Niki is a LOSER!!

5 months ago my sister, Niki, found out her cholesterol was high. She told me she was making a lifestyle change and was going to get healthy. I can't believe how serious she was. In 5 months she has lost 40 lbs. If I didn't love her so much I would have to hate her! She didn't do any crazy working out, just 3 days of cardio per week. Her diet was what really did the trick. She ate 1200 calories a day...no matter what! No cheat days, meals, or treats. She was strict until she hit her goal. Still she only allows herself a cheat meal on special occassions. I am so proud of her and inspired by her. It is rare that you see someone make a life change to be healthier. She is awesome! Here are the before and after pics.

BEFORE: July 4,2009



AFTER: November 26, 2009

Halloween '09

I hate playing catch up with this blog. I will never fall this far behind again! Christmas is 10 days away and I haven't even blogged about Thanksgiving yet. At least I'm trying, right? Right.
OK. Halloween was super fun this year. The older Phoenix gets the more fun we have with her. She really does make holidays so much more enjoyable for us. We started things off at my house on Halloween day to carve pumpkins. Phoenix stuck stickers on hers. Niki came over with the pumpkins and we all got down for hours. I used to hate carving pumpkins, but this year Niki brought over the stencil kit thingy. We all worked out some masterpieces with those stencils. During our little "carve fest" I almost died when Phoenix said, "Dada, I want a snow white pumpkin, please?" I told Bobby we didn't have a stencil for snow white, so he got online and found a picture of snow white. 2 hours later Phoenix had the coolest snow white pumpkin ever!! Bobby free-handed it on the pumpkin and totally worked it out for Phoenix. Do you see why she is a complete "Daddy's girl?" He is a total sucker for her.
Halloween night we headed over to Niki's house first to take some pics and grab some candy. After that we went by Kyle and Diana's house. We took Phoenix around that neighborhood to get some candy. She was in heaven. She was more excited about the other little trick-or-treaters than the candy. I thought she was so cute! Our next stop was my in-laws house. We hung there for a bit too. THEN we stopped by my good friend, Tera's, Halloween party. We were late, but the kids were still going strong until around 11pm. I don't think we could have squeezed anymore fun into our day/night. It was a blast. I look forward to next year, mostly to see how Bobby tops his snow white pumpkin!

McCalls Halloween '09


These were our carved pumpkins.


Phoenix wanted a snow white pumpkin, and that is what she got. Bobby is crazy talented!


Peanut added stickers


Phoenix with her Aunt Kiki


My girl and me


Daddy, Mommy, and one cute bumblebee



Phoenix with her Daddy



Uncle Kyky with Peanut



Phoenix with Kyle and Diana

My 30th Birthday!

Yes, on October 4, 2009, I turned 30! I had no big plans. I had tried to get some of my friends together for a night out, but they were all busy. My good friend, Tera, said we'd go out with the few that agreed to come, and most of them ended up being no shows. I swear I almost cried, but we ended up having a good time. I would understand by the next night why they had all flaked on me....because BOBBY MADE THEM! He was mad that I was planning something for myself while he was trying to throw me a surprise party. He called all of my friends and made them cancel any birthday plans they had with me, even lunch dates! So, Saturday night rolls around and Bobby tells me that he got us a room at the Palms, and we were going to see Citizen Cope(one of my favs) in concert. I was pumped! When we pulled up to the Palms he said we were running late, and that he had to get the tickets from the room. We hurry up to the room, and I walk into what looks like an apartment. Before I could even process that this suite was the size of my house, I was startled by a loud "SURPRISE!" I almost died. I had NO IDEA! I had given up any hope for a party at that point, and I didn't even know they made hotel suites that big. Bobby had done a LOT of lying and scheming to keep me in the dark. He later said it was the most stressful thing he's ever done. The party was amazing! Bobby's band played a set of my favorite songs, and that was the best part of the night for me. I am a lucky girl. This was the first birthday party I've had since my Mom died. She threw me a surprise birthday party 15 years ago. I have to say, Bobby and my Mom both gave me the best birthday memories I could have ever hoped for! Thank you, Bobby. You definitely softened the blow of turning 30. Here are some pictures of the party!

September 2009

Yeah, so after the marathon trip was over, we were SO looking forward to a riding trip to Coral Pink, Utah with some great friends. We made it up there safely and immediately jumped on our quads to start, what was supposed to be, 2 days of riding. Unfortunately for me, my riding day was over 20 minutes later. I wrecked trying to catch up to the group, and the quad rolled right over my ankle. I have had several injuries in my life, around 7 or 8 to be exact, and this one really didn't hurt that bad. I didn't think it was broken, and Bobby was POSITIVE that it wasn't. So, I ignored my growing cankle for about a week. When it started turning blue my friend, Liz, suggested that I go get it checked out. I'm glad she made me go, because it was broken. I was bummed because I had just paid for 2 soccer teams' fees, and a softball team's too. My luck. This put a serious damper on my running training and my weight! I'm back in soccer now, and I'm starting to run again. I'm happy that I have healed well. This year I'm very grateful for my health. Being forced out of 'normal life' is a nice reminder that I should never take my health for granted.

Disneyland half marathon September 2009.

In September I took a trip to LA with Bobby and a few friends to run the Disneyland half marathon. This trip was super fun, but the race was not my best. I had several issues that slowed me down and made me question why I put myself through the torture of 13.1 miles. The first night we were there we did some shopping and met our friends from a run club here in town for a big carb-filled dinner. The next morning we woke up and I felt super nervous for the race. Once we got to Disneyland to start I realized I forgot my run watch. I rely on my watch to pace myself, so I started to panic. When I say "panic" I mean full-blown-anxiety-attack-puking-in-the-porta-potty-PANIC!!! I could hear the National Anthem while I was getting sick. By the time I was "OK" I realized I missed my corral. I had no phone to call Bobby, and I KNEW he was on his way to get breakfast with my friends that weren't running. I felt like I had no choice but to run. I pushed through the other corrals to get to the front with hope that I could start with the 2nd of the 5 corrals. I pleaded with a security guard to let me run with the 2nd corral, but he was a jerk and made me wait for EVERYONE to start before I could go. I guess he felt as if he needed to punish me for being late. This probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but I had to run through thousands of walkers and slow joggers, and it really was a challenge. I had no idea what pace I was running, so I was upset. I think I cried the whole first 2 miles. I must have looked like a maniac sprinting as hard as I could through people while bawling my eyes out. There was a turning point for me during the race though, and I quit feeling sorry for myself and began to enjoy my surroundings. I laughed at the MEN in Tinkerbell outfits that were running together, and appreciated the cheerleaders out there, but the most magical part of the race for me was running through Angel stadium. I can't explain how amazing it was to run around the bases of that field. The stadium was empty and it was HUGE. It was breathtaking, really. The last 4-5 miles of the race I had good times. When it was over I still felt proud that I finished it despite the set backs I encountered. My time ended up being slower than I hoped. As always my sweet husband was waiting at the finish line cheering me on along with my good friend, Luke and Shawna. It is SO nice to have people support me. Bobby even looked for the security guard who was mean to me. I'm glad he didn't find him because I may have had to bail him out of jail!! After the race we went and ate a huge breakfast, then napped back at the hotel, and THEN it was off to see the Dodgers play. We had a great time at the game. I saw Jason Lee there too! All in all it was a SERIOUS great time! I LOVE weekend vacations. I'm also glad for challenging circumstances that force me to dig deep inside and keep on truckin'!

Distance HALF MAR
Chip Time 1:50:46
Division Place 28 / 1340
Age Grade 59.4%
5K 24:57
15K 1:17:44

Checking in for the Disneyland half marathon.


Looking through my race packet.


Bobby relaxing.


Bobby helping me get ready.


Shawna and me.


Finishing....finally


After the race.


Shawna, Melissa, and me.


Melissa and me after our race.


Getting ready to go root for the Dodgers.


Tami and me walking into the Dodger game...very SORE from our race.


Loving the baseball game!





Good times. Great group!

Oklhoma trip Aug '09

I am SO super behind on blogging, but I am determined to catch up before Christmas. I am totally shocked that Bobby was disappointed that I had fallen behind on it. He says he wants me to keep it up and order it in book form. I seriously thought he never read it, and didn't care one way or the other? I'm happy he enjoys it. Here's to you, Bobby.

In August I was able to fly home, to Oklahoma, to visit my family. This trip was a little different because it was just Phoenix and me that went. I have never left Bobby for a whole week before. I missed him a LOT, but I did feel pretty independent traveling with just Phoenix. Once we get to Oklahoma it always feels as if we've never left. I get this wonderful sense of home, and I feel totally comfortable. Throughout the week we did a lot of visiting, even more eating, and lots of playing with our cousins. My two young cousins, Abrielle and Anna, are always SO good about playing with Phoenix. Abby is 13. I remember being 13 and the LAST thing I wanted to do was play with a 2 year old or visit with an old lady in town from Vegas, but Abrielle is always sweet, polite, patient, and loving to us. Anna is the same. She is 9 and full of joy. She made Phoenix and I both laugh the entire trip. She sings and dances to Taylor Swift, and she even let ME teach her a little dance I made up. She is always a good time. My third helper while I was there was my other little cousin, Chase. He is in High School, and is as handsome as can be. Even he played with Phoenix a ton. I can't believe how nice and polite these kids are. I must have been a bratty kid, because I was never that sweet. :) I do totally appreciate every one's help. The thought of being out of town alone with Phoenix stressed me out, but everyone made it so easy and fun. My Grandma is the best homemaker ever. I strive to be like her, but I fail miserably. My favorite part of my trips back are always her cooking and her advice. She reminds me of Niki a lot, because everytime I'm around either of them I'm always learning. Of course with my Grandma it's about stain removal or baking, and with Niki it's about global warming or law. haha. It also melts my heart to watch my Grandpa play with Phoenix. He is such a great guy. I admire him a ton. He has always had a way with babies. They love him. Towards the end of the trip I was even able to enjoy a grown up night out. They opened a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa. I went with my Aunts and Uncles to check it out. We had good times! Overall it was a ton of fun. Bobby was jealous that he missed out. He loves my family, and the good cooking they provide! I love visiting home. It is a place filled with love, spirit, and laughter. I can't wait to go back. I am beyond grateful that Phoenix will grow up knowing it as part of her home too.

Here are pictures from our trip.

To BOBBY!!

Hi Bobby! We miss you SO much. Just thought I'd give you a little glimpse into what your little girl is up to.
For everyone else, we're in Oklahoma visiting my family. Bobby stayed home, and is missing us desperately, like crying horribly day and night because he's SO lonely!! RIGHT BOBBY?? Just kiddin'
OK, I'll be home Thursday. Before then though there's some serious fun to be had and weight to be gained.
BYEEEE!!

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