OMG, Diet & Exercise, YUCK!

About a year and a half ago I decided to get healthy.  I first off changed up my eating habits.  I eat five small meals a day with each meal between 200 – 300 calories each.  In order to do this I had to make a daily menu and follow it, not as easy as it sounds.  I do allow myself cheat meals, because after all I am human and I need my junk food fix once in a while.  I then started an exercise routine.  Ride my exercise bike in the morning for 30 minutes, Pilates at night, hiking on the weekend and Wii fit whenever I could fit it in.  Sounded like a great plan to me.

The first year I lost 47 pounds, yeah.  I was very proud of myself.  Then January happened.  In the first four months of the year I had to have surgery on both legs, we lost four people that we cared about and a couple of relatives had health issues.  I’m a stress eater and so you can only imagine what I did with each one of these life events, I ate and ate.  I have since gained back 15 pounds and don’t feel as healthy as I did in December.  Oh well this was a lifestyle change.

To keep myself motivated for the first year I would tell myself that I didn’t gain all this weight overnight.  I didn’t go to bed one night thin and wake up fat, it happened over time.  I had to remind myself that there are no magic pills; eat everything that you want, never exercise and then take a pill and you are thin and healthy.  I know that the diet industry wants us to believe that there is such a thing but if there were we would have a world full of thin people.  While we are at it why don’t we make a pill that makes everyone look like super models?  I would be first in line at the pharmacy for that pill.  I would love to go to bed the size and shape that I am currently and wake up tall with long legs and perky breasts. 

So in May I decided to get back on track.  I challenged my daughter to a squat challenge for June, crunches for July and pushups for August.  I thought this should be easy enough, right?  Boy was I wrong.  The first few days of doing the squats were pretty easy, but after that was pure hell.  My rear end hurt so bad that I couldn’t sit, stand, walk or move.  There were days that I thought “what did I get myself into”.  I had to continue no matter how bad it hurt because I had made a commitment to my daughter and if she was going to put herself through the same pain then I was then I couldn’t let her down.  To keep myself going I started telling myself that I was going to have buns of steel and I would give myself stars on my calendar for each day that I did squats.  I needed some self-gratification and putting a star on a silly calendar was giving me this gratification. 

With June being done and over with I ended up losing seven inches over all, 3 of those inches in my hips.  I was feeling real good about going into July and crunches, boy was I fooled.  Crunches hurt more than squats, my stomach muscles feel as though they are on fire.  I keep telling myself that I’m going to have six pack abs, ok let’s be realistic one pack, but that is better than having keg abs.  So I’m going to plug away at my crunches for this month and then on to pushups while dreaming about the day that someone comes up with that magic exercise/diet pill.

OMG, Cars!

Recently I decided to trade my old car in and get a new car.  My old car was 10 years old and I loved everything about her but it was getting to the point that we needed a car with 4 doors and she was a little sports car.  Making the decision to trade her in was not an easy decision.  I spent many Sunday’s visiting car lots, car dealerships aren’t opened on Sunday’s so there are no annoying car sales men to deal with.  I spent countless hours on line comparing cars, but when it came down to it I went with a car that I thought looked cool and I would look cool driving. 

Since my old car was 10 years old there weren’t all the fancy widgets that are on my new car.  There are so many little things to on this car it makes my head hurt to think about it.  We spent the first two hours after owning it going through just a few of the features, they want us to come back for a four hour class, since when did you need to attend a class to start a car, listen to music and figure out where you are going. 

While the reality of it is that I should attend this class the pride in me says “I’m not a stupid person I can figure this out on my own”, but I’m pretty sure I can’t.  A few weeks ago I was driving to my hairstylist and decided to turn on the air conditioner.  All of a sudden I’m sweating and thinking “great I’m going to need to take the car in to get the air conditioner fixed because it’s broken”.  All of a sudden I’m thinking “why is my butt getting warmer?”.  I had actually turned on the seat warmer and not the air conditioner, I hope to never make that mistake again, there’s just something about having hot buns on a hot day that just don’t work.

In my old car I had to actually push a button to turn on the radio and I had no GPS system, now I just push a button and a lady comes over the speaker system and asks me what I want.  The only problem is that she never understands what I want so I get this lecture from her telling me I can’t ask “what can I say”.  Soon after starting this process I find myself calling her a bitch and screaming at her to phone home or change the satellite station.  Usually at this point to get even with me she turns the radio to a station I would not normally pick or she calls some obscure phone number.  I think the worst time with “the voice” was when I needed to go to particular destination that I had never been before.  I started the process by say destination, she then replied what city, at this point I’m thinking “wow she heard me” it was too soon because it went from bad to worse.  I gave the city then the street name and number, of course since she never understands me I’m screaming in my car, I must have made her mad because she was giving me directions for some place four states away.  I kept on screaming at her that it was the wrong location.  At this point she got frustrated with me and turned on a sports station and cancelled my trip.  Since when did our cars dictate our destination and what we are going to listen to?  I’m thinking about changing her voice to my mom’s because at least when I’m getting yelled at it should be someone that I know and love.

Gotta love a new car! 

RIP Aunt Riggie

People come into our lives and we never realize how much they are going to touch us.  Riggie was one of those that touched my life in such a way that all I can hope is that I turn out to be just as amazing as she was.  Earlier today we got the call from her son that she had passed away.  She was 94 years young but had given up the fight and was now in a much better place.

Riggie was my mentor, aunt and confidant.  I met her 28 years ago and fell in love with her instantly.  She was the type of person that I can only hope to someday be like.  I remember when we first met.  My husband’s father had passed away and we went to Hawaii for his memorial service.  One night I come walking out to the patio and Riggie, my husband’s step mom and his cousin’s girlfriend are sitting on one side of the table and there is only one chair on the other side of the table.  My first thought was “what is going on and am I on trial for something”.  As I nervously sat down Riggie asked if I wanted a drink, of course I wanted a drink I didn’t know what was going on.  I had my drink in hand and Riggie began to say to me “as the head of the household I want you to know that we have been discussing you”, I thought “ok so at least you have the nerve to tell me that you have been talking about me”.  She then proceeded to tell me that they all liked me and had accepted me into the family; you could imagine my relief since we were already married and had been for a few years.  This encounter was a turning point for my relationship with Riggie.

During this trip I remember how excited Riggie was to teach me how to drink wine, of course it was from a box because she was absolutely amazed that they could get good wine in a box.  She also introduced me to some of the finer things about Hawaii. She showed me that it’s ok to have a vise as long as it doesn’t interfere with your life, she love to have one cigarette after dinner.  She would sit back and enjoy every single moment of smoking it.  Of course my vise is not smoking but enjoying good glass of wine and no I no longer dink wine from a box but do think of those days fondly.  She also taught me that it was a man’s responsibility to clean the silver, help in the kitchen, clean house and help with the kids.  She was for equal rights, no matter what.

A few years later Riggie and her husband, Larry, moved to the mainland.  They found a nice apartment in a senior complex.  They had the apartment designed to fit their needs.  Riggie was about a foot taller than I am.  I remember our first visit to their new apartment and how excited she was to show me how great this place was because it fit her height.  I remember standing at the kitchen counter and thinking how much I felt like a child because it was almost at eye level.  I then went into the restroom where I had to almost jump to sit down on the toilet and washing my hands was not as easy as it should have been because I could barely reach the sink. I kept looking around for a footstool.  

As tall as Riggie her heart was just as big.  When I decided to go back to college she encouraged me to.  Whenever I was getting discouraged about raising children, going to school and working a letter from her would show up.  I cherished those letters and her encouragement.  I’m not sure if I would have continued if not for her.  After I graduated with honors she was so proud of me and told me this often.

While we didn’t live close to each other and didn’t speak to each other often she was still such an important person in my life that there will be a large hole.  Riggie, rest in peace.

What Kind of Animal Are You?

The other day at work we were talking about the different types of people at work and how they are compared to animals.  We came up with slugs, toads, leeches, monkeys and pigs.

Slugs:  These are the individuals who never take the initiative to do anything.  They tend to appear busy at all times but never get anything accomplished and love to pass work off onto others.  They also complain nonstop about everything. 

Leeches: These are the individuals who take the credit for a project when they contributed little to nothing.  They also tend to hang around those that work hard thus giving the appearance of being a hard worker themselves.  They also love to brag about how important they are to the company.

Toads: I’m not sure how we came up with toads because all I could think about was how when a dog puts a toad in their mouth they tend to foam at the mouth which causes them to spit the toad out.  Then again there are people who would fit in the toad category.  I can think a few people that have caused me to get so angry that if I was prone to foam at the mouth I probably would.

Monkeys: These are the hard working individuals.  They are the ones that are called upon when something really needs to get done.  They are smart, dependable, and loyal.  Of course monkeys pick bugs off each other, make rude sounds at the zoo and have been known to spit.  Not sure if that makes them smart or not.  I’ve never picked a bug off of someone, nor have I spit at anyone and I know I tend to try and not make rude sounds at work; coworkers don’t appreciate that at all.

Pigs: These are the smart people.  Of course one coworker asked how smart a pig is, since we eat pigs so if they were really that smart wouldn’t they come up with a way to not be eaten.  When she said this I was reminded of the book “Charlotte’s Web”, Wilbur was a very smart pig, he got Charlotte to spin her web into words so everyone thought that he was a brilliant pig.  I guess in reality Wilbur should have been a leech instead of a pig, but then again maybe leeches are really as smart as a pig after all they do get others to do their work while taking the credit for it just like Wilbur.

While I’m still not sure what kind of animal I am I know for sure I’m not a toad, leech or a slug but I’m not too sure if I’m a monkey or pig.   Neither one sounds like something I would want to put on my resume but then again maybe I would? 

OMG, I’ve survived another year of Christmas shopping!!!!!

OMG, why do people think that they are the only ones that need to purchase gifts for the holidays?  Before I head out to shop I put on Christmas music, plaster a fake smile on my face and pretend that I’m just out for a day of fun.  I hum Christmas carols and greet everyone with a “Merry Christmas”.  By doing this I’m able to cope with the crazy people out shopping.  This year I have been ran over by shopping carts, pushed out of the way so that someone could get an item (even though there was a whole display of them) and had an item taken right out of my hands; but I have also had people open doors for me, given me coupons for my items, smiled at me, helped me pick out gifts for my nephews, help me figure out what a 12 year old girl would like and just been friendly. 

Since I usually finish up my shopping early I like to go to the mall and people watch.  It is amazing what you see.  I love to grab a Starbucks coffee, find a place to sit and just watch people.  It’s amazing to see the different types of people that are out shopping.  They are as follows:

There’s the husband that is walking around looking confused and usually caring a bottle of perfume or a kitchen item (that usually depends on how long they have been married – the newlywed has the perfume while the guy that has been married for many years has the kitchen item). 

Then there’s the stressed out mom, she is usually walking at a fast pace but with a confused look on her face.  She’s the one that you run into that is talking to herself and going through her basket naming off family members, she is also the one that gets in line only to leave part way through the wait because she just remembered that she forgot that all important gift. 

Then there is the organized person, they have a detailed list of everything they need.  They are usually carrying several packages because they are only going to the mall one time and one time only.  They are also the ones on a mission and you better not be in their way because they have no problem with mowing you over to get what they want.

There’s the dad out shopping for the mom with all the kids in tow.  He has that confused look on his face and usually at least one child is crying.  He is the one that is circling the store as though a gift is going to just fall from the sky and land in his arms.  The more children he has with him the more confused he looks with each one having their own idea of what mom would like.

There’s the group of teenage girls out gathering more information for their Christmas wish list and just being teenage girls at the mall.  Then there are the teenage boys out trying to pick up on the teenage girls.  Of course this is not a seasonal activity, this happens year round.

Then there’s the shopper who is just happy to be out shopping.  They are the ones singing along to the Christmas music being played and just enjoying themselves.  They are the ones that are just winging it.  They figure that whatever they come up with is going to be spectacular, after all it is Christmas and the spirit of giving is much more important than anything else.

I like to think that I’m in the last group of people.  I just love going out to the mall and spending time enjoying the holiday.  I love the decorations, Christmas music, seeing all the kids dressed up to see Santa Clause, smelling the cookies that are being baked at Mrs. Fields Cookies and everything else going on at the mall.  I’m also thankful when I’m all done and everything is wrapped and under the tree.  Since I have completed all my shopping now it’s time to just sit back and enjoy the rest of the holiday.  I think I will open a bottle of wine, turn on a Christmas movie, light up the tree and sit back and relax until it’s time to return all the gifts I bought that just weren’t right. 

 

 

Yes, 29 Again

I just celebrated another birthday or as I like to call it, the anniversary of my 29^th birthday.  I say that I’m 29 so often that when I have to actually but down my real age I have to do the math first. I started saying that I was only 29 was because I couldn’t deal with getting older.  Now I love the idea of getting older because it beats the alternative.  I’m really enjoying this time in my life; I’m healthy, happy and love spending time doing what I want to do with no real obligations to anyone but my husband.  I’m a few anniversaries away from celebrating a mile stone anniversary and when I reach that mile stone I plan on celebrating.  I want to either have a great big party or take my family on a great vacation; of course I could possibly do both.

Every anniversary gets me thinking about past anniversaries.  Growing up I didn’t have many parties.  I can actually only remember two, one when I was five and the other when I turned 17.  Being born in the summer didn’t help with having parties.  Most of my friends didn’t live close by and once school was out for the year I didn’t see them again until school started again.  Not that I’m going to age myself but growing up I didn’t have a cell phone nor did any of my friends and since we lived far away from each other our parents were not going to drive us over to each other’s house.  After I was married my husband for some reason thought that I didn’t like to celebrate so I never had any parties until my first anniversary of my 29^th birthday.  He gave me a great party, all my friends were here, he ordered stripper and we all had way too much to drink.  

As my sister and I got older we would make birthday cakes for each other.  My mom rarely remembered that it was our birthday, I know that she knew we existed after all she was there when we were born but if she actually remembered that it was our birthday on our birthday was so rare.  As I got older my mom would send my birthday and Christmas gift together, I guess it was her way of not forgetting.  What’s really odd is that now that we are all adults my mom actually remembers on our day, maybe that’s what happens when you get older you start to remember important dates such as when your children were born.

This anniversary I spent a quiet day at home with my husband.  We spent the day hanging around the pool and then went to dinner.  I received several phone calls wishing me a happy birthday or anniversary depending on who was calling.  The following weekend my daughter was in town so we had a nice family dinner and red velvet cheese cake for dessert.  It was great and I’m so thankful that I was able to celebrate with my family.  I’m looking forward to many more anniversaries; of course I may change it up to celebrating the anniversary of my 39^th birthday.  You never know…..

Thunderstorms and Me Don’t Mix

I hate thunderstorms.  I actually am very terrified of them.  Each time I hear the roar of thunder I want to jump out of my skin.  I’m so terrified of them that I don’t know how to explain how it makes me feel.  On a really bad storm I can have such a panic attach that I swear my heart has stopped.  I dread monsoon season every year because I never know when a thunderstorm is going to hit. 

I don’t know how people that live in areas where weather is very unpredictable live. A few months ago we were at our daughter’s house in North Carolina.  We were outside enjoying a nice evening when the clouds started rolling in.  I kept saying that the clouds just didn’t look normal.  There was something about them that seemed to have my hair standing up.  I can’t explain it but I was slowing starting to get scared.  I finally said that I had to go in because I couldn’t take it anymore.

So I go in the house with their dog, Jax.  I open a bottle of wine hoping that having a drink will help calm my nerves.  Next thing I know I hear the thunder and my heart stops.  I start to panic, Jax starts to pace and my husband tries to calm me down. 

Just as I was starting to calm down the weather radio went off.  I thought that I was going to climb out of my skin.  My daughter picks it up and says that there is nothing to worry about it was just announcing that there was a severe thunderstorm.  I refilled my glass of wine and tried to relax.  Then the radio went off again.  This time the Jax is pacing even more which is really starting to freak me out.  Once again my daughter says that it is just a severe thunderstorm and I refilled my glass of wine.

While trying to relax the radio went off for the third time.  I really started to panic, Jax was pacing even more and the clouds outside were looking pretty scary.  My daughter picks up the radio and says “Oh”, I knew at this point that it wasn’t just a severe thunderstorm that there was something else going on.  She tried to play it off as though nothing was happening but I knew things weren’t right.  Jax was pacing even more and I should have just put a straw in the wine bottle and drank it that way.  I looked at my daughter at asked what was going on.  She finally admitted that we were under a tornado warning.  I have never been in a tornado warning, watch or anything having to do with a tornado.  I really started to panic.  Since my daughter doesn’t have a basement I didn’t know what to do which really made me very nervous.  My son-in-law said that if it goes to tornado watch we needed to get into the pantry or the bathroom.  I refilled my glass and prayed for the best. 

A tornado never did hit but it was a moment in time that I would never forget.  People that live with this kind of stress on a regular basis amaze me.  I don’t know how they do it but I’m glad it’s them and not me.  I don’t ever want to go through that again.