Trip to Montana

The beautiful view of Flathead Lake

Us, Travis' mom, sister, boyfriend and son Tanner

Playing at the playground

On of the many rivers we passed in the car

Travis is happy driving as long as he has a Starbucks and some music

Peyton almost asleep!

Brayden loving the new DVD player, it was great!

This last weekend we took a road trip to Montana with Travis' family. We went to pay our last respects to Travis' grandma who passed away in January (she was 92!). We decided to break up the trip by stopping in Couer d' Alene on the way there and back which made it an easier drive for everyone. The drive there was quite uneventful (which is a good thing). We stopped at a rest stop and had a picnic and made it to Couer d' Alene in time for nap. Our hotel there was beautiful and right on the river. We were able to take a run along the river, let the kids play at the park, and walked across the street to dinner (Azteca!!!!). We had a good time hanging out with family and swimming with the kids.
Saturday we got up and drove the rest of the way to Montana. Beautiful drive! Lots of pretty rivers, lakes, and wildlife to see. We checked into our hotel and went to the memorial service. It wasn't what we were expecting, but I think it meant a lot to his mom that we were there. We finished the evening up with dinner at Travis' uncle's ranch. We were so tired that day and excited to go to bed. We were sleeping soundly when at 12:30 Brayden woke up crying in his bed. He had thrown up all over the bed!!! Yucky! That was a big hassle to clean up poor kid. Travis went and got him some medicine and he said he felt better. 5 minutes after he said that he threw up again. This time at least he made it to the bathroom. So not fun cleaning the hotel's dirty bathroom! Thankfully Brayden was fine after that and woke up his normal self. But what a crazy night.
On Sunday we had brunch with all of his family and hit the road again to go back to Couer d' Alene. We checked out the beautiful lake and boardwalk (the largest one in the world), and had a nice dinner. We finished off the night with me getting sick:( It was bound to happen. So, needless to say when we woke up on Monday mommy was ready to come home. I'm still recuperating from the stomach flu, but glad we had a family trip away. We saw how beautiful the northwest is, spent some time with family, paid our respects to grandma, and bonded as a family. Who knows where God will take the Metcalfe's next... Maybe somewhere tropical and hot?

50 pounds!

Praise God, I have gotten to my 50 pound weight loss goal! Most of you know I started with my goal on January 1st to lose 50 pounds by June 1st and I did it! This post is not to brag, but to share with you some of the things I've learned these past five months on this journey.
1. I need God's strength everyday! There were so many days I didn't have self-control or I was too tired to go workout that God filled in for me when I couldn't. Anytime I prayed for strength, He blessed me with it. At first it seems silly to pray about losing weight or my workout goals, but I know God cares about the littlest things in my life. He has truly blessed me!
2. You can burn a lot of calories being a mom! There were many days I hit my calorie burning goals before I even made it to the Y in the evening. Taking care of two kids, making their meals, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming and mopping the floors ect. is great exercise. That is my encouragement when I can't fit in my workout for the day.
3. There are so many ways to exercise! I loved Zumba class during these past 5 months, but have also tried a lot of different workouts. Walking, running, exercise machines, circuit class, yoga, and exercise videos from home. Most days I was able to fit in something even if it was just a 20-minute exercise video. I figured it was better than nothing.
4. I can eat whatever I want! (in moderation). People have been asking me what type of diet I'm on and I respond "nothing." I am courting calories, but there is no restrictions in my diet besides that. I love that because it seems more like reality to me. We have eaten out at numerous restaurants, and my family can vouch for me that I've still done a lot of baking, but the difference is instead of me saying "what the heck, I'll eat whatever I want, " I say "Yeah, I can have 3 pieces of pizza." It's been a learning experience, but it's been easy and something I hope to do forever.
5. Your kids are watching your eating and exercising habits. Brayden asks me when I'm going to do my workout for the day everyday. He knows that has become a priority for me. I'm also cooking healthier food for my family and hopefully helping them to make better choices when they are older. They watch and observe our habits more than we give them credit for.
6. I have the most supportive husband ever. The best time for me to workout has been in the evenings (if we weren't busy), so I'm gone 4+ evenings a week. We have dinner together and then I leave to go to the Y. Travis hasn't once complained about watching the kids. He has always been encouraging and happy for me to go. I love that about him so much! Thanks Travis, I couldn't have done this without you.
I hope this has been encouraging to my mommy friends out there who may be struggling to loose weight, or just be healthy. I have a long way to go, but am 50 pounds closer. I'll take it!