This guy. Article on how certain frienships can pollute your marriage.

 Grant Phillip Hungerford.  My Husband.  My best friend.  My lover.  My other half.  My dream come true. 

Marriage is the most valuable thing to me (beside my relationship to the Lord).  Marriage is the thing I keep most sacred.  I ran across an amazing article today and I wanted to share. 

It's from a couple I follow called Fierce Marriage.  I try to "like" marriage sites, godly women sites, anything uplifting.  Because seeing crap in my news feed all day long gets super old.  Another reason why I listen to only Christian radio.  I just want to be happy people and when I listen to garbage I feel like garbage.  Much like when I eat garbage I feel like garbage.  What we take in....we wear.  Whether on our bodies (hips) or through our personalities(attitudes). 

I'll see if I know how to link this baby up.

How Our Friendships Affect Our Marriage by Selena Frederick.

"Just like an infection on your body, some friendships eat away at you, and over time begin to kill (metaphorically speaking) the person God is molding you to be, which always (yes, always) 
affects your relationship with your spouse."

 
 
 
 













I am a firm believer that the purpose of marriage is glorify God.  In order to accomplish that He molds us and shapes us by showing the world that only through Him can we sustain marriage.  Can we live a healthy peace filled life.  I'm not saying life is not hard. In fact at times it's harder.  But ohhhhhhhhh so worth it.  This article got me thinking just how crazy it is that so many things in our environment affect our marriage.  For me eating is the worst.  If I am eating bad I. AM. A. JERK.  I kind of hate everyone.  Everyone.  (And currently,for another 9 days, work at a Christian workplace.  That doesn't make me any holier or different than anyone else.)  I am an emotional eater too so then I feel guilty and bad for being a jerk that I just want to eat more. It's a pretty viscous cycle.  I have learned in my weight loss journey how to manage that in a healthy.  However, I still don't always choose it.  Sometimes when I know I being a jerk I should lock myself in my room and only spend time with the Lord.  Reading his Word, praying, praising Him, anything along those lines. But I am human. In fact Colossians 3 should just be bookmarked.  Truly the whole chapter is where it's at.  And sometimes I choose to be selfish and to sit right where I am instead of seeking forgiveness and loving my husband the way I need to be.


Here we are after a month of dating.  I knew he was the one earlier than this picture.  But, this was the first time we had really taken pictures together.  Ummmmm, I love non serious traditional pictures.  He plays the game well. 

 Anyways, I better get back to it. I just mainly wanted to share that amazing article and am running out of words.

A little of the way back when and how far I've come

Sometimes...you just have to sit and remember how far you've come!

Like this from 2006

 

Or this 2006

 

to this...My wedding rehearsal 2013

 

and the infamous never to repeat again 2014 Lincoln Marathon

 

 

 

Pictures don't always do it justice though.  I guess all my life I have been a bigger girl. I remember people always saying, "Your face is so beautiful."  Not sure why I remember that but I do.  After the age of 14-15 upon entering high school I became super insecure.  Some of it had to do with some things that have happened to me and the rest had to do with my heavier body and those little high schoolers all around me.  Any picture you find of me from 1995-1999 I am covered head to toe almost in clothing.  Hoodies, FUBU jackets, you name it, if it covered my body up I wore it.  I wish I knew what my actual weight was in high school but at this time I can't remember.  I was probably 190s if I had to guess. 

 

In 2008 I had reached my highest.  271.  I remember everything about stepping on the scale that day. Everything.  I have never looked back since that day.  I have lost my weight the only way that I believe in...healthy eating and exercise.   Nothing over 215 since 2008-2009.  I do celebrate that. Sometimes I forget and so it takes days like today to reminisce and look at exactly how far I have come.  Here is a rough estimate of weights since my last ever weigh in at 271.

 

2008~271

2009~193

2010~214

2011~202

2012~207

2013~187

2014~204 (now)

 

I have been under 200 twice in this time.  My body apparently likes it over 200.  Or I just really love food.  I do not believe that 200 is a healthy weight though.  So the other day with the help of my friend Cassie I had a "coming to Jesus talk" with myself.  Sort of went like this, "Tami...are you going to keep pretending that you are in "maintenance" or are you going to finish what you started?"

 

So let it be clear I am going to finish what I started. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 



Little VHS throw-back-Tuesday

So I still haven't had time to sit down and write my story out. But this I just have to share...

The hubs and I decided to take on the project of converting all my mom's old VHS tapes into DVDs. Well this is what I found staring back at me

Are you kidding me. The videos went too quick to take a ton of awesome pictures but here's another.

Wow. I truly never really knew. I mean I had to of known since in almost every video after the age of 15 I was wearing a hoodie or a jacket. More on that later. Let me leave you with my now pictures. I wish I knew the weight difference. But I think with all the weight lifting it really is not much different.  Could those chipmunk cheeks still be baby fat? I mean I do have a round face even now.

Here we go!

This feels oddly like I am starting a dating website.  That was the closest I have ever come to writing on the internet.  Oh wow, so glad those days are behind me (I'm married to one of the greatest men ever created now...8 months and going strong).  I should probably start at the beginning, but I don't have that kind of time. Yet.  So for now I will start with the bare minimum.
My name is Tami.
I am awesome.
That is really all you need to know.  ;) Just kidding.  Well, sort of.  So I have a lot of changes coming up and I have been through a lot of changes. Thus why I decided I should finally start writing them out. I keep a hand written journal but mainly that stuff is between me and the Lord.  This blog stuff I wanted to open to the public to hmmm, well encourage, vent, share, be encouraged, and mostly to hopefully inspire.
I am an idealist in most areas of my life.
I love the happy.
I love Jesus more than my husband (which is crazy to think I could love anything more than that man).
I have lost 80lbs ( but currently have gained 14lbs back over 4 years).  I desire to lose more. Doesn't everyone?!
I am about to make a huge move with my husband back to his hometown in Minnesota.  I am Nebraska girl and have lived in Omaha, NE for over 8 years.


So here we are.  July 9th. 2014.  Let the adventure begin. See you soon.

Here's a picture of the hubs and I on one of our monthly adventure date days.  (I forgot I can put pictures on here)