Lets Talk About Support

Not the kind of support you get from your husband or girlfriends. The kind of support that you need under your clothes. This is going to get a tiny bit personal so if you suffer type 2 embarrassment with these kinds of subjects you might not want to read on.

I got a wonderful new bra and I just want to bear testimony of the truthfulness of the bra fitters at Dillards. Yes, it was a little embarrassing and awkward to have someone measure my breasts. Yes, she saw my special Mormon underwear but yes, she had seen it before. I told her my desires in a bra, support on the sides as well as underneath, slightly padded so nothing embarrassing shows when I wear t-shirts and comfy straps. She took all of this information and left the dressing room and then came back with one bra for me try on.

It's true - she only brought me one bra and it was a perfect fit. It was a different size than I had been wearing but it was perfect. I told the nice bra fitting lady that she was a genius and shelled out the forty bucks! Now that I have worn it for a few days I am going back to get some more - my boobs are where they are supposed to be at last!

If that is too embarrassing for you - I have another option. http://www.zafu.com/ is an amazing resource for finding the perfect bra. It is how I found my last few bras. It tells you how to measure yourself, asks you what you want or need in a bra and then shows you where you can buy the perfect one for you. They do jeans too! It is a great place.

I have one more unnecessary detail of my life that I am going to share for the sake of full disclosure. I wear SPANX. I love them. When you have a soft tummy like mine, SPANX is the answer. It is not just an ordinary girdle but a slimmer that completely eliminates the "muffin top" you get when have a soft tummy and your jeans are a little tight in the waist.

Feel like you know me too well? Be careful, I have been known to lift up my shirt and show my friends when I get a new bra. Need to know more? E-mail me and I will tell you the brand name and the name of the nice lady at Superstition Springs Dillards.

New Do!

Last night I got a cut and color. I was in desperate need. The last time I had my hair done was in January! That was six months ago! I wanted to do it before Women's Conference at the beginning of May but it never worked out. You can see in these Women's Conference pictures how lame, rooty and shapeless my hair was. And I suffered two more months after that with crazy hair.

But no more! When I went in I told dear Treslee at Ultra Source Hair that she could do whatever she wanted - just leave me enough to put in a pony when I go to the gym and if she could do anything to disguise my double chin that would be a bonus.Here is the new and improved version of me! It is shorter than I have had it in a long time. Please ignore the messy house in the background.

This Might Be Only Funny to Me But...

Yesterday in Relief Society the lesson was taken from President Eyring's talk in the last General Conference. It was an awesome lesson taught by an awesome woman in our ward. The talk/lesson was called The True and Living Church. I highly recommend reading it after you get done reading your blogs.



Our ever prepared Relief Society Chorister made copies of the primary song 'I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ' and passed them out for the opening song. I could not stop my inner giggling because it reminded me of the most random story. I think it is funny (even though it happened to me) my family thinks it is funny (because they like to make fun of me) I am not sure it is truly funny but I am going to tell it anyway. I will try not to embellish too much and I may leave out the really embarrassing parts.



The night I had my twins - I was in the hospital really doped up. At that point in my life I had very little experience with medications of any kind and they had me on some serious narcotics. I have very few memories of the actual birth and virtually no memories of the days that followed. That first night - my younger brother called to see how I was doing. Apparently I was alone and I answered the phone in my hospital room and started spewing all kinds of nonsense. It was enough nonsense that he began to tape our conversation.



The tape comes out occasionally at family gatherings and is always a hit. I think it is pretty funny but I try really hard to hold my laughter and keep an indignant look when everyone starts laughing at my crazy. The hilarity starts with me reciting some kind of made up recipe for pineapple turnovers and repeatedly asking my brother what his wife's name is. My voice is really raspy and deep during the whole conversation and finally my brother asks me if I have been smoking or something. I can't understand what he is saying and he repeats himself, asking me if I have taken up the cigarettes.

Then, this is where I wish we could just stop the tape. I sound very offended as I answer him, "Jeremy! I don't smoke! I'm a Mormon!" And then I sing the entire primary song ..."I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.." When the song is over, my brother is laughing so hard that you can't really hear anything else on the tape until he hangs up after I pass out.

Hey! I know who I am and I know God's plan. I don't see anything wrong with that.

15 Minute Photo Shoot

I am so lucky to have some very talented friends. Today I want to tell you about two of them. They are Deana and Ryan. Two talented people who have two beautiful daughters and more kindness in their little fingers than I can even hope to have. I know they will be embarrassed by this but they are great people, great friends and both of them are great photographers.

As a favor to me, they took some time on a sweltering Sunday afternoon to stand in their garage and take a few snapshots of my kids so that I could make a special Father's Day gift for my husband. The photos are so amazing that I want to share them all with the world but I am only going to share a few. I am making some gifts for some other people who might read my blog and I don't want to ruin it for them.

All the squids.Devon age 13

Courtney age 13Morgan age 11Nicole age 7

And the winner is....

That says Diane. I typed up the names of everyone who commented and put them in a bowl and my son Devon chose this one. It pays to de-lurk! I love that Diane won! She commented yesterday and I went over to her blog and found out some amazing things about her! You should all click over and check her out!

Diane, e-mail me at jolene593 (at) msn (dot) com and send me your mailing address and I will send you the gift card! OR come to lunch at Costa Vida on Friday!! It would be fun to meet you!

I want to announce another win - a small personal victory. I hit the 40 pounds lost today! I was so happy! And no, I did not go to In-N-Out to celebrate - I came home and ate a salad with chicken breast and homemade hummus. I am saving my extra calories for Friday! This is all going to sound so silly I know but I feel like I have a waist again. I can put my hands on my hips and feel hips - not just stomach. I'm loving it!

I'm thinking about buying this dress as a reward or maybe this one (it is quite a bit cheaper). I don't typically wear a lot of prints but I really like this one and this one. The good thing is - I know what shoes I would wear with each one - I just can't decide. Please vote!

Random Thoughts

1. I am excited to pick a winner tomorrow for the Sonic gift card. It's only $10 but with that you can get 10 Route 44 drinks if you only go during Happy Hour. Or you could really splurge one day and get the Island Fire Burger (it is yummy), large onion rings, a couple of corn dogs, a big drink and a shake for dessert. It is not too late to comment on that post. I will pick the winner tomorrow after I come home from the gym - maybe around 11:00 a.m. Pacific time.

2. Speaking of fast food - the In-N-Out that was being built about a mile from my home is open. I think it opened last Saturday but I haven't been yet. I do love me a hamburger animal style and fries. I might go on Thursday or maybe even tomorrow if I can get weighed in early enough to stop there for lunch.

3. Speaking of weighing in - I'm hoping that tomorrow I will hit the official 40 pounds lost mark. I have been hovering for a couple of weeks and I hope these last few days at the gym will push me over. We are half way through the year and I have reached more than half of my goal - I still want to lose 30 more. I know the last pounds are the hardest to lose and I know that I will want to have it all lost before the holidays so I keep chugging along!

4. Speaking of landmark dates - Friday is a big day for me. It is my LAST birthday. I am refusing to celebrate in 2009 so I am going big in 2008. Just kidding - I'm not really going big - I wouldn't even know how to. But I am going to lunch with some friends - so please come join us if you are local. I think we are going to Costa Vida at Val Vista and the 60 around 11:00. I will post more details as they become available. If you are wondering what a girl like me would want for her big day - I really want one of these.

5. Today is the fourth day in a row of temperatures above 110 degrees. That is really not abnormal for this time of year but even if it is normal - it is still really hot. I am re-training my kids to keep the doors closed, to wear sunscreen and bring water wherever we go. Our vacation in a couple of weeks to cooler country can not come soon enough.

6. My suburban is in the shop again today. It needs work done in the rear end. It is going to cost $1300. to fix. The parts won't come in until Friday so we are picking it up tonight and taking it back Thursday night. Alan told me all of this on the phone today and I said "hey! Friday is my birthday! I won't have a car" and he replied, "but you can tell all of your friends that you got a new rear end for your birthday!". So I've got that going for me.

One Year!

I have been blogging for one year! In the last 365 days I've blogged about vacations, bragged about my kids and probably shared way more information than needed. There have been movie reviews, recipes and embarrassing stories. These 365 days, I have felt the guilt of reading other's blogs and not commenting, I have commented on some blogs just so they would maybe click over check mine out and I have talked a few more friends in to joining the blogging world.



I love blogs! Alan thinks I just like to say blog - because it is a fun word to say. I love that Shari Dew told women at BYU women's conference to start a blog and share your beliefs! I found out at girl's camp last month that some dear ladies read my blog and never comment. I found out that I really want people to comment! It makes me so happy to open my e-mail and have comments to read. In the last few weeks one of the young women from the ward Alan and I used to live in found my blog. She is no longer a teenager but a married woman with three kids!



I have come to know women in my ward and stake even better through their blogs. Yesterday in the halls of church I ran into one of these lovely ladies and her beautiful daughter and it just made me so happy that I have been keeping 'in touch' with them by reading their blog. I have one hundred blogs on my google reader. That is high as I will let it get. If I want to add another one I have to delete one. Sometimes I don't even know how they ended up on my reader.



So, in honor of this one year anniversary - I am having a give away. It is not a famous craft like Nicoles - I didn't have time to make anything. And I can't compete with her craftiness. I thought about sending one of my slaves (kids) to your house to work for you as a prize - but they nixed that. I was sitting here at my desk trying to figure out what to offer when I noticed the two empty Sonic Rt. 44 cups here and realized that one of my favorite blogging activities is enjoying a beverage while sharing my secrets. So that is my give away - a Sonic gift card.


Leave me a comment and on Wednesday morning, I will put all of your names in a hat and one of my kids will pick a name out. I will announce the winner and get the card off in the mail that same day! If in your comments you want to tell me how much you have enjoyed this blog over the last year - that would be great too. Or, you can just tell me what your favorite thing to order at Sonic is. Even if you have never commented before (you know who you are!) do it - you know you want a slushie and some tots!