Neglecting the blog
Sorry my communications are sparse. Basically, all I do is workout, go to job, eat, (possibly walk) and go to bed. By about 8:00p.m. I am absolutely ready to drop into bed. Unfortunately my body only requires about 5 hrs of sleep. Inevitably I am wide awake between 1-2 a.m. (I left a msg w/ my dr's nurse to see if I should come in for this).
Tuesday night I trained w/ the TNT group. It felt pretty tortuous. About 1/2 way into the 5 mile walk I realized that my ankle felt on fire. Dammit! I got a blister on my left ankle. I have been pretty miserable.
Yesterday I took a rest day to recover from the all over body pain from the walk. I went back to the gym today, gung-ho, ready to go. It wasn't nearly the picnic I thought it would be. I was amazed at how "rusty" I was after only one rest day. I managed to make it right at an hour before the rubbing of my blister caused me to abandon my workout. Yeah, I'm a wuss!
Mondays weigh in was a little dramatic b/c it appeared as if I had gained 4 lbs. I was so bummed. I started thinking, "This can't possibly right". The next day I was down 6 lbs from the day before; therefore, I counted it as a 2 lb weight loss.
I better go. My eyes are getting droopy and I need to get in the shower for work. Last night I could not fall asleep until 2:00 a.m.ish.
OBTW, has anyone seen the new Donny Osmond show--America's top Dream Vote? It was on last night. It was actually kind neat. The last lady s/b ashamed of herself. Contestants are pitted against each other in twos to present the crowd with their "dreams" and the audience determines who sets to move on.
The last two ladies were on there b/c they had dead-beat loser children, in their late 20s who would not move out.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Neglecting the blog
Sorry my communications are sparse. Basically, all I do is workout, go to job, eat, (possibly walk) and go to bed. By about 8:00p.m. I am absolutely ready to drop into bed. Unfortunately my body only requires about 5 hrs of sleep. Inevitably I am wide awake between 1-2 a.m. (I left a msg w/ my dr's nurse to see if I should come in for this).
Tuesday night I trained w/ the TNT group. It felt pretty tortuous. About 1/2 way into the 5 mile walk I realized that my ankle felt on fire. Dammit! I got a blister on my left ankle. I have been pretty miserable.
Yesterday I took a rest day to recover from the all over body pain from the walk. I went back to the gym today, gung-ho, ready to go. It wasn't nearly the picnic I thought it would be. I was amazed at how "rusty" I was after only one rest day. I managed to make it right at an hour before the rubbing of my blister caused me to abandon my workout. Yeah, I'm a wuss!
Mondays weigh in was a little dramatic b/c it appeared as if I had gained 4 lbs. I was so bummed. I started thinking, "This can't possibly right". The next day I was down 6 lbs from the day before; therefore, I counted it as a 2 lb weight loss.
I better go. My eyes are getting droopy and I need to get in the shower for work. Last night I could not fall asleep until 2:00 a.m.ish.
OBTW, has anyone seen the new Donny Osmond show--America's top Dream Vote? It was on last night. It was actually kind neat. The last lady s/b ashamed of herself. Contestants are pitted against each other in twos to present the crowd with their "dreams" and the audience determines who sets to move on.
The last two ladies were on there b/c they had dead-beat loser children, in their late 20s who would not move out.
Sorry my communications are sparse. Basically, all I do is workout, go to job, eat, (possibly walk) and go to bed. By about 8:00p.m. I am absolutely ready to drop into bed. Unfortunately my body only requires about 5 hrs of sleep. Inevitably I am wide awake between 1-2 a.m. (I left a msg w/ my dr's nurse to see if I should come in for this).
Tuesday night I trained w/ the TNT group. It felt pretty tortuous. About 1/2 way into the 5 mile walk I realized that my ankle felt on fire. Dammit! I got a blister on my left ankle. I have been pretty miserable.
Yesterday I took a rest day to recover from the all over body pain from the walk. I went back to the gym today, gung-ho, ready to go. It wasn't nearly the picnic I thought it would be. I was amazed at how "rusty" I was after only one rest day. I managed to make it right at an hour before the rubbing of my blister caused me to abandon my workout. Yeah, I'm a wuss!
Mondays weigh in was a little dramatic b/c it appeared as if I had gained 4 lbs. I was so bummed. I started thinking, "This can't possibly right". The next day I was down 6 lbs from the day before; therefore, I counted it as a 2 lb weight loss.
I better go. My eyes are getting droopy and I need to get in the shower for work. Last night I could not fall asleep until 2:00 a.m.ish.
OBTW, has anyone seen the new Donny Osmond show--America's top Dream Vote? It was on last night. It was actually kind neat. The last lady s/b ashamed of herself. Contestants are pitted against each other in twos to present the crowd with their "dreams" and the audience determines who sets to move on.
The last two ladies were on there b/c they had dead-beat loser children, in their late 20s who would not move out.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
UGH!!!!!
Anticipating another early morning workout I went to be about 8:00 last night. Lo and behold, I am wide awake at 1:00a.m. Instead of just rolling over and trying to go back to sleep I decided to check email/blogs.
Right now I am very uncomfortable because I cannot find the darn Tums! I have a brand new bottle somewhere. I am beginning to wonder if I didn't take them to work and put them in my desk.
Tomorrow is my official weigh in day so I chose to eat a can of peas w/ a little butter last night for dinner. That probably sounds like a pretty noble attempt to eat light before a weigh in, actually, it was out of sheer laziness. I didn't want to have to make something more complicated.
During my Friday morning workout I strained my back on a piece of equipment. Saturday I had set a goal of walking 10 miles. Unfortunately, I didn't make it quite that far. By about mile 3 I was in quite a bit of pain. By the time it was all said and done I walked about 4.5 miles. Yesterday, I did nothing. I decided to have a rest day. I would be so completely bummed if I was injured when the weekend of the Mini came.
Yesterday was such a glorious day. I got in a huge amount of "light therapy"--most of the day was spent in my Adirondack chair reading another Janet Evanovich story. I finished book 7 of the Stephanie Plum series and began book 8. Right before bed last night I was looking in the mirror. I have a one-sided tan. Being on the porch, the sun really beat down on the left side of my body. The right side is still fairly pale. I guess I will just have to even it out next weekend.
I guess I'd better try going back to bed for a little bit. The alarm clock will be going off at 4:30a.m.
Anticipating another early morning workout I went to be about 8:00 last night. Lo and behold, I am wide awake at 1:00a.m. Instead of just rolling over and trying to go back to sleep I decided to check email/blogs.
Right now I am very uncomfortable because I cannot find the darn Tums! I have a brand new bottle somewhere. I am beginning to wonder if I didn't take them to work and put them in my desk.
Tomorrow is my official weigh in day so I chose to eat a can of peas w/ a little butter last night for dinner. That probably sounds like a pretty noble attempt to eat light before a weigh in, actually, it was out of sheer laziness. I didn't want to have to make something more complicated.
During my Friday morning workout I strained my back on a piece of equipment. Saturday I had set a goal of walking 10 miles. Unfortunately, I didn't make it quite that far. By about mile 3 I was in quite a bit of pain. By the time it was all said and done I walked about 4.5 miles. Yesterday, I did nothing. I decided to have a rest day. I would be so completely bummed if I was injured when the weekend of the Mini came.
Yesterday was such a glorious day. I got in a huge amount of "light therapy"--most of the day was spent in my Adirondack chair reading another Janet Evanovich story. I finished book 7 of the Stephanie Plum series and began book 8. Right before bed last night I was looking in the mirror. I have a one-sided tan. Being on the porch, the sun really beat down on the left side of my body. The right side is still fairly pale. I guess I will just have to even it out next weekend.
I guess I'd better try going back to bed for a little bit. The alarm clock will be going off at 4:30a.m.
Friday, March 23, 2007
I am still pluggin along
This week I have really been focusing on gym workouts. I have been getting up at 4:30 every morning to go to the gym. By the time I get home, fix dinner, chill out a bit, and catch up on emails and blogs I am absolutely exhausted. Needless to say I am not keeping the late nights that I usually do.
The weather this week has been awesome. I have even been sleeping with the windows open. Ahhhh, next to Fall, Spring is my next favorite season. Believe it or not, now that I have all this extra energy, from morning workouts, I think I am going to start doing some serious yard work. I know this is shocking to most of you--it is so out of character for me, but what the heck!
My aluminum siding, on the outside of the house, has begun to look pretty dingy. I want to look into renting a power washer. Once that is done I want to look into either painting the siding or just touching up the awnings. I haven't decided yet. I am sure that cost will play a big factor.
Last summer, my little neighbor friend Kimberly, painted the siding on her house and detached garage and I am thinking it was less than $200. My cost might be a little higher b/c her family already owned the paint sprayer. Now that I think about it she painted well into the summer to avoid the wind. I may have to put this job off already. I don't think my next door neighbor would appreciate the deep cranberry color I intend to use on his taupe siding.
The Mini is not that far off. This year has just flown by. I am not only looking forward to the Mini--my folks will be here then! My cousin is getting married the evening of the Mini so I am looking forward to spending time with aunts, uncles, & cousins that I don't get to see very often. OMG, I had the perfect outfit picked out for the wedding and reception but I just realized that my feet are probably not going to be in any shape to be in ultra pointy pumps. Hmmm, I will have to take this into consideration.
Last night I watched my "baby cakes" nephew. I always call him baby cakes (his given name is actually Max). Last night he tried to correct me, "Ont Chonna, I not baby cakes, my name is Max, A-M-X. How funny is that! He then tried to tell me that he could only be baby cakes if, "I have a baby in my belly and a cake with candles".
Later, when it was getting toward bed time, I told him that we would need to take off his Buzz Lightyear suit and put on his jammies. He wasn't quite ready, and it was still a little early, so I just let him sit in the corner of the couch all curled up. All of the sudden he yawned a yawn that must have come from his tippy toes. When I looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow at him, he said, "That was a wake-up yawn". He is such a stinker butt!
This week I have really been focusing on gym workouts. I have been getting up at 4:30 every morning to go to the gym. By the time I get home, fix dinner, chill out a bit, and catch up on emails and blogs I am absolutely exhausted. Needless to say I am not keeping the late nights that I usually do.
The weather this week has been awesome. I have even been sleeping with the windows open. Ahhhh, next to Fall, Spring is my next favorite season. Believe it or not, now that I have all this extra energy, from morning workouts, I think I am going to start doing some serious yard work. I know this is shocking to most of you--it is so out of character for me, but what the heck!
My aluminum siding, on the outside of the house, has begun to look pretty dingy. I want to look into renting a power washer. Once that is done I want to look into either painting the siding or just touching up the awnings. I haven't decided yet. I am sure that cost will play a big factor.
Last summer, my little neighbor friend Kimberly, painted the siding on her house and detached garage and I am thinking it was less than $200. My cost might be a little higher b/c her family already owned the paint sprayer. Now that I think about it she painted well into the summer to avoid the wind. I may have to put this job off already. I don't think my next door neighbor would appreciate the deep cranberry color I intend to use on his taupe siding.
The Mini is not that far off. This year has just flown by. I am not only looking forward to the Mini--my folks will be here then! My cousin is getting married the evening of the Mini so I am looking forward to spending time with aunts, uncles, & cousins that I don't get to see very often. OMG, I had the perfect outfit picked out for the wedding and reception but I just realized that my feet are probably not going to be in any shape to be in ultra pointy pumps. Hmmm, I will have to take this into consideration.
Last night I watched my "baby cakes" nephew. I always call him baby cakes (his given name is actually Max). Last night he tried to correct me, "Ont Chonna, I not baby cakes, my name is Max, A-M-X. How funny is that! He then tried to tell me that he could only be baby cakes if, "I have a baby in my belly and a cake with candles".
Later, when it was getting toward bed time, I told him that we would need to take off his Buzz Lightyear suit and put on his jammies. He wasn't quite ready, and it was still a little early, so I just let him sit in the corner of the couch all curled up. All of the sudden he yawned a yawn that must have come from his tippy toes. When I looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow at him, he said, "That was a wake-up yawn". He is such a stinker butt!
Monday, March 19, 2007
HIYA CUPCAKE!
This weekend was Nate's surprise party. I was such a nervous wreck. Never again will I fail to RSVP for an event. I didn't have a firm number on how many kids were showing up. The kids I really thought would be there weren't and a couple of kids came with others that I had not originally invited (which was more than fine). We had 8 and 1/2 teens show up with 6 adults throughout the course of the evening. (the 1/2 was my baby cakes nephew, Max).
Everything worked out perfectly. I was running a little behind but it was all good. My biggest fear was getting to Sams Club, having them look at the membership card, and say, "Sorry ma'am, this isn't your card!" I actually don't have a membership so I borrowed Cole's card. She has lost so much weight...needless to say it is obvious that the card was not mine. I decided to pay with cash and pull the hundred dollar bill out before handing over the card. It worked out perfectly, the guy never even looked at the pic. It wasn't necessary for me to put the "old Shauna" on (believe me, I had all my arguments all lined out in my head).
I literally ran to the bakery to pick up the 48 butter cream iced cupcakes and then deposited them on a flat bed cart so I could pick up the 8 pizzas from the snack shack part of Sams. The pizza were awesome! I have heard from others over the years that they are quite tasty but I had not actually tried them (probably b/c I didn't have a membership).
The traffic in the south end of town around Sams still sucks! I guess I had hoped that it would have drastically declined after the new Walmart was built out on 46. Fortunately, my friend Jen was driving or I would have killed myself or gotten myself thrown in jail.
Everything worked out perfectly. We got to the gaming place right at 5:45, just enough time to get all the decorations set up, food layed out, and guests in place. Nate was very confused when he walked in. He kept looking around--it wasn't until I said Happy Birthday that he finally got it.
The kids had a blast. They stayed until about 9pm--originally, I was willing to stay until 11pm if they chose but fortunately they decided they would rather go rent some movies and games and go home. I had managed to take on a stress headache and my back was aching from carrying a huge bucket (the kind w/ rope handles) laden w/ soda bottles and h2o bottles.
I better get, I have been up for an hour and I want to be at the Y right when it opens at 5am. I have decided to workout at least 2hrs a day until the Mini. This thing isn't over for me yet.
This weekend was Nate's surprise party. I was such a nervous wreck. Never again will I fail to RSVP for an event. I didn't have a firm number on how many kids were showing up. The kids I really thought would be there weren't and a couple of kids came with others that I had not originally invited (which was more than fine). We had 8 and 1/2 teens show up with 6 adults throughout the course of the evening. (the 1/2 was my baby cakes nephew, Max).
Everything worked out perfectly. I was running a little behind but it was all good. My biggest fear was getting to Sams Club, having them look at the membership card, and say, "Sorry ma'am, this isn't your card!" I actually don't have a membership so I borrowed Cole's card. She has lost so much weight...needless to say it is obvious that the card was not mine. I decided to pay with cash and pull the hundred dollar bill out before handing over the card. It worked out perfectly, the guy never even looked at the pic. It wasn't necessary for me to put the "old Shauna" on (believe me, I had all my arguments all lined out in my head).
I literally ran to the bakery to pick up the 48 butter cream iced cupcakes and then deposited them on a flat bed cart so I could pick up the 8 pizzas from the snack shack part of Sams. The pizza were awesome! I have heard from others over the years that they are quite tasty but I had not actually tried them (probably b/c I didn't have a membership).
The traffic in the south end of town around Sams still sucks! I guess I had hoped that it would have drastically declined after the new Walmart was built out on 46. Fortunately, my friend Jen was driving or I would have killed myself or gotten myself thrown in jail.
Everything worked out perfectly. We got to the gaming place right at 5:45, just enough time to get all the decorations set up, food layed out, and guests in place. Nate was very confused when he walked in. He kept looking around--it wasn't until I said Happy Birthday that he finally got it.
The kids had a blast. They stayed until about 9pm--originally, I was willing to stay until 11pm if they chose but fortunately they decided they would rather go rent some movies and games and go home. I had managed to take on a stress headache and my back was aching from carrying a huge bucket (the kind w/ rope handles) laden w/ soda bottles and h2o bottles.
I better get, I have been up for an hour and I want to be at the Y right when it opens at 5am. I have decided to workout at least 2hrs a day until the Mini. This thing isn't over for me yet.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Can't A Mom Catch a Break?
This week my 5'11 size 13 foot boy turned 15! It is so weird having to look up at him. It still catches me off guard when we are standing side by side and he is towering over me. I probably should measure him b/c he does seem to be more than 3 inches taller than me. If I ever decide to sell my house the next owners will get a kick out of the measuring marks and dates on the kitchen door frame--he is not really that far off from being as tall as the highest point.
Nate has not had a birthday party since his first birthday. March really sucks for a birth month b/c there is just nothing to do here during this time of year. My house is pretty tiny so I don't have the room to have more than a handful of kids over at any one time. Lotsa parents opt for a hotel room w/ pool access but I honestly don't want to have to deal with liability issues.
This year I came up with the perfect plan. We have a new gaming facility filled with large, flat screen, plasma tvs that hang on walls. Each room is equipped with numerous 360s, PS3s, and Wiis. There are sectionals where the kids can hang out and play with other kids from all around the facility. I have made it a surprise party. Since it is actually 4 days after his birthday I don't think he suspects anything.
Tonight I actually had to make an excuse to take the cordless house phone out to the car so I could make some follow up calls to his friends. I am the absolute worse when it comes to RSVPs--I am now reaping what I have sown over the years. I only had 1 out of 15 kids RSVP. I gave them my work# to respond to. The little girl who was considerate enough to RSVP is the girl I would ultimately love for him to marry. She has been one of his best friends since middle school--she is every parent's dream.
My next dilemma is how I am going to get him to the party on Saturday. I will need to go to Sams to pick up the pizzas and cupcakes and be to the facility a little early. I'm thinking my friends Sandy, Rance, & Stephen may have to come get him for trip to the climbing wall or to the coffee shop and then deliver when it is time.
The cost with renting the facility, pizza, drinks, & cupcakes seemed very reasonable. I will pay for the first two hours. If the teen has never been there they get an hour for free. If they choose to stay on longer it is an addl $4/hr at their own expense.
I personally am really looking forward to playing with the new Wii. As you recall, I was going to get one for Nate for Christmas and he decided he would rather have an mp3 player instead (that was until he actually recd the mp3 player and my laptop seems to have problems downloading music to it--then he decided maybe he should have gone with the Wii).
Since he knew nothing about the party I still had to come up with actual birthday surprises. I purchased a musical card from Hallmark that played Bad to the Bone, some money (his favorite gift), and a trip to the movie theatre to see the new Jim Carey movie, The Number 23 (it totally sucked, I would not recommend it). We did see a preview of a movie about the plagues from the Bible that hit in modern times that looks fabulous. I don't recall the name but I will pass it along as I find out.
We have decided for Spring Break that we are going to Indpls to spend time with his step mom. While there we are planning to go see 300 at the Imax. Unfortunately, the plans for Spring Break in Bama did not work out. In order to get him on a direct flight I would have had to drive him to St Louis and my aunt and uncle would have had to drive to Birmingham. We have decided to change it to a summer trip instead when I can go along as well. Initially I thought it would be cool to drive him to Huntsville, visit with them, and then have the folks drive up from FL go get him and take him back with them for awhile; however, I don't relish the drive back from Bama by myself.
I got a great early morning workout in. I felt really great until right before lunch time and then my butt started to drag. It pretty much drug for the remainder of the day. I had hoped to get a walk in this evening but by the time I got home it was almost dark and the 70 degree temps we had yesterday had long since passed. What can I say? I am a wuss!
This whole training thing has been a disaster. I have really been down on myself about my lack of discipline. It occurred to me today, "What were you expecting? You have always been a down to the deadline type person"--the very reason I excelled in journalism. I can pull it out in the last minutes. There is still hope for the Mini. I have not given up yet (although there have been times that I have just about thrown in the towel). As of last night I refocused and set my sights on success in May. Success will be measured in participation and completion. I will have failed if I give into my insecurities and don't even attempt it.
This week my 5'11 size 13 foot boy turned 15! It is so weird having to look up at him. It still catches me off guard when we are standing side by side and he is towering over me. I probably should measure him b/c he does seem to be more than 3 inches taller than me. If I ever decide to sell my house the next owners will get a kick out of the measuring marks and dates on the kitchen door frame--he is not really that far off from being as tall as the highest point.
Nate has not had a birthday party since his first birthday. March really sucks for a birth month b/c there is just nothing to do here during this time of year. My house is pretty tiny so I don't have the room to have more than a handful of kids over at any one time. Lotsa parents opt for a hotel room w/ pool access but I honestly don't want to have to deal with liability issues.
This year I came up with the perfect plan. We have a new gaming facility filled with large, flat screen, plasma tvs that hang on walls. Each room is equipped with numerous 360s, PS3s, and Wiis. There are sectionals where the kids can hang out and play with other kids from all around the facility. I have made it a surprise party. Since it is actually 4 days after his birthday I don't think he suspects anything.
Tonight I actually had to make an excuse to take the cordless house phone out to the car so I could make some follow up calls to his friends. I am the absolute worse when it comes to RSVPs--I am now reaping what I have sown over the years. I only had 1 out of 15 kids RSVP. I gave them my work# to respond to. The little girl who was considerate enough to RSVP is the girl I would ultimately love for him to marry. She has been one of his best friends since middle school--she is every parent's dream.
My next dilemma is how I am going to get him to the party on Saturday. I will need to go to Sams to pick up the pizzas and cupcakes and be to the facility a little early. I'm thinking my friends Sandy, Rance, & Stephen may have to come get him for trip to the climbing wall or to the coffee shop and then deliver when it is time.
The cost with renting the facility, pizza, drinks, & cupcakes seemed very reasonable. I will pay for the first two hours. If the teen has never been there they get an hour for free. If they choose to stay on longer it is an addl $4/hr at their own expense.
I personally am really looking forward to playing with the new Wii. As you recall, I was going to get one for Nate for Christmas and he decided he would rather have an mp3 player instead (that was until he actually recd the mp3 player and my laptop seems to have problems downloading music to it--then he decided maybe he should have gone with the Wii).
Since he knew nothing about the party I still had to come up with actual birthday surprises. I purchased a musical card from Hallmark that played Bad to the Bone, some money (his favorite gift), and a trip to the movie theatre to see the new Jim Carey movie, The Number 23 (it totally sucked, I would not recommend it). We did see a preview of a movie about the plagues from the Bible that hit in modern times that looks fabulous. I don't recall the name but I will pass it along as I find out.
We have decided for Spring Break that we are going to Indpls to spend time with his step mom. While there we are planning to go see 300 at the Imax. Unfortunately, the plans for Spring Break in Bama did not work out. In order to get him on a direct flight I would have had to drive him to St Louis and my aunt and uncle would have had to drive to Birmingham. We have decided to change it to a summer trip instead when I can go along as well. Initially I thought it would be cool to drive him to Huntsville, visit with them, and then have the folks drive up from FL go get him and take him back with them for awhile; however, I don't relish the drive back from Bama by myself.
I got a great early morning workout in. I felt really great until right before lunch time and then my butt started to drag. It pretty much drug for the remainder of the day. I had hoped to get a walk in this evening but by the time I got home it was almost dark and the 70 degree temps we had yesterday had long since passed. What can I say? I am a wuss!
This whole training thing has been a disaster. I have really been down on myself about my lack of discipline. It occurred to me today, "What were you expecting? You have always been a down to the deadline type person"--the very reason I excelled in journalism. I can pull it out in the last minutes. There is still hope for the Mini. I have not given up yet (although there have been times that I have just about thrown in the towel). As of last night I refocused and set my sights on success in May. Success will be measured in participation and completion. I will have failed if I give into my insecurities and don't even attempt it.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS
This week has pretty much been the pits. I have been experiencing that monthly curse and pretty much hating everyone and everything. This week has been a real struggle in avoiding sweets and sugars. All I have thought about was running to sweets for comfort.
Instead of partaking in sweets I have pretty much inhaled anything w/o sugar. Friday was a big day for fried fish. I ate Baesler's batter dipped, deep fried fish for lunch and then attended the St Ben's fish fry w/ Jen. Imagine the fun I had later that evening when the "sugar-free" cookies I had had earlier in the day met up with the greasy fish--Aack! The cookies has warned that they would have a laxative effect.
Thursday evening, before leaving work, I had asked my boss as to when we would meeting for my quarterly goals meeting. He preceded to say, "that has been placed on hold pending a decision from upper management." I was completely shocked. Things have been kind of whacky for the last couple of months so I preceded to clean out my work space of all personal touches. I was sooooo pissed when I left. My night was pretty much shot. All I could think about was, "I need sugar!" Fortunately, I did not cave.
Friday morning, I went into his office, closed the door and told him I felt that he owed me an explanation as to why upper mngmt was involved in my goals review. He looked at me and said, "I don't know what you are talking about". I recounted the conversation from the previous evening. He was completely dumb founded. Apparently, he misinterpreted what I was asking. He thought I was referring to a position that had just become available on Wednesday due to a sudden resignation. Upper mngmt was deciding whether the position would be filled again. He was completely apologetic. He felt horrible, knowing that I had had such a rotten, sleepless night over his misinterpretation.
I am so grateful for God's grace that got me through that rough patch. Fortunately, I did not resort to eating the sweets I so desperately thought I needed.
Nate has had a friend spending the weekend with us so I have been spending all my time reading. Earlier this week I finished the most recent addition to the Karen Kingsbury First Born Series: Forever.
A couple of people of suggested I might enjoy the works of Janet Evanovich. She has a series of books with a character by the name of Stephanie Plum--a bounty hunter. I began reading One for the Money last night and finished it a couple of hours ago. Now I am on to the second book in the series, Two for the Dough. In fact, I better go to the library website and reserve the 3rd and 4th books in the series. I believe there have been 13-15 released so far.
Stephanie Plum is not nearly as entertaining as the reality show, Dog--the Bounty Hunter on A&E. Nate and I really enjoy watching Dog and his family grab bail jumpers in the Hawaiian Islands.
We have discovered a new, sugar-free, sweet treat at work. Crystal Light offers these little individual packs of powder that can be poured into a standard sized bottle of water. We have a refrigerator at work with a super-duper freezer. We simply add a CL pack to the bottle of water, shake, put in freezer for 1.5 hours. When you take the bottle out of the freezer the liquid is partially frozen. Just squeeze the bottle slightly to break the frozen liquid apart and shake. It turns into the greatest 5 calorie slushee you have ever tasted. We are all adddicted at work. My favorite flavors are Tropical Punch, Cherry-Pomegranite, Raspberry Lemonade, and Lemon hydration w/ electrolites and B12 vitamins.
This week has pretty much been the pits. I have been experiencing that monthly curse and pretty much hating everyone and everything. This week has been a real struggle in avoiding sweets and sugars. All I have thought about was running to sweets for comfort.
Instead of partaking in sweets I have pretty much inhaled anything w/o sugar. Friday was a big day for fried fish. I ate Baesler's batter dipped, deep fried fish for lunch and then attended the St Ben's fish fry w/ Jen. Imagine the fun I had later that evening when the "sugar-free" cookies I had had earlier in the day met up with the greasy fish--Aack! The cookies has warned that they would have a laxative effect.
Thursday evening, before leaving work, I had asked my boss as to when we would meeting for my quarterly goals meeting. He preceded to say, "that has been placed on hold pending a decision from upper management." I was completely shocked. Things have been kind of whacky for the last couple of months so I preceded to clean out my work space of all personal touches. I was sooooo pissed when I left. My night was pretty much shot. All I could think about was, "I need sugar!" Fortunately, I did not cave.
Friday morning, I went into his office, closed the door and told him I felt that he owed me an explanation as to why upper mngmt was involved in my goals review. He looked at me and said, "I don't know what you are talking about". I recounted the conversation from the previous evening. He was completely dumb founded. Apparently, he misinterpreted what I was asking. He thought I was referring to a position that had just become available on Wednesday due to a sudden resignation. Upper mngmt was deciding whether the position would be filled again. He was completely apologetic. He felt horrible, knowing that I had had such a rotten, sleepless night over his misinterpretation.
I am so grateful for God's grace that got me through that rough patch. Fortunately, I did not resort to eating the sweets I so desperately thought I needed.
Nate has had a friend spending the weekend with us so I have been spending all my time reading. Earlier this week I finished the most recent addition to the Karen Kingsbury First Born Series: Forever.
A couple of people of suggested I might enjoy the works of Janet Evanovich. She has a series of books with a character by the name of Stephanie Plum--a bounty hunter. I began reading One for the Money last night and finished it a couple of hours ago. Now I am on to the second book in the series, Two for the Dough. In fact, I better go to the library website and reserve the 3rd and 4th books in the series. I believe there have been 13-15 released so far.
Stephanie Plum is not nearly as entertaining as the reality show, Dog--the Bounty Hunter on A&E. Nate and I really enjoy watching Dog and his family grab bail jumpers in the Hawaiian Islands.
We have discovered a new, sugar-free, sweet treat at work. Crystal Light offers these little individual packs of powder that can be poured into a standard sized bottle of water. We have a refrigerator at work with a super-duper freezer. We simply add a CL pack to the bottle of water, shake, put in freezer for 1.5 hours. When you take the bottle out of the freezer the liquid is partially frozen. Just squeeze the bottle slightly to break the frozen liquid apart and shake. It turns into the greatest 5 calorie slushee you have ever tasted. We are all adddicted at work. My favorite flavors are Tropical Punch, Cherry-Pomegranite, Raspberry Lemonade, and Lemon hydration w/ electrolites and B12 vitamins.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
(No catchy phrase for today)
The last couple of weeks, at work, have been really crazy. I have really been struggling w/ my job. I love my job and the people I work with....its just that there are some really unrealistic expectations being placed on us. We have been working with a bare bones staff since the layoffs over a year ago. Now one gal has left and another seems to be headed that way.
Normally I am the "cheerleader" type. Always trying to keep others positive about the many changed that are taking place--to be honest, from a business perspective I can see where they are necessary and needed. But I have gotten to the point where I don't want to cheer anymore. It's not like I want to bad mouth the company but I just don't want to defend it anymore to griping fellow employees.
Several months ago we had our performance appraisals. My boss said he would like follow-up with a progress report--which he has been conducting the last couple of days. I am really irritated because he has been postponing mine.
My personality is very assertive. I don't believe in griping just to be griping. If you have an issue, take it to someone who can do something about it. Don't just bring everybody down. The fact that I am vocal seems to be my downfall. I am not saying anything that everyone else is not already saying, they just don't have guts enough to tell someone who can make the change.
I am very anxiety ridden about this "progress" report as I have lost ground rather than gained it. At the time that he gave me certain goals to shoot for he also tied my hands with a policy demand that is very time consuming and actually loses the company money. Therefore, my work has fallen behind and my days in a/r look horrible.
My prayer this Lenten season is that the Lord would change my heart--my first reaction is to go into his office and lay it all out. I would never mean it in a disrespectful, undermining authority type of way. But that is where my strong, assertive personality would cause problems. I am the type of person who can try to give a flattering compliment and it can come across as a slap in the face.
I don't know that there is truly an answer for this question but I will put it out there. After many years of reflection and acceptance I have come to appreciate my personality type. Annoying as it can be at times, I believe that God has made me this way for a reason and He actually loves me this way. But then I read in scripture where I should be meek and soft spirited. Do I need to give up who I am? or is it possible to be both?
As you can see I am struggling with this on a personal level and a much deeper spiritual level. If you get a moment today please say a little prayer for me. Thanks much!
The last couple of weeks, at work, have been really crazy. I have really been struggling w/ my job. I love my job and the people I work with....its just that there are some really unrealistic expectations being placed on us. We have been working with a bare bones staff since the layoffs over a year ago. Now one gal has left and another seems to be headed that way.
Normally I am the "cheerleader" type. Always trying to keep others positive about the many changed that are taking place--to be honest, from a business perspective I can see where they are necessary and needed. But I have gotten to the point where I don't want to cheer anymore. It's not like I want to bad mouth the company but I just don't want to defend it anymore to griping fellow employees.
Several months ago we had our performance appraisals. My boss said he would like follow-up with a progress report--which he has been conducting the last couple of days. I am really irritated because he has been postponing mine.
My personality is very assertive. I don't believe in griping just to be griping. If you have an issue, take it to someone who can do something about it. Don't just bring everybody down. The fact that I am vocal seems to be my downfall. I am not saying anything that everyone else is not already saying, they just don't have guts enough to tell someone who can make the change.
I am very anxiety ridden about this "progress" report as I have lost ground rather than gained it. At the time that he gave me certain goals to shoot for he also tied my hands with a policy demand that is very time consuming and actually loses the company money. Therefore, my work has fallen behind and my days in a/r look horrible.
My prayer this Lenten season is that the Lord would change my heart--my first reaction is to go into his office and lay it all out. I would never mean it in a disrespectful, undermining authority type of way. But that is where my strong, assertive personality would cause problems. I am the type of person who can try to give a flattering compliment and it can come across as a slap in the face.
I don't know that there is truly an answer for this question but I will put it out there. After many years of reflection and acceptance I have come to appreciate my personality type. Annoying as it can be at times, I believe that God has made me this way for a reason and He actually loves me this way. But then I read in scripture where I should be meek and soft spirited. Do I need to give up who I am? or is it possible to be both?
As you can see I am struggling with this on a personal level and a much deeper spiritual level. If you get a moment today please say a little prayer for me. Thanks much!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Didn't want no darn oatmeal anyway!
Ever since lent began I have been craving a hot bowl of oatmeal. Sounds healthy right? Well, not really. I prefer it with lots of butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
The other day when I was at Walmart I noticed that Splenda was available in brown sugar. That was the extent of my label reading.
This morning I got up early, padded into the kitchen, anxious to eat an early breakfast for a change. Once the oatmeal was prepared and the Splenda package was open I decided maybe I would read the package. Apparently the brown sugar is 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 regular brown sugar! Damn!
No worries. I remembered that my mom had left a bottle of Sugar-Free maple syrup in my cabinet during their last trip to town. I open the bottle, pour the syrup on my oatmeal, and then read the labeling. The syrup expired 4 months ago AND it said that it s/h/b refrigerated all that time.
Better get ready for work. I will just have to eat my grapefruit later this morning. Aack!
Ever since lent began I have been craving a hot bowl of oatmeal. Sounds healthy right? Well, not really. I prefer it with lots of butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
The other day when I was at Walmart I noticed that Splenda was available in brown sugar. That was the extent of my label reading.
This morning I got up early, padded into the kitchen, anxious to eat an early breakfast for a change. Once the oatmeal was prepared and the Splenda package was open I decided maybe I would read the package. Apparently the brown sugar is 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 regular brown sugar! Damn!
No worries. I remembered that my mom had left a bottle of Sugar-Free maple syrup in my cabinet during their last trip to town. I open the bottle, pour the syrup on my oatmeal, and then read the labeling. The syrup expired 4 months ago AND it said that it s/h/b refrigerated all that time.
Better get ready for work. I will just have to eat my grapefruit later this morning. Aack!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
GOTTA LOVE MID-WESTERN SEASONS
When my folks wanna know why I don't want to move to FL one of my reasons is SEASONS.
I love the seasons of the mid-west (especially FALL). Normally, we have 4 seasons that are equally, fairly consistently, spread out during a calendar year.
This past week we have pretty much run the gamut of the seasons within 7 days. We have had temps in the high sixties, mid week, and slightly blizzardish late last evening. Fortunately we have not been effected by these extreme changes in terms of illnesses. My poor sister-in-law has not been so fortunate. I went over to watch my baby cakes boy for a couple of hours today while T&C went on one of their Terre Haute House adventures. Cole was having quite a bit of trouble talking. It was more like a quiet, squeak.
This has been a wonderful weekend to be wrapped up in a flannel blanket with woolly socks. I did manage to be a bit productive--cleaned house. Woohoo! I even rearranged furniture. Poor Casey, our hundred pound dumb-dumb lab, is rejoicing. He normally stays in one of the bedrooms b/c there is no carpeting in the living room. He doesn't usually hang out with us much b/c he would rather lay on the carpeting in the bedrooms. Once I got the living room cleaned and rearranged I layed down a beautiful 5X7 Berber area rug that I purchased from Linens & Things. Casey is thrilled to be part of the fam again. He doesn't have slip and slide on the hardwood anymore.
When I wasn't cleaning or rearranging I spent much time curled up working on my beading projects or reading a new book SEVENTY TIMES SE7EN by Brandt Dobson. He is a new Christian fiction author that I have discovered. His books are a really easy read. The cool thing is that the Colton Parker series takes place in Indianapolis, IN. Having lived in the Circle City for several years I am very familiar with a lot of the sites and streets he mentions. In fact, in this book, he makes reference of Terre Haute several times.
Speaking of beading--my friend Jen has started a "sub" blog to Jens Journey. It features some of her beading designs. You can see the wonderful French, Dutch, Spiral, Twistee (lol) bracelet that she made me for Christmas. (We laugh b/c I can never remember its proper name).
As far as training goes--I suck! I am too much of a wimp to get out in the cold temps.
Going w/o sugar and sweets isn't so much torture anymore; however, I have been overcompensating with of carbs. I have been eating much more bread than normal. Yesterday, I was completely insatiable. I actually broke down and ate my Sugar Free PEEPS. Nate was with a friend all weekend so I kept telling myself, "Just go to Baeslers...frosted cake donuts, ice cream, hot chocolate, who would know?" Fortunately I made it through yesterday. I probably should look at it as a triumph. In the past I would have told myself to go ahead and do it. "You know that you are too weak and you are going to end up giving in anyway. Why not sooner than later?" Now that I think about it, I think that is the only time that I have stood up to the voice in my head. Once it says, "You know you are going to do it anyway" I am on my way to doing whatever I shouldn't be doing. But not yesterday. I guess I have been so busy beating myself up for all the times I thought about sweets that I didn't take the time to see that I hadn't actually caved in.
It kinda reminds me of when I have dreams about smoking. I have been smoke-free for 12 years now. Every once in a while I will have a dream where I have started smoking again. I beat myself up in my dreams for being so weak. AND if I am really fortunate, I will continue to beat myself up for the rest of the day (while I am awake!) Hellllllooooooo! it was just a dream. I did not relapse. But my funky brain makes me think I have! Good grief!
When my folks wanna know why I don't want to move to FL one of my reasons is SEASONS.
I love the seasons of the mid-west (especially FALL). Normally, we have 4 seasons that are equally, fairly consistently, spread out during a calendar year.
This past week we have pretty much run the gamut of the seasons within 7 days. We have had temps in the high sixties, mid week, and slightly blizzardish late last evening. Fortunately we have not been effected by these extreme changes in terms of illnesses. My poor sister-in-law has not been so fortunate. I went over to watch my baby cakes boy for a couple of hours today while T&C went on one of their Terre Haute House adventures. Cole was having quite a bit of trouble talking. It was more like a quiet, squeak.
This has been a wonderful weekend to be wrapped up in a flannel blanket with woolly socks. I did manage to be a bit productive--cleaned house. Woohoo! I even rearranged furniture. Poor Casey, our hundred pound dumb-dumb lab, is rejoicing. He normally stays in one of the bedrooms b/c there is no carpeting in the living room. He doesn't usually hang out with us much b/c he would rather lay on the carpeting in the bedrooms. Once I got the living room cleaned and rearranged I layed down a beautiful 5X7 Berber area rug that I purchased from Linens & Things. Casey is thrilled to be part of the fam again. He doesn't have slip and slide on the hardwood anymore.
When I wasn't cleaning or rearranging I spent much time curled up working on my beading projects or reading a new book SEVENTY TIMES SE7EN by Brandt Dobson. He is a new Christian fiction author that I have discovered. His books are a really easy read. The cool thing is that the Colton Parker series takes place in Indianapolis, IN. Having lived in the Circle City for several years I am very familiar with a lot of the sites and streets he mentions. In fact, in this book, he makes reference of Terre Haute several times.
Speaking of beading--my friend Jen has started a "sub" blog to Jens Journey. It features some of her beading designs. You can see the wonderful French, Dutch, Spiral, Twistee (lol) bracelet that she made me for Christmas. (We laugh b/c I can never remember its proper name).
As far as training goes--I suck! I am too much of a wimp to get out in the cold temps.
Going w/o sugar and sweets isn't so much torture anymore; however, I have been overcompensating with of carbs. I have been eating much more bread than normal. Yesterday, I was completely insatiable. I actually broke down and ate my Sugar Free PEEPS. Nate was with a friend all weekend so I kept telling myself, "Just go to Baeslers...frosted cake donuts, ice cream, hot chocolate, who would know?" Fortunately I made it through yesterday. I probably should look at it as a triumph. In the past I would have told myself to go ahead and do it. "You know that you are too weak and you are going to end up giving in anyway. Why not sooner than later?" Now that I think about it, I think that is the only time that I have stood up to the voice in my head. Once it says, "You know you are going to do it anyway" I am on my way to doing whatever I shouldn't be doing. But not yesterday. I guess I have been so busy beating myself up for all the times I thought about sweets that I didn't take the time to see that I hadn't actually caved in.
It kinda reminds me of when I have dreams about smoking. I have been smoke-free for 12 years now. Every once in a while I will have a dream where I have started smoking again. I beat myself up in my dreams for being so weak. AND if I am really fortunate, I will continue to beat myself up for the rest of the day (while I am awake!) Hellllllooooooo! it was just a dream. I did not relapse. But my funky brain makes me think I have! Good grief!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
As if my addictive personality needs any more vices....
My dear friend Jen has introduced a new vice to my life. In an attempt to get me out of my comfy house and comfy flannel pjs(by the way, is that really so wrong? to love your house and pjs?) she has officially gotten me addicted to beading.
Tonight she accompanied me on a trip to our local Hobby Lobby. It is the most awesome store. My ADHD goes haywire. She and Nate kept making fun of the fact that I couldn't stay focused enough to complete a sentence. Mid sentence a new bead, clasp, or clearance sign would lasso me in.
My ultimate goal is to make enough money from the sale of my "masterpieces" to fund my trip to NYC for Christmas and New Years Eve.
Yes, I am avoiding, I don't wanna admit that I skipped out on training today. I have got to be the laziest person on earth. I can go to bed after midnight, get up when the alarm clock goes off at 4am, sign onto my computer, check email, blogs, etc...and be up until 5am--at which time I look outside, see frost on the windows, and head back to bed b/c I don't wanna have to warm up my car.
Yesterday while I was doing my big walk I caught myself making new excuses. For the last couple of months now I have been saying, "if it was just lighter outside". It finally gets lighter of an evening and now I am whining b/c the temps have dropped again. Next thing you know it will be lighter and warmer and I will have to invent an entirely new excuse--hm, like--"I am walking entirely too fast. If only I could gain some more weight in my butt and hips to slow me down a bit." (yeah, pigs with wings will be spotted on the doprad).
My dear friend Jen has introduced a new vice to my life. In an attempt to get me out of my comfy house and comfy flannel pjs(by the way, is that really so wrong? to love your house and pjs?) she has officially gotten me addicted to beading.
Tonight she accompanied me on a trip to our local Hobby Lobby. It is the most awesome store. My ADHD goes haywire. She and Nate kept making fun of the fact that I couldn't stay focused enough to complete a sentence. Mid sentence a new bead, clasp, or clearance sign would lasso me in.
My ultimate goal is to make enough money from the sale of my "masterpieces" to fund my trip to NYC for Christmas and New Years Eve.
Yes, I am avoiding, I don't wanna admit that I skipped out on training today. I have got to be the laziest person on earth. I can go to bed after midnight, get up when the alarm clock goes off at 4am, sign onto my computer, check email, blogs, etc...and be up until 5am--at which time I look outside, see frost on the windows, and head back to bed b/c I don't wanna have to warm up my car.
Yesterday while I was doing my big walk I caught myself making new excuses. For the last couple of months now I have been saying, "if it was just lighter outside". It finally gets lighter of an evening and now I am whining b/c the temps have dropped again. Next thing you know it will be lighter and warmer and I will have to invent an entirely new excuse--hm, like--"I am walking entirely too fast. If only I could gain some more weight in my butt and hips to slow me down a bit." (yeah, pigs with wings will be spotted on the doprad).
Monday, February 26, 2007
Have you ever limited God?
When I decided to participate in the Lenten season my goal, ulterior motive, hope above all hopes was that the sugar in my system would dissipate. Once I get over that little hump I can eat sensibly (lotsa fruits & veggies/3 meals a day/eat only when hungry and to satisfaction/basically food is just fuel for me).
It wasn't until day four of Lent that it occurred to me that I was limiting God. For crying out loud--if He can shed His life for me on a cross, be raised from the dead, and leave His Holy Spirit for me, could He not take away this aversion that I have to sugar all together. Could He not change my whole outlook?
Day four became, "Oh Happy Day"!
Initially, I was using a Lent devotional that I found through Christian Book Distributors; however, this particular devotional did not seem to be working for me. It wasn't bringing me to the place of brokenness and devotion that I was desiring. I have since switched to one called The Journey to the Cross my friend Jen has been using. It has been totally amazing.
Tonight while Nate was at tutoring I decided to do a path that I had been told was exactly a mile. I figured that I s/b able to get in at least 3 miles by the time his hour was up. It was much cooler than I expected--no excuses, I just kept plugging on as quickly as I could. Even jogged a little.
My first "mile" was 25 minutes and my second was a little over 26. I was about to give up on walking and the Mini altogether. Even at my heaviest w/ no activity level to speak of I could do a 20 minute mile. Once Nate was done I decided to measure out the distance. It actually ended up being 1.4 miles....thank God! Woohoo! Basically, I did almost 3 mi in 51 min--roughly a 17 min mile. Not my best time--but still better than what the Mini requires.
The new kicks really felt wonderful. It is amazing how different it feels when you wear a shoe designed for your feet and the activity you are participating in. Each pair of shoes should only be used for 200 miles; therefore, I now have 197.2 miles left on this pair.
Does anyone watch the NBC show Heroes? We almost gave up on it recently. We had not seen the last 4 episodes but they were recorded and saved on the dvr. This weekend we got caught up on them. Tonight was awesome! Nothing is as it seems. If you have not been watching I highly recommend that you pickup the seasons as they become available on dvd. The writers have this show so well thought out. I wish my mind worked like that!
I want to close with a quote that I read this evening. I receive weekly updates by email from the 500 Festival--training tips for the Mini/sponsored by Subway restaurants. This particular quote got a hold of me b/c I feel that I haven't been putting in as much time into training as I s/b:
Seize the day
To paraphrase an old poster: Today is the first day of the rest of your training. It doesn’t matter where you started or how far you’ve come. Today is the day.
Your training didn’t start 6 weeks ago. Your training started the last time you hit the road.
John “the Penguin” Bingham
When I decided to participate in the Lenten season my goal, ulterior motive, hope above all hopes was that the sugar in my system would dissipate. Once I get over that little hump I can eat sensibly (lotsa fruits & veggies/3 meals a day/eat only when hungry and to satisfaction/basically food is just fuel for me).
It wasn't until day four of Lent that it occurred to me that I was limiting God. For crying out loud--if He can shed His life for me on a cross, be raised from the dead, and leave His Holy Spirit for me, could He not take away this aversion that I have to sugar all together. Could He not change my whole outlook?
Day four became, "Oh Happy Day"!
Initially, I was using a Lent devotional that I found through Christian Book Distributors; however, this particular devotional did not seem to be working for me. It wasn't bringing me to the place of brokenness and devotion that I was desiring. I have since switched to one called The Journey to the Cross my friend Jen has been using. It has been totally amazing.
Tonight while Nate was at tutoring I decided to do a path that I had been told was exactly a mile. I figured that I s/b able to get in at least 3 miles by the time his hour was up. It was much cooler than I expected--no excuses, I just kept plugging on as quickly as I could. Even jogged a little.
My first "mile" was 25 minutes and my second was a little over 26. I was about to give up on walking and the Mini altogether. Even at my heaviest w/ no activity level to speak of I could do a 20 minute mile. Once Nate was done I decided to measure out the distance. It actually ended up being 1.4 miles....thank God! Woohoo! Basically, I did almost 3 mi in 51 min--roughly a 17 min mile. Not my best time--but still better than what the Mini requires.
The new kicks really felt wonderful. It is amazing how different it feels when you wear a shoe designed for your feet and the activity you are participating in. Each pair of shoes should only be used for 200 miles; therefore, I now have 197.2 miles left on this pair.
Does anyone watch the NBC show Heroes? We almost gave up on it recently. We had not seen the last 4 episodes but they were recorded and saved on the dvr. This weekend we got caught up on them. Tonight was awesome! Nothing is as it seems. If you have not been watching I highly recommend that you pickup the seasons as they become available on dvd. The writers have this show so well thought out. I wish my mind worked like that!
I want to close with a quote that I read this evening. I receive weekly updates by email from the 500 Festival--training tips for the Mini/sponsored by Subway restaurants. This particular quote got a hold of me b/c I feel that I haven't been putting in as much time into training as I s/b:
Seize the day
To paraphrase an old poster: Today is the first day of the rest of your training. It doesn’t matter where you started or how far you’ve come. Today is the day.
Your training didn’t start 6 weeks ago. Your training started the last time you hit the road.
John “the Penguin” Bingham
Sunday, February 25, 2007
MINI INVESTMENT IN MINI
The time has come to retire my training shoes. My Physician, who participates in marathons, explained to me that the insides of shoes breaks down much quicker than the outside. Although my shoes appeared as if they had many more miles to them according to their aesthetics they were well past their functionality.
If anyone ever tells you that all sporting good stores are created equally they are incorrect. I have been so entirely impressed with the staff of Pacesetter Sporting Goods. Their depth of knowledge is very impressive. The young gal who assisted me was interested more in my arch and gait than selling me the highest priced option.
When it came to trying on the different shoes she always put a different style of shoe on each foot. This was so helpful. It helped me to see the difference between the two. It was much easier to eliminate the option that was not comfortable. Within minutes I had gone through quite a few different brands and styles--ultimately choosing the best, most comfortable one for me.
Once the determination had been made she had me walk on a treadmill to watch my stride and how the shoes supported it. I am so grateful for the perfect match.
The time has come to retire my training shoes. My Physician, who participates in marathons, explained to me that the insides of shoes breaks down much quicker than the outside. Although my shoes appeared as if they had many more miles to them according to their aesthetics they were well past their functionality.
If anyone ever tells you that all sporting good stores are created equally they are incorrect. I have been so entirely impressed with the staff of Pacesetter Sporting Goods. Their depth of knowledge is very impressive. The young gal who assisted me was interested more in my arch and gait than selling me the highest priced option.
When it came to trying on the different shoes she always put a different style of shoe on each foot. This was so helpful. It helped me to see the difference between the two. It was much easier to eliminate the option that was not comfortable. Within minutes I had gone through quite a few different brands and styles--ultimately choosing the best, most comfortable one for me.
Once the determination had been made she had me walk on a treadmill to watch my stride and how the shoes supported it. I am so grateful for the perfect match.
Did you know that there are footies out there that cost $12 a pair? Yes, I invested in a pair. They are designed to wick away moisture and keep the feet cooler. Hence, no blisters. This pair will only be used the day of the Mini.
My objective yesterday was to buy a new pair of training shoes, as well as, a pair of everyday shoes. My training material suggests that training and participation are the only appropriate times to wear your training shoes. Therefore, it is necessary to have a 2nd pair for everyday use. Unfortunately my quest for an aesthetically pleasing pair was not as successful. I am so bummed. It looks like I am going to have to make a trip to the mall--Aack! I hate the mall!
Note: Too fancy for my own good--ignore the empty frame at the top. I attempted to put a pic of shoes on the blog but it is apparently protected by copyright. Therefore, I have provided the link.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Have you seen the IN GOD WE TRUST license plates?
Yesterday, while taking Nate to school, I noticed a new type of plate on several cars. On the left hand side of plate it says IN GOD WE TRUST. It is the coolest. I liked it so well that I was willing to pay an extra fee if it was specific to a certain organization.
During lunch I noticed a co-worker had one on her car. It occurred to me that her last name begins with the letter "A"--I am soooooo excited, these are our new state plates! I will not have to pay extra for it.
It seems like a wonderfully bold move on behalf of our state government. In a world where every belief or right seems to be honored except for the Christian belief this is an awesome statement. This decision is an exciting one because it proves that we as Christians, despite our denominational preferences, have become united in our very basic belief. We are like minded and willing to come together and fight as children of God.
This seems like a major accomplishment for society to acknowledge our very relevant existence.Our numbers would have to be phenomenal in order for this issue to be raised--for government to relent in dividing us. Our voices, in the name of God, have been heard.
It seems that the government seems to be learning from the lessons that we have been teaching the retail industry in the last several years.
You know, as usual, that I am probably over thinking all of this--irregardless, I am grateful for the opportunity to proudly display this plate on my vehicle.
Yesterday, while taking Nate to school, I noticed a new type of plate on several cars. On the left hand side of plate it says IN GOD WE TRUST. It is the coolest. I liked it so well that I was willing to pay an extra fee if it was specific to a certain organization.
During lunch I noticed a co-worker had one on her car. It occurred to me that her last name begins with the letter "A"--I am soooooo excited, these are our new state plates! I will not have to pay extra for it.
It seems like a wonderfully bold move on behalf of our state government. In a world where every belief or right seems to be honored except for the Christian belief this is an awesome statement. This decision is an exciting one because it proves that we as Christians, despite our denominational preferences, have become united in our very basic belief. We are like minded and willing to come together and fight as children of God.
This seems like a major accomplishment for society to acknowledge our very relevant existence.Our numbers would have to be phenomenal in order for this issue to be raised--for government to relent in dividing us. Our voices, in the name of God, have been heard.
It seems that the government seems to be learning from the lessons that we have been teaching the retail industry in the last several years.
You know, as usual, that I am probably over thinking all of this--irregardless, I am grateful for the opportunity to proudly display this plate on my vehicle.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Seafood....Hear Food....Eat Food
In keeping with the tradition of Lent, within the Catholic church, I opted for seafood. We had a wonderful dinner with my friend Susan and her teenage son Andrew at the local Red Lobster.
Our 20-25 minute wait, to be seated, ended up being more like 45-50. Once I was elbow deep in crab legs and butter I completely understood why the folks before us were a little delayed in leaving. Nate could not believe the "amount of food" I had eaten. Hello, he was basing that on the empty crab shells NOT the 2 ounces of crab meat that I got out of that pound of shells.
Tonight I actually took advantage of the complimentary garlic, cheese biscuits. Not that I eat there often; however, when I have gone in the recent past it seems like I am always trying to watch my carb intake. Rather than skipping them this evening I ate 3.
Today was particularly difficult when it came to sweets as there was a birthday in the office today. A couple of gals brought homemade brownies and cakes with homemade icing. You know me--cake and ice cream would be my primary staples if I went by feeling and desire alone. It seems so unfair that the nutritional value of these items are not the equivalent of fruit and veggies.
Susan and I discussed that when she attempts a low carb diet the first 3 days are the worst. She said yesterday that day three is when it starts to get a little easier. Not for this sugar addict. Today all I could hear was co-workers raving about the homemade treats, Girl Scout cookies being delivered, and the waitress explaining in entirely too much detail every ooey gooey ingredient on the dessert tray. Aack!
During my prayer and devotional time tonight I kept hearing the scripture, in my mind, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good". Father, forgive me that at this particular time I cannot imagine you tasting better than Cold Stone Creamery, a Reeces peanut butter egg, or an entire tray of Peeps.
In keeping with the tradition of Lent, within the Catholic church, I opted for seafood. We had a wonderful dinner with my friend Susan and her teenage son Andrew at the local Red Lobster.
Our 20-25 minute wait, to be seated, ended up being more like 45-50. Once I was elbow deep in crab legs and butter I completely understood why the folks before us were a little delayed in leaving. Nate could not believe the "amount of food" I had eaten. Hello, he was basing that on the empty crab shells NOT the 2 ounces of crab meat that I got out of that pound of shells.
Tonight I actually took advantage of the complimentary garlic, cheese biscuits. Not that I eat there often; however, when I have gone in the recent past it seems like I am always trying to watch my carb intake. Rather than skipping them this evening I ate 3.
Today was particularly difficult when it came to sweets as there was a birthday in the office today. A couple of gals brought homemade brownies and cakes with homemade icing. You know me--cake and ice cream would be my primary staples if I went by feeling and desire alone. It seems so unfair that the nutritional value of these items are not the equivalent of fruit and veggies.
Susan and I discussed that when she attempts a low carb diet the first 3 days are the worst. She said yesterday that day three is when it starts to get a little easier. Not for this sugar addict. Today all I could hear was co-workers raving about the homemade treats, Girl Scout cookies being delivered, and the waitress explaining in entirely too much detail every ooey gooey ingredient on the dessert tray. Aack!
During my prayer and devotional time tonight I kept hearing the scripture, in my mind, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good". Father, forgive me that at this particular time I cannot imagine you tasting better than Cold Stone Creamery, a Reeces peanut butter egg, or an entire tray of Peeps.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thank God Tomorrow is Friday...
It has been kind of a stressful, crazy week at work. I am so looking forward to going to the movies with Nate. We were supposed to go see the new Nick Cage movie, GHOSTRIDER, last weekend; however, our near blizzard conditions kept us home bound. We have really been looking forward to it. Bummed does not even begin to describe how disappointed we were last weekend--we wanted to be there for the new release so badly.
There is nothing like popcorn for dinner. Sweets are not going to be a temptation at the movie theater as I am entirely too cheap to purchase the much overpriced, almost criminal, candy they sell there. Normally, I will go buy it at the dollar store and sneak it in.
When Nate was just a little tyke we went to the "fueter" to see FLUBBER. I stopped by the dollar store on the way there to pick up a few of our favorite treats (Gummier Bears & Junior Mints). When we got back in the car, with the sweetest innocence of a child, Nate asked me, "Mom will the fueter police arrest us?"--apparently my previous warning about not piping up in front of the ticket guy about our hidden treasures caused him some distress. Needless to say I did not sneak any sweet treats that day.
Eating sugary sweets has not really been an issue today. I am very mindful of my commitment when planning meals. I had a sugar-free Dulce/Cinnamon latte and a egg, ham, & cheese bagel from Starbucks for lunch. That was a little enticing as we went inside to place our orders instead of the drive thru. It seemed like every time I turned away from a sweet treat I was faced with another one.
Totally out of boredom and habit I started to head toward a candy jar in the office that I usually visit between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. I did it so absently that when I "came to" it kind of scared me. I don't want to screw up because of distraction or my mind being a hundred miles away when I happen to be standing by a treat jar. It really caused me to wonder how many times this must happen and I am never even aware of it.
Tonight, while shopping for birthday treats for a co-worker, I discovered that they now have Sugar-Free PEEPS. I was pretty excited about it and purchased a couple--one for me and one for Jen. Although they are sugar-free I am going to hang on to them--it just didn't seem right to partake of candy during this time. The packaging says it contains Splenda.
Last week when I was sharing with Kimberly (remember my little neighbor girl who likes to do squats and lunges with me around the neighborhood) my winter blues issues she gave me a solution to my woes. Her mom is an RN. When Kim's elderly grandfather gets winter blues her mom takes him to a tanning bed for some light therapy. Apparently it is very common for older folks to go to tanning salons to get a pick me up. I am not a big fan of tanning; however, I'm thinking if I go for brief amounts of time and sparingly I may get the desired effects from it. At this point I am willing to give it a try.
Worked out this evening. I really had to give myself a kick in the pants to get out the door. It was all the more rewarding when I got there and accomplished my objective. The Y really needs some new equipment--I couldn't believe the amount of squeaking and squawking that many of the machines were making. There was one that was particularly annoying. I would think that a little bit of grease or something would do the trick. They have about 10 treadmills and at least 4 of them have 'out of order' signs on them.
There was a fella walking on a treadmill that started screeching like it was taking its dying breath. It startled him so that he just stopped--he almost bit the dust because the conveyor kept moving. Fortunately he regained his balance once he managed to hop onto the side treads.
Nite Nite All!
It has been kind of a stressful, crazy week at work. I am so looking forward to going to the movies with Nate. We were supposed to go see the new Nick Cage movie, GHOSTRIDER, last weekend; however, our near blizzard conditions kept us home bound. We have really been looking forward to it. Bummed does not even begin to describe how disappointed we were last weekend--we wanted to be there for the new release so badly.
There is nothing like popcorn for dinner. Sweets are not going to be a temptation at the movie theater as I am entirely too cheap to purchase the much overpriced, almost criminal, candy they sell there. Normally, I will go buy it at the dollar store and sneak it in.
When Nate was just a little tyke we went to the "fueter" to see FLUBBER. I stopped by the dollar store on the way there to pick up a few of our favorite treats (Gummier Bears & Junior Mints). When we got back in the car, with the sweetest innocence of a child, Nate asked me, "Mom will the fueter police arrest us?"--apparently my previous warning about not piping up in front of the ticket guy about our hidden treasures caused him some distress. Needless to say I did not sneak any sweet treats that day.
Eating sugary sweets has not really been an issue today. I am very mindful of my commitment when planning meals. I had a sugar-free Dulce/Cinnamon latte and a egg, ham, & cheese bagel from Starbucks for lunch. That was a little enticing as we went inside to place our orders instead of the drive thru. It seemed like every time I turned away from a sweet treat I was faced with another one.
Totally out of boredom and habit I started to head toward a candy jar in the office that I usually visit between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. I did it so absently that when I "came to" it kind of scared me. I don't want to screw up because of distraction or my mind being a hundred miles away when I happen to be standing by a treat jar. It really caused me to wonder how many times this must happen and I am never even aware of it.
Tonight, while shopping for birthday treats for a co-worker, I discovered that they now have Sugar-Free PEEPS. I was pretty excited about it and purchased a couple--one for me and one for Jen. Although they are sugar-free I am going to hang on to them--it just didn't seem right to partake of candy during this time. The packaging says it contains Splenda.
Last week when I was sharing with Kimberly (remember my little neighbor girl who likes to do squats and lunges with me around the neighborhood) my winter blues issues she gave me a solution to my woes. Her mom is an RN. When Kim's elderly grandfather gets winter blues her mom takes him to a tanning bed for some light therapy. Apparently it is very common for older folks to go to tanning salons to get a pick me up. I am not a big fan of tanning; however, I'm thinking if I go for brief amounts of time and sparingly I may get the desired effects from it. At this point I am willing to give it a try.
Worked out this evening. I really had to give myself a kick in the pants to get out the door. It was all the more rewarding when I got there and accomplished my objective. The Y really needs some new equipment--I couldn't believe the amount of squeaking and squawking that many of the machines were making. There was one that was particularly annoying. I would think that a little bit of grease or something would do the trick. They have about 10 treadmills and at least 4 of them have 'out of order' signs on them.
There was a fella walking on a treadmill that started screeching like it was taking its dying breath. It startled him so that he just stopped--he almost bit the dust because the conveyor kept moving. Fortunately he regained his balance once he managed to hop onto the side treads.
Nite Nite All!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Temptation?....What was I thinking when I signed up for this?
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights.--Matthew 4:1-2
The Spirit is leading us into a wilderness of the imagination, a period of testing: Lent. For several weeks, we will focus our minds more intently than usual on God, wiping cobwebs from the corners of the soul, noticing what has crept in that is not of God, remembering how God is yearning for us to grow spiritually.
Excerpted from: The Sanctuary of Lent 2007 by James C. Howell
Have I neglected all things spiritual to the point of disregard for the temptation part of this Lenten equation? Did I really think that Lent is as superficial as not partaking in sweets and sugars? Was I only imagining a slight irritation--sweets being dangled in front of me on a stick for only 40 days? Surely I can handle that little blip in the road.
Maybe I should read a little more than the suggested verse. Aha, Jesus was not actually tempted for 40 days. He fasted for 40 days and nights--the devil then tempted Him. Well, that's a little better. That is 39 days in the future. You know me the eternal procrastinator--we can worry about that when the time comes. Surely the Lord will be strengthening me by His mighty power to overcome that temptation, right?
Several, several years ago I had a Lenten revelation. Struggling with food issues and eating disorders for most of my life, it was fascinating to me that the devil used food as the first temptation. The devil then went on to tempt Jesus with acclaim and greed. Since food has always been my shortcoming, I have never progressed, if you will, to the point of acclaim and greed.
Imagine a conversation between the devil and one of his underling demons:
Demon: "Hey, there is Shauna, why don't we tempt her with the fame and notoriety that could come from being the novelist that she always wanted to be? Or maybe we can give her the business savvy of Trump? Better yet, why don't we give her the business savvy of Trump and allow her to appear on the Apprentice."
Devil: "Nah, just throw a Twinkie out in front of her. She will be bound for decades."
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
+++fat tuesday+++
In the back of my mind, for the last week or so, I have been contemplating the Lenten season. Although I found some success last year with my nutrition, physical activity, discipline, and consistency it was all limited to my own strength and ability. If I am to find extreme success with long lasting effects it can only be through the power of God.
It is shameful the amount of growth in spirituality that I have been negligent with. Unfortunately, I have allowed my own hurt and disappointment in mortal man to distance me from my Lord. All things spiritual, my Bible, my church attendance, and my devotional time have been a source of contempt for me the last couple of years. And those of you close enough to me can see how the absence of all of these things have been playing out in my life.
Fortunately, of all things, I was listening to Bob & Tom on the radio this morning on my way to work. It was actually one of the djs that brought up the fact that this is Fat Tuesday. I would have missed it if it hadn't been for that dj. Knowing how much of an 'all or nothing' person I am this could have been disastrous. If I had discovered it Lent had already begun, even a day or two into it, I would have been defeated--rather than attempting to give God my sacrifice for the remaining days.
There are three issues that I want to address during this Lenten season:
*A sacrifice of sugars, sweets, desserts (I could literally eat cake and ice cream every meal for the rest of my life).
*Allow God to increase in my devotional time.
*Allow God to increase in my time of exercise.
All of that is easy to write down until I take the flip side of those issues into consideration. All of them require me to die to self. My self that is entirely self-centered.
You will have to bear with me--this blog will turn into my revelations of Lent.
In the back of my mind, for the last week or so, I have been contemplating the Lenten season. Although I found some success last year with my nutrition, physical activity, discipline, and consistency it was all limited to my own strength and ability. If I am to find extreme success with long lasting effects it can only be through the power of God.
It is shameful the amount of growth in spirituality that I have been negligent with. Unfortunately, I have allowed my own hurt and disappointment in mortal man to distance me from my Lord. All things spiritual, my Bible, my church attendance, and my devotional time have been a source of contempt for me the last couple of years. And those of you close enough to me can see how the absence of all of these things have been playing out in my life.
Fortunately, of all things, I was listening to Bob & Tom on the radio this morning on my way to work. It was actually one of the djs that brought up the fact that this is Fat Tuesday. I would have missed it if it hadn't been for that dj. Knowing how much of an 'all or nothing' person I am this could have been disastrous. If I had discovered it Lent had already begun, even a day or two into it, I would have been defeated--rather than attempting to give God my sacrifice for the remaining days.
There are three issues that I want to address during this Lenten season:
*A sacrifice of sugars, sweets, desserts (I could literally eat cake and ice cream every meal for the rest of my life).
*Allow God to increase in my devotional time.
*Allow God to increase in my time of exercise.
All of that is easy to write down until I take the flip side of those issues into consideration. All of them require me to die to self. My self that is entirely self-centered.
You will have to bear with me--this blog will turn into my revelations of Lent.
Monday, February 19, 2007
What was I thinking?
All day long I have looked forward to getting out into the much anticipated sultry temps. It had been forecasted that the high today would be 42 degrees. Woohoo! I should easily be able to do 5 miles in 42 degree weather.
Apparently I don't understand science very well. A high of 42 degrees does not eliminate 6 inches of snow and ice in an 8 hr period. I figured it would be a little wet...but I didn't realize that if you added just a little color and a little flavoring that you would have the best slurpee ever. We now have 3 inches of pure slush.
The last few hours of the work day my head was throbbing. Fortunately, I have stayed relatively healthy this winter; however, I think my time has come. Everyone at work has had this sinusee, funky, snotty, whooping cough sounding illness that generally lasts 2 wks (minimum). The origin of the throbbing seemed to be my sinuses. Wouldn't that be just great! Temps cooperate and I get the funk.
Even though my head was throbbing I kept telling myself, "tough sh*t, you are going to walk"--when I emerged from my basement ofc and determined the outer world was covered in slush I have to admit I was a bit relieved. After preparing Nate's dinner I have been resting w/ the lights turned off.
Jen tagged me a week ago--to share 5 things that is not generally known about me. My life is such an open book, I can't really think of 5 whole things. I may have to spread this tag over several days.
1)I worked part-time for Market Square Arena as an usher in the late 80's, early 90's. I was serenaded to by Rod Stewart, been greeted by Kenny G & Tracy Chapman, and yelled at by Anita Baker. Apparently she was remorseful b/c she requested to meet me so she could apologize--whatever! Still don't listen to her music to this day.
2)Although I have successfully matched five couples with their soul mates (all have been married in excess of 15 years) I have been unsuccessful in finding my own 6'4 bald man.
3)While working for Peoples Bank & Trust in Inpdls I was working in a branch that was robbed. The teller line was behind bullet proof glass. I was stuck back in a corner running the drive thru window. Did not even know what had happened until I walked into the vault, passed the tellers, and say about 20 IPD officers running in, guns drawn. (It was suspected to be an inside job--w/ the cooperation of the teller directly involved).
4)Climbed up on top of the Indiana Theater (more bird poop than you can possibly imagine).
5)Went on a memorable tour of NYC via the subway. My friend that I was touring with assured me that subway cars were nothing like what you see in the movies. New, well lit, w/o graffiti. As my luck would have it, the car that pulled up to us was dilapidated, windows broken, lights burnt out, graffiti laden. We stepped on and took the train to the next stop, got off to go on to the next stop, instead, ended up on a train that took us back to where we had just come from--repeated this twice. I attempted to ask for help from one of the fellow passengers; however, my friend didn't seem to think that drawing anymore attention to the fact that we were tourists was such a great idea. Fortunately, everything worked out for the best. I will never go on the subway again b/c the stench is enough to kill a person.
My tag will now go out to: Susan, Sissa & Pandy.
All day long I have looked forward to getting out into the much anticipated sultry temps. It had been forecasted that the high today would be 42 degrees. Woohoo! I should easily be able to do 5 miles in 42 degree weather.
Apparently I don't understand science very well. A high of 42 degrees does not eliminate 6 inches of snow and ice in an 8 hr period. I figured it would be a little wet...but I didn't realize that if you added just a little color and a little flavoring that you would have the best slurpee ever. We now have 3 inches of pure slush.
The last few hours of the work day my head was throbbing. Fortunately, I have stayed relatively healthy this winter; however, I think my time has come. Everyone at work has had this sinusee, funky, snotty, whooping cough sounding illness that generally lasts 2 wks (minimum). The origin of the throbbing seemed to be my sinuses. Wouldn't that be just great! Temps cooperate and I get the funk.
Even though my head was throbbing I kept telling myself, "tough sh*t, you are going to walk"--when I emerged from my basement ofc and determined the outer world was covered in slush I have to admit I was a bit relieved. After preparing Nate's dinner I have been resting w/ the lights turned off.
Jen tagged me a week ago--to share 5 things that is not generally known about me. My life is such an open book, I can't really think of 5 whole things. I may have to spread this tag over several days.
1)I worked part-time for Market Square Arena as an usher in the late 80's, early 90's. I was serenaded to by Rod Stewart, been greeted by Kenny G & Tracy Chapman, and yelled at by Anita Baker. Apparently she was remorseful b/c she requested to meet me so she could apologize--whatever! Still don't listen to her music to this day.
2)Although I have successfully matched five couples with their soul mates (all have been married in excess of 15 years) I have been unsuccessful in finding my own 6'4 bald man.
3)While working for Peoples Bank & Trust in Inpdls I was working in a branch that was robbed. The teller line was behind bullet proof glass. I was stuck back in a corner running the drive thru window. Did not even know what had happened until I walked into the vault, passed the tellers, and say about 20 IPD officers running in, guns drawn. (It was suspected to be an inside job--w/ the cooperation of the teller directly involved).
4)Climbed up on top of the Indiana Theater (more bird poop than you can possibly imagine).
5)Went on a memorable tour of NYC via the subway. My friend that I was touring with assured me that subway cars were nothing like what you see in the movies. New, well lit, w/o graffiti. As my luck would have it, the car that pulled up to us was dilapidated, windows broken, lights burnt out, graffiti laden. We stepped on and took the train to the next stop, got off to go on to the next stop, instead, ended up on a train that took us back to where we had just come from--repeated this twice. I attempted to ask for help from one of the fellow passengers; however, my friend didn't seem to think that drawing anymore attention to the fact that we were tourists was such a great idea. Fortunately, everything worked out for the best. I will never go on the subway again b/c the stench is enough to kill a person.
My tag will now go out to: Susan, Sissa & Pandy.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
HAIRY HOUSE GUEST
This weekend T&C&M have braved a trip to Indpls. Initially we heard we were supposed to have an additional inch of snow but it seems much more significant than that. Tim had contest to attend for his music students and Cole and Max had a birthday party to attend.
Cole has been sooooo good to me about getting Nate to school during these school delays. Rather than boarding Gunther we brought him in. He has really matured. He is so woolly that he brings in miniature snowballs attached to the hair around his feet. He is such a good watch dog. Nothing gets past him. Unfortunately, all sounds are foreign to him so he has been alerting us all day.
My day has been spent reading a cheesy book, Reality TV Bites. With the streets being so bad this week I have been spending a good amount of time in the library branch located near my work. Life has been kind of stressful for the last couple of months so I have chosen to pick up light-hearted, humorous reading. Don't need any more weighty things to have to think about. It's an OK read. It definitely doesn't read as easy as Body Movers I read last week.
Also, I have spent today updating my blogger to the newest Beta version. Don't ask me what that means. I held out as long as I could and then they no longer gave me the option to sign into my old blogger format. I had high hopes for it being more idiot friendly. Initially I thought that had really "figured it out"--unfortunately, I was wrong.
My new addiction is beading thanks to my friend Jen. Last night I attended a beading bee. We had such a great time. Homemade guacamole, homemade salsa, and a little margarita. We were so busy chatting, chuckling, and beading that I neglected to notice that my "bracelet" ended up being more the size of a necklace for a small child. I plan on reworking it tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to watch the news the last couple of days. A co-worker said that it is supposed to get up to 52 degrees this week. I am so ready! It is no secret that I have been bummed about my lack of activity here recently. Fortunately there are gals out there, whose blogs I read, that give me hope. I am not alone in these winter doldrums. Runner girl, Jenn in Detroit and Andrea K, in Pennsylvania, have restored my hope for an active future. This is just a temporary stagnation. I don't have to allow myself to slip backwards--I just need to stand--this time shall pass.
This weekend T&C&M have braved a trip to Indpls. Initially we heard we were supposed to have an additional inch of snow but it seems much more significant than that. Tim had contest to attend for his music students and Cole and Max had a birthday party to attend.
Cole has been sooooo good to me about getting Nate to school during these school delays. Rather than boarding Gunther we brought him in. He has really matured. He is so woolly that he brings in miniature snowballs attached to the hair around his feet. He is such a good watch dog. Nothing gets past him. Unfortunately, all sounds are foreign to him so he has been alerting us all day.
My day has been spent reading a cheesy book, Reality TV Bites. With the streets being so bad this week I have been spending a good amount of time in the library branch located near my work. Life has been kind of stressful for the last couple of months so I have chosen to pick up light-hearted, humorous reading. Don't need any more weighty things to have to think about. It's an OK read. It definitely doesn't read as easy as Body Movers I read last week.
Also, I have spent today updating my blogger to the newest Beta version. Don't ask me what that means. I held out as long as I could and then they no longer gave me the option to sign into my old blogger format. I had high hopes for it being more idiot friendly. Initially I thought that had really "figured it out"--unfortunately, I was wrong.
My new addiction is beading thanks to my friend Jen. Last night I attended a beading bee. We had such a great time. Homemade guacamole, homemade salsa, and a little margarita. We were so busy chatting, chuckling, and beading that I neglected to notice that my "bracelet" ended up being more the size of a necklace for a small child. I plan on reworking it tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to watch the news the last couple of days. A co-worker said that it is supposed to get up to 52 degrees this week. I am so ready! It is no secret that I have been bummed about my lack of activity here recently. Fortunately there are gals out there, whose blogs I read, that give me hope. I am not alone in these winter doldrums. Runner girl, Jenn in Detroit and Andrea K, in Pennsylvania, have restored my hope for an active future. This is just a temporary stagnation. I don't have to allow myself to slip backwards--I just need to stand--this time shall pass.
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