Directly after the awesome laser show, he talked about our Anthem and the story of our Flag.  Now I’ve heard the general story about our men dying for our flag but the way he told it, well, it gave me chills and this vivid image of what it truly meant.  I’m ashamed to say this but I never truly knew the story like he told it.  He talked about Francis Scott Key and the war and how during the war, they Flag never fell because there were piles of dead men who died trying to keep it up and when those men died, more men came to hold the Flag up, and so on.  It truly inspires me to know that those men had that much pride in our men, the Flag, and what they were fighting for.    That my friends, is why I’d whip my son’s ass if he didn’t take his hat off during the anthem. Luckily, I don’t even have to tell him to though because he knows it’s important to us. How important is it to you? Do you take your hat off? Do you put your hand over your heart and sing that anthem with pride, thanking those who have fight, and are fighting for our country?  We do.

Then came the rodeo!  There were some top names here at the rodeo this year like Rich Skelton, Blair Burke, and Allen Bach.  We saw bulls, roping, and really enjoyed the clown entertainment.

Then after a while, we had a tired cowpoke.

After a very long Saturday, we took Sunday as a day of rest.  Friends of Toby & Tyler came over again this weekend. We love having them here. We know they’re not anywhere else getting in trouble when they’re at our house so they are always welcomed.  Anyways, we all cooked outside, ate cheesecake, and just enjoyed family (and friends) time.

We had a great weekend…how ’bout you?

I’m extremely lucky to have the support system that I do. My kids & husband, my mom, and my friends are amazing when it comes to encouragement. Not everyone has that. I’m so very lucky, I really am.

But there are three people that, when I’m having a hard day and am ready to quit, I think about; Renee, Tina, and Leah.

When I first met Renee, I knew that she was a bigger girl, but I don’t think I though of her as fat.  I just remember thinking that despite being a bigger girl, she still had this incredible confidence and smile.   She’s worked so hard to reach a healthy weight and she’s very much an inspiration to me.  Her hard work has paid off in many ways but probably one of the coolest is getting to star in the EA Sports commercials.  How gratifying it must be to know what you once weighed, then see yourself on TV, looking absolutely hot.  Renee on twitter | her blog

Tina’s weigh loss is inspirational but that’s not what really inspires me.  What inspires me about her is seeing how vibrant, happy, and healthy she is.  I love to watch her ‘live life’.  Seeing the foods that she eats has helped me with my eating.  I’ve learned of a few new foods from her like Barney Butter, which I’m obsessed with, and I really like seeing what she throws on her pizza and in her salads. She’s always smiling, always positive, and love that she’s not afraid to throw one back!  When Tina’s not hanging out with friends or her pug, she’s running marathons!  Check her out.  Tina on twitter | her blog p.s. she’s got a new book coming out soon that you can preorder now! –> Carrots ‘N’ Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time

And Leah….I secretly call her crazy woman ’cause she has this enormous amount of energy ALL the time.  She’s just so positively infectious and if you’ve ever been around here, you know what I’m talking about.   She’ll make you laugh, feel special, and I love watching her do her thang!  There’s really too much to mention here about Leah and highly recommend you read her story and check out Mamavation.  She rocks!  You can find Leah on twitter | her blog | her kick ass weight loss community , Mamavation.

As I mentioned before, my family plays a big role, specifically my boys.  I love that me and my boys can compare what we did in weights for the day and I love that they’ll casually say, “you’re doing good mom”…..it makes me proud and totally inspires me to keep pushing through.

What does it take to inspire you to get moving?

Me & Christine (our first meeting)