Just in case you miss me...

We can now be found here.

After all, my single-girl adventures are over. :)

On Being a Boone...

Yes, I am getting married in just a few hours. Yes, I have a million things to do. Posting on this blog should not be one of them, but I have been "itching" to write. I am so excited to marry that Bryan Spann boy, but there is something I must confess.

I love being a Boone.

(I am already crying. I am a hot mess.)

I got up to do my quiet time this morning and was overwhelmed by God's love for me once again.

Here is today's verse:

You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy."
John 16:20

I didn't understand this verse when I "peeked" at it a couple of months ago. I was actually disappointed! I wanted a special and meaningful devotion for my wedding day and at the time, I just didn't "get it." I wept this morning when I read this verse because I felt truly loved by God. I am amazed that He cares even about my small worried, and today's quiet time proves to me that He does love me and He does care - even about the small things.

I have been grieving. I'm not sure if I'm grieving the loss of my identity, my "freedom", or something else but I definitely feel like I am giving up part of myself today.

I love being a Boone. I am so proud to be a Boone. I love hearing people ask, "You're one of those Boone girls - aren't you?" I love it when people tell me that I sing like Mama or that I have Daddy's eyes. In a silly, but small way it makes me feel famous. :-)

I know that I will always be a Boone girl, but it is an act of submission to "give up" your maiden name and take on your husband's last name. And I do this with a joyful heart. I am excited to be a Spann. I cannot wait to meet Bryan at the mill tonight at 6:00. I know that when I see him, my grief will turn suddenly to joy.

Thank you, Father, for showing me that you love me - especially on days like today. Thank you for giving me peace that today will go smoothly and I won't be a blubbering mess. :-) Help me to be a good wife - to shine Your light for Bryan and love him as You love us. Guide us as we travel together for the rest of our lives. Walk with us through the hardships and remind us to rejoice in you when we are blessed. Thank You for your Ultimate Sacrifice, Your Son. Help us to keep Him at the center of everything we do.

I love you. Amen.

Abigail Lee Boone

Suggestions, Anyone?

So I'm working on some of the finer (*read: fun for me, not Bryan) details for our big day. One of my "tasks" is to work with the ceremony musicians to determine what should be played before, during and after the ceremony.

Our ceremony musicians are members of Mama and Daddy's church in Arden, NC. It's actually a family - a dad and 2 or 3 of his daughters (the 3rd daughter is a maybe). I had the chance to watch them perform together over Christmas and I loved it. It made me miss being able to sing and play with my own family. It's all instrumental - guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, etc. I'm really looking forward to it.

I picked out some of my favorite hymns for them to play before the ceremony. I know we'll be walking "out" to "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" but beyond that I'm kind of stuck.

Here's where I'm asking for help from my faithful blog-public.

I need song suggestions! Particularly songs for the bridal party and yours truly to walk in to. If you can think of a sweet song for us to include I would love to hear from you. I'm open to sacred and secular music. I would actually love a good Beatles song in there somewhere.

So.... whatcha thinkin?? ;-)

She's Baaaccckk!

Hello peeps -

A quick update.

The Cleanse:

It was supposed to last 10 days. We made it 8. :-) Day 7 was definitely the hardest - it was also the big snow day here in Atlanta. All I wanted to do was make a big pot of homemade soup. We made it through the day, but there was lots of kicking and screaming on my part. Bless my sweet fiance and his patience. :-)

On the night of Day 8, we caved. I heated up some V-8 Tomato Herb soup, and sliced some Nine-Grain Italian Bread from Publix and relished every bite. It was the best freakin' meal of my entire life. We eased back into food pretty slowly. Breakfast and lunch for the next two days were strictly orange juice - again, heaven sent after drinking lemonade and salt-water-yuck for eight days. We ate alot of Kari's homemade 10 Veggie Soup as well. I highly recommend it. It's 0-1 points per serving, and really filling. I will be making another batch this week in an effort to keep myself on the right track before our big day.

Overall, I lost 11 pounds and Bryan lost 13. We have tried (fairly hard) to eat right since coming off the cleanse and have been pretty successful. We haven't gained any of our old weight back. In fact, Bryan is even down a couple more pounds since the cleanse. I am headed to the gym as we speak in an effort to whittle off a few more pounds before the wedding.

I think we may even "cleanse" again one more time before June. Bryan had more energy during the cleanse than I did, but afterwards we both felt an odd sense of "renewal" - like we had restored our bodies a little bit. Does that sound cheesy?

If you have any questions, we'd be happy to answer them! I'll post again soon with a non-cleanse related update!

:-)

Days 6 and 7

There's not much new to report!

We're still plugging along...

Bryan has lost about 11 pounds, and I'm down about 9 pounds. The weekend has been a little easier than I thought it would be. We even went to my sweet friend Nicole's birthday party last night. Everyone around us was eating fajitas, drinking adult beverages and having a piece of really delicious-looking cake. HOWEVER, it didn't bother us! I could look at it and appreciate it without feeling like I was going to start foaming at the mouth if I didn't have some.

I went wedding dress shopping yesterday with my maid of honor, Sherry. It was fun! I will admit to procrastinating on this part of wedding planning. I haven't wanted to try on dresses that I would feel chubby in. I had some "chubby moments" yesterday, but I did find 3 dresses that I like. I want to try a couple of other boutiques that people have recommended before I make a final decision.

We have 3 more days left! I can't believe I've been doing this for a week now. It's nice to know there is real (healthy) food in sight, but I feel a real sense of accomplishment in knowing we've made it this far.

Check in with us tomorrow!

Right now, I'm sitting in our office listening to the rain and hoping it will SNOW! I could use a day off or a teacher workday. :-)

Days 4 and 5 - The Magic Lemonade Diet

This isn't getting any easier. :-) I had dream last night that I was eating, and I woke up feeling guilty!! Today (Day 5) has been the hardest for both of us, but we're plugging through! I'm excited when I think about the fact that we are halfway done.


A few more answers to your questions:

1. How much of the weight loss is water weight?

Honestly, I don't know. My best "guesstimate" is that at least half of what I've lost so far is probably water weight. And, that's what I'm expecting to "pop" back on once we reintroduce food to our diet next Wednesday.

2. How often do you have to pee?

A lot. Frequently. Thank goodness I have two other teachers in my room - my children would never get anything done.

3. When you can eat food again, what will your diet be like?

You are supposed to reintroduce food slowly to your body. On the first day, we can have orange juice for breakfast and lunch. I'll probably bring a little of my magic lemonade and water to keep me "full." For dinner that night, you're supposed to make homemade veggie soup. So, if anyone has any good recipes, I'm all ears. For the next few days, you add in more fruits and veggies - keeping it as "raw" as possible. You add in lean protiens and whole grains slowly, and in moderation.

4. What is this teaching you?

That I am much stronger than I thought. :-) That I can live without a lot of the foods I thought were "essential" to my well-being: cookies, crackers, chips, diet soda, WINE, etc. Even on Weight Watchers, I found a way to work those things in to my diet. I'll still indulge on special occasions, but I know now I can eat so much healthier than before.

Thanks for checking in on us! Let me know if you have any good veggie soup recommendations!!


PS -

I do not smell like death. Neither does Bryan.

And, I would make a very good pirate! I have newly acquired survival skills!

:-)

Day 3 - The Enlightening One Shares Her Enlightenments

Well, the author wasn't lying when he said Day 3 would be the hardest. I. am. hungry. I am actually craving specific foods - mainly cheese. Actually, I would eat anything you put in front of me right now - even the cafeteria corn dogs they served today at lunch!!

But I can do this!!

I wanted to answer a few more of the questions that you guys have asked...

1. What is the reason for the 32 ounces of salt water?

While it is absolutely - without a doubt- the hardest thing I have to do every day, it is essential to the cleanse process. It, um, makes things "move." Quickly. Like, within 30 minutes of drinking it. What a way to wake up, huh?

2. How much weight have you lost so far?

As of this afternoon, I've lost 7 pounds. That's a lot in 3 days. Bryan has lost around 8. Stupid boys, it comes off of them so much faster! It's also been really hard to do!! Keep in mind that wasn't the only reason Bryan and I elected to do this, but it's certainly been a benefit. 

3. Why this cleanse? Why ten days?

I'm actually not sure about the ten day time period, other than to say that the author recommends it. He says that doing it for a shorter period of time doesn't allow the body to rid itself of all the toxins that have built of over time. He actually recommends going for longer - up to 40 days!! (That, I can't imagine. I just couldn't do it.)

We actually tried a different cleanse that we found at GNC over the summer, but we had disappointing results. 

I'll look at my book and search the message boards tonight again to see if I can find some more concrete answers about the ten-day period. 

Keep checking in with us! :-) 

Day 2 - The Cleanse

Well, this isn't easy - but it's doable.

I still say the hardest part is drinking 32 ounces of salt water every morning. Bryan would probably agree. It's just gross.

Alot of people have asked how hungry I am. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm probably at a 4. If I drink some "lemonade" or water, I'm okay for an hour or so. I drink alot of lemonade and water. I can have up to 12 glasses of the lemonade every day, and as much water as I want. So far, I've only made six glasses each day. The ingredients are expensive!! I don't want to use them all up!

The worst part of my day yesterday was coming home to an empty house. Bryan worked a little late, and so I got home first. Empty house + hunger = a major opportunity to cheat. But, I didn't!! I put on Dr. Phil and made myself comfy on the couch. It was really hard to ignore the Teddy Grahams and sandwich fixins' calling to me from the pantry, but I did it.

I found myself looking forward to the tea last night. I think because it was hot, it made me feel more full. I woke up a couple of times feeling hungry, but all I had to to was think about the salt water flush that I would be drinking in a few hours, and it put me right out of my misery. :-)

Thanks for your emails and comments. They are encouraging - even if you all do think we're crazy!

Cleansing, Cleansing 1-2-3

Lord, what have I gotten myself into?

Bryan and I made a decision this weekend that I am seriously starting to re-think. We are trying the "Master Cleanse Diet" for the next ten days. We bought the book a couple of months ago and I've been debating on whether or not to actually try it. We went to Harry's last night and spent about $75 on the ingredients --- now we have to do it!

Why???

Bryan and I want it to "jump start" our wedding weight-loss. I've been using Weight Watchers (and will continue to do so after the cleanse). We're hopeful this will also serve as a way to get the junk food out of our diet. The program claims it will help your body start to crave fruits and veggies instead of pizza and chicken wings. :-)

What is it?

The ingredients

It's a "lemonade" concoction of fresh squeezed lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and flouride-free water. At night we drink a cup of Smooth Move senna tea and in the morning a disgusting salt-water flush. After this morning's gag fest with the salt water, I'm not quite sure how I'll get it down tomorrow. You're supposed to drink at least 6 8-oz. glasses of the lemonade during the day, and all the water you want.



I thought it would be a good idea to chronicle the 10-day (yes, 10 days of this!!) cleanse on the blog. If nothing else, I can look back and see just how crazy I was!





How is it going?


So, five hours into Day One I'm really doing okay. I'm a little hungry but if I drink some lemonade or water, that usually does the trick after about ten minutes. I'm really glad Bryan is doing this with me. I don't think I could stand the thought of smelling dinner cooking or watching someone else eat after consuming nothing but lemonade all day.



The lemonade itself isn't bad at all. It's actually pretty good! I think I put a little too much cayenne in mine. When I make another batch, I'll definitely put less in. The "heat" in the back of my throat is a little nuts. If I wasn't at work, I'd be in trouble. For me boredom = eating.

I'll keep you guys posted. Feel free to leave notes of sympathy, or tell us how crazy we are! :-)

From the mouths of babes....

Every Friday, my kiddos write their "Weekly Goals." It's something I use to communicate with parents, and a chance for the kids to reflect on their week. Each kid writes two "glows" and two "grows" to wrap up their week, and I make comments on the side.

Yesterday I couldn't help myself. What started out as a giggle snowballed. I guffawed. I became that kid who laughs at words like "fart" and "butt." As I was going through my stack of Weekly Goals, I came across this gem:

"I will make an A on my testes."

Wouldn't you?

I am so STINKIN' excited!

Valentine's Day stinks when you're single.

Since Nat has recently joined the "singles" category, I invited her to spend the weekend with me! (She's available, people!) There is all sorts of fun stuff going on this weekend - 7Sharp9 plays at Hemingway's, Roper's Birthday at Midtown Bowl, and (finally) dress shopping!!

I know we will take a million pictures. I hope Jennie and Chris will be able to come down and spend some time with us. I hope Friday gets here soon!

There will be lots of sister time this weekend!

A Good Belly Laugh

I needed to laugh so badly yesterday. It wasn't a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day - just a frustrating day. I came home in a funk, went to the gym in a funk, and drove back home in a funk. Yuck.

I logged onto Facebook, and came across a video posted by my (almost!) sister-in-law, Leigh. It was the best six minutes of my day. Thanks, Leigh!!



If you can watch this without laughing, there might be something wrong with you. :-)

Saturday Surprises

Bryan and I have a lot in common. We love the outdoors, good wine, good music, and the company of the people we love most. However, there is something I religiously watch or record on the Moxi box that he puts up with only because he loves me -

He absolutely loathes this show.

If you know me at all, you know that one of my regrets is never auditioning for the show. I'm not fantastically awesome, but I have a pretty good set of pipes. I'd be interested to see what Simon has to say about me. :-) Alas, I'm now too old.

I have always admired the contestants who make it onto the show and use their time to give glory to God. I love to hear their testimonies and see how HE has changed them.

While I was blog-hopping this afternoon (read: avoiding the gym), I came across a video of Jason Castro. Somehow, I missed the boat on this guy. He's got a new fan in me today...

Tagged!

Sherry, Abby, Nikki and Michelle

This picture is from my 26th birthday at Piedmont Park. Screen on the Green was showing my favorite movie ever - Breakfast at Tiffany's. SotG is one of our favorite summer traditions, and this picture makes me even more ready for summer vacation. I look a little, um, "disheveled" and I clearly remember prancing across the street back to the car. :-)

I thought that "The Texter" took this picture, but (gasp) I see him in the background. I can't remember who else came with us!

Ok, here are the rules:

1. Go to your 4th photo album.
2. Post the 4th picture.
3. Give a little "photo history" for all to read.

I'm tagging - Kari, Nicole and Chris. Get busy!

Whew!

I have worked 4 nights out of the last 5.
I am a babysitting machine.
I am sleeping in tomorrow until I just can't stand it anymore.

And then I get to do it all over again.

Someone remind me that June 5, 2009 will make all of this worth it. :-)

Yesterday

I watched 17 not-so-little heads bow as Rick Warren spoke the invocation.

I smiled at those same seventeen faces when they asked me to hold their hands as President Obama began to speak.

I was amazed at how quiet they were when Obama spoke... and remembered how quiet they are not when I am trying to teach sometimes. :-)

I refused to believe that this excitement could be linked to something evil - some right-wing fear-induced "sin" of my country. A country I am proud to live in. A country that chose change. Change that begins today.

I Resolve...

To try and blog at least once a week this year. :-) I said try. I started this post on 01/02/09, and you see how long it's taken me to finish it!! :-) Here's a few pics to get you caught up on Winter Break 2008-2009!

Our "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree...

Complete with a Charlie!

(Yes K, that monstrous beast is still here!)

I drove to Thomaston, GA to spend time with my "other" family - the Matsons. Mark was my youth minister in high school and he and his wife Angela "adopted" me into their family. There are three other "kids" like me - Allison, Louis and Jenn - and (minus Allie and her hubby) all of us got together to sing at Mark's church and spend time together for the holidays. Sadly, I didn't get many pictures while I was there... life as a Matson is never dull! :-) However, I did get my new favorite picture:

With my baby sister Grace!
Mark and Angela adopted Grace a couple of years ago, and she is the best thing ever!

I also spent my first Christmas with Bryan's family this year - it was also my first holiday away from my own family in almost 30 years. It was wonderful experience, and I am even more excited about becoming a Spann in a few months' time.

We headed to Hazlehurst, GA (Bryan's hometown) on Christmas Eve to spend time with Bryan's parents and grandparents - Nanny and Pa. On Christmas morning, we woke up and spent the day munching on sausage rolls, drinking coffee, opening gifts and watching a John Wayne marathon. (Daddy, you would be proud! I actually enjoyed the JW movies!)

After lunch I got back in the car drove back to Marietta where I met the newlyweds, Jennie and Chris. Bryan had to work the next day, so he stayed at Nanny and Pa's to enjoy some extra family time. The Newlyweds and I made our way to Weaver-Vegas to spend a few days with the Boone family.

This is the result of our annual game of Dirty Santa:

Dad with his Benjamin Franklin "bling-bling."

Boone children...

Being Boone children!

We also drove to Greensboro while we were home to spend time with Mama's family and celebrate Aunt Sherry and Uncle Nash's 50th birthdays. It was so nice to be around cousins I don't get to see very often, and spend time just hanging out together.

Boone girls with Daddy Tom and Mama Carol

Birthday Boy and Girl: Uncle Nash and Aunt Sherry

Mama and her birthday brother

Shook siblings (L to R)
Tommy, Mama, Tia (Louise), Betty, Nash, Norma
Mama Carol and Daddy Tom
You have no idea how rare this happens! :-)

Boone girls with Uncle Nash

Eventually, I had to come home. :-) Here are a few more pictures from the last week of Winter Break...

NYE @ Atkins Park with friends

We did get to spend a night with Bryan's cousins, Jerry and Angie who were in town from Denver, CO for the holidays. It was a special treat for all of us. Jerry and Angie moved from Marietta to Denver a couple of years ago, and we miss spending time with them. Bryan and Jerry were actually born only a few days apart, and grew up a lot of more like brothers than cousins.

Angie and Abby

Bryan and Jerry

I hope this gets me back on the right blogging "foot." I promise I'll try to be better!

Doctor, Doctor Gimme the News

So a few of you have been praying for me in the last few months as I trekked back to the GI doctor's office for some testing. I waited for awhile to post and write back to some of you. BIG apologies. All my tests came back fine. However, I had a "nagging" feeling that I wasn't finished yet.

I was right. :-P

For those of you who don't know, I've been under the care of a GI doctor since my early teens. I've been diagnosed with acid reflux, IBS,"sluggish stomach," and every other GI condition you see in drug ads on TV.

I have not been diligent in taking my medication in the last two years - particularly the pills that control my acid reflux. When Dr. Lucas called me back a couple of weeks ago, she told me I had done significant damage to my esophagus. The "up and down" of the stomach acid has created several pre-cancerous spots that we will have to monitor closely every year. Before this latest round of testing, I was going in for an endoscopy once every five years. Now I have to have one every year. Boo.

That was not the only reason she called back. When she was poking around in my insides, she did a biopsy on my small intestine and found that my villi were "blunted" instead of long and skinny.

How does this all come together?

1. I have weird, unruly villi. :-)
2. I have IBS.
3. I might have Celiac disease. (A gluten intolerance = Gluten free diet = No fun.)

She ordered a blood test to determine whether or not I have Celiac disease. I get the paperwork for said blood work and off I trot to the place I will now refer to as "The Scariest Lab Ever."

The Scariest Lab Ever is inside of a nearby hospital, so initially I feel fine. I walk up to the window and sign in. Thirty minutes later, my name is called:

"Mih Boo...."

Is that me?

"Mih Abigay Boo"

Yup. That's me.

I walk back to the window and I am greeted by Tomeka. (Toe-mee-ka) I hand her my paperwork.

"Ooh! What dis?!"

Oh my.

"Um, this is the paperwork my doctor's office sent. I have to have blood drawn for the Celiac Profile. See?" (I point to the box checked on the paperwork. There are also instructions beside it.)

"I ain't never seen this afore. I'ma haffa call somebody."

Yes. Yes you will.

She opens the door for me to come into the tee-tiny lab. Panic sets in. She is the only one in the lab. She will be drawing my blood. HOW DID SHE QUALIFY TO DRAW BLOOD???

Five minutes later, she is wrangling with my arm and I am trying very hard not to curse. I swear she was actually wiggling the needle around in my arm.

When she is finished, I hear, "I hope dis is right."

You and me both, Tomeka. You and me both.

Within two hours, I have a massive bruise on the inside of my arm. When I ask my sister Kadee eabout it, she said that Tomeka went through my vein instead of just going inside it.

Shocker.

Two weeks later, my doctor's office calls me back. The blood work was done incorrectly and they don't know whether I have Celiac disease or not.

Imagine that.

I have to go back, but I can't yet because my insurance won't pay for it. Evidently they haven't met Tomeka.

I'll let you know when I go back. (No worries - I don't have to go back to Tomeka.) Until then, keep your fingers crossed!

Our Latest Addition

We are pleased to welcome our latest addition to the Smyrna Zoo:

Booney Bird!

Because I have been terrible about updating since going back to work, I haven't had the chance to introduce Booney to his new adoring public. For obvious health concerns (aka: a house with four cats), Booney lives at Fair Oaks in my classroom.

Peek-A-Booney

He's actually our class pet at school. On the first day of school, we were outside for recess when I heard, "Miss Boone! There's a bird on the playground!" I made the HUGE mistake of replying, "If you can catch him, we can keep him!"

Ha.

In all seriousness, he is a lovely bird and probably would have been cat food if left outside to fend for himself. Our best guess is that someone decided they could no longer care for him and "set him free."

Because all cockatiels can live on their own. In the wild. In Georgia.

Chillin' in the classroom.

He really has been fun to have around. He plays with our jewelry, eats erasers, squawks when we leave him alone in the room, and sits on our shoulders while we work and teach. We let him out for most of the day in the classroom - with the door closed. There was a brief "escape" from the classroom that ended with my running up and down several hallways screaming "BIRD!" and muttering four-letter-words under my breath. Luckily, it was 3:30 and all the children had gone home.

The kids did name him - although I do think his name is fabulous. When they found out I would no longer be Miss Boone, they decided the bird needed to be a Boone. There is also a popular book we've read, Goony Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. They combined the two. Hence, the name "Booney Bird." :-)

Come see us - all six of us at the the Smyrna Zoo. Thanksgiving Break should be interesting! :-)

Look, Ma! He's Famous!

Well, almost.

Bryan was recently interviewed for a Food and Wine article in the AJC. It was published last week, and I've been fighting off the ladies who want a piece of my connoisseur ever since. I am ever so proud of my wine-0.

:-)

Read it here.

Tell him how smart he is here.