So I got some blood test results back today...very pleased.  You see just over a year ago I had some blood tests taken...end of August 2008 actually and was told that that my fasting blood sugar was 190 and that the tests revealed I had diabetes.  My A1C was 10.6 and I was way overweight and always tired.  Several years ago I had been tested for Sleep Apnea and it was confirmed, but I had never had the second test to be fitted for a CPap machine.  So I asked my doctor if I could try to lose weight and try to control the diabetes with diet.  She agreed to let me try, but figuring I would be on medication soon.  So we schedule the sleep test again and I left the doctor ready to make a change.  That night I read up on diabetes and a diabetic diet.  The next day I went to Barnes and Nobles and picked up 2 cookbooks and thus the lifestyle change began.  I started walking as much as I could.  I did the sleep study in November and had the CPap machine by December.  And life really began to change.  It's amazing how much better you feel when you get a good night's sleep.  It had been a while.  I learned that my diabetes was probably caused from getting no sleep.  By December I had dropped my A1C to 6.4 and lost about 35 pounds.  I started walking inside the church and riding bikes with the girls and again learned to cook some more.  In February I had a little side step when I had to have my gall bladder removed.  It took awhile for me to get moving again and then I fell and hurt my back.  Finally, once the summer arrived I was able to start swimming and the weight began to move again.  So now here we are a whole year later and my I had my check up a few weeks ago, but the results just came today in the mail.  My A1C was 5.8!!!! That's below 6.0!  All my results were right on target...whoopee!  I've officially lost 74 pounds with 33 pounds to go till I reach my target weight.  I'm hoping then I can come off the CPap machine.  Now the sleep is go, but the contraption is a pain!  Can you say Darth Vader?!  Everyone asks me if I feel so much better...well, except for being tired from no sleep, I never really felt that bad...but I do like being thinner of course.  It's not cheap...buying a whole new wardrobe as you drop weight is hard, but worth it.  I really think I've made a lifestyle change.  My children have benefited as well even though they are skinny minnys.  We eat only whole grain breads, pasta, and brown rice.  We snack on almonds and dark chocolate.  I count my carbs, eat low fat, but still enjoy what I eat.  By far, the hardest adjustment is portion control.  I still love to eat and a hand full almonds is never enough, but at least if I cheat, it's healthy for me!  I've found lots of great 100 calorie products that I like and satisfy me.  Peanut butter is a favorite and my favorite is Naturally More found only at Walmart!  I've learned to cook through the process and we try new recipes all the time.  We still eat out and I know how to order, but it's the portions that amaze me.  When 1/2 of the world doesn't have enough to eat, the portions we fill ourselves with or waste at a restaurant amazes me now. I have lots of new cookbooks now, and have started my notebook full of recipes I find anywhere I can, but by far my favorite on is the Hungry Girl cookbook, 200 Recipes under 200 calories!  It's a great way to enjoy the foods I've always loved but with swaps that make them more healthy and with lower fat, carb, and calories.  I get daily emails from the Hungry Girl who tests out new products and alerts to great finds!  Check out the hungry girl at www.hungrygirl.com!  You won't be disappointed.  So may next year at this point, I'll be at my target weight with no more CPap machine.  Everyone at church keeps asking me, "What's your secret?"  Well, there is no secret, I just wanted to be more healthy for my girls and so I'm learning what it means to be healthy.  Next change in my life...finances!  Anyone want to help me with that one?

We got a call a few weeks ago that the Vietnamese American Association was meeting again to eat and plan for the International Folk Festival that happens the last weekend in September.  I decided to go and take the girls hoping we would get some yummy Vietnamese food again as well as maybe learn a new recipe.  Again, I was the only American woman there and we did eat...lots of food.  The purpose of the meeting was to plan for the food and parade at the festival.  They wanted to make sure the girls were going to be in the parade and they needed some help preparing food on Friday night, but I couldn't be there.  So after Ella's soccer game, we rushed to the KFC to use the potty and grab some popcorn chicken for the girls and head downtown.  We did make it right at 11 a.m. and met the group.  The girls enjoyed it although there was no controling Ella...she was going to do what Ella wanted to do.  I didn't realize till after the parade that in the rush to get them there we had fastened Ella's ao dais on wrong, not matching up the tabs correctly.  OH well.  It fit Ella!  Vietnam was almost last, so we brought up the rear.  On Sunday, we headed back downtown after church to eat some Vietnamese food again and then browse through all the activities.  It was so much fun.  The girls made instruments, listed to African music, tasted food from all over the world and got to hold a bird.  It's such a fun event and helps me realize what a multi cultural city we live in which is so cool to raise the girls in.  Enjoy the pics!