Thursday, September 18, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Some Candid Shots
Thought I would post some recent pictures.
This first one shows how much Faith (3) loves helping Amie with Lia. What you don't see in this picture is how Faith kisses on Lia whenever she gets the chance. Her curly hair must tickle Lia's face, and the poor thing is defenseless, except to cry when she's had enough.
Cailey will turn 8 on November 29th and is preparing to be baptized. She plays the piano, was on the swim team this summer, and is currently reading Nancy Drew The Hidden Staircase. As I understand it, Cailey is also a Fairy. She and Kendall were arguing the other day because I believe Cailey was using her Fairy powers to get the upper hand over Kendall.
Kendall (6)is one of the most limber girls I know. Last year she was in gymnastics and ballet. This year, she is taking ballet and tap. She also swam on the swimteam this summer. By the way, Kendall loves butterflies.
A Ghost Story
My sister Belinda and her family went to Scotland for a couple of weeks and I house-sat for her. The first Saturday night I spent was fairly uneventful, except that I realized at 4:45 a.m. Sunday morning, the back door was open and one of the cats came in from being outside during the night. I didn't open the door. George, the cat, woke me up and I realized then that the door was ajar. Belinda tells me that she needs to get her door fixed. I think she has a bigger problem.
So last Saturday, I headed up to Lindy's again and got there in the afternoon. There was a car parked by her mailbox and I immediately thought that my cousin Cathy was there. When I went in the front door, I noticed flip flops under the coffee table, so I yelled upstairs, "Hey, Cathy! I didn't know I was going to have company!"
No answer.
I realized then that she wasn't there. I let the cats out and went oustside and watered her plants around the house. I watched a couple of movies and started playing a game on the computer. At about 7:45 p.m. the lights flickered and went out, and the TV turned off. The computer wasn't affected. About 5 seconds later, the lights and the TV came back on and I immediately heard a crash upstairs, as if someone had knocked things off a bedside table. That was followed by the sound of footsteps above me, as if someone was scrambling to maybe pick up the items that had fallen, or that he/she was headed downstairs. I called out, "Cathy! Man, you sleep like the dead! You coming down?"
No answer.
My body went into panick mode. You know. Heart racing while it's in the pit of your stomach. I called up the stairs one more time, "Cathy?"
No answer.
At this point my mind is moving like the speed of light and I think to myself, "Don't do what they do in the movies." I grabbed the phone and immediately left, barefooted, and called Cathy. She wasn't home, so I left her a message. Something to the effect of, "I heard somebody in the house and I'm totally freaked out." and walked immediately to the neighbors and rang their bell. They weren't home. I walked back to Belinda's driveway and then I saw the other neighbor pulling into her driveway with her boyfriend. I walked over and introduced myself and told them what had happened. The boyfriend went upstairs and all through the house and didn't see anything or anybody. That made me feel a little better. He told me I should call the cops anyway, so I did. I also called Cathy again from my cell.
I sat in the dining room waiting for the police. I swear I heard foosteps above me again. I ran out the front door and the police were coming up the driveway. He went through the entire house, and asked if there were animals. Rex and George, the 2 cats, both came in while the policeman was there, so I know they weren't up there causing that commotion. I would have heard the bells on their collars anyway.
I gathered all my things, locked up the doors and left when the police did. I wasn't going to stay there alone. By now I was convinced it was a ghost. Don't care what you think or say. No other explanation in my mind.
I called Kim when I was en route home and he told me I needed to call Cathy so she could take a Quija board over there. He told me that Lindy's house was one of the TB houses from the 1920's. Made me feel a lot better... About LEAVING!
Well, Cathy called me back. She said that there was static during both of my messages to her, but she could tell I was scared out of my mind. She convinced me to go back and she canceled her plans and stayed the night. She was brave enough to go upstairs, but I wasn't.
Lindy's getting Haint Blue paint for Christmas.
So last Saturday, I headed up to Lindy's again and got there in the afternoon. There was a car parked by her mailbox and I immediately thought that my cousin Cathy was there. When I went in the front door, I noticed flip flops under the coffee table, so I yelled upstairs, "Hey, Cathy! I didn't know I was going to have company!"
No answer.
I realized then that she wasn't there. I let the cats out and went oustside and watered her plants around the house. I watched a couple of movies and started playing a game on the computer. At about 7:45 p.m. the lights flickered and went out, and the TV turned off. The computer wasn't affected. About 5 seconds later, the lights and the TV came back on and I immediately heard a crash upstairs, as if someone had knocked things off a bedside table. That was followed by the sound of footsteps above me, as if someone was scrambling to maybe pick up the items that had fallen, or that he/she was headed downstairs. I called out, "Cathy! Man, you sleep like the dead! You coming down?"
No answer.
My body went into panick mode. You know. Heart racing while it's in the pit of your stomach. I called up the stairs one more time, "Cathy?"
No answer.
At this point my mind is moving like the speed of light and I think to myself, "Don't do what they do in the movies." I grabbed the phone and immediately left, barefooted, and called Cathy. She wasn't home, so I left her a message. Something to the effect of, "I heard somebody in the house and I'm totally freaked out." and walked immediately to the neighbors and rang their bell. They weren't home. I walked back to Belinda's driveway and then I saw the other neighbor pulling into her driveway with her boyfriend. I walked over and introduced myself and told them what had happened. The boyfriend went upstairs and all through the house and didn't see anything or anybody. That made me feel a little better. He told me I should call the cops anyway, so I did. I also called Cathy again from my cell.
I sat in the dining room waiting for the police. I swear I heard foosteps above me again. I ran out the front door and the police were coming up the driveway. He went through the entire house, and asked if there were animals. Rex and George, the 2 cats, both came in while the policeman was there, so I know they weren't up there causing that commotion. I would have heard the bells on their collars anyway.
I gathered all my things, locked up the doors and left when the police did. I wasn't going to stay there alone. By now I was convinced it was a ghost. Don't care what you think or say. No other explanation in my mind.
I called Kim when I was en route home and he told me I needed to call Cathy so she could take a Quija board over there. He told me that Lindy's house was one of the TB houses from the 1920's. Made me feel a lot better... About LEAVING!
Well, Cathy called me back. She said that there was static during both of my messages to her, but she could tell I was scared out of my mind. She convinced me to go back and she canceled her plans and stayed the night. She was brave enough to go upstairs, but I wasn't.
Lindy's getting Haint Blue paint for Christmas.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
God remembered Rachel
I realized once I started losing weight how much my being overweight affected the lives of my children. Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints , sponsors "The Addiction Recovery" program that follows the 12 Step program but incorporates LDS beliefs. About a year before I got the opportunity to go see Lance in Missouri, and to eventually move in with Amie and her family here in Georgia, I was privileged to participate in that program. I realized then that my overeating was my addiction, and that if I wanted my will to match Heavenly Father's will for me, I needed to make some major changes. So, for about a year, I prayed and tried to work that program. I learned a lot about myself but in the process of self-realization, I was learning that I had to take responsibility for my actions, and that's where it was getting really difficult for me. I underwent a knee surgery in April 2007 that further incapacitated me. I walked with a walker through July, and continued to gain weight.
I was miserable, but continued to pray for help. I was suffering physically and financially. My daughter Amie was going through a hard time, also, and was asking the Lord for another baby. In the October 2007 General Conference we heard a promise in the talk "Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises". In that talk, Spencer J. Condie, when relating the story of how Rachel wearied the Lord for a child, he said: '“And God remembered Rachel” And just as God remembered Rachel, God will remember you.' That promise struck deep into my heart, and I claimed it for myself and for my daughter.
A break for me came when Lance flew me out to Missouri to visit him and his beautiful family. I hadn't seen the children in 2 years. I was mortified to admit to Lance that he would have to purchase an extra seat for me on the plane. The previous year, a company flew me out to San Diego for a training and when I showed up to check in for the return trip, the ticket agent told me I would have to purchase a second seat because, "Ma'am, you won't fit in only one seat." I had to admit to Lance that I was even bigger now, and I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of strangers if that happened again.
So, Lance, I'm sorry you had to incur that extra cost on my behalf. Once I got there, Lance explained that it was literally "Do or Die time" for me. He said that as an anesthesiologist, he just doesn't see people get to be my age and as big as I got. They die. He told me that every year he kept hearing my empty promises of how I was going to lose weight, and every time he got to see me again, he was disappointed, because I would be even bigger. He told me that he didn't believe that I would actually lose the weight this time either. So Lance, I'm sorry that I broke your sofa AND your trust in me. I want you to believe in me again.
And I still think about how much I made Drew suffer because of my decision to overeat. I learned that he constantly worried whether I would die in my sleep at night cause he could hear my erratic breathing. AND, I constantly hounded him to just go get things for me because it was hard for me to get my fat butt out of a chair or off the sofa. I just kept sitting there... eating more and more... getting fatter and fatter... Just spiralling into a depression that was actually killing me right in front of him. And now I know how cruel it was of me to do that to him. Drew, I am so sorry.
In December 2007, Brother Condie's promise came to fruition. I took a leap of faith and left California to go live with Amie and her family, and Amie was pregnant with Lia. As a side note, her name means "weary" because, like Rachel, Amie wearied the Lord to have her. I have to tell you how much Amie and her wonderful husband Clay have done to promote my weight loss. Clay went on the Atkins Diet with me for moral support and for Christmas, they bought me a membership at Georgia Aquatic Center so I could swim and do water aerobics. They have given me not just a roof over my head, but a home, for which I am eternally thankful.
I definitely see the correlation between what my children have done for me and what the Savior did for us all in the Garden of Gethsemanee. Thank you, Drew, Lance, Amie and Clay, and all of my other family, for your love and support. Every time I get in the pool, I thank God for all of you. I pray every time I'm swimming and working out that I will have the stamina, the courage, and the will to continue to make good choices to keep up this program.
To anyone who reads this who needs to make a change in their life, and who may have given up hope that there is a way to accomplish a goal, I extend to you my testimony that God lives, that He hears our pleadings, and that, as He remembered Rachel, He will remember you.
I was miserable, but continued to pray for help. I was suffering physically and financially. My daughter Amie was going through a hard time, also, and was asking the Lord for another baby. In the October 2007 General Conference we heard a promise in the talk "Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises". In that talk, Spencer J. Condie, when relating the story of how Rachel wearied the Lord for a child, he said: '“And God remembered Rachel” And just as God remembered Rachel, God will remember you.' That promise struck deep into my heart, and I claimed it for myself and for my daughter.
A break for me came when Lance flew me out to Missouri to visit him and his beautiful family. I hadn't seen the children in 2 years. I was mortified to admit to Lance that he would have to purchase an extra seat for me on the plane. The previous year, a company flew me out to San Diego for a training and when I showed up to check in for the return trip, the ticket agent told me I would have to purchase a second seat because, "Ma'am, you won't fit in only one seat." I had to admit to Lance that I was even bigger now, and I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of strangers if that happened again.
So, Lance, I'm sorry you had to incur that extra cost on my behalf. Once I got there, Lance explained that it was literally "Do or Die time" for me. He said that as an anesthesiologist, he just doesn't see people get to be my age and as big as I got. They die. He told me that every year he kept hearing my empty promises of how I was going to lose weight, and every time he got to see me again, he was disappointed, because I would be even bigger. He told me that he didn't believe that I would actually lose the weight this time either. So Lance, I'm sorry that I broke your sofa AND your trust in me. I want you to believe in me again.
And I still think about how much I made Drew suffer because of my decision to overeat. I learned that he constantly worried whether I would die in my sleep at night cause he could hear my erratic breathing. AND, I constantly hounded him to just go get things for me because it was hard for me to get my fat butt out of a chair or off the sofa. I just kept sitting there... eating more and more... getting fatter and fatter... Just spiralling into a depression that was actually killing me right in front of him. And now I know how cruel it was of me to do that to him. Drew, I am so sorry.
In December 2007, Brother Condie's promise came to fruition. I took a leap of faith and left California to go live with Amie and her family, and Amie was pregnant with Lia. As a side note, her name means "weary" because, like Rachel, Amie wearied the Lord to have her. I have to tell you how much Amie and her wonderful husband Clay have done to promote my weight loss. Clay went on the Atkins Diet with me for moral support and for Christmas, they bought me a membership at Georgia Aquatic Center so I could swim and do water aerobics. They have given me not just a roof over my head, but a home, for which I am eternally thankful.
I definitely see the correlation between what my children have done for me and what the Savior did for us all in the Garden of Gethsemanee. Thank you, Drew, Lance, Amie and Clay, and all of my other family, for your love and support. Every time I get in the pool, I thank God for all of you. I pray every time I'm swimming and working out that I will have the stamina, the courage, and the will to continue to make good choices to keep up this program.
To anyone who reads this who needs to make a change in their life, and who may have given up hope that there is a way to accomplish a goal, I extend to you my testimony that God lives, that He hears our pleadings, and that, as He remembered Rachel, He will remember you.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Atlanta's Biggest Loser?
I am entering a contest sponsored by Atlanta and Company, a show on Atlanta's Channel 11. I swear that at one point I must have weighed over 400 pounds, and I know it wasn't easy for Lance to wheel me around Walmart in a freaking wheelchair because it was so difficult for me to walk. God knows that the trip Drew and I took last Thanksgiving to visit Lance and Caetie was my wake-up call. Like Lance and Amie told me.... "It's do or die time." Just wanted to post these pics and let you know that even if I am not chosen to participate in this contest, I am going to keep up my own crusade to LOSE THIS WEIGHT.
So I'm posting the pic of me showing my muscle (it's a start) and the following poem:
Look at me! Look at me! Look at me now!
I can lose weight. I just have to know how.
I’ve lost almost 80.
I’m 1/3 of the way.
I read of your contest
And cried out…. Hey! Hey!
This is it! These are Pros!
They know what they’re doing!
They’ll whip me in shape.
All the guys will come wooing.
They’ll teach me new dance steps,
And a new way to eat.
I’ll keep off the pounds,
And be light on my feet.
I’ll train with the best, even if I get sore.
They’ll work out my biceps and triceps and more.
I’ll sit on one seat of a plane with one strap.
I’ll play with the grand-kids.
Wow! I’ll have a lap!
I’ll walk without resting every 500 feet.
I’m going to play tennis again. Isn’t that neat?
When it’s over I’ll amaze all my family and friends.
There are those who lack faith,
But I’ll show them who wins!
My name is Robin Wininger and I want to be Atlanta’s next Biggest Loser.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Ibid.
Do you ever get the feeling of Deja-Vu? If I were writing my memoirs, I would be referring you back to a previous page. It's been too short a time to refer you back to a whole chapter. Let me get you up to date. Since December 2007:
Unemployment Line: 4
Robin: 3
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