To Be Grateful...

I have so many things to be grateful for.  Especially this wonderful family that I've been blessed with.

Photos by the talented Erin Fillmore.

Finding the Brighter Side...

I have had some struggles this year that I have been unable to talk about publicly.  However, due to recent events I feel like I need to tell the story of what we've gone through as a family.  Maybe it will help someone else who has faced similar struggles or maybe people just need to know what we've gone through.

In January of this year, 2012, I found out that I was pregnant with our third child.  I was so ecstatic.  I made a cute little card from Baby #3 to dad that said "See you soon".  We told our family members the good news and were really looking forward to having a new addition to the family.  I went in for a check up with the doctor at about 12 weeks, it was sometime in February.  After trying to use the ultrasound a couple of different ways he apologetically told me that my baby had no heartbeat.  I cried, but for some reason I felt like I was sort of expecting this.  It seemed to me that almost every mother I knew had suffered a miscarriage.  I sort of felt like this was "my turn".

I went home and had to tell Bret.  That was hard.  I felt like I had failed him somehow...  After talking about it, we decided to let the miscarriage process happen naturally at home.  Time kept going, but nothing seemed to be happening with my body.  I was still having morning sickness and no bleeding or cramping had kicked in, like I'd read about online.  I think a part of me kept hoping that the doctor  was wrong.  Maybe he had missed something.  Maybe there was even an extra twin hiding in there that my body was trying to keep alive?  I had about a million "maybe's" running through my mind.  I went back to the doctor and he did another ultrasound just to be sure.  There was still no heartbeat and there was no growth for the baby.  I accepted a prescription that would kick start the miscarriage process so that I could start to heal and move on.  The day after I found out my baby was dead, our Bishop came to our home to extend the call to me to be a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency.  He did not know what was going on with us and I did not tell him.  As a new presidency it seemed like there was so much that needed to be done and I did not want to disappoint.  On a Wednesday night we were supposed to have a meeting with the Stake Relief Society Presidency to get some training on our new callings.  Since I had a busy Wednesday planned, I decided to take the medication on Thursday morning to help me have the miscarriage.  But things just don't go the way you plan them, do they?

I went to the meeting with essentially 6 other strangers that I was meeting for the first time.  I sat through it and started to feel a little nauseous but other than that, okay.  Towards the end, the meeting seemed to drag on as some people chit-chatted and I started to feel like I really just wanted to get out of there.  Finally someone was called on to give a closing prayer and the second we said "amen" I stood up to leave.  As that happened I felt a gush of fluid come out of me.  I was mortified.  I sat back down in my chair and my mind raced as I tried to think of a way to get out of the room without anyone knowing what was going on with me.  I tried to stand again and I saw blood in my chair.  I sat back down and before my mind could process anything else I began sobbing aloud.  I buried my face in my hands, trying to hide myself.  They were all looking at me and asking me what was wrong.  All I could do was choke out the words "I'm having a miscarriage."  Amy, my new Relief Society President rushed to my side and helped me up and started walking me out of the room to my car.  I can never express how thankful I was for her in that moment.  I felt frozen to the spot and just having her help me move and get away was such a big deal for me.  She offered to drive me home but I wanted to go by myself.  I got home and Bret had already fallen asleep.  I was completely hysterical as I was crying and trying to tell him what happened.  He walked me into the bathroom and just held me in his arms until I was able to calm down.

As I undressed, I saw the baby in my underwear.  That was hard.  I showered for a very long time and tried to get all the blood and stuff out of me.  Within a few hours I was okay and the process was over.  I washed my baby.  I could see that he was a boy.  There was nothing wrong with him, at least to my eyes.  We named him Lucah.  I wrapped him in a blue blanket and we put him in a wooden box with a note to him telling him that we love him.  Bret buried him.

I tried to find some type of consolation or explanation of what happens to these babies who are not born alive.  Are they born into a different family?  Do they stop existing?  Do they go to heaven and wait for us?  I didn't know the answers.  There was a book that was passed to us from the previous Relief Society Presidency that talked about miscarriages and stillborn babies.  Most of it was about the grieving process but towards the end they brought in some doctrinal information.  It talked about a baby being alive once there is a heartbeat.  It talked about children who were created under the covenant of an eternal marriage would be forever sealed to our families.  It gave me the comfort of knowing that Lucah will forever be my son, maybe not in this life, but we will be together in the next.

That was enough for me.  It had to be.

Flash forward to October.  My period was late and I had a sneaking suspicion that I might be pregnant.  Bret and I were ready for another child.  We wanted one.  On October 2nd I took a test and it came back positive.  I was really happy.  But for a split second I became horribly afraid.  What if the same thing happened again?  What if I lost this child too?  As I was praying to Heavenly Father, thanking him but also letting him know my fears, I received a prompting from the spirit that put all my fears aside.  He told me "You get to keep this one."  The message was clear and there were many times when I would remind myself of this promise whenever I was tempted to be afraid again.

Even though I felt safe and confident that the pregnancy would be just fine, Bret and I decided not to tell anyone this time about the pregnancy until after the 1st trimester was over, including our family.  I had a 10 week check up and everything was looking good.  The baby was healthy and had a heartbeat.  2 weeks later I took a trip to Alaska to visit family for Thanksgiving and to also promote the Nomemade cookbook.  Since I was in my 12th week I told my family that we were expecting.  At first my sister wouldn't believe me because I'd never been able to hold out on something this big of a deal before.  During my stay there, I had a dream that the baby I was carrying died too, just like the last one.  I woke up really upset and with the feeling that I COULD NOT do this again.  I reminded myself of the promise I was given, "You get to keep this one" and I held on to that.  The fear subsided and I told myself it was just a dream.

When I got back home we called Bret's parents on their mission and told them the good news.  They were so happy and so were we.  The very next day, December 4th, I had my 14 week check up with the doctor.  At first they tried to find the heart beat with a Doppler Fetal Monitor but were unsuccessful.  He told me that it can still be kind of tricky to find this early and that we'd wait for the room next door with the ultrasound to open up and we'd go in there instead.  They left me alone and I was unafraid.  I knew that there was absolutely nothing to be worried about, because I had my promise from Heavenly Father.  I would get to keep this one.

They moved me into the next room and used the ultrasound on me.  I laid there and looked at the screen and could clearly see that the baby was not moving.  There was no fluttering heart.  There was no heartbeat.  He didn't have to tell me.  I already knew that my baby was dead.  Tears came out but all I could feel was anger.  I asked the doctor if there was something wrong with me.  He said that after the pregnancy was over he could do some testing to try to find out.  I left the hospital and sat in my car in the parking lot.  I was so angry.  I was mad at God.  I screamed at Him that He was a liar.

I felt so broken.

I went home and went straight to the bathroom to cry.  Eventually Bret found me in there and I told him that our baby had died, again.  I didn't know how to deal with it this time.  I felt like a rug had been pulled out from under me.  I was unprepared to handle this.  Deep down I knew that God was not a liar.  Maybe it was just something that I could not understand at the moment.  Maybe he told me that so that I would not cling to fear for the months that I carried this child.  Maybe he just meant that I would still get to keep this child in the next life, like with Lucah.  I knew I needed to pray, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  I wanted to blame God.  Close, loving family members would tell me that I could apply Christ's atonement.  I knew that.  I have done that so many times in my life before.  But how could I ask Them for help when I blamed Them for what happened to me?

On Sunday morning, my birthday, I had the miscarriage.  She was a girl.  Again, she looked normal to me.  We named her Leah.  We wrapped her in a tiny piece of cloth and put her in a wooden box with a note with her name and a message that we love her.  Bret buried her near Lucah.

As the day went on, I got worse and worse.  I was unable to stop bleeding on my own.  It got to the point where standing up would make me pass out and trying to sit or crawl made me horribly dizzy and cause me to throw up.  I wasn't able to keep anything down, including water.  We kept thinking that I just needed to pass the last of the tissue in my uterus and then I would be better.  Bret called the ER that night and talked to a nurse who didn't seem to think it was too terribly serious or unusual.  It was during the night that I got worse.  The only time I felt okay was when I was laying flat and my heart and head were at the same level.  Bret took care of me.  If there was any doubt before about his love for me, I know that it has been erased.  He had to see me at my worst and did not flinch.  He did everything for me that I could not.  Early in the morning he called a friend of mine to pick up our kids.  Then he dressed me and dragged me through the house on a blanket to the garage because I could not handle having my head above my heart.  I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.  He tried to rush me into the car and I felt so sick just being upright for a few seconds.  He drove me to the ER and went inside to get a wheel chair with a nurse.

As I sat in the car by myself waiting for help to come, I felt so weak.  I felt like I was fading.  I started to wonder about God's promise to me.  Did me getting to keep this one actually mean that I would be leaving with her?  I started to cry.  I had not been afraid for my life until this point.  I pleaded with God.  I did not want to leave Bret and the kids.  I need them, and they need me.  I don't know what Bret would do without me.  I know he needs me.  I was afraid for him.  I begged God to let me stay here.

A nurse came and they took me into the ER.  It took them three tries to get an IV into me because I was so dehydrated.  Once the fluids got into me, I started feeling better.  I was able to keep my eyes open and look around.  I still insisted that they keep me lying flat and that I did not want my head propped up.  They drew my blood to run some tests and did an ultrasound of my uterus.  They determined that I would need to have the D&C surgery to clean out the rest of my uterus and stop the bleeding.  During the surgery the doctor discovered that there had been significant blockage of my lower uterus that was keeping me from being able to close up on my own.  After the surgery there has been very little blood and I am feeling much better.

This is me after I got out of surgery.  They wrapped me tight in warm blankets to keep me warm.

They let me go home with Bret yesterday and I have been taking it easy.  I still get a little light headed from moving around too much so I try to rest and stay still.  There have been so many wonderful people who have been helping us.  I am so grateful for them.  They are just helping to take care of us while I am unable to by bringing us dinner among other things.  We have such good people in our life and I am just thankful.

I am not angry at God.  I am just so thankful to be alive.  I am so grateful for Bret, Kien, and Ellie.  They are the very best part of my life.  I love having them and being able to hold them.

I know I don't understand everything yet, and I'm okay with that at this point.  Like I said, maybe Heavenly Father didn't want me to be afraid while I was pregnant with Leah.  Without that promise, I would have been worried the entire time.  Maybe He just meant that she would be mine right along with Lucah in the next life.  I feel like I have four children, even if I'm only raising two of them.  I do have faith that Heavenly Father knows what he's doing.  I just don't understand it yet.  That understanding might not come to me in this life.  And that's okay.

It's official!  My sister, Kim, and I are making a cookbook together!

I am so excited about this!  To learn more, visit us HERE.  And don't forget to "Like" our Facebook Page.

Getting Ready for Girls Camp

So I've really been able to use my Photoshop skills for my church callings, one of which is Relief Society 2nd counselor and the other is Girls Camp director.  I am getting excited for girls camp and just wanted to share a couple of things I've made for them.

We are going with a Forget-Me-Not theme based off of President Uchtdorf's talk.  We are going to make journals for the girls to record all their thoughts and feelings in and I designed the cover:

I also designed a handout to match.  We are going to print these as 4x6 photos.  If you'd like to print yourself a copy you can get the larger version HERE.

We've got some great ideas about how to teach each bullet point.  When we do the first one that talks about patience, we are going to have the girls plant a forget-me-not seed because it will take patience to nurture the little flower to help it grow.

I am looking forward to Girls Camp!

RS Classroom Board

So here's what I made for the Relief Society classroom.  I found some cute fabric at Walmart for the background, used some black ribbon to create a border, and then found some matching fabric to make little fabric flowers for a more 3D effect.  I used the quotes from the last post and designed my own posters so that they would all match.  I'll include links for the larger versions of the posters if anyone wants to print them out to do this project themselves.

 Printable Version HERE

 Printable Version HERE

 Printable Version HERE

Printable Version HERE

A Little Inspiration...

I have been called to be the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency and this week I am taking on the responsibility of decorating the board at the front of the classroom.  I have spent the morning on Pinterest looking for great quotes.  These are the ones that I am gravitating towards and I can see a theme there.  These quotes make me happy and make me want to be better, so I thought I'd post them here as well.

 This one I made for my Facebook banner.  I love this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley.

Going Private

I've decided to make the blog private.  It's something I've been thinking about for a while now.  I might just make a new blog and separate family from food.  Anyways, if you want an invite, leave me your email either here or on FB or email it to me.

Dumpling Dinner Party

Some friends and I got together for a Dumpling Dinner Party.  I got the idea because I saw something like it on Food Network where a group of friends got together and made all kinds of different dumplings.  It looked like so much fun and I had a few friends who were willing to try out the idea with me.  It was a success and we all had a good time and got try new foods.  This is what we made....

I made Banh Bao, it's a Vietnamese steamed bun with a pork filling, Chinese Sausage, and a slice of hard boiled egg.

 My friend Kelli made a Dumpling Soup with carmelized onions and bacon and potatoes and dumplings.

I also made Wonton Soup, my mothers recipe.  It was a tasty treat that everyone seemed to enjoy.

Angela made Gnocchi from scratch.  It was so yummy, it tasted like a thick noodle which I love.  She served it with Spaghetti Sauce.

I made some Ebelskivers with my fancy Ebelskiver pan.  It's a Danish dish, basically just a filled pancake ball. I filled mine with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Katie made the most AMAZING Apple Dumplings.  They were sinfully delicious.

It's good to have good friends.  I'm glad they were willing to try out my silly idea of a Dumpling Dinner Party.

Valentine

For Valentine's Day Bret and I went on a date.  ALONE.  Which we don't do very often at all.  We dropped our kids off at my friends house who lives in St. George.  It was sweet of her to be willing to spend her Valentine's day watching my kids along with her own.  Then Bret and I headed to Red Lobster because my very generous brother gave us a $100 gift card for Christmas and we've been saving it for a special occasion. Also, Bret had never eaten there before.  I remember my mom taking me once when I was in Hawaii and then having an awesome family take me and my companion there on my mission.  Because of our huge gift card we decided we would order whatever we wanted, which is different for us because we are usually very price-conscious.  We started with an appetizer, fried calamari rings with fried vegetables.  Who knew fried broccoli could taste so delicious?  We also had mozzarella sticks.

(I didn't think to bring a camera so these are all pictures I found on the internet that resembled what we ate.)

Then we had their house salad...

 With the most amazing Cheddar Bay Biscuits.  They literally melt in your mouth because they are so buttery.

Bret and I were laughing because we already started to feel full.  But then it was time for the main course.  I ordered the Steak Lobster-and-Shrimp Oscar.  We thought that one of us might as well order something with lobster in it since Bret has never had it before.  He tried a bite and thought it was good.  I thought it was a pretty tasty meal.  

Bret ordered the Wood-Grilled Peppercorn Sirloin and Shrimp.  I tasted his shrimp and his was really good too.  It had a nice spicy flavor to it.  I was impressed that Bret was able to polish off his meal.  The waiter was about to take his plate but stopped when he saw that Bret was still scraping up the last of his mashed potatoes.  

Then it was time for dessert.  YES.  DESSERT.  Bret ordered the Warm Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie.  I told him I would just have a bite but it was so tasty I ended up having several bites.  We also got another one to go to give to my friend for watching our kids.

Bret and I sure tried our darnedest to rack up a bill but when it came back the total was only $67.  Bret and I had a good laugh because this was the most expensive meal the two of us have ever had together.  It was fun to be able to splurge.  Our waiter was awesome so we left him a good tip too.  He wrapped up the rest of my dinner to go since I couldn't finish it and when I asked for another biscuit to bring to my kids he brought me a full bag of them.  

Bret and I left and while we were in the parking lot walking to our car he took my hand.  He doesn't do that very often so I enjoyed every second of it.  Then he opened my car door for me.  Must just be something in the air on Valentine's day to make him be a little extra sweet.  I appreciated it.

My husband is a practical man, and I honestly love that about him.  He is not mushy, he does not write me love ballads or spend loads of money on flowers and gifts to show his love for me.  He is kind, and affectionate, and washes the dishes to show me that he loves me.  He is my perfect Valentine.

Rice, Rice Baby

I meant to post this a while back but here goes.

I love rice.  So much so that I buy it in bulk.  You know, those huge, ginormous 20 lb bags of rice?  You know what I'm talking about.  In fact,  you might even have one of those in your food storage.  If so, why don't you go run and pick one up.  Just hold it in your arms.  It's okay, I'll wait right here while you do it......

Did you do it?  Did you go lift it up in your arms?  Those are heavy, right?  WELL THAT'S HOW MUCH WEIGHT I'VE LOST!  Booyah.

Rice, rice, baby!

xoxo

PS. As of today I've actually lost 22 lbs.  :)

Balance

Do you ever have times in your life where you just feel like everything is balanced and good? I feel that way right now. I haven't felt this way in years.

Physical

I have been running 3-4 times a week. This may not be much to others but to me this has been a change in my life. I have spent the last few years being very sedentary. It feels good to be up and moving, which of course is a big part of my weight loss success.

Spiritual

I have not been the best scripture studier over the years. Right now while serving in Young Womens I am attempting to do the personal progress program with the girls, especially since I

never finished it when I was a young woman. Part of the program is reading the Book of Mormon in its entirety. I am trying to get it done before I move into another ward in November when we can move into our new house. This means I am covering several chapters a day, every day. Reading it this way has helped me to not only notice the spiritually uplifting verses here and there but to also remember the story line and the people in the scriptures, their family situations and their struggles against opposition and who is trying to kill them at the moment. It has reignited my love of the Book of Mormon and reconnected me to the wonderful people in the past who stood for truth and righteousness.

Educational

When I was in school, I really enjoyed it. I love to learn. But there is no more school for me, which I'm kind of glad about too. However, I have found joy in teaching! Over the past year we have been doing a great preschool program for Kien. Miss Rebecca wanted to start up a free one where she invited kids from the neighborhood to participate. She taught the class and the parents took turns hosting and providing the snacks. I really got into it and helped out and had fun with it. I even took a couple turns teaching. We covered the entire alphabet and our numbers 1-10. Then Miss Rebecca had a baby and needed a break from teaching. So I stepped up and offered to do a section on ZOOLOGY! Is that a little too much for 3 and 4 year olds??? We had a class on Fish and then yesterday we had a class on Amphibians. It has been so much fun and I am enjoying finding creative outlets that I can share with Kien and his buddies.

I have also had so much fun teaching things to the Young Women on Mutual night. Here are some things I've taught them:

• Cooking Vietnamese Egg Rolls
• Cake Decorating
• Hula Dancing
• Self Defense
• Next Week: Knitting baby hats for NICU

I am going to brag a little bit right here... After realizing all the skills and talents I could pass onto the Young Women, I've been able to recognize how awesome I am. Haha.... It has just made me recognize that I have valuable and unique talents. Which makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Emotional

I have a good life. I have a good family. I am so thankful for my husband, Bret, and my wonderful children, Kien and Ellie. They are the people who most often put smiles on my face. I don't know why but lately Bret has made more of an effort to compliment my cooking. I appreciate that. He has also given me support and encouragement with me trying to lose weight. He is always willing to watch the kids while I go do what I need to do (except on Saturday mornings, that is his basketball time and NOTHING can interfere with it).

Kien is getting funnier and funnier with his questions and naive logic. The other day he was looking at Ellie and asked me "Mom, where'd we get this baby from?"

I said "Well she grew in my belly but Heavenly Father gave her to us."

He thought about that for a moment then asked, "Heavenly Father was at the hospital?"

So. Cute.

Ellie... *sigh*. She is the sweetest and most precious little lady. She is happiest after waking up from a long sleep. And she sleeps A LOT. All night long, usually about 10-11 hours and then two 2-hour long naps during the day. I love it. She loves to play with Kien in her room with all their toys. She loves to follow him around but if he gets rough she won't take his gruff and she will fight back! She loves baths. She loves her pink fuzzy blanket that Grandma Thulan gave to her. I think it has become her security blanket. She is full of smiles and laughs and cute little noises.

Speaking of which, I hear her calling me from her crib so I am off.

I just wanted to record this, that everything is good and balanced in my life right now. And I love it.

Smaller Jeans

About a year ago there was an Enrichment night for Relief Society where someone spoke to us about being more organized. She gave great tips on how to get the clutter out of your life. Something she said about clothes was that if you haven't worn it in the past year then get rid of it. She said if you're holding onto clothes that don't fit because you keep telling yourself that you're going to lose weight, to just toss them out. She said that most likely you will not lose the weight and never fit those clothes again.

I thought about that and I didn't like it. So I didn't listen to her.

This week I have pulled out the pants that have been too small for me to wear and now they fit me. I am so happy about that. Not only do I have more pants but it makes me feel good that I can wear them again.

I have now lost 15 lbs. :)

Obsessed with Cupcakes

Ever since I saw the website for The Sweet Tooth Fairy and thought to myself, "Those are ridiculously expensive" and "I could do that", I have been obsessing over making giant (muffin sized) and delicious cupcakes.

These are German Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, then coconut pecan frosting, then topped with a glazed pecan.

These are chocolate cupcakes with melted fudge in the center topped with chocolate frosting and sprinkled with crushed toffee and chocolate bits and then further topped with caramel flavored whipped cream.

These are chocolate cupcakes with melted fudge in the center topped with chocolate frosting and then further topped with mint flavored whipped cream and a refreshing Andes chocolate mint.

I have seen other websites showing cupcakes piled high with buttercream frosting but I can't handle that much frosting, it is too rich for me. So I love the idea of topping it with whipped cream to get that decadent look but still keeping it light and airy. :)

Do you want one?

So excited...

Bret and I have been working with a home builder and today we just got back our floor plan with all the changes we asked for. I am so thrilled that I am getting the house I want, just the way I want it. My favorite part is the Kitchen! I am going to feel like a star on the Food Network when I am working in there. :) I am also excited about our master bathroom. Anyways, we are so excited to be building a home and I just wanted to share our floor plan.

I had to cut off the garage a bit to make the picture fit. The stairs will lead down to an unfinished basement. I'll keep updating along the process of building.

10 Down, 20 to Go

I hate to publicly talk about trying to lose weight. What if I fail? Everyone will know. I guess that's why I'm posting in my blog (where I have just a couple of readers) instead of Facebook (where I have 400 friends).

Bret often asks me what my goals are for weightloss but I am afraid to put a number on it. I want to just relish and celebrate each pound lost. If I pick a number too high and I don't reach it, I don't want to feel like a failure. So far I have lost 10 lbs and that makes me super happy (line stolen from Ni Hao Kai Lan). If I lost 20 more then I will be at my mission weight, when I first met Bret. I think I'd be pretty thrilled to be there again. It's a high number but I am going to try for it. That is all. :)

Smoked Salmon Spread Recipe

Ingredients:
One Smoked Salmon Fillet (roughly 6-8 oz.)
One 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese
1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
6-8 Chive stalks, thinly sliced

Directions:
Flake the salmon fillet with your fingers and then mix all ingredients well with a fork and serve with your favorite crackers. For a fancy look, garnish with tips of chive stalks.

Chickabaw

Bret shot this picture of me about a week ago when I was selling Shish-kabobs and Vietnamese Eggrolls on Saturday. Sunset Ridge was having a community yard sale but I didn't have junk to sell so I decided to sell food. It was a success and I sold all my food and made a nice profit. It was a lot of fun even though it did take a lot of time prepping all the food.
In Alaska my mom would sell Shish-kabobs. But in her Vietnamese accent she calls them Chickabaws. So that is what we call them in my little family. :) They are yummy and delicious and I was so happy when I had customers coming back for more or sending their friends my way. Good times had by all. (Especially little Kien who kept running by stealing one eggroll after another! Now I know how my mom felt when I did that to her.)

The Pretty Sister

There is no denying it. There is always a "Pretty Sister". That is just the way it goes. When I was a kid, Kim was the Pretty Sister. She was captain of the cheer leading team and also Homecoming Queen. Kim was beautiful throughout high school and college.


Then, of course, she got married and started having kids. It was my opportunity to steal the spot light! When I went off to college at BYU-Hawaii I ended up losing weight because I had to walk everywhere in the heat and I also became more active (not huddled up indoors all winter in Alaska). I felt like I had blossomed (yes, I just used that word) into a lovely young woman. It finally happened- I had become the Pretty Sister!


I held onto that self-proclaimed title for quite a while and relished it. I had finally stepped out from Kim's shadow. But then, of course, I got married and started having children as well. I didn't exercise like I used to and I was introduced to an endless supply of fast food in Utah which I'd never had much access to before in Alaska and Hawaii. What a horrible downfall.

The Pretty Sister title was lost in limbo. Kim and I would both have our ups and downs but neither of us out-rightly deserved the title. Until.................. Kim started exercising regularly and eating smaller portions and healthier options. Diet and exercise- who knew, right? Five months and 30 lbs later, she had taken back her title.


I am so very proud of her. She looks amazing. She knew what she had to do and she stuck to it. I am so happy for her because I know that how she is feeling right now is a great thing for her. We all want to be pretty and confident and now she has that all back. She is definitely the Pretty Sister.

But don't get too cozy, Kim. Because now you've got me motivated. So enjoy that title, that little trophy, while it lasts. I'm coming for it!