Fall Weight Loss Challenge

When school started so did my Chubby Challenge.  It was a competition between friends of friends to see who could lose the most body fat percentage.  I was VERY ready to do something and the prize winnings were very tempting.  Here is my before picture and a picture of the scale.  We had to send in a scale shot each week.

 173.5 pounds to start

My helper at the start.  Bump and I would get up early and walk.  After a few weeks it was just me getting up early to walk!  :)

My sisters and cousins all doing the challenge together.  These girls really rocked the challenge and all of us placed pretty high up the charts. It was fun to do it together.  We saw each other's results here at Grandpa's funeral.
(Tera, Jana, Me, Shayla, Sherilyn, and Jamie)

Down 27 pounds in 8 weeks!!!  I lost 13.53% body fat.  I was in 2nd place from week 2 right up until the very end when people starved themselves to win.  Ticked me off really bad, but I still ended up in 4th place and won $95.00 (first place was $700).

This is what I posted on the challenge blog after the competition was over:

Wow I can't believe it's over!  This has been such a great motivation for me!  At the start of this competition I was just at the point where all of my pants were too tight and I went to the store to buy a size 14.  I was 2 pounds shy of where I was just before delivering twins!  Yikes!  It was hard to tie my shoes and shave my legs and I knew I needed to get myself back in gear.

I joined with my sisters Tera B. and Jamie S. as well as cousins Shayla D., Jana C. and Gaylene P.  Everyone did so good!  I've gotten to see their before and after pictures and they are inspiring!  Way to go girls!  Thanks for the good motivation!  Even when we traveled to Grandpa's funeral last week!

I am now comfortably in size 10 jeans (I haven't tried on anything smaller).  My energy level is up, I can keep up with my 3 kids again, and I have motivated many co-workers to be healthier throughout the weeks.

I ate low carb, ran/walked a minimum of 10,000 steps every day, drank tons of water, and didn't have any sugar or soda.

I wish I had stuck with it better.  I really fell back into old habits during the holidays, but I loved it when I was competing.  I need to do this all the time.  Oooo there are too many yummy treats in the world!  For me it is 90% diet, 10% exercise.

Dance Recital and Halloween

The girls had their first dance recital at the Rec Center right before Halloween.  They both did such a good job!  Quincy was a witch and danced to "Love Potion #9"

Gabby was a skeleton pirate and danced to "Monster"

For Halloween Corban dressed like Fin from "Adventure Time"

Quincy was a beautiful mermaid

Gabby used her dance costume for Halloween as well.  We changed her makeup a bit though.

Cassidy came for a visit and wore her Jake t-shirt just for Corban.  

(In Adventure Time Fin and Jake are best buddies and go on adventures together)

Now that's a lot of candy!!!

We had a fun adult Halloween party too!  Bump was dressed as Bob Ross and I was a "Happy Little Tree" in one of his paintings.  We won the costume contest!  :)

John and Taleesha Baker

(Just creepy. . .)

Jeff and Christy Williams

(Garth and Wayne)

The Runyan's (What about Bob?)

The Gunnerson's

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

TJ and Camie Polster

(Minnie and Micky Mouse)

Ryan and Tressa Ririe

(Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife)

Welcome Home and Happy Birthday Grandma!

What a great way to celebrate Grandma Wright's birthday!  They moved back to Utah from Washington!  After Grandpa died Uncle Lynn and Aunt Sharon moved in to take care of Grandma Dickson so it was time for Grandma and Grandpa Wright to move out.  

They packed up in a week and were gone!  They are moving in with Tracy and Steve until they can get their mission papers in and go to serve the Lord for 2 years.  

They showed up just in time to celebrate Grandma's birthday!  What a treat to have them in Utah for awhile.

 (I love that Ed wants to help her blow out the candles!)

John H Dickson

My grandpa Dickson passed away on September 29th.  I was able to travel with my siblings in Utah up to Washington for the funeral on October 11th.

 Grandpa was an amazing man who served the Lord with all of his heart.  He was so funny and happy!  He lit up the room when he walked in and always had a joke to tell.  He was loving and accepting of everyone and would give a stranger the shirt off his back.  He knew how to work and how to play.  He was a wonderful example to all of his posterity.  He will be missed.

The best part about attending Grandpa's funeral was that my whole family was able to come!  Tera flew in from Germany. Thad flew from Louisiana with his wife due to deliver a baby any day.  Jamie flew from Illinois.  David and Julie flew from California and the rest of us drove from Utah.  It honestly was a huge party!  We got to take a long overdue family photo while we were together.

 We were only missing 3 of my first cousins!  We sang "I Believe In Christ" together.

My brother's and cousins were Pallbearers.

Good lookin' guys!

Lee, David, Thad, and Jared

John, Lee, Randy, Dode, David, Brent, Thad, Kurt, and Jared

We all had to have some cousin catch-up time so they put us in the primary room to keep us quiet while Grandpa's viewing was going on in the Relief Society room. . . we were a bit loud.

I told my mom to remind me to give Grandpa a big hug and tell him thank you for letting us have such a party on his behalf!  We had such a fun time remembering Grandpa and seeing our family and loved ones again.  

All of us Wright girls came without our husbands, so we got to have a sleepover in the hotel room!  Wow I love my sisters!  We had pillow fights and wrestling matches and lots of laughs.  It was hard to say good-bye!

I love my siblings.

Thank you Grandpa for setting an example of love and laughs for us to follow!

Until we meet again. . .