Thinner Thursday Update

Without telling people, I took a week off from blogging. I've been really tired, busy, and obsessed with a book. I'd rather use my free time to read, so I am! Good news- I'm almost finished with the book and will return to our regularly scheduled blogging next week. With all that said, I couldn't skip today because it's an accountability issue for me.

Today I weigh 207.2 pounds. Not bad considering I haven't counted calories in a week, went to the river house for the weekend with friends ( = bad food), and did no exercise in any way shape or form. Last week I weighed 208.8, so that's a 1.6 pound weight loss for the week and a 16.2 total loss. I haven't been doing much snacking, so that's helped, plus I've cooked almost all of our meals for the last week. They weren't super duper healthy, but less calories than eating out.

Tomorrow morning I have the first part of my "assessment" with my soon-to-be personal trainer. She'll be taking my measurements & such. In her e-mail she said to wear spandex or tight fitting clothes to get accurate measurements which made me laugh out loud. I own no spandex and typically stick to baggier clothes. Check out Faith's Facebook page for Flair for Fitness if you are interested in pursuing a personal trainer! As soon as school is out, I'll be adding my measurements and new weekly schedule for work-outs and eating. So ready to do this!

Friend Friday: Alicia Medford Edition

I met Alicia maybe 8 years ago? We were both going to Waters Edge, and Rob and I immediately liked her. Her maiden name is Bessey, so from the beginning until present day, that's what we call her. For short, I call her Bess. I actually have a couple of friends that I still call by their maiden names despite them being married- aka Keener & Bittner!! Meet Bessey.

One of our first adventures together was a camping trip years ago with Rob, Jamey, and Rose. It was awesome!

Bessey radiates joy. She is always smiling a huge smile and has a fantastic laugh. She loves Jesus and it shows in all she does. Everyone seems to know Bessey, too. She never meets a stranger! She's the best at investing in relationships. I would say we've always known each other and were friends, but once we hit mommy-hood we truly became friends. Much like dating, she pursued me! :) Ha! Alicia was so incredible at texting and calling and coming over to hang out! She understood (well, understands) that it was easier for her to come to me since she just had one baby and I had two. She understands that I don't have a car to take Reese, Hayden, and Connor anywhere on the days I'm home, so she comes to me! I appreciate how much she cares in all she does. (She's also a consignment shopping queen!)

A little blurry- but four kids under 2 at the time! Her son, Abram, is standing in the middle!

We get to share one of life's biggest privileges together- mommies! We are real and honest with one another about our joys and struggles with being a mom and life in general. Alicia is so authentic! We also talk wife together. My Rob was honored to marry Alicia and her Rob! She's obviously brilliant- she married a Rob. When we talk, we always say "my Rob" as if there would be confusion. Ha!

So beautiful! Alicia, my Rob, and her Rob!

Me, Court, and Linds watching the wedding!

She looked gorgeous! It was the hottest day of the year for sure!

Alicia is step-mom to Elijah and loves him well. They have Abram who is 1 1/2 years old. Alicia and Rob are welcoming their third son into the world this June! From what I understand, they plan to have more and I'm crossing my fingers it's a girl so Reesie has a buddy!! She honors her husband in all she says and does. In fact, she blogged about some of her rules for marriage on my blog here. When Rob and Alicia found out Rob was starting a church, they asked lots of great questions and then asked us if they could join us during this adventure. We have been blessed by them and I am so excited to do life with them! Thanks for being so great Alicia! You are amazing!

Definitely our first photo together- 6 years ago, maybe?

Thinner Thursday Update

Today I weigh:

208.8

That, my friends, is another gain. Sigh. Granted it's only a 0.6 gain, but it's another week in a row of a gain. Rob and I love eating crappy food. We didn't need the cheese fries as an appetizer on our date last night, but we got them. I need someone to go with us, order for us, and slap us if we try to order junk. It's still a 14.6 pound total loss, but I have apparently jumped ship. Huge motivating factor last night when I went through our mail! I got my letter from Faith from Flair for Fitness! It's all the stuff I need to fill out to start working with her as soon as school is out! I can't wait. It's just what I need to take it to the next level. I'm also working on a mix for my i-pod I'm pretty excited about. Bring it on Memorial Day weekend trip to the river house! Hopefully it won't be too bad in the eating department!

Wife Wednesday

Rob is so much classier than me. It got back to us that not only was someone talking about him negatively to someone else, but they shared things that weren't even true. I asked if he was going to call or e-mail the person who said it (we would probably call this person a friend to Rob), and he just kind of smiled and said no. It just rolled right off of him for two reasons. He exudes grace. He also knows what is true. Rob has a sensitive heart and I know it bothers him when people are unhappy with him, but he appeared to just let this roll right off. Again, he's gracious and holds on to truth. We don't allow others to define us, only God. As his wife, I learned so much from him this week. I pray I can be as gracious as Rob. I've been praying this verse for us this week:

Philippians 4:8~ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.

Sometimes it is so easy to go negative. I'm holding on to this verse!

Manic Monday

man·ic adjective pertaining to or affected by mania

mania noun excessive excitement or enthusiasm

Much like robshep.com’s Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is just a snapshot of the random excitement that is inside my head.

• I have had a twitch in my right eye for circa 5 days. With the exception of one bad night for the twins, I've been getting plenty of sleep and I am not stressed out. 
• I took Tylenol PM Saturday night and slept for over 9 hours, but it still didn't help. The twitch was still there Sunday morning! Summer needs to hurry and get here! I think the beach will cure it.
• We had a crazy weekend. Friday evening we had a rehearsal dinner for our friends Geoff and Kara. Courtney and Danielle watched the kids for us. It was at a bed and breakfast in Williamsburg followed by dinner at an Italian place on Richmond Road. It was delicious! The weather was beautiful too. Courtney hung out after we got home and we watched the Lakers win!
• We lounged around Saturday morning, got ready for the wedding, and took the kids to the Froyens. Hayden and Reese love it there, and they had a blast. We spent the day outdoors at the bed and breakfast, chatting with friends, and snacking on food.
• We considered eating out in Williamsburg (kid free and aren't up there much), but we were too full from appetizers. We ran into the outlets real quick, got the kids, and headed home. I was asleep before ten. Rob was snoring before that!
• He was trying to take a nap (yes, at 9:30 pm) so he could watch the Laker game which started at 10:30. I think he got up for the end of it, but LA lost by three. Sad, sad, sad.
• They are down 3-1 in this series, so it's not looking great. Courtney blamed me for this loss because I didn't sleep in my jersey as I had for the last game which we won. I was too tired to think!
• It's hard not to be part of the problem & instead be part of the solution. It's super easy to go negative with others. Hoping to learn to be a better leader through these types of situations.
• We just hit our two month mark living with Rob's parents. I think it is still going great! We are working hard to save, save, save. Our first goal is to buy a newer, used van in cash, and we are getting close. 
• I am not sure that I am van material. I test drove a friend's last week, and while there was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't me. I've driven a Mustang, a Honda, and a Jetta my whole driving life- vans are just a wee bit bigger!
• We need to just spend some time looking at other options before we commit. Suggestions are welcomed! The double stroller takes up a ton of space, and we'd like to have room for one or two more people (and one day their friends). We'll start doing more road trips with them soon, so it needs to be gas friendly. 
• Would it be wrong to pray for a free Lexus SUV? Because that is what I really want. In my dreams. :) 
• Instead, these are a few of the things I really am praying for. That I'll finish this school year strong and well. That Rob would continue to seek God and earnestly pursue what God wants for him, our family, and our church. That Hayden and Reese would one day find their identity in Christ & not in anything else. That the people at our new church would love Jesus, love people, and make a difference.

How can I pray for you?

Thinner Thursday Update

Busy week! Today, I weigh 208.2. I forgot my camera because I had no clue what day it was. Twins will do that to you.

That is a total of 15.2 pounds gone. It's a gain for this week. I've gotten lazy and lost focus. I have got to stop making excuses. I must start tracking, measuring, and counting again. Something has to change. Short & sweet today- got things to do! Like go for a walk, eat a carrot stick, and clean out the fridge.

Wife Wednesday

This is one of our very first photos together, if not our very first. This was summer of 2000 if I remember correctly. We weren't dating at the time, but I liked him. Who can resist those blond tips??

We dated for a hot second about eight months before this photo. You should know that Rob dumped me my junior year of college. He dumped me good. In his defense, he didn't want to string me along because he wasn't sure I was the one for him. He didn't want to waste my time and was trying to protect me in the long run. I still cried. We didn't even date that long. Still cried.

Don't fear. We started dating less than two months after this picture, got engaged five months after this picture, and married almost exactly one year to the date of this photo being taken. A lot can change in a year. I'm very thankful for that simple fact.

One year ago today, we were comfortable. We were in a nice house, had two month old twins, and had good jobs. Today, we live with Rob's parents, have fourteen month old twins, I'm about to become a stay at home mom, and Rob has followed God's call to start a church. While we were comfortable last year, we are at peace and full of joy and excitement today! We've lost friendships in the last year, and we've begun new relationships this year. A lot can change in a year!

I can't imagine experiencing life year to year without Rob. He is our family's strength. He loves Jesus, seeks God's will for us, and is the heart of our family. I don't worry about next year, let alone next week because of our faith and trust in God. I hope you have that same freedom. Life isn't great because Rob is amazing; life is great because God is faithful.

Where have you seen God's faithfulness in your life?

Twin Tuesday: Stolen Blog Edition

Last week, I saw several moms share this blog post on Facebook. If you are a mom or dad, you should read this blog. If you plan to be a mom or dad, you should read this blog. It's pretty long, but has some really huge points. Push through the first couple paragraphs- it gets good.

Read this blog!

It's all about how to miss a childhood. I am guilty of quite a few of the things listed. Last week, before I had even read this blog, I was feeling a little convicted of how much I text or check my Facebook on my i-pod when I should be laser focused on hanging with the twins. My kids absolutely notice. They are obsessed with my i-pod, and they fight over it. If I didn't make it look so important, they wouldn't want it so badly. I'm going to switch to checking Facebook only during nap time and after they've gone down for the night. I already blog at night, so that's not impacting them. So, today I will be smooching on these two (well, after work)!

Manic Monday

man·ic adjective pertaining to or affected by mania

mania noun excessive excitement or enthusiasm

Much like robshep.com’s Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is just a snapshot of the random excitement that is inside my head.

• I am tired and have felt extra distracted lately. Not by anything specific....just distracted. 
• I am thankful for my husband. Thankful that he loves Jesus, me, and our kids- in that order. I love that he felt called to do something and did it, despite it not being the popular decision. He doesn't make decisions to make other people happy; he makes decisions based on what he feels God is leading him to do. I'm more than good with that. I am thankful that he has a sensitive heart. Love you, Rob.
• For Mother's Day, Rob bought us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson show. It was phenomenal. The talent was unbelievable. We love shows, music, entertainment, etc- so it was a win, win for both of us!
• The crowd at this show was so diverse; it was hysterical. The woman in front of us acted like she was at church. She literally worshiped, and it was a little sad. She came to the show alone (birthday present from her husband) and spent over $250 to be a "VIP" that night. She sat in the row in front of us, got a red bag, a poster, and a journal. Not sure it was worth the price difference lady. Since she had no friends with her, she kept turning around to talk to Rob. It was awesome and awkward.
• A few years back, Nicole got a recipe from a parent for a Harry Wallbanger cake. I know, right?? Harry Wallbanger?? The cake was delicious back then, so I decided to give it a whirl. Marcia did the grocery shopping for it (aka Mim, my mother-in-law) and I did the baking. I decided to bake one in a loaf pan in the oven and put the other in a loaf pan in our crock pot. The oven took about 35 minutes, but the crock pot took 3 hours. CROCK POT FOR THE WIN! 

Harry Wallbanger from the oven. Tasted ok; the cake fell.

Harry Wallbanger from the crockpot. Cooked up to the rim; didn't fall; super moist; and my pick!

• Courtney said the crockpot cake looked like cheese on the top because it was so moist. Rob hates the word moist, so I thought I'd work it into this segment as much as possible. I sprinkled powdered sugar over the top to hide the said "cheese"/moist look. Overall, it was a tasty pound cake with a bit of a citrus flavor. I'll make it again one day, but it's not a regular.
• Saturday was a great, but crazy busy day! I ran a few errands in the morning, and then headed to Leah's for a Mother's Day brunch.
• Here's what you need to know about Leah- she is so creative and thoughtful! If she could throw themed parties for a full time job while staying home with her daughter, Avery, I think she would. She must send out more invitations a year than anyone else I know! It is awesome!!
• 15 ladies got together from all different walks of life to celebrate being a mom together! Some were friends & some were strangers, but Leah was the tie that binds us. She hosted a beautiful party! The food was delicious and it was so sweet. She made a mean breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, blackberry muffins, bagels, and such. 

She hung pictures of each mom there with her kids. At the end, we each chose a picture of another mom so that we could pray for her and encourage her this year. How amazing is that! What a cool idea. Love it and hope I follow through!

She customized a game called "Find a Mother Who..." that allowed us to socialize and get to know one another. Again, she is always so thoughtful. It had funny things on it like find a mother who has baby wipes in her purse or has changed a blowout diaper recently. Ha!

Love a good party!

I stole this one from Leah's facebook. New moms & tenured moms- so much to learn from each other. Over 25 kids between us all & at least one more on the way!

• From here, I headed to Lisa's baby shower. Lisa and I met in community group last year, and she is going to be a great mom to baby boy Kellen! We wished Jordan and Lori were there to celebrate with us....and that other lady from group. Ha.

Lisa, Christi, me, and Candice!

• I celebrated my second Mother's Day yesterday, and it will never get old. Every single day I thank God for blessing me with Reese and Hayden. I wasn't sure I'd ever get to celebrate Mother's Day with kids I'd birthed (knew we'd adopt eventually), and it amazes me that God gave us two of our very own. I never take it for granted especially because I know it doesn't always happen for every woman. I'd have been over the moon happy with just Rob for forever, but so thankful God chose me to be Reese and Hayden's mommy too. 

Thinner Thursday Update

I began this journey weighing in 223.4. Today, I weigh

207.0

That's a total loss of 16.4 pounds, but only 0.4 for this week.

Except for Saturday, it was a decent week for eating. On Saturday we had a baby shower at noon. It was a Cinco de Mayo themed shower, as it fell on Cinco de Mayo! Beth hosted a spectacular shower with delicious food! Taco bar, Mexican lasagna, taquitos, margarita cake, etc, etc. We skipped dinner because we were still full, but got nachos and popcorn at a movie that night. My bad.

This week is teacher appreciation week at school which means muffins on Monday, a special lunch Tuesday, dessert Wednesday, and white chocolate covered strawberries from one of my students. Dang. I did say no to some things, but a teacher has to feel appreciated, right? Rob and my father-in-law also went to Dairy Queen on Monday night, but I resisted and got nothing. That's a big deal for this girl who loves caramel sundaes and Confetti Cake Blizzards.

I counted calories each day, but forgot to hit "complete entry" on My Fitness Pal app a few days. Oops again. The important part is that I counted calories. On Sunday morning, I set my alarm & headed out for my first jog/walk without the children. Rob took the morning shift with the kids so I could spend some time exercising. Hopefully this becomes more regular. I did a total of 2 miles- a little more than half walking and the rest jogging. I haven't jogged outside since college. I haven't jogged on an elliptical in three plus years. It wasn't horrible.

In the last few months I cheered for friends in two different marathons. As a cheerleader, you notice all the different running styles and strides. Some people look straight crazy running. I'm not an insecure person, but I was very aware of my posture and stride while I was jogging. Hopefully I didn't look too crazy! If I continue with this, I plan to head to Point 2 Running store soon because I haven't gotten new workout shoes in years. I'm also working on a fast walking/jogging mix for my i-pod.  I love music and it makes the world of difference to me.

What songs do you love to workout to? I need a new mix.

Wife Wednesday

I don't think I can say it enough. My husband is amazing.

I've mentioned in the last two blogs that kids were a little sick last week. Rob was a trooper. He rearranged his work schedule to stay home with them last Monday and Tuesday. My parents helped for one meeting on Monday and for a lot of the day Tuesday since he had to take both of them to the doctor. On Thursday, I went to get a pedicure with Danielle, so he put the twins down for bed.

On Friday, I left around 11:30 in the morning with Courtney and Danielle to go to the beach. Rob's day off is Friday, and we didn't have Connor this week, so he hung out with the twins all day. I know they had a blast. When they woke up from their afternoon nap, Rob loaded them up and took them to Target for fun and to buy diapers. Then they went to Costco for samples! We've got the kids hooked. Reese loves the samples. Thanks to Costco samples, she now loves guacamole. So, he gets home with the kids, does his thing, feeds them, gets them in their jammies, etc.

While on the changing table, Hayden starts coughing really hard. So hard, in fact, that he pukes everywhere. Then Hayden rolled over in it- face first. Sounds awesome, right? Rob left Reese in her crib, gave Hayden a bath, washed out the changing table cover, and redresses Hayden in new jammies. It sounds exhausting. After a day at the beach with my friends followed by eating dinner out with them (Rob had cereal), I finally came home.

I came home to 2 dozen roses!! What?

He gave me a full day with my friends and bought me two dozen roses while he was out alone with 2 one year olds. Told you he was amazing. He had also folded and put away three loads of laundry.   Don't get me wrong. Everyday is not this enchanting; however, it comes close. Rob doesn't do things like this to earn points or because he's done something wrong. He doesn't owe me anything. We love each other and that makes it easy to do things for the other. It's a wonderful cycle to get caught up in. He loves me and cherishes me, and it makes me want to love and respect him. It's like a fun game of tag. 

What's the last special thing you've done for someone special in your life?

Twin Tuesday

As I mentioned yesterday, all three Shepherd cousins were sick this week. Our nephew, Connor, had croup, so the kids couldn't go there on Monday or Tuesday, and he didn't come here Wednesday through Friday. We missed that boy! Surprisingly, the twins ended up having ear infections, so they were all down for the count. This is their first round of antibiotics ever, and I hope we get to stay away from them for a long time. The pink stuff smells so good though! I'm tempted to taste it, but I haven't. During the week, we laid low and took it easy for the kids. If I ran errands, they just chilled in their stroller.

Our neighbors have a small white dog named Casper. Our kids are obsessed with that dog! They've also figured out if they look out any of the back upstairs windows they can see down into the yard to see the dog. Now when I lay them on the changing table, which is beside the window, they arch their back, point their finger to the window, and say dog over and over. It was cute the first time. In the playroom, they pull themselves up to the window and say dog over and over. Their little legs can't quite get their eyes over the windowsill, so we give them the occasional boost. At the baby shower we went to on Saturday, there was also a dog. Once the kids saw the dog, all they wanted to do was crawl around saying dog, dog, dog. I'm pretty sure they said dog a minimum of 785 times Saturday. Rob tweeted the following and it made me laugh hard! "My kids have said "dog" about 1,347 times today. I wonder how long they will believe that dogs are like zoo animals and we can't own them?" Ha.

The infamous dog, Casper. Dog, dog, dog, dog.

Sweet Reesie girl playing outside!

The twins LOVE to walk around the house with their Mamaw & Papaw touching everything possible. They love to ring the bell, touch light switches, and pull the strings on fans.

They are obsessed with i-pods (probably because they see us on ours all the time). I had to get my old, old i-touch out, charge it, and put some apps on it for them. They love it! Especially the PBS app because it has Curious George and Elmo!

My aunt Rainey got the kids their own chairs for their birthdays, and they LOVE them! They think they are hot stuff sitting in them. They also like to climb up and flip out of them too- awesome!

Reese does everything possible to get to us when we are eating. She loves to eat our food- especially our cereal in the morning. 

Three reasons I chose this pic- 1. He loves sitting in his chair. 2. This was the day Avengers came out, so I made sure to dress him accordingly for his father. 3. He loves to show people he is 1!

Cool dude in his new sunglasses!

Hanging out with daddy at the baby shower Saturday. Check out her new shoes! LOVE!

Buddy the dog being stalked by my children.

Rocking in Papaw's chair! They think it's a ride at Busch Gardens.

Strange picture, but love those eyes & eyelashes!

Manic Monday

man·ic adjective pertaining to or affected by mania

mania noun excessive excitement or enthusiasm

Much like robshep.com’s Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is just a snapshot of the random excitement that is inside my head.

• We've been living in our new digs for just over 7 weeks. We definitely feel at home, but maybe too at home! Our stuff is gradually spreading around the house. It's hard to keep all the junk that accompanies two one year olds contained.
• I love our new neighborhood! Everyone is so friendly; it's a big change from our last street. On our last street, I would say hi to some neighbors and they would straight ignore me. 
• We also have sidewalks in this neighborhood with makes walking with the twins so much more fun. There is no HOA in this neighborhood, and it is still looking great! I understand why people feel the need for them, but ours did nothing but drive me nutso. 
• For example, when we moved in our front door was a cream color, and it matched our trim. We got a notice week two stating that our door was the wrong color. Since we lived in a house with green shutters, our door had to be white or red. White? All the trim was cream! PS- That's the color the door came in when we bought the house. Shouldn't they have taken that up with the previous owner? 
• I know we didn't pay much compared to some HOAs ($120 four times a year), but we didn't have sidewalks, we have no commons area, no park, and no pool or clubhouse. They were also inconsistent when they did their walk throughs, and not much drives me battier than inconsistency.
• Our week started super crazy because our nephew, Connor, was sick so the twins couldn't go to Nicole's Monday and Tuesday while I worked. Good thing too because by noon on Monday Reese had a fever and Hayden was acting wackadoodle. 

I know he doesn't look sick, but he was. I love this picture!

My pitiful little girl. She was very snuggly when she wasn't feeling well.

• Thank goodness for Rob watching the twins because I couldn't find a sub Monday. My parents came to help for a few hours because Rob had a meeting in the afternoon we didn't want to cancel. My parents offered to come for the day Tuesday so that both of us could work. 
• Rob and my dad ended up taking the twins to the doctor on Tuesday because of high fevers, and they ended up having ear infections. Both of them- how bizarre!
• This past weekend was one of my favorites in a long time!
• On Wednesday, we went on a double date with a couple that we have known for a long time, but recently renewed, if you will, our relationship. I love their hearts, their passion, and hanging out with another married couple that values marriage. Plus, we ate at Plaza & it's one of our favorites!
• On Thursday, I cooked dinner for the family, and Rob put the twins down so me and Danielle could hang out. I had a ginormous gift card for my favorite pedicure place, so we went and got pedicures together- for free!!
• After that we met my in-laws at Love in a Cup for yogurt- basically for free! Danielle had a groupon. It was my first trip there & it was tasty.
• Here's where it get better! On Friday, Rob hung out with the twins all day. I went to the beach with Courtney and Danielle! We drove with the top down to 68th Street in Virginia Beach- our favorite place in the world! Danielle had accepted a new job she'd been wanting, so we had even more reason to celebrate!

Toes in the sand!

The water was too cold for us, but the surfers were hardcore.

• We sat on the beach all day, had slurpees, and read books all day. We dragged ourselves off the beach around 6:30 pm, and headed to Shorebreak for a pizza dinner.
• It was a magnificent day, but such a horrible tease for summer. I'm hoping to work a few more of these days in over the next few months!
• On Saturday, the whole family headed to a Cinco de Mayo themed baby shower for our dear friend, Mollie! We met Mollie when she was a wee 6th grader while we lived in Farmville. The fact that she is married and has a child on the way is mind blowing to us! We're excited she's having a girl so Reesie will have a little girl friend. 

I laugh each time I see this! Reese is classic.

Me, Hayden, & mommy to be Mollie!

• On Saturday evening, I was able to see Avengers with Rob, Courtney, Lindsey, Ryan, and Candice! It was a fantastic movie! I give it two thumbs up.
• For Mother's Day, Rob bought us tickets to see Michael Jackson's Cirque du Soleil's Immortal tour. Do what? I've always wanted to see a Cirque show, and we both love Michael Jackson- win win! We're going tomorrow night- can't wait!

How was your weekend? What did you do? Do you like the beach?

Friend Friday: 0-5 Edition

Tomorrow marks a national holiday. It's not just Cinco de Mayo; it's National 0-5 day! Circa the beginning of tenth grade, the stars aligned and I started hanging out with four of the funniest girls on the planet. We had a pretty big group of friends, but at some point, someone referenced us as the original five in the group. Enter 0-5. The Original Five. I know. It sounds totally lame, and I'm embarrassed a little typing that. I'm sure some of them will be slightly mortified I'm writing this. We even had our version of a gang sign. I mean, as gangster as you could be in Virginia Beach at Cox High School. Some of my favorite memories from life are with these girls. I wouldn't be who I am without them. I take great pride in the fact that we are all still friends, we celebrate life events together, and are there for each other if we need anything. We are spread across the US- from Los Angeles, to DC, to Wilmington, NC, to Lynchburg & Hampton, VA. Meet 0-5.

Shima Razavi: We met in middle school, and secretly say we are the original two (0-2). I wrote a blog about her here. For more information on Shima, read this. In high school everyone loved Shima. She was (and still is) full of joy and loves butterflies. We might have had one or two classes together, but not many because Shima is smarter than me. We weren't what you call "sporty", so we hung out at our friends' games to cheer them on. She'll deny it now, but she also was involved with SCA stuff and was bursting with school spirit. After high school, Shima graduated from NYU, and now he lives in Los Angeles, is dating Eddie, and has an adorable dog named Egon. Rob and Eddie like each other a lot and that is important to me.

Shima & I home from college for the summer. Later in the night she ended up in a full scuba costume. You can't make this stuff up.

Erika Temple Calle: I literally met Erika on National Make a New Friend Day. I don't remember why we knew that, but we did. Erika is hilarious and has sweet dance moves. She played sports and drove big trucks. She may or may not have always had a boyfriend. Erika and I had almost every class together our sophomore year, and it was awesome. I spent the night at her house all the time- even on school nights. Erika successfully received 7 different tickets with me as her passenger. You can't make that stuff up. Most were for speeding, one was for drag racing (for which we went to court even though she wasn't drag racing), and one for running a stop sign. I've never gotten a ticket while driving in my life. Erika got her license first, so she drove us everywhere, and she had a boat, so she was always toting us around! Erika played field hockey at VCU where she graduated with about three majors and six minors all related to business. Erika and her husband, Eddie, currently live in Lynchburg, VA, with their two girls, Jade and Jordan.

Erika and I always took the photos ourselves. I have about 100 of the two of us in this pose.

Marie Kassir Payne: She is still one of my favorite people in the world. Marie is the red head in the group. She is spunky, classy, bold, and witty.  Don't let this petite shorty fool you; she is fierce. We choreographed dance routines to Bangles' songs in her bedroom. Marie and I were co-chairs of our Junior Prom and maybe our Senior prom. I also had the privilege of rooming with Marie our freshmen year of college at Longwood. We lived in an all girls dorm with no air conditioning. There were some nights we were sure we would die of heat exhaustion, but we made it. She left me for JMU the next year, but freshmen year was still the best. We galavanted around to just about every college in Virginia on the weekends, but became regulars at Randolph-Macon. Marie is a lobbyist (I think that's what she does) in DC, and is married to Tanner the Texan.

Yay for just graduating from high school!

Britt Moore Thompson: Britt is our all-American member of the group. Everything she touches turns to gold; she's literally good at everything. Varsity cheerleader, varsity field hockey, and gymnast; however, she can't just be a gymnast. She went to Junior Olympics because she was that good. I never had classes with Britt because she was in all AP classes. Me? Just Honors stuff. We did, however, write cheesy songs for SCA events and got things done. Britt wrote the best notes in high school and sent the best letters when I was away in the summer. Britt graduated and headed to UVA (where she was a first year mind you; not a freshman!) and then went to William & Mary for her Masters. Here is where she met Matt, and they are living happily ever after in Wilmington, NC, with a daughter, Perry, and new son, Lane!

Britt & I at our ten year high school reunion. She has the best laugh in the world!

I can't even imagine how many hours we spent together. Our favorite things included: dancing, eating, laughing, singing loudly while we drove as we performed synchronized dance moves, trips to Nagshead, and sleepovers. One of the best parts was that we didn't always have to be together. There wasn't drama or jealousy if two or three of us were together without the others. However, it was just natural to all be together. There were adventures with boys, we got caught skipping school, we snuck out at night, we pulled pranks that we thought were hilarious, and we were obnoxious; however, we were good girls. I will never be able to listen to Karma Chameleon, Madonna, Counting Crows, Mariah Carey, or the Bangles without a giggle, smile, or a subtle dance move. One thing that made us so fantastic was/is our parents. All ten of our parents loved and supported us, and provided opportunities that made life easy. Rob says my high school experience was like 90210. It wasn't that extreme, but it was a pretty charmed four years.

Our original five has grown. We have welcomed four husbands and six children into our lives. (We are anticipating welcoming another husband before we're 40- yes, I'm calling you out.) We have cried tears of happiness together, and unfortunately we have mourned together. I get teased by them for loving & remembering our memories so much and because I took way too many pictures of our last 18+ years together. It's not that I live in the past; I just appreciate it. I didn't bring much to the table, but they accepted me, loved me, and instilled a sense of security during high school. Not many girls get to have that.

I have approximately 1,000 photos of us, all of which I adore. I also have oodles of VHS tapes of sleepovers, homecomings, and general nonsense. I think it's all hilarious, but I know they'd disown, if not kill, me and I need them in my life. I chose a few. Enjoy.

Ring Dance, Junior Year

Spring Break in Nagshead, 1996ish

Christmas Break in Nagshead, Senior Year?

SCA Shenanigans 

Maybe a homecoming?

Freshman Year- visiting Randolph-Macon

Marie's 21st Birthday

Going out before my wedding! 2001

Wedding Day! August 4, 2001

Britt's wedding~ 2004? (Bad friend)

Fun Fact: Rob performed both Britt and Marie's weddings!

Side note: I can't find our photo from Erika's wedding. Fail.

Baby shower for Britt at Marie's house~ 2009

Christmas 2009 with our men at a Razavi party

Marie's wedding~ Fall 2011

I warned you we had a gang sign. I have this pose of us at every dance, graduation, wedding, and reunion we've ever had. 0-5, get it? 

Did you like high school? What were you like then?