Getting Caught Up

Well I once again find myself updating the Cunningham Family blog after letting it sit idle for a few months. Before I get into the fun details and events, I will provide just a brief update on the lives of Shannon and myself.

Shannon is busier than ever as she is balancing her job and an MBA program with the University of Phoenix. I am happy to report that she is doing a remarkable job at work and in school. First, she is consistently performing above standards and has been recognized for being a stand out Academic Counselor. Second, she has earned straight “A’s” in her first three MBA classes. She will be done with her fourth class in about three weeks and she is hoping for a 4.0.

My weight loss is getting back on track after hitting a little plateau and falling off the band wagon. The good news though is that I was able to maintain my weight. So I hope in the coming weeks I will be able to provide some weight loss stats. When I get down another 20lbs I will post some photos. I am still truckin’ along in school and I am about to wrap up 25 weeks of some of the yuckiest classes at UOP (Econ, Stats I & II, Accounting & Finance). I will be glad to have that all behind me.

Stay tuned for details and photos of:
· Fourth of July Trip
· Family Reunion
· Ryan’s 10 year High School Reunion
· Getting a new lawn
· Hiking Timpanogos
· Wedding of Angela and AJ Neerings

Losing It

Five weeks ago I finally came to grip with my weight and made a personal choice that I have had enough of being overweight and unhappy. My weight has always been an issue that I have always made excuses for. I let my extra weight take control of my life! When I moved to Arizona back in August of 2003 I was approximately 230lbs. When I got married in November of 2006 I was approximately 275 and after the holiday season of 2008 I weighed in at my heaviest of 334lbs.

Over the years I have made attempts at weight loss but they were NEVER the long-term change I was looking for. My attempts have included: Weight-Watchers, Atkins, Optifast, and the stubborn mentality of “I will do this on my own”.

This past March I auditioned for NBC’s "The Biggest Loser" in Phoenix and in San Diego. I unfortunately came away from both auditions empty handed and left determined to lose the weight through the resources I had access to.



At my audition in Phoenix I had the chance to meet Sione Fa from the current airing season of Biggest Loser and his personal trainer, Ryan Jordan. After my two unsuccessful auditions I decided to call Ryan and sign up for his training services at the 24 Hour Fitness Gym located 3 miles from my home.

March 2009 (Before)

On March 17, 2009 I had my first weigh-in with Ryan and my weight was 326lbs. On April 25, 2009 I broke the 300 mark and recorded a weight of 298lbs. In just five weeks I have lost 28lbs. My goal is to lose a total of 111lbs.

April 2009 (Progress Check)

Desert Botanical Garden

Shannon and I were able to obtain free passes to Arizona's Desert Botanical Garden. Currently at the garden they have the Chihuly: The Nature of Glass Display and Spring Butterfly Exhibit. Please enjoy the pictures below.

Finally a blog update!

Hello all,

The Cunningham Family Blog has unfortunately gone unchanged for many months. So this post will re-cap the past several months of the events that Shannon and I have shared together and now want to share with you. We will start with the most recent and work our way back.

For Valentines Day Shannon and I went up to Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona to enjoy Mother Nature and the beautiful snow. Although we did not go snow skiing, we did manage to find a fun hill to go snow sledding on.

(If you click on the photos you can see them better)







The week before Valentines Day, Shannon and I were invited by Shannon’s father to a 3-night stay in Las Vegas as part of a time-share presentation. All though Shannon and I did not purchase or buy in to the time-share, we did enjoy the “wine & dine” treatment. Worldmark was the time-share company and they gave us a fabulous weekend that included a very tasty dinner and tickets to incredible seats to the Cirque Du Soleil show at the Bellagio called “O”.




I had to include the picture bellow of Shannon’s little sister Ashley playing in the playground and of her displaying her fantastic dancing skills. (She is so cute!!)




Christmas 2008 was a great time of year. We were able to be surrounded by family and enjoy the much-needed time away from work. We spent Christmas morning with Shannon’s mother, grandparents, Lane, Dayna and Lynsey. For dinner that evening we were invited to eat dinner with Shannon’s father, Sandy and little sister Ashley.









This Christmas felt like it was spread across a few days because my parents drove in from San Diego the evening after Christmas and we were able to have Christmas again at my brother’s house.


Here is my Christmas Table Setting.


Shannon and I officially celebrated our second wedding anniversary on November 3, 2008 but because of other events we celebrated our anniversary a week later by taking a weekend trip out to Indio / Palm Springs, California. While we were there we got to meet up with my family and go on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The tram ascends 2.5 miles to nearly the top of the San Jacinto Mountains aboard the world’s largest rotating tramcar. Our weekend adventure was capped off with Shannon getting to enjoy a wonderful 60-minute massage.







The last trip took place across two different states and began with a grueling 15-hour drive from Chandler, AZ to Twin Falls, ID. Shannon and I drove up to Twin Falls for the wedding of Kristen Carter, one of Shannon’s high school friends.





Shannon and I took advantage of our time away from work and stayed a few days in Midway, Utah for a chance to visit friends and family. The day before we were set to leave we found out that Shannon’s father, Sandy and Ashley were coming up so we extended our stay to hang out with them.

Fishing at Woods Canyon Lake

The Cunningham Family is at it again with their outdoor adventures. This time Shannon and Ryan headed to the Mongolian Rim of the Tonto & Sitgreaves National forest. (An area about 35 miles past Payson, Arizona) Their drive landed them at the destination of Woods Canyon Lake. When they arrived they were greeted by cold tempatures, high winds, and cloudy skies. This did not scare away Shannon and Ryan from renting a small fishing boat for half the day.

Their time on the water at first was challenging as Ryan had to navigate in high winds and currents that both seemed to change with each passing minute. After several failed attempts of trying to fish and steer the boat while dealing with the wind, Shannon and Ryan found a stump sticking out of the water that they were able to secure the boat to. This provided the oppurtunity for Ryan and Shannon to fish for a bit and for a chance to enjoy a picnic luch while on the lake.

After the much needed lunch break the skies were once again blue and clear of clouds. They winds calmed down a bit. After a cruise around the lake Shannon found relaxation in reading a book and Ryan did not want to go home empty handed so he began to fish again. In just thirty short minutes Ryan was able to catch three trout.

Spencer Larsen hittem' hard

I have already blogged about Spencer before but this clip is to good to pass up so here it is.

A few weeks ago I shared my thoughts of a football game I went to and the news of Spencer Larsen making the final roster for the Denver Broncos.

So I was recently surfing the internet and exploring YouTube of some recent football highlights and clips and I discovered this amazing hit by Spencer Larsen as he played for Denver against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Well only a few short weeks into his first year of professional football, #46 is really knocking the competition down and leaving his marks on a few players along the way. (I think he might have knocked this guy into the middle of next week)

Go Spencer Go!!!


Check it out (Sorry I could not include the sound)

Into the Wilderness

With the weather finally starting to cool off, Shannon and Ryan decided to head up to a camping ground just outside of Sedona for some outdoor fun. Both Shannon and Ryan got a glimpse of what it would be like to be parents of two teenage girls, because they took with them Shannon's sister Lynsey (14) & her friend Hannah (13). It was Hannah's first camping trip to include sleeping in a tent in the wilderness. Having these two great young ladies around really made the camping trip fun. For the most part they had the "camping attitude" but you could sometimes find them sitting in the car putting makeup on or Lynsey would get on her cell phone wherever she could find enough signal.




On Saturday the happy campers made the half mile drive to Slide Rock State Park. This is where Lynsey and Hannah showed Ryan and Shannon up when they decided to brave the very cold water at Slide Rock to slide down the natural rock water slide and swim. The adventure was further extended when the sky opened up and the rains poured down for 15-20 minutes. There was enough rain and wind to force a retreat for Ryan and the girls to take shelter in a barn and to allow time for Lynsey and Hannah to warm up

After the adventures of the day the campers decided to clean up as best as they could so they could all head into Sedona to explore all the little shops, eat some pizza and have some yummy Cold Stone Ice Cream. Ryan made the cake batter ice cream his new favorite flavor.

Other adventures during the camping trip included fishing, exploring, rope swings, and mud baths. The camping trip was a success and the only thing that seemed to bother Lynsey and Hannah were all the night time bugs & critters including a skunk that made its way into our camp and down the creek.

Aside from the camping trip, Shannon and Ryan celebrated their 4th year of being together on September 21. The couple is looking forward to their 2nd wedding anniversary on November 3.