Looking to the New Year

I normally don't make new year's resolutions, this year is no different. If I make a life change I will do it for reasons beyond the turning of a new year. I thought about giving you a lengthy update...but really I want to remind you all to be yourself. I love each one of you for different reasons, no need to change and this quote seems to say it quite well:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

— Dr. Seuss

No Leather Required

Today was a 1/2 day at work and we got to wear jeans. The perfect excuse to ride the moto in like I did last week and back at Halloween. The difference this time is that I have the option to wear my new leather chaps (if I give them back to C to wrap up as my Christmas present, along with my new, buttery leather gloves). Shockingly, it was a "warm" 54 degrees this morning unlike the last two times when I froze in at 50 or below and I opted out of this new luxury for the trade off I wouldn't have to have a bag pack for the hot commute back home. Still debating on those saddle bags for my bike.

So now I take the freeway to/from because I'm a bad ass...or maybe it's just pluralistic ignorance. More than both of those reasons it satiates the innate desire to use the carpool lane like the other motorcyclists in this congested traffic system we call Phoenix. And in general, I have to tell you, I was never prepared for other people's reactions to my new hobby.

Co-workers are always so tickled to come by and let me know they see my Harley outside and that they want to watch me ride away from the office. (Oh, um -okay). Male co-workers have flat out told me they have a whole new respect for me, while the older ones tell me they are "proud" of me. Other female co-workers tell me I look hot and some even go the length of offering to be my "bitch" so they can ride on back.

On the roads I get the intense stare, I am guessing people are trying to figure out if I am a chick under all this gear since I no longer have a long ponytail that sticks out of the back of my helmet. I had a intrusive woman in a big Chevy truck give me the stare down, I nodded to acknowledge -hi, what the hell, stop staring at me!?!? And then the old lady in her 60's, leathery skin, puffing on her cig with the windows rolled down proclaims with her head nodding--a "F*CK Yeah!" of approval as she passes. (Wow). Then I had a ricer/speed bike pass me on the freeway doing just over my 70 mph, look at me, wave, look back again, made his lane change and then gave me the thumbs up. (Pride). Perhaps he saw the 'bedazzled' Hello Kitty rhinestones glitter in the sun from the back of my helmet and saw my face to confirm--yup, chick.

And last, but not least in public while you walk around with just your gear on and helmet under arm. C and I have been riding more and more as a group etc. Friends reactions are the shocked "this is SOOOO coooool you two do this" attitude. (Thank you). And then today I ran a quick errand into Target on my way home. At first I thought I was imagining the sh*t grins I was getting from guys as I walked by, then there was another, yet another, that one with a double eye brow raise, him with that same approving head nod and the cashier who wanted to know what I rode (his face told me he was expecting to hear something like scooter and not Harley). Last and best one was in the parking lot I got a full-on mooky smile and a turn around check-her-out once over.

Not only do I love to ride, but this whole moto thing is doing heaps with putting a blushing red color over my cheeks and totally pumping up my self esteem! That's right, the married chick is still hot---and I am actually acknowledging it is not my imagination. I got checked out...Ye-OW!

Tip of the Day

Hold tab, THEN shake the soy milk carton.

...I woke up early this morning. Evidently too early as I was not fully functioning as I went to prepare my bowl of frosted mini-wheats. This all resulted in a large splatter pattern 4 feet out from my bare toes.

[Sigh] Some mornings you try to be the early worm....then you just end up meeting a bird.

Wandering Thoughts

Drove north and spent a weekend with my family. Take the car out for a good long ride and to let my thoughts wonder. Went out and took the folks around town to look at motorcycles. I think it is neat my dad wants to get into an old hobby and we could eventually ride together in a group. Now the challenge becomes getting the 4 hour trip to each other completed.

I am not at all on task for my diet, but I think 20lbs was a lofty goal. I got down to weighing 146, but with the holidays I am letting it all go. I can't imagine that getting me anywhere good on the scale.

Other than that, life has really blessed me. I have a wonderful and loving husband, a cute greyhound, great friends and new hobbies to explore. Got a lot of things checked off my "life's to-do list" --looks like I will have to add more items soon!

Bug Initiation

Tonight I did a dry run of my commute to work on the moto...yeah, I can handle this.

I was having so much fun cruising around with the weather being so nice...it was only 25-30 miles, but I rocked it. Shockingly enough to me, I went over 75 mph! I couldn't help but giggle when the wind rushed over me so fast. I got to wave to other bikers, I really love that comradeship. People just don't do that in cars in large cities. It's like our own little community.

And then in a funny twist later in the night I had a scattered few bugs streak across the shield on my helmet the further I got out of town. Ha, somehow I feel official.

My Bike has Booty!

Yeah! My custom moto seat came in on Friday, C installed it on Saturday...my lil' toocass is happy.

On a more comical note we are getting our girl biker "gang" together and are trying to think of name. One gal wants to combine two unlikely words like: Cinnamon Jade...I told her we would sound like strippers. ...Cinnamon Pineapple was the next suggestion. I can't help thinking back to E recommending Buffer Overflow for something...maybe it was referencing what her band name should be...

I don't know, what would be funny and odd for a name?

Our Anniversary

Today we turn five
Love grows exponentially
Our lives...very blessed


Happy Anniversary my love, I look forward to our years yet to come!

Potato, potato, potato, potato...

Potato, potato, potato, potato...this is how Curtis answered his phone today when I called.

His explanation: that's how a Harley sounds. So accurate, so funny...I so love this man. He still makes me laugh and coo after 7-years of being together.

And hell, with spoiling like this...I can say: I swoon! The photo is my actual moto...isn't she beautiful?!??

Hello, my name is Spoiled.

As Curtis puts it...I have ALL the "New Hotness." So after 5-years of being his sugar mamma, looks like it does pay off. -- Big time. -- Already noting the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe just a few months ago.

I am the rockingly, proud, glowing owner of a 2007 Sportster with 28 miles...and that includes my test drive. Oh hells yeah!

My custom seat will be installed...the real photos will come shortly.

650 is actual size: puny

I found an ad for a Suzuki Savage and it sounds like the perfect starter motorcycle. I went to go see it tonight with check in hand. I had the riding itch this weekend and am fully looking forward to my own bike. Mid-range cc's...650 is enough to GO! --but not entirely enough get myself killed if it rocketed it out from under me. This one seemed light enough and had a low seat height so that I could keep proper control. Even the paint seemed to be a sweet looking pearl gray from the ad's photo--I really hoped this could be the one.

Damn. We pulled up to the house and there it sat in the driveway--lonely and small. It looked spindly and short and...blue. Ick. It was nothing I expected to see, I was prodded to ride it from the female owner and I am glad I did. Around the block I let the cool, October Arizona air curl around me and I knew that I could handle more and wanted more. I would outgrow this starter bike much too quickly. She claimed it could keep up with the "big boy bikes"--Curtis made the fair point that probably could, it would just require me to use the gas more (damn the truth stings). When I returned I let her know my reservations, the time line I had in mind and still took a bid at the bike if I wanted to come back to it. You see the price is ideal, but it is probably best to spend just a bit more up front and get something that will last me for years. We will keep looking through the week. On an eventual---much later note, I will also learn to use the throttle to its full potential. RAAAARWR!

[giggle] Plus, in reading Curtis' last post...he would not be caught dead on this little Mini-Cooper of the bike world. Think the equivalent of him being on a kiddies Razor motorcycle with his knees up to his ears...exaggeration, yes. Funny, also yes.

The search continues --on a budget.

Endorsements: M Motorcycle

I am so proud that the back of my license has that extra little endorsement. I have a greater respect for those who ride too. No longer am I a passenger in life -- I can make this thrill on my own and cross another item off my life's to-do list.

I grew up in a very tame, motorcycle-hobbiest family. My Grandpa was infamous for taking cross country trips or just visiting us at the house smelling of motorcycle fumes because he toted around all day on his Honda Goldwing. You could hear him coming up to the house from a mile away because he had a cassette tape blaring from his luxury bike. He normally played Lawrence Welk's greatest hits or some other roaring 20's tune as it prematurely announced his arrival (no door bell required). When he was just over 80 years old he "scaled back" selling his 2 touring bikes and went back to a traditional Suzuki cruiser (still with plenty of kick).

Dad always had some Suzuki that he would tote us girls on the back and take a morning zip somewhere in town. Long after my sister became "too old" to be seen on my Dad's passenger seat, I was his little tomboy tried and true. I was never a morning person, he'd wake up hours before I was ready. However, once awake he would ask and I was always game. I threw on my cherry red 3/4 helmet and would wait for him to tell me I could boost myself up onto the back peg and kick my leg over the seat. I would then twist my little hands into some death grip on the waist of Dad's jean jacket and anxiously wait for the thrill of the ride. He would motor it out north onto the long stretch of Stockton Hill Road or he took the trek out to the airport so we could see the model planes fly. I used to love to hang around with him in the garage too. Just putzing around or working on the cars handing him tools. Following him so close at times that he would pivot around to get something behind him and I'd get clocked in the head with his elbow. I was his little shadow.

Perhaps you would not be able to tell now as I, Ms Priss, carry my designer Coach bag and tote around in my business suits on my high heels...but really that is just for work. I was at the DMV today reflecting how life got to this point. I saw a gruff motorcycle chick complete with black rally t-shirt, tattered jeans, helmet bag strapped to her back and riding boots getting plates for her bike. I imagined telling her that I was here getting my motorcycle license and then her laughing at me in disbelief. Doing the Rider's Edge course slapped me back to my country roots and gave me some confidence back about the simple pleasures in life. I am getting too wrapped up in the city image and I disgust myself. I don't need a bigger house, I don't need to get my hair constantly restyled, there are a lot of extras on my plate and it's just not worth it. What's wrong with running out of the house with no make up on and just going out to play. Nothing. Nothing is wrong with that, what ever could I be trying to prove either way?!? It just isn't as fun as the pure thrill of life.

I can't wait to be a little reckless and get out on the open road with just me and my totally bad ass motorcycle. Yeah, I want to get to that level of cool.

Airport Funk

Dear readers, I bring you not airport funk! That is probably the most positive reflection on all the oddities of the past week. And I am most grateful that I did not bring a cold/flu to the homes of the kiddos that if visited this holiday weekend. I would have felt really bad had I gotten 2 toddlers sick. I have instead been all a-skew with a traditional sinus infection (which I always get) that makes my head feel like an echo-y bucket of sludge. Now enhanced with complications from flying in the plane which also gives me a nice ear infection that has me dizzy. Yeah, that's where I am at this week.

Last Thursday I locked myself out of my home on my way to work. Thankfully before I twisted the lock behind me in the garage I did have my purse with cell phone. I didn't get myself back into the house because we have it locked up like Ft. Knox and the only way I could have retrieved my car keys is if I broke a window. Which was not a viable solution and a rather nice testament to our security. So a co-worker who lives relatively close picked me up for work and saved me.

Curtis (my DH) had his birthday on Saturday at Tour de Fat in Ft. Collins, CO and we spent the whole weekend with wonderful friends and visited family. It is rather nice that we both have holiday weekend birthdays (mini-3-day vacations), mine ushers in Summer on Memorial Day and his sends it out with Labor Day. We also came back to a special treat from his Dad who sent us fresh, live lobsters...eeep! Meet Fred & George (think Harry Potter and the final fate of a boiling pot of water).

Wag more. Bark less.

A bit of a kooky message, yet with a good innocence behind it. I see funny things all the time on my commute around town. In Scottsdale I saw a pristine woman in her white jogging suit having her dog walk her along the sidewalk. Now I said walk her, not drag. In his mouth he held the leash that was also clipped to his collar and kept turning back with his happy little trot to make sure his human was following. Then when I ran an errand in Paradise Valley, a lawn trailer passed me on Tatum...that was being pulled my a chromed out Hummer! Um, yeah--I blinked a few more times to make sure I saw that right.

It is the road-ragers that I have no respect towards. Great example was last week in my morning commute. I had to switch lanes for a city truck that was blocking off the curbside lane. I signaled, made sure I had room and changed lanes. As I pass the workers, I look into my rear view mirror to change back to the curbside lane, I see the Dodge Dakota still there and now with a very angry man flipping me off, repeatedly. Sheesh, I really did not cut you off mister! [shrug it off and switched back to the curbside lane] Angry, irrational, middle age man comes tearing up to the side of my car where he proceeds to swerve toward me, leans over his passenger so that he can ride along side of me and continues to shove his middle finger forcefully up in the air to tell me "what for"...the what for I don't understand and am not going to get in a pissing match with this guy. Instead I answer with my own brand of sarcasm --throw him a kiss and shrug my shoulders. .

...Damn, I really am going to get shot one of these days on the road!

Kinda like WebMD

Simple nature of being, the hubby and I are just content sitting in the same room together even if we aren't talking. Last night as we clicked along on our separate keyboards in the computer room, checking our separate emails and looking at totally opposite web pages. Think Hello Kitty on one screen and a technically-laden, engineer jargon filling the other monitors on his desk to get an accurate contrast of our lives. Then, in came Lenny clapping his jaw together, wagging his tail and getting down in the play position with furry booty sticking up in the air. He wanted to play fetch (or his version of you throw it...there is no retrieving really involved).

I returned to the office, dog thoroughly tired, swiveled back into my seat and went back to typing. There was a moment of pause in talking about our network connection and then I realized we have a lot of separate things. Email accounts, bank accounts, hobbies, etc...hrmph, was really the summation of that thought when I said it out loud. And then we really self-diagnosed ourselves as if we were on WebMD for relationships...that, hm...yup...

...we're healthy and very thankfully still happy being together doing anything. And still both bringing new ideas and dreams to the table.

Comfortable in my own skin

Lately I have been interacting or observing younger people in my daily life. Man they are fidgety! For what exact reasons they flail and shift their weight from one foot to another--I don't know. I will tell you it is a parallel universe to try and have a conversation with a nervous talker.

The opinion is there, but they are afraid to voice it. The tone is shaky and full of pauses. They look for approval from a voice they don't know. Hair is pushed to and fro, there are glances instead of actual eye contact, there may even be a nibbling of the lip.

Some people say that they wish they could do it all over again, growing up...changing those experiences or just re-living them. For me, oh gawd no. I went through this same awkwardness once and I am glad to be over it!

Now onto the next unknown stage of life...

Haiku

Ode to the workout
Grunt, pull, push, sweat, muscles ache...
Do I look hot yet?

Don't Bite Yourself

It sounds like simple advice to not bite yourself, but what if you can't feel your lips? your cheek? your eye socket?!? Yup folks, I just got back from the dentist's office and I don't think I have chewed on myself this morning, but one can only tell after the sensation returns. My metabolism complicates things at the DDS since I process the shots/numbing agents so quickly. Today, like any other filling session--I had to have a double round of shots as we started to get through the procedure.

Not being able to control your own face is just plain weird. Why do people voluntarily get Botox?!? You can't control your expressions and that totally goes against nature, plus it lasts for more than a just few hours. I look like I am 1/2 scowling because I cannot control the right side of my mouth and the left cheek is puckering in (I think). If I stick a cold glass of water up to my face I can feel pressure, but not the coldness of the cup that I can feel in my hand--creepy! Talking is also very cumbersome and this is where I fear I may go against the good dentist's advice and accidentally give myself a little nibble.

Weekend Warp

This weekend started out with Pizzeria Bianco on Friday night, yum. Our friends got there early to get our names on the list for a table...and miracles of all miracles...it was a "short" 2-hour wait and we ate in the daylight hour of 6:30P (weird). Normally we wait till 9:30, 10PM--and it is worth it. It is a small restaurant in Downtown Phoenix's Heritage Square that seats maybe 45 people and there is a whole other cottage next door that serves as the waiting area/bar. I don't know if you know who Chris Bianco is...but he is kinda a big deal. Google him, trust Food & Wine or go to a best pizza ever website, he will be on there. All factors contribute to the wait for these wood fired slices of wonderful that he makes. So good that when you eat the magical combinations of meat and cheese, you can't help but make some sort of sexual moan. Yeah, that good.

Saturday I think my other set of friends tricked me. They dropped off their adorable 5 month old baby boy who's cry is only the equivalent of what some kids use as a warm up vocal sequence. He didn't give me a poopy diaper, just giggles and snuggles. So I am in love and again feeling "guilty" for waiting to have kids.

Japan. Sushi. You best be worth the wait!

Nom, nom, nom

So I have been a ravenous eater and trying to load my face with only good stuffz...it doesn't always work, there are moments of discretion. For example we went to Lake Pleasant this weekend and had jet ski rentals. Totally a kick ass time, Curtis' co-workers are great and it was just an overall awesome time. My sit bones are bruised and my sodium intake consisted of 3 hot dogs! We will just deem that as protein and sodium replacement.

Let me share the good moments; I went to the gym all last week even though my gym rat buddy was gone. I lost another pound, acquired some compliments and today had a fun ol' time noshing all day.

• Breakfast - Pumpkin Raisin Flax Seed Cereal with Soy Milk
• Snack - 15 raw almonds (equates to a 100 calorie snack)
• Lunch - delicious green mix side salad and Japanese eggplant/red pepper/zucchini/artichoke sandwich on toasted wheat from Taylor's Cafe
• Snack - 15 whole wheat, Wheat Thins
• Dinner - Wing it/Recipe time
  - Side salad with carrots/no dressing
  - Steamed zucchini and yellow squash topped with fresh Parmesan and Toni's Creole Seasoning with the main dish being
  - Pan cooked pork stuffed with sliced red apples/seasoned with thyme and pepper

nom, nom, nom....I am always so happy after the gym! Tonight was cardio/warm up of 10 minutes and 50 more of Pilates!

Oh yes and don't forget the fun of pairing this with a glass of Chardonnay!

Make a Hot Date for Tonight!

Today is National Cheesecake Day! It may very well be a bunch of marketing hoo-haw from The Cheesecake Factory, but it gets me 1/2 off of any slice of cheesecake when you dine in. So I made a hot date with my husband.

I think I will try the new red velvet...the company is actually donating 25 cents from every slice sold (of this variety) to the charity Feeding America. I wanted to bring awareness to their cause and this was totally YUM-O.

Body Non-Fat

Okay, so maybe my last post gave some of my wonderful readers the wrong impression. It's not what the scale says to me, but how my clothes fit...and really how great I look with or without them. In addition this all goes back to my first meeting with the trainer when I said I want to just "be healthy."

I am proud to update you that my original pinch and measure tests at the gym started me off at 37% body fat. Yikes! After 3 months of the gym and the accuracy of an electronic pulse being sent through my body, the digital reading comes back 25.7% --now doesn't that sound much healthier?!?

Karate Chop to the Lung

3 hours after my session with the personal trainer my lung is still confused. Just one lung. Yes, the one that was deflated from my scoliosis surgery so long ago that is should no longer be an excuse, yes the left one. It is less of a "runner's high" and more of a runner's hi-YAH! ...like a strategically healthy move that has left my body confused.

That same hour containing; treadmill jog/run, squats, push up, sit-up, lunges with weights, agility, and proving my lack of coordination circuit training. [whew] I must have been scowling at him the whole time, cause he kept asking me if I hated him. Nope, nothing personal...just as you kicking my arse is something I am asking you to do. (Dumb ass me).

I really think my issue with today was that the NutriMirror program (after only 2 weeks) said that with the way I have been eating that I should be 142 lbs...and well, I'm NOT. Hm, have I ever divulged numbers here before? Well, here's the reality in HS I was all of 110, in college 120, before marriage 127, and with 25-30 lbs/5-years later I hit the brakes. I got to a gym at about 156, started eating right again and hit a wall at 152--hence monitoring my food. I am down to 149, but this dumb online thing is saying I should have dropped 10lbs! That's not healthy in such a short amount of time. So like with every piece of advice someone gives you (ahem me recommending NutriMirror comes to mind), take it as a guideline and not what has to be. I will continue to evaluate what I eat until before Thanksgiving and then I don't think I will continue to catalog my food, it will just be nutrients consumed on a daily basis again.

Boxes

When you move you stress and look for boxes. My co-worker let me know how freaked out she was about moving from an apartment to a house in 2 weeks and I could give her this advice from my college days when I moved every year for a better lease rate. I am not a seasoned mover as evidenced in the current pack rat nature of my home closets and I didn't have the heart to tell her this is the 2nd easiest move of her life. The first is leaving for college when you have nothing and the next chapter of hard knocks is when you leave a house/change states (and I have no clue the turmoil of doing it with children--applause to those of you who have!).

From our email:

I would recommend packing clothes like you are on a 2 week vacation (and if you put it in that frame of mind, it makes it kinda fun). Plan all your clothes out for that time, swim suit included and only keep the sundries out you need. For the hanging clothes, cut a slit in black plastic trash bags (like a dry cleaner’s jumbo bag) and put that over the hangars. Then when it is time to move the clothes you can tie off the bag ends, rubber band the tops and it makes for an easy move-in also.

Kitchen: box the kitchen plates, cups, etc and live off of paper/plastics (hooray for no dishes!). Then, with the cupboard’s dry food/cans, pack it in the last 2-3 days and don’t tape up the boxes till before you move them into the vehicles. While looking at the dry goods, check expiration dates an purge anything past its prime. Try to eat yourself out of house and home, no new grocery trips. If possible eat all of your frozen foods and get/borrow ice chests for the remaining cold goods—after all it is Phoenix and in August no doubt! Everything else besides the computers can be boxed up for the week and you can go without. Make sure to cover monitors with blankets, etc so the LDC screens don't get bump spots.

AND LABEL YOUR BOXES ACCORDING TO ROOMS…that way you can let the boxes move in almost any order and when people carry them in, then they can go to that general location in the new digs. I would also recommend labeling boxes; open first, with quick cheat lists of what is inside, this side up, etc. Now is also a great time to sort/purge/trash – have boxes set up for donate/give away, sort later -which can be a huge time sink while packing, keep boxed (winter clothes) and a trash bag for everything else that needs to be purged.

This weekend I have aspirations to purge/condense things in my home. Paperwork is festering on my desk and I need to re-evaluate the "keepers" in our house.

Music from our ERA

XM is playing 90's on 9 and while I am rocking out on the way to work. What song should come on?

All right!
Stop whatcha doin'
'cause I'm about to ruin
the image and the style that ya used to.

...My name is Humpty, pronounced with a Umpty.
I'm spunky. I like my oatmeal lumpy.

Now I also hope that tune is in your head and keeps your booty boppin' all day.
[raaar-ARah....raaaaaraaarah]

What is it with 28?!?

Yes, that's how old I am as of May. There has been a lot of change, but all good from what I can tell. Hubby has the job, I have one in this economy, the dog is near perfect for us, our home hasn't burnt to the ground (even though it is worth much less in this market's value), we are making new friends...and there has been a lot of luxuries afforded to us.

Yet, I just feel "off" and for the first time am really having it settle in my head that I am getting OLD. Maybe it is because I am suffering through the early stages of a migraine while the barometric pressure goes haywire outside in 110 degree+ weather. Or because my knee is catching, clicking and popping out of place to the point where it makes me falter in my step...and that I now try to counterbalance age with a slew of vitamins. Trips to the gym are mandatory to keep the rest of my body from going south or getting so plump that my jeans have "muffin top." Plus I cut my hair off and I have to ask what was up with that?!? I want change, but damn normally the hair is reserved for extreme circumstances with me. Again, older.

Then there is the random trip out where I get called "mam" at the grocery store [cringe], my ID is not checked near as often when I buy a cocktail, happy hours consist of the newly 21-year-olds and I can't stand to listen to their party/binge stories. They start bragging in an oh-so-chipper voice about how excited they were to puke in a plant this weekend. Uh-oh...it happens, involuntarily my eyes roll back into my head and I drift away from that conversation...blah, blah, black.

The next thing you know I will be asking people to turn the music down and yelling at kids to get off my lawn! Okay, you caught me...I already do those things too. Happy 28th to all who share my pain.

On a Red VW Bug

This morning on the way to work wasn't even aggravating with traffic. My car makes it awesome, comfort and has the added surprise of XM radio. ...Secretly, I still miss my MALI-BUUUUUU!!!!

And then a little red bug zips in front of me and a contrasting yellow bumper sticker reads: "Voldermont Votes Republican" with a little wizard/wand silhouette. HA!

Pinch Me.

Did this weekend really just happen?!?!

The sad: I sadly missed a dear friend's birthday bashes/4th of July celebration in Colorado.

The totally rad: We ended up having a fun, impromptu party at our house. Then, the Great White Sharkey (the Malibu) left the family and was conveniently adopted by the dealer because I got a new 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe of my very own!

I am giddy.

NutriMirror

Hello all, I wanted to get back to giving a quick tip to help in life. I have recently been turned onto a website called NutriMirror. It is a free calorie/nutrition tracker that doesn't give you a diet, it shows you what your current diet is doing to you.

For me this is very informational...or reflective on why I have stayed the same weight. I have set goals on the site and am throwing my full effort into keeping up with this electronic food journal. I have looked at other sites, even though they have a larger catalog of foods...I have just fallen in love with this format. I have been adding my favorite foods and really reading labels now.

I know, I hate to treat my food as a thing--but it is the fuel that drives me. And if you put bad gas in a car, well then weight for that to backfire.
[Did I warn you I am punny?!?]

Reflection

So I didn't make it to my 10-year high school reunion this weekend. Bitter-sweet. I am sure there are people there that I would have liked to seen/catch up with, etc. I really can't think of one particular person that I haven't kept in touch with and knew that they would be there in K-town again. It seems like I would be going there to re-live the past. Which wasn't bad by any stretch, just non-monumental in the present day me.

Perhaps I should promise myself that I will attend the 25-year (if there is one)...imagine all the changes in our lives by that point! Oi!

Now I have built new relationships and networks from college, work, the gym, plus enriched friendships with old friends and then add in Curtis' connections too. I like this here-and-now life and was spending it in the Phoenix area, living that to the fullest. Also, now that there are the social networks of facebook, myspace, blogs, etc...I feel adequately connected to the world around me.

Homemade Bagels

I wanted to take a special moment to honor Bev's HOMEMADE bagels. Yum.

The fresh dough, the boil, the steaming in the oven...the whipped cream cheese, the lox. OMG. Who knew that people still took the time to do this stuff at home...let alone to spoil the people who crashed their house the night after Dj's birthday party.

We have had such great weekends lately. It feels odd because we haven't been at our home, but it doesn't phase us because our friends love our dog Lenny and he has been able to travel with us. And believe it or not, our Greyhound will get in the pool on his own! Grant it, he tries to bite the water jets that tickle his feet and in turn he submerges his whole snout into the water [snort, snarfle, sneeze]. Yeh, smart eh?

Our other friends, on the other side of Phoenix-earth had us out to their pool party/BBQ the weekend before. Holy geeze we got spoiled there too...smoked turkey, RIBS and sausage! Yeah, I think we will keep this rolling road trip party going! ...this weekend it will be a puppy party at our house. We get to have their pups for almost a week and it is always fun to have the new dynamic.

I am hip with the interwebs...

I am currently spoiled enough to now have a brand new phone. It is the Palm Pre and I may just have fallen in love with it. Tom, it may just be time for you to get phone envy (again). I have all the awesomeness that a iPhone can provide without all the BS of dealing with AT&T. 

And I can further be happy with Sprint because I have unlimited texting and way more minutes than we will ever use for the same price...including all of our normal extras of free roaming, insurance, unlimited data, google maps...okay I will stop being an advertisement for Sprint. Long story short, it is a happy tech gadget day for this woman.

Thankful for...

I have been in a bit of a funk and things are running relatively status quo. Still going to the gym, we are still in the same house, I am still at the same job, Lenny is still neurotic and adorable all the same time. Then I have change; friends are moving away to Japan, other friends are visiting Japan and I am longingly wanting my own trip.

Instead of being all gloom and doom (for no apparent reason besides PMS-ing) --I want to focus on the positive and encourage you to do the same in your own lives.

• My family is healthy (core and extended)
• I have wonderful friends (who have great BBQ/pool parties)
• We are DINKs
• Curtis made me dinner last night and helped clean up...its nice to have that extra help and to share in the every day life together

Just remember when you have problems...they may just be "luxury problems." What I mean by this is if your car gets a flat tire and you have a bad day over it. Reverse that thinking to be how it may be inconvenient to have a car issue, however you are very lucky to have the freedom of your own transportation. No public transit, not carpooling, you are still being blessed with the luxury to travel about at your own pace.

Giving Yoga Girls their props.

That class was a lot harder than anticipated, happily non-competitive. I aspire to be as buff and lean as the instructor. Wow.

Paging All Nurses

[blank stares and crickets chirp]

What, us? Oh well, no we aren't nurses...we are simply wiping down our Pilates mats with tea tree oil to keep them sanitary like we did at the old studio. Our fellow classmate had mistaken my work out buddy and me for nurses. I later had it explained to me that us cleaning after every class made us look like persnickety nurses. Eh, I take it as a compliment.

Other happenings at the gym is that my buddy is a trainer magnet. She is such a hottie that trainers want to take credit for her good looks and offer us free training sessions. She lives in the "beautiful bubble" because she is modest and doesn't know this is a perk not everyone gets. Good thing I am along for the ride--today we get to work out with "Tony Hawk" (or at least that is who the trainer looks like to me). I'll let you know how it goes--plus Curtis did his first official day at the gym yesterday. I am so proud of him and he has a pending appointment with T.H. also.

Tip: Here's how not to make friends at the gym...snake 3 elliptical machines at one time. That's what my buddy did, right in front of 2 other girls approaching--it is like the Seinfeld of saving movie seats. We got there just quick moments after and we loved her for it...but damn, I saw the glare she got for popping her towel, water bottle and whole self onto the 3 machines. It still makes me laugh!

In General

No military secrecy on confidential Marine projects like in the past. That all I could find out about is how Scotty has another new hobby and pilots broke more gear in more stupid ways than Curtis thought was originally possible. Now I can ask: 'How was your day?' --And then proceed to get a clear, general, real answer. So for once C can tell me about what he is working on and I love to truly hear about his day.

It is a larger company he works for and they have to pay for coffee, so my solution is that I bought him a 5-cup coffee maker since we didn't find a policy of no hot plates at your desk. The following is what ensued per email update:

The coffee maker has turned into a nightmare. Apparently there was a policy change a while ago. I have to open a facilities request to check the plug I want to plug the coffee maker into to make sure it is approved for small appliances. Then I have to get an equipment tag for the coffee maker so security knows the equipment is allowed on the premises. At this point I can't even bring it into the building. Once I get all that the coffee maker can't sit in my cube, it will have to sit at the end of the cubes where the fridge and microwave are (the only electrical outlet "rated" for small appliances).

So he can tell me how his day went, but he can't walk into the building with a coffee maker. Does anyone else find this funny too?!?!?

Aloha!

I full-heartedly went on vacation and am barely back to normal life statuses. If I continue to wait and post a summary of our vacation, then you will never hear from me again. The best I can do is direct you to my flick'r page where there are over 690 photos/videos. You will get a good idea of our trip and feel free to ask me questions about it. We spent 4 days on the volcano side in a wonderful B&B (living next door to "Wallace & Gromit"), hiking, driving, exploring and visiting with some local connections were were put into touch with [see C's blog]. The last 3 days were blissfuly spent at a Waikoloa-Kona resort where we pampered ourselves, played, read, snorkled and just had a really relaxing vacation together.

Now we want a Jeep since we fully enjoyed putting over 800 miles on our rental. It is a wonderful combination of convertible and 4-wheel drive...rockin' awesome. Also a revision on our life's to-do list is kids; hell...when it happens, it happens. Until then, we are looking forward to being DINKs for once in our marriage. Pamper ourselves a bit more. On my wish list is a stamp in my passport--my goal is Japan.

Gone Fishin'

Hm, perhaps I should have posted that sign weeks ago when I went on vacation. I will post again soon and then you will know my brain is done with the vacation.

Drum Roll Please

I cut off all my hair. Kudos to my stylist, it is gorgeous...she gave me a rockin' cut to work!

Testing mobile Blogger before Hawaii!

Excitement...

Curtis graduates college officially tonight...I couldn't be more proud of him. I am excited for the immediate ceremony, parties, family/friends in town and will post photos soon.

The future is starting to feel like that moment right before you go down the steepest slope on the rollercoaster. You can see what is ahead of you, scared for what is to come, but now your at the point you have been waiting for and the future will fly by before we know it. Even though I am anxious to see what happens, I crave the THRILL!

Shopping Online Should Be Illegal...for me

Taking lunches has been getting me in trouble this week. I sat at my desk today and started looking at Craig's List to help a friend find a puppy for her mother.

Well hell if I didn't make a wish list 20-miles long! Found a cute puppy, then a motorcycle, then another comprable bike, then a free section (wow people are awesome). a SUV for me, a truck for my husband...oh yeah, you get the idea and the scope of my browsing?!? Good thing this isn't a traditional website with a shopping cart feature!

Don't fear hubby, this is a combination of wishful thinking, a dream list and it helps me get an idea of what we can really do for the next vehicle.

Waldorf

I am proud to report I have been going to the gym 4x a week doing 1-hour long classes and 2x a week doing at least a 1/2 hour of cardio after that!

May is going by in a blur and I wanted to share a fresh, fast and easy salad --another twist on the Waldorf Salad:

Lettuce of choice - topped with...
1/3-1/2 Can of Costco/Kirkland Chicken
1T Mayo or substitute Plain Yogurt
Celery - diced
Apples - diced
Walnuts - chopped
or a favorite substitute for apples are Craisins or Red Grapes
* Mix/Toss, enjoy!

ta-da a nice summer salad

Thank you to my guardian angel...

I didn't bring a lunch in today, so I went to the nearest drive thru (Taco Bell = bad girl). I wanted to return to work quickly, but was in no maniacal rush. As I was leaving the plaza, I tracked a car who went into the right turn lane, thought it was clear and proceeded to inch forward to merge into traffic. WOOSH! A stream of red whizzed past my front windshield and missed my front fender by inches to spare as I doubled in on my break. I barely missed putting myself and that red car in harms way. I feel really bad about that, my adrenaline is still going.

There are lots of close calls in Phoenix all the time, that is the nature of traffic in a big city. This one just made me feel like I had an extra bit of help to avoid a close call. Sorry your wings are tired guardian angel...but look what happened to my finger when you took a vacation last time!

Surprising Source

Do you get Charlie-horses? I used to get leg cramps during Pilates because of lack of hydration or potassium. During a typical day I fill up my water bottle twice, giving me more than the recommended 64-ounces of water.

Let’s attack potassium consumption which is mutually beneficial to hydration. Somehow, I am not a fan of bananas because they seem too sweet to me and are normally larger than I care to eat. A shocking source was dried plums--prunes are a sweet treat to me and can be portioned more conveniently. To prevent boredom and to have a balanced diet, get your nutrition out of a variety of sources. Gotta love this chart

Quick Facts...
by J. Anderson, L. Young and E. Long

• A diet low in potassium and high in sodium may be one of the factors that leads to high blood pressure.
• Eating equal amounts of sodium and potassium is recommended.
• Athletes involved in hard exercise may require larger quantities of potassium-rich foods.
• Potassium is found in meats, milk, fruits and vegetables.

Favorite 4

Here are my favorite four things from Tuesday:

1. Waking up on time and rested
2. Coffee - shocking the Starbucks guy with my favorite order of brewed coffee with a shot of espresso (AND getting it for free since I have gift cards)
3. Having a job—bonus of a coworker who is a huge help
4. Coming home to a loving husband who can give me a hug and allow the full stress of the day to melt away

Eat to Live, Don't Live to Eat

As I delve into the world of fitness there is a lot of conflicting diet advice. Two things that I will just ignore and go down my normal path are from the trainers. Really...a diet of 60/20/20?!? High carbs/starch, moderate protein and veggies/fruit--I think not. My doctor has actually told me flat out: no. Go for lots of veggies, high protein, have fruit and moderate carbs. That is happily realistic for me.

Second, the aforementioned protein shake. I am choosing not to implement it unless I go into heavier weight training. I had a cookies & cream variety recommended to me and it sounded delicious. However I see this as a dessert supplement (an extra) and overall the shakes are a meal replacement in my mind. And frankly--I like real, solid food.

I want it the natural way, throw it on the BBQ, fry pan, pot, slow cooker, steamer or wok.
In closing, here is a kk protein solution:

Fried Tofu & Somen Noodles

• 1 pkg - Tofu, very firm
• Somen Noodles
• Dashi no moto (can be found in Asian food isle of grocery store)
  
• Veggies that you love
  (broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, bean sprouts, snap peas, shredded cabbage, etc that work well for you & in combination)
• 2T Olive oil
• 1-3 Cloves of Garlic (or to taste)
• 2-3T Soy Sauce
  
• Ginger (optional)
• Sesame Seeds/Green Onions - optional garnish/flavor

Start hot water for dashi no moto stock (follow package), dissolve seasoning--bring to a boil. Add somen noodles in a strainer pot - Note they only take 3 minutes to cook. Remove noodles from broth and run cold water over them in strainer--you can add ice cubes to fully cool. It is the traditional way to eat them or you can serve hot on day #1 --if you have leftover noodles see below.

Heat fry pan or wok. Add olive oil and chopped garlic, saute. For frying tofu: (A) Fry Pan version-cut tofu laterally to the table so you have 2 large squares to do the initial hard fry & cube after main squares are golden brown (GB) on both sides. (B) If you have a wok, cube that tofu and throw it in & toss till GB. Add soy sauce to glaze the tofu (it will caramelize just bit--yum). Add veggies cook till tender.

Add broth and noodles into bowls. Put your stir fried toppings over the noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion if desired.

Substitutes or alternative dishes:

• Noodles - wheat noodles, American-Angel Hair pasta or udon noodles (thick Japanese noodles/serve hot)
• The somen are really best for a cool summer dish - see alternative toppers or 2nd day cold noodle meals (note store noodles separate from broth)
  
• Alternative toppings
  Cold somen noodles are great the next day with; Chopped/boiled ham (you can use the lunch meat type)-or-bacon/chicken, turkey, fish cake, etc if you want meat, cucumbers sliced into thin sticks/jullian-appx 1" long, carrot circles, tomato chunks, green onions, sesame seeds, shredded cheddar cheese, spinach are some of my faves. The beauty of this dish is you can do anything radishes, etc--this is flexible to your taste.
  
• Dashi no Moto /Substitute: Store bought fish stock (extremely diluted)
  Or beef/chicken broth if a little fish scares you
• Vegetarian broth?!? Perhaps a miso soup base.
  Or not tested: a very weak soy sauce and tahini broth?!? You may be on your own-sorry
• Dashi made from scratch (with a shitake based vegetarian alternative)
  
• Ginger - can use a small amount of powdered, for fresh -grate it or put a few peeled sticks in for flavor/remove before serving unless you love ginger and want that big bite
• Spice it up with chili paste or wasabi
  

...get your chop sticks and dig in--Itadakimasu!

Nourished

I feel rockin' awesome. My mind is nourished, I am loving learning more about how to get myself back to a healthy condition. And the workout with a different personal trainer tonight was just what I needed. I may be sore tomorrow, but like a sadist...I will love it. My body feels nourished and I am on a runner's high! I love working out.

Curds and Whey

...mostly about whey protein. My meat-head, well meaning physical trainer (2 free sessions with membership) was pushing product on me after my Monday work out. Dude-r gave me 2 scoops of Chocolate Whey Protein Enhanced Super Booster Pharmaceutical Grade Non-Stop Adjective Healthy-for-You, Bulk-up-your-buff-self shake. Told me the sales pitch drivel the company taught him, told me there wasn't milk product in this (hello, whey as in the by-product of cheese, the source of cheese being milk--tsk, tsk) and must have given me his normal serving cause the directions say 1 scoop to 8 oz of water. Finally, he looked like I insulted his whole family when I said I didn't have a magical shaker to mix and drink my wonder shake out of.

I have entered a whole new world.

Hoo-RAH Toesies!

For the first time in my life, I joined an honest to goodness pay-per-month GYM. In the past I played tennis, ran the track for fun, did activities at the ASU SRC, but the free-weight section always intimidated me with all the meat-heads looming about and talking about their protein shakes. I am more of a class junkie because in college I took a step class and that instructor kicked my arse harder than I ever would have pushed myself. This still holds true at the new GYM and I choose it for its wide variety of classes and locations.

I am on a mission to get fit. Joined Saturday and went to an interval/cardio weight training class ½ hour after finishing my paperwork. Whoa, talk about getting up a good sweat! It was an hour of move-it-and-lose-it routines. Step, weights, crunches, stretches jumping jacks. Sunday I had the additional motivation of a work-out partner from my old Pilates studio. We tried Into Yoga from 10-11A, then rode stationary bikes for 20 minutes, and right back into the next class at 11:30A-12:30P for Pilates.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. ‘Cause at first you looked at this old dude who was going to be our instructor and thought…you’re teaching the class?!? I chatted him up before the other students arrived and saw that on his right arm he had a faded tattoo that read U-S-M-C
…uh, oh—that’s when I knew this could be trouble and he is one buff old dude! He was a mix of a happy grandpa and that guy from mail call (R. Lee Ermey). His voice had THAT military cadence that sounded off when he told us front & center, ver-te-bRA ....and then there was throwing us a loop when we were told to reach down to the ground and touch our little toes-ies.

Before and After (of sorts)

When I started my blog I wanted to give helpful tips and recipes. Now it is time to hold up that end of the bargain. And if you would like exact measurements for future recipes, then I will post going forward—write me if you need those now. My twist on this is what I ate before the diet revamp and what I am striving for now:

Before:
Proves the point that just because it is homemade, doesn’t mean it is good for you…

Chicken-Fried Pork Chops
Take Cayenne pepper, egg and water for the dredge—scramble in a bowl
Breading/Batter - Mix flour and corn starch (2:1 ratio)
Appx 1 lb of ¼ cut pork chops
--> Using tongs, dip pork into the egg, then the flour/batter and then allow to rest on a wire rack (so your flour does not cloud and burn in your fry pan of heated oil). In the fry pan of vegetable or canola oil and cook pork till golden brown and pork is at the proper internal temperature


After:
I was actually in the mood for this dish!

Caprese Salad
Core a vine ripened tomato, cut into disk/round slices. Plate with an alternating pattern tomato and sliced/fresh mozzarella, sprinkle with fresh basil leaves torn/cut into thin strips, season with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste), and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Pilates no more...

It is a sad day, my Pilates studio will close for sure. Today was my last class.

[sigh]

I am looking for other studios, but most want to do some "Yoga-laties" fusion (and yes that is what they are calling it). I'm up for trying the next trend of HOT yoga...tell ya how it goes when I get there.

Shoot the Gap!

It's always the little things in life that make me the happiest. Great example is tonight, a cheap thrill....as we approached my friend's gated apartment complex the gate started to creep shut. SHOOT THE GAP! No "clicker" necessary, I punched it and had a giddy little laugh over that simple rush. Sharky (my car) made it, no harm done.

Now mind you, it doesn't even have to be dangerous. Tonight has me recalling what we used to do as a family in my podunk town; taking the rickety old Dodge down Roosevelt Street. My sister and I would sit in the very back bench seat of the van...and my dad would speed up as we approached the dip of the wash. [woosh*flip*zoom] And then we would giggle profusely as our tummies turned like we had just been on a rollercoaster. Perhaps my parents enjoyed the laughter, the anticipation...or maybe they had the same simple fun we did of the moment.

In my own family of 2, the moments can be just as precious. Last night we booked the flight for our Hawaiian vacation. YEAH!!! And then we went out of routine --ignored the chores, the TV shows, computer time or anything else. We put eachother first. Curtis and I just laid on top of the covers talking and laughing...laughing so hard he had me crying. I am still in euphoria.

The Wagon

Wow, I fell off the diet wagon and lost site of it somewhere last Saturday. Between guests, eating out and birthday parties, complete with cake...I can say hello to the returning few pounds that I lost.

I am not doing anything extreme, just the South Beach Diet. It is mostly low-carb, whole grain diet that tells you if you are hungry on this diet--then you are doing it wrong. I equate the menu of plentiful veggies, nuts, cheese, lean meat and added fruit with the monitored starches as a wake up call telling me: why don't you just eat right dummy! The first 2 weeks are extreme to jump start your system and to rid the sugar cravings. You cut out sugar (Splenda allowed), fruit, bread/starches and all booze. Last year I lost 7 and gained muscle doing Pilates classes 4x a week. This year I have taken away 6 of the 7 I put back on from last year...with the Pilates studio closing in a few weeks I have a whole new routine to seek out.

No excuses, because now I have a whole new motivation: The husband and I are going to Hawaii (eep, bikinis) and there is a girls trip scheduled for May in Vegas!

In the Bank

Crazy how it is already Thursday or that it is March of 2009! ...Or the plain and simple fact that time goes by so fast. Some days you wish time to pass so quickly. Then one day you stop and ask--where did the time go?!?

My motto tends to be if you don't laugh, your gonna cry. Traditionally you should shake off the stress of life. In the scheme of things, there is no point to get yourself wound. Chances are high that same problem won't amount to much tomorrow. It is easy to get wrapped up, to get yourself wound up and focused on the negative. You need to care...to have a purpose. Just remember to take a mental health day here and there. Cuddle up to your loved ones and fill the bank with love.

My Mind's Eye

This weekend composed of a dinner party at our house, a party-party at a friend's and the Renaissance Festival out in way-east Phoenix/AJ. Throughout that time we each found out in varying forms that being older and drinking--it just doesn't mix as well anymore. The recovery period actually exists, the next day is hell and you may even have a 2nd day of a regretful hangover. They say getting old is hell--I think I have found the road map for getting there. My plan is to stop at a Circle K and ask better directions in the road of life. My birthday is only 2 months away and I would like to put off some more the inevitable signs of age. I am excited--I will be 28 and my life has been good. I am very thankful for the great friends and the family in my life.

On Saturday we played "bocci bags" with varied teams for a full on competition with full bracket tracking. Almost like a March Madness competition for bocci bags! Not only a new experience, but a fun one too! It is a mix between horseshoes and bocci ball where you throw the bags onto a board with an incline and try to sink it through the hole (like you would throw a ringer around the horseshoe stake) and you get points for landing (and staying) on the board. I can't wait till we are this cool and can play at our house in something besides dirt. The hope is that we can do fun activities outside while the weather is so nice. Maybe when we re-landscape and get grass in the backyard and change up some of the plants. We have some lofty future goals for our home. Currently our yard is composed of 40% dirt, 40% oleander shrubs/towers and 19% thorned bushes/trees/scrub oak and 1% Lenny land mines.

Sunday was a departure from the norm and we explored the Renaissance Festival. Not big into buying trinkets, but focused on the shows and food. First order of the day was a turkey leg. And the faire did not disappoint, it was smoked well and had all the meaty goodness I was craving. Curtis got picked to go out on stage for a show, no shock since he is 6'4" and even sitting in an audience he is easy to pick out from a crowd. The details I will leave for him to explain, but I was laughing so hard I was practically howling! Beyond that we walked around, admired the blown glass vases done right there at the faire..and did some awe-inspiring people watching! It was just a nice day to walk around and the dust/wind didn't kick up till the late afternoon. I am still blowing the dirt out of my nose and trying to poke some of the images out of my mind's eye...but will have recovered in time for the 2011 Renaissance Festival.

Green Light

Okay, no shock that I have a baby time line in my head and am being overly cautious with my spine. Today was my last prenatal planning session--this one with the Obstetrician for when the time comes and I decide to go off the pill in the near-ish future. He sent me home with a whole slew of prenatal vitamins to try. --Disclaimer: Let me first commend E before I get into my rant. She is a smart lady and told me about Rainbow Light Prenatal One --it has the best stats and is a normal green color like the veggies/nutrients it was made from.

Being in marketing I can't help but analyze the packaging. Look at these happy babies with graduate caps on...see, if you take this vitamin you will have smart kids. Riiiiiight, trust the cardboard. Then, upper left bugs me the most because of the cheeze-mo tagline "Babies Blossom with Tandem DHA." Really, really?!? Now did you read that with a lilt voice to mock the box too?

Moving on, the doc told me some of his other patients like the PreferaOB for the size of the pill. So now that I am home, I started opening the boxes and analyzing the nutrition charts. Looking at the unusual purple color of that pill, the smart combo packs that have an Omega -3 booster with a heart imprinted on the neon yellow pill. [yawn] Next, the obnoxiously pink packaging and...and then, all my cynicism stopped me in my tracks when I came across this one:

Perhaps you can't get my horror from just this photo. /\ Do you see this teal blue one right here, PrenateDHA. Yeah, I gathered all boxes and ran into where C was reading. Holly crap, will you look at this thing?!? It looks like a suppository! The damn thing is 3x the size of any other one, it is gianormous!

C's famous line of the night went something like this: Maybe it is like those pills you submerge in water and you get a dinosaur towel, only with this one you get a baby. And then we both started laughing.

Spring Sunshine

These make my mouth water. In the good way, not the puckering, jaw tightening pucker your mouth. You see, I love lemons and use to eat them from my grandma's tree when I was little. This is only one of the fond memories of San Diego I have growing up.

Don't these lemons look wonderful? Now they are from my own backyard and even though I picked them a few weeks ago I wanted to share the photo. I am quite proud of them. Just a wonderfully bright spring color...ahh here comes the sun! :)

I'll have a serving of irony....

Horoscopes...love them hate them, let them be your daily joke about yourself. Afterall, I have a severe case of baby-fever:

March 12, 2009
Gemini (5/21-6/21)
Your life is falling neatly into two categories -- fulfilling and not fulfilling. You'll be tempted to only pay attention to the more fulfilling tasks and projects, but that isn't a good long term strategy. Eventually you will have to deal with the rest of it, so aim for balance and work through this duality by alternating your attentions. Don't become too focused on one person or one idea. Spread your energy around. There are positives on both sides that you might not be seeing right now.
(from Y! horoscopes)

What is most important to you?

If you would have asked me that question before last Wednesday I could have told you my morning coffee, a hot shower or being held in that snuggly place in the crook of Curtis' arm. Today I state emphatically--my health. Nothing like a scare to bring you back down to what is important. Without your health you have nothing, then once that is in check you can proceed with the other life necessities.

Back in 2000 I had major spinal surgery for my 46 degree C-curve scoliosis. Now 9-years later I went for a general follow up to make sure all that titanium was holding tight and I could have a green light for the baby planning (let me be clear family and friends---Planning, NOT currently prego). Another doctor in the practice evaluated my x-ray did one of those "u-u-u-uh?!!!"-s, skirted my direct questions, and would only tell me that any course of action he would recommend at this point would interfere with having children.[gasp!]

Well, I evidently was not wearing my big girl pants that day cause I lost all dignity and started sobbing in the exam room. Further breakdowns followed out in my car, on the ride home, when I came home (scaring the crap out of my husband who thought someone had died after seeing my red face/tear soaked cheeks) and then again the next morning when I realized work seemed ridiculously pointless in the scheme of things. My mind whirled through the last aftermath of my surgery, having to be a blob in bed, losing months of cognitive memory/activities rendered null because my body was healing, relying on others for virtually everything, and having to swallow my pride as a teenager and ask my mom to help me do everything including the private moment of taking shower. My mind whirled through scenarios, could my mom travel down to Phoenix and help me again? Could we afford in-home nursing if she couldn't? Would my insurance have half a prayer of covering a hefty portion of the cost?!? Oh and my type-A personality timeline...that throws that baby planning way off the chart!

Four days went by with no news, no call back on Friday and I decided that unless it caused eminent death I would still attempt a child this summer. Then, that doc conferred with my original doc and my x-rays and decided on Monday....nah, just joking...nothing much had changed to warrant another surgery. Damn it if I shouldn't have been happy, but I was mad. And I should be, specifically at myself because I freaked out--doing all the what-if's since I just didn't know where to take those original careful comments in the exam room. So gleefully all is well and I have had time to process. I still have the risk of slipping a disk while pregnant ‘cause I am fairly rigid and I hear that back labor is a bitch. Onward timeline!

Meet Lenny

In a previous post I mentioned that I have a dog...a retired athlete to be more specific. Lenny is a greyhound that ran the dog track till he was almost 4 years old. Which is longer than most other pups-- and yes, I'm bragging about what I didn't do.

For the last two years he has been living the happy life of retirement with me and my husband. Lenny was retired from the track simply because he slowed down. And now there are multiple organizations dedicated to finding homes for these great dogs. We found Lenny through Arizona Adopt A Greyhound.

I couldn't advocate a better kind of family member. He is lovable, clean and goofy. And did I mention lazy?!? Normally people guess that he is some hyper, high-maintenance mess. Not true. He is a 45 mph couch potato. Lazy as all-of-get-up except before his routine feeding times, when we play fetch/chase and the weekly dog park treks that we do just for him.

Our pup is the best of both worlds. Curtis (my husband) wanted a mastiff...no to the massive size and drool, not to mention the hair/grooming. Originally, I thought I wanted a shiba inu...then I studied about how they are "strong willed" aka stubborn. So, Lenny became our long researched choice and under strong recommendation from another friend who adopted back in 2001. Adorable and addictive...you will see more about Lenny for sure!

Labels

As I drive around town I like to read personalized license plates to figure out what in all of tarnation they are trying to say...and bumper stickers.

Recently I tuned into all the campaign stickers still clinging to windows, trunks and the actual bumper of vehicles. I am biased to think the Obama supporters have to be proud? And the McCain supporters are trying to emphasize that they didn't vote for our current president?

To me, the McCain stickers seem to ooze the statement: "I make bad choices."

This Old Man

Happily the weekend went by and I have retained all my limbs and/or appendages. Nothing more than spring cleaning (Phase III) and six loads of laundry. Plus folding the previous five loads of clean clothes that lay out flat on our guestroom bed once it came out of the dryer two weeks ago.

All the while singing this song below to study for my Japanese language class (quiz on Tuesday):

CHII SAI MONO (counting small things)
Sung to the melody of This Old Man

Hi-to-tsu, fu-ta-tsu, mit-tsu, yot-tsu, i-tsu-tsu, mut-tsu, nana-tsu, yat-tsu, kokono-tsu, too, chii sai mono o kazoo ‘e mashoo.

Rough Translation: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…small object –o- let’s count.

My Favorite Color is Purple

Superstitious people say bad luck comes in three’s and after this week, that makes me feel better. It was one of those weeks where my mind and my body were trying to live two different lives. From everything as little as my mind telling me I should wear gardening gloves before cutting that spiny bush. To my body telling me …nah, you’ll be fine. And then I was left with several minor lacerations and bug bites.

Incident #1:
Sunday during Phase II of a super spring cleaning I was moving the dog crate. Keep in mind our greyhound is 75 lbs and has a metal-grated puppy condo (more than just a little cubed plastic crate). As I pick up the crate to move it from in the house and back into the garage my mind says gee, that’s really heavy! My body says…quit the sniveling it is only a few more feet to limp over to our destination. Monday morning this resulted in me waking up and trying to stand up from bed, only to make it into an awkward ‘7’ configuration where my torso refused to go upright and parallel to my legs.

Incident #2:
Wednesday morning I ironed my pleated dress shirt for work in a rush, in an effort to not be late…again. While holding down one pleated portion with my left hand, my right hand waves out towards the end of the board to reach the iron handle. [sear –yell, curse] Nope, found the hot plate! Hell, that’s more effective than a cup of coffee to wake you up! This resulted in my thumb and index finger resting on a bed of ice that morning at my work station.

Incident #3:
In a move much like smashing a grape between two books --Thursday night I shut my hand in the door of my car! Yup, that topped my week off. There’s never a great explanation of stupid things that you do, however this one happened fast (as things do when they go wrong). My friend inside the car said something, my mind asked – what? My body had already told one hand to slam the back door shut, the other hand went out into the door jam to hear what she was saying. Last minute my mind said, that’s not what I meant to do! Too late. My body yelped in pain and I recoiled to release my index finger and my middle finger from the sealed back door. As I got into the car it was an adrenaline high until I kept driving and my passenger pointed out…you’re bleeding all over your car. Oh wonderful, the swelling/pulsing feeling was blood rhythmically leaving my body. When I dropped off my carpool buddy she brought me in and helped patch me up. My night ended with an ice pack on my hand…oh yeah, and did I mention it was the same right hand I burned yesterday?!?

Good thing my favorite color is purple…

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa (Latin: Blank Slate) refers to the epistemological thesis that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and sensory perception. [full definition: go wiki!]

I see a majority of blogs that start out with a bold mission statement, a cause or a call to arms…this great declaration why they deserve space on the intertubes. My approach is simply: Meh.

All of this will be a new endeavor for me to throw myself out there for a world to judge as they will. I am here to update family, friends...maybe even make new friends. Plain & simple: I am going to put myself out there and hopefully provide some insightful tips/thoughts within my ramblings.