Monday, May 26, 2014

Wow,what can I say... it has been over a year since I have blogged and I have lots of "Real Change" to share with you all so I thought I would update the blog.  I have decided to change up this blog a little, and more focus not just on weight loss, but on all aspects of changes that have happened in my life like ...step parenting, marriage, finding balance, trying to make healthy choices ect.  Well, the first thing I should update is probably my biggest life change of 2013....

I got MARRIED!

Yep, you heard it.... I GOT MARRIED... and not just MARRIED, but I am now a STEP MOM...gulp to not just one, two or three kids...but to 5!  Insta-mom in just a matter of minutes... crazy.  Everyone I know keeps asking me how things are going, or thinks I am crazy for signing up for such a big, big, life change, so I thought I would start updating my blog again about the ups and downs of step parenting and marriage and everything in between.  But to start things off for those of you who are new to my blog, let me tell you a little bit about the us....


This is me, Camille on my wedding day July 27, 2013... I don't know why but I just love this picture, I look so happy, and I was so happy and I am so happy.  I had been single for 40 years, and this one day changed everything for me.  I also had a whole lot of make-up on, fake hair extentions, fake eyelashes (which I loved and wish I could afford to maintain), and a beautiful dress... who could ask for more.  I also love the fact that you can see Joe holding my hand, which I don't know, I find it sweet... yes, gag, I said it... it is sweet, get over it.  Anyway... I think this picture was actually taken right as we came out of the temple after getting married to see all of our family and friends standing there waiting for us.  It was a wonderful day!  Who would have thought that I would find love, especially at 41.  Maybe I will become the poster child for finding love after 40, LOL.  Life is good, not perfect, but good.  Marriage is a lot of work, I will talk about that in another post, and step parenting is even more work... but I love my life and I love having Joe and the kiddos in it.
And now to introduce you to The hubs... or Joe.  So, you have heard the saying  "opposites attract", well it is true.  Joe and I are very different from each other.  He is more of an introvert and would be content I think to just be at home reading a good book... I on the other hand am a social butterfly.  I love to be around people, I like to go and do and he likes to ponder, analyze and be close to home.  He grew up in a small town on a farm, I grew up in the city (well as big as a city can get in Utah).  I have traveled the world, been to several different countries, while he has been to California.  He is a republican tried and true and I am more liberal than conservative... he told me the other day that I was the most liberal person he ever met LOL... and I am really not that liberal.  I remember when I broke the news to him that I voted for Obama...twice, and boy was he shocked. Other ways we are different, I am an over communicator, he is an under communicator.  He also likes to be early to things, and likes is more like he HAS to be early to everything... me, I don't think I have been on time, let alone early to anything prior to meeting Joe.  In fact, our first date, I was 1 hour late and thought nothing of it.  Looking back I can see how rude that was of me... anyway.  He loves heavy metal... Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue.... I love pop, alternative and Indie Rock so finding a radio station we can both agree on is difficult... but we both do love our music LOUD.

Some of the things I love about Joe is that he is loyal and he will always have your back.  Where I am all over the place sometimes (free spirited), he is stable and grounded.  Where I am somewhat impulsive, he thinks things through and looks at all sides of the situation.  Where I like to bend the rules a little, he likes to keep the rules.  Sometimes I only half listen to people (yes, I will admit it), he is an excellent listener, and never seems to get tired of it.  What I was most attracted to him for (aside from the fact that I find him to be super handsome), was how much he loved his kids and what a great father he is.  Seriously, I have several friends who are single moms whose ex's are basically dead beat Dad's who "occasionally" pay child support and Joe fought for custody of the kids and is the custodial parent... he is VERY involved in the kids lives, and beyond that was the most attractive thing about him.  The other reason I fell in love with him is that despite all that he has been through... losing most of his eyesight (he is legally blind), a painful divorce, and a few other hard things,  he still remained faithful to his beliefs, committed to his children and a loving and loyal individual.  I can't imagine how hard it must be to trust again after his divorce and how much heartbreak he had to have gone through, yet he still opened up his heart again to me and I will be eternally grateful for that.

Below is our wedding video that my brother Colby, with help from Kenyon made for us.  I love it, and wow, are my bro's talented or what.  In later posts I will go over how we met and proposed and all that fun stuff, but part of "our story" is in this video.  Enjoy!