Trip To The Delaware State Fair 7/25/11

I didn’t realize it had been nearly a year since I posted to this blog! I’ve gotten lazy just posting pictures and comments to Facebook. We’ll, I’m back, at least for now!

Yesterday Margaret and I made our annual trip to the Delaware State Fair. One thing about Delaware, nothing is very far away. It’s only about a 30 minute trip for us to get the the fair grounds. Yesterday was the day for us to go partly because it was Seniors’ Day—we got in for free. There are some good things about being a senior! :-)

We arrived about 11:30 and our first objective was lunch at the Grange

Margaret in front of the Grange dinning hall

Margaret had the fried chicken platter (right), and I had the ham platter. Good stuff!

Next we went though the wildlife exhibit and then on to Margaret’s favorite stop, the peeps in the fowl exhibit.

This farm girl was right at home!

Next we were off to the 4-H exhibit hall

This is about 1/2 of the Place Setting entrants

Our favorite Place Setting exhibit was a 1st place winner, the Blue Bunny Willow

We loved the rabbit ear napkins

Among the numerous science exhibits was this one about the affects
of various styles of music on plant growth

Apparently they didn’t include Southern Gospel music in the experiment

Just a small portion of the equipment on display.
The two items in the bottom right, with the chimneys, are outdoor wood/corn furnaces.

There are small garden plots throughout the grounds. This one includes a waterfall and pond.

We had to stop at the farm animal petting area which included this miniature horse
(included for our friend Elaine)

Next to the peeps, the baby pigs are Margaret’s favorites

This was one of the vendors in the Marketplace under the grandstand.
We had to get pictures of this for our daughter Sheri who LOVES all things purple!

The Purple products

Some of the craft exhibits in the Dover Building

More crafts

Our very own Smyrna Citizens Hose Company volunteer band parades through the grounds each evening at 7 PM

Our last stop of the day was the Ice Skating Club’s presentation of Peter Pan
(click the image to watch a video of the closing number)

Weight Loss Update

I am starting my second month on a Very Low Calorie (VLC) diet of 600 to 800 calories/day under my doctor’s supervision. I began a food diary on July 2 and have been daily entering everything I eat since.  At the end of July I had averaged 683 calories and 20 grams of fat per day and lost 13 lbs that month.  You can view my food diary online (click on the tabs at the top left to switch between months).  Weekends, when we are most likely to eat out, are my biggest challenge. I am often over my goal during the weekends.  Even so, I’m still not way over in any one day and have been able to maintain my overall average.

My first two days in August were a weekend and I’m a little over my goal for that two day average (817 calories/day).  I expect that to get back on target during the week.  Unofficially I have now lost 37 lbs from my peak weight last March – down to 330 lbs from 367 lbs.  That is unofficial until I get weighed during my next monthly doctor visit Monday, 8/3/09.

I’ve had a number of questions about our protein intake.  We use powdered whey protein mixed with liquid to supplement our daily protein consumption.  We began mixing it in milk but that added more unnecessary calories.  Now we mix it with water.  The powder has 23 grams of protein per scoop and we are using 2 scoops per 8 oz glass of water.

I am now in between belt sizes that I own.  My largest belt is now way to big but I’m still a little to large for the next smaller one I have.  I may have to break down and put a new hole in the large one to tied me over for the next few weeks.  That’s a wonderful problem to have!

Exercise is another story entirely.  Margaret and I have been walking for our exercise but that has been really hit or miss.  We have to move that higher on our list of priorities!

Thank you for your continued prayers!  We are dependent on God to continue to help us see this through until we have regained our health.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam

A Weekend Away

Last Friday afternoon we drove to Sayre, PA to check in to the BriMarie Inn for the weekend. The BriMarie is a Victoria bed & breakfast plus a restaurant.  I had stayed there once before but this was Margaret’s first stay.  We were there to attend the American Evangelical Christian Churches (AECC) Annual North East Region Conference in Waverly, NY.  Sayre, PA and Waverly, NY are adjacent to each other on opposite sides of the border.

The conference began Friday night but we were delayed by construction on the drive and arrived too late for that.  It should be about a 4.5 hour drive but took us almost 6 hours. The conference continued through late Saturday afternoon.  We did not want to drive back Saturday night so we stayed through Sunday morning.  After breakfast Sunday we returned to the conference host church to attend Sunday services.

I had Margaret’s camera which is smaller than than mine.  I intended to take a bunch of pictures but the camera batteries died after only two shots and we didn’t have any spare ones with us.

Talking to Margaret is Bonna Brown. Next to her is her husband Jim.  Jim & Bonna are from Hagerstown, MD.
The couple next to Jim made a seven hour drive from New England.

The man on the right, in the red shirt, is a full-time truck driver, Jim, who has visited with me in the chapel at Elkton.

Saturday night we opted to eat in the BriMarie Inn restaurant.  The menu had a couple of appetizers that looked like they would be within our diets (and budget). One was steamed mussels for me, and a vegetable pizza for Margaret. Those plus a salad each sounded like a good plan.  Wrong!  At that restaurant the appetizers portions are what we think of as entrées.  I got 21 mussels and Margaret’s pizza had eight pieces. Of course I forced myself to eat all of mine.  I went way over my goal on Saturday and over again on Sunday.  Even so my daily average is still good and I’m back on target today.  You can see my food diary here.

All in all it was a nice relaxing weekend away with some good friends. As Margaret said, “It is nice to attend an event and not be working on staff!”

Correcting a Mistake

One of my friends spotted a mistake on my food diary from yesterday.  I had entered 100 calories for a cup of rice when it should have been 160 calories.  That means I actually had 770 calories yesterday.  I have correct the diary.  (Thanks Anna!)

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins