Brown Family Headlines

For some reason, the "free" internet that we've been "accepting" from our "neighbors" has "disappeared". So we've been without the ability to update blogs, email funny forwards, and check sports scores for the past three days. It's a bit like going on a fast...ok, not at all. But it is hard. So here's some quick updates.

"Caleb learns that he can defy authority"
We were walking through IKEA the other day and Kara and I started to walk down an aisle, but Caleb (who was following) decided that he didn't want to join his parents. He was going to walk the other way. We politely asked him to come with us, but he didn't even look our way. It felt a little bit like Genesis 3 (look it up, dear!). The fruit had been eaten. The garden was defiled. And we dragged our little boy through IKEA.

"Jeff & Kara get to rub shoulders with Andrew Peterson"
One of the highlights of our weekend was that Andrew Peterson...http://www.andrew-peterson.com. He did a concert Sunday night at our church and played one song for each service during the weekend. Take every stereotypical recording artist you've ever met, and through them out the window. He is nothing like them. He was very real and authentic. We took him to Boone's Treasury after church on Sunday, and shared a meal. Our time with him came to a climax as he signed my chest with a Sharpie marker after his concert. You want a picture? Dream on.

"Samaria Rae to make her appearance on October 24"
As her due date draws near, we have been meeting with our midwife every month for checkups. At our last checkup (this Monday) we decided to nail down a date for the scheduled C-section. October 24th is what we've chosen. Please pray for little "Sam" as she continues to grow and develop and take baby punches from her big brother.

"Jeff jump starts his metabolism with a 7-day diet"
So I've been on a plateau for about 6 months. No pounds going away, no pounds coming in (except a couple). It's been pretty frustrating. Especially after losing 40 lbs last year, running in a 1/2 marathon this summer, and feeling the best I've ever felt physically. We finally joined a gym. The YMCA approved us for financial assistance that cut our monthly dues in half - sweet. So we heard from our friends Justin & Melissa Morris about a jump start diet that includes Slim Fast shakes, Luna bars, & soup. All of these adding up to a certain amount of calories a day. I was skeptical at first, but I was willing to try anything to get back on track with weight loss. Last Friday, I weighed in at 296. I won't weigh in again til this Friday, so check back to see how I did this week. 5 days down, 2 to go.