and accomplishments of our ancestors. These youth are a great example for honoring their heritage so well.

Freedom Hall

A few years back, the student council at our high school designated the large hall outside the auditorium lobby as "Freedom Hall." We were at war and they wanted to honor the men and women serving in the military.

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Student artists sketched large images of the seals of the various military branches on the walls.
FEA Club (Future Educators of Arizona) decided to honor our veterans on Veteran's Day by displaying their names on stars taped to the walls of Freedom Hall.

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They asked the entire district, both staff and students, for information on family and friends who had served our great country, past or present.
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As you can see, they got a huge response. They ended up putting almost 1,300 stars on the walls of Freedom Hall!
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Yesterday I decided to check out the wall while I was running errands with one of my students (that's Raquel in the top photo), and we went looking for the stars of my 4 uncles, whose names I had submitted.

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When I saw all those stars, my first thought was, "No way!" It did take a few minutes, but I found them all. At left are stars for my uncles Ernie Butler (Marines, World War II, turret gunner on a TBF) and LeRoy Haley (Army, Korean War).

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Here is the star for my uncle Johnny Shields, who served in the Army's 8th Air Force in World War II in England.

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Below is the star for my uncle Elmer Stokes, who served in the Military Police for the Army during World War II.
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My family and I wish to express our deepest gratitude to all those who served and all those who gave their lives to defend this great land.
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It is a privilege to live in the United States of America, the land of freedom, and we are honored to know and love just a few of those who bought that freedom at great price. God bless you all.

HCG: Week One

Last Sunday I committed an act of desperation. I started the HGC diet.
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Let's be clear: I do not endorse this diet. I don't believe such severe calorie restrictions or extreme low-fat diets are healthy.

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On the other hand, I do feel the HCG diet is a safer option than stomach stapling/re-sections, lap-bands, mouth-wirings, and tongue patches, which restrict calories much longer and include surgery and sometimes emotional trauma.

Besides all that, the HCG diet works.

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This really was a choice of last resort. After the dust settled from my cardiology adventures, three things were clear: 1) I had to get off the newest of the 3 blood pressure meds I was taking due to possibly dangerous side effects; 2) I had to bring down my blood pressure to accomplish #1; and 3) I needed to lose weight, at least 20 lbs, in order to accomplish #2.

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I got right to work. For 5 weeks I was stellar. Not a drop of sugar, white flour, or starchy vegetables passed my lips. I focused on healthy fats, proteins, and nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits. I ate smaller meals throughout the day to keep my blood sugar stable. I tried to walk every day.

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I lost 7 lbs the first 2 weeks. Four of those pounds were water weight, of course, but I was pleased. Then it stopped cold. I persevered faithfully. I reached the point where my appetite decreased, which happens naturally with controlled-carb eating, but even with much smaller meals the scale still wouldn't budge. I bounced up and down, back and forth, in the same 2-lb. range.

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I knew why I was stuck.

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For several years I've been on 2 blood pressure medications that cause weight gain, but I could still lose weight by controlling my carbs. It was harder, but it worked... slowly... Now I'm on a third med that also causes weight gain, plus Dr. Memon doubled the dosage of one of my original prescriptions. He himself admitted that it will now be "almost impossible" to lose weight, though I still needed to "work at it."
I see now that I can maintain my weight by eating right, but to achieve my 3 goals required LOSS of weight. I was so frustrated and becoming depressed. I began to pray for an answer.

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One day my cardiologist's office staff called. A nutritionist was coming to town to supervise a weight loss program involving B12 shots and 500 calories a day for 40 days. I'd lose about a pound a day.

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Was I interested? I was, but they never called back. Then at church 2 weeks ago, someone told me how she had lost 36 lbs in 40 days on the HCG diet after her last baby was born.

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I put 2+2 together and realized this was the same diet the nutritionist was promoting. I also remembered that my sister-in-law Dana had done this diet back around March and tried to convince Sarah and me to join her. I rejected it as unsafe, but Dana and several members of her immediate and extended families had done it and lost tons of weight. They still look great.

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I spent 3 hours online researching HCG and the diet and the doctor who developed it. I realized I was just desperate enough to give it a try. It seemed my only option, though I wasn't sure I could afford $285 for the nutritionist or $40 per bottle of HCG to do it myself. I was still praying.

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Later that day I had a chiropractor appointment. I told Dr. Butler what I had decided to do, and he told me both ladies in his front office had recently started the diet. Jackie had lost 6 lbs in 5 days and Sandi had lost 12 in 10 days. They were very excited and, better yet, knew where to get the HCG for just $25 per bottle. It seemed to me that the Lord had placed all these big red arrows in my path, leading me to my answer. I made the call that same night.
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Sarah and I started the diet last Sunday, November 1st. Unbelievably, in just 7 days Sarah has lost 13 lbs and I have lost 12 lbs. The change is already noticeable in our clothing.

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For Sarah it has been smooth sailing. For me, it has been a challenge due to my arrhythmia, so I'm still working on adjusting the diet to my needs. I have spoken to my family doctor, who doesn't recommend the diet but feels I'll be okay as long as I stop at the 40-day mark. No problem. Believe me, I can't wait to get back to eating real meals!

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Meanwhile, my blood pressure is already dropping. I finally feel my goals are achievable!

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Next week: More on the diet and how it works.

Jeff's Big Day

In honor of my little brother Jeff's 48th birthday today, I searched for all the birthday pictures from his childhood to share in this post. I was shocked when I found only these two.

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Our mom was very good about celebrating every birthday with a special cake and ice cream, and singing Happy Birthday, even if it was only our immediate family present. She didn't always take pictures, but I still expected more.

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I think perhaps she was still recovering from 5 kids' worth of Halloween whenever we celebrated Jeff's birthday the next day!

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This was Jeff's 7th birthday in November 1968. From left to right we have our brother Darryl (age 5), brother LeRoy (age 9), the birthday boy Jeff, cousins Sandra, Nancy, and Sherry, and sister Karla (age 8).

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This isn't exactly from his childhood, but it's from our last birthday celebration for Jeff before he got married in June 1983.

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It was Jeff's 21st birthday, November 1, 1982. He had returned from his mission to Winnipeg, Canada, just a few months earlier, in August.

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Here is the whole family at the party, although it looks like the camera was high on LSD at the time! L-R: Darryl (age 19), Mom (age 45), Jeff, Dad (age 48), our first nephew Jeremy (7 months old), Karla (age 22), and her husband Brian (age 25).

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We were all so much younger then!

And finally, The Boys, together again 3 weeks later. LeRoy was married and had moved back to Southern California, but Jeff, Darryl, and I went to visit them for a few days. (Sadly, I was 28 and still single...)

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21 Nov 1982: Darryl (age 19), Jeff (age 21), and LeRoy (age 23). Good times!

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Happy birthday to you, Jeff!