LONG TIME NO BLOG

I admit it, I've been caught up in Facebook . . . ignoring my blog. That's ok, not much to say lately.

Married 13 years today. Or as my father would say, 13 LONG MISERABLE YEARS. Some of them were long and miserable, but this year I am able to say that we're in a pretty good place. The cynic in me is nervous saying that, because when you say things like that, then something bad always happens.

I'm back at Weight Watchers again. For the last time. I've lost 12 pounds since January 1st, some of it due to giving up soda as a New Year's resolution, some of it WW, so 12 pounds down, 67 to go.

I've been thinking about childhood dreams. What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you doing it? I grew up riding and showing horses and wanted to do that for a living, but practical matters often get in the way. What I know about the time I spent on a horse though was that I was a calmer, happier, thinner person. So I've decided that even if you can't make your dream into a mortgage payment, you need to keep that dream alive in some way that helps sustain who you are as a person. As a motivation to stick with Weight Watchers, I have promised myself that 27 pounds from now I will go back to riding. It may be in the form of a lesson once a week, but I want to have that feeling back.

And I'll Cry If I Want To . . .

For those of you without an invite to a fabulous holiday bash, never fear. This exchange will make you feel better . . .

http://www.27bslash6.com/matthewsparty.html

Happy New Year!

THIS AND THAT

Good Monday Morning. It's especially good since I have today and tomorrow off! I'm off to play Bingo with my mom-in-law in a bit, but thought I'd update the blog with the latest happenings.

Tim and Judy are parents again! Asher Newton has joined the family. All are healthy and happy. With three boys, I'm sure their hands are full, but their hearts are too! I tried to upload a picture of the baby too . . . but Smilebox wasn't being cooperative. He's a cutie, you'll just have to take my word for it at this point.

The kids and I enjoyed the Arizona State Fair a week ago. It is apparent from this picture the I am still struggling to figure out my cell phone camera. A fun time was had by all. They got to ride rides until they felt like throwing up, I got to eat Indian Fry Bread until I felt like throwing up.

Election Day 2008 I got up early to go vote, went to work, then after work went to the political parties with my well-connected Republican friends, Terri and Kerry. The Democrat's party at the Wyndham Hotel was packed, with a line out the door and around the block to get in, so we headed down to the Civic Plaza for Election Central. Watched some results come in. Terri ran into a friend who said that Congressman Ed Pastor was holding his party at the Matador, so we went there. I got to meet the Congressman, and he gave us each a free drink ticket. We settled on the patio across from the Wyndham and weren't there very long before Obama hit 270 electoral college votes and the Wyndham went insane. Kerry had worked earlier in the day making phone calls on behalf of John McCain, so she had tickets to the McCain bash at the Biltmore. After the Obama crowd spilled out into the street honking and chanting and cheering, it was decided that the Biltmore might be a bit depressing, so we called it a night. It was a fun time with the gals on a history making night.

Biggest Loser

So, last Monday was the start of my workplace's Biggest Loser competition. Weigh-in was depressing to say the least, but we all start somewhere.

Weigh-in weight: 212
Weigh-in body fat percentage: 44%

This morning after one week of participation, my weight on the scale? 206. I don't have one of the fancy scales that measures body fat, but hopefully that will drop along with the pounds.

The funny thing is that I thought this might be torture, but I haven't really felt all that deprived. I've eaten better, less sugar, less soda, more fruits and veggies, more water. I've been having fun with the kids, turning the exercising into a game. My boy's favorite is one we call "Gingerbread Boy" where they run and I try to catch them. I can't even get close to either of them, but told them that I'll catch them both by Christmas. They just laugh at me.

So, one week down, ten weeks and the rest of my life to go.

FLYing

I'm going to recommend the book Sink Reflections to you. It is a system of housekeeping. I purchased the book several years ago at the urging of a do-gooder friend, stuck it on my (dusty) bookshelf and never read it.

A couple of days ago, looking for something to read, to avoid the Mount Everest of laundry in the bedroom truth be told, I picked up the book. It made perfect sense to me. I stayed home yesterday (sick kid) and started putting some of the book's suggestions into place. This morning I got up, my sink is clean, my dishes are washed, Mount Everest is a speed bump. My son's scout uniform for tonight is clean, not wrinkled, and hanging neatly in his closet. Last week I had to go mining on the Mount to find it, smelly and wadded, and was embarrassed to unload him at Scouts. We actually got to play family game night last night because the kitchen table was cleaned off for the first time in recent memory.

Sink Reflections is written by a woman who calls herself the Fly Lady. She says she teaches you how to fly (finally love yourself). She makes a lot of sense to me, and has daily, weekly, and monthly tasks to complete that I am capable of completing. I could invite someone into the house without humiliation!

I am also starting to think that I am seeing part of the big picture. I'm not too exhausted to clean, I'm exhausted because my house is messy. I don't care about my house, I don't care about my clothes, why should I care about my weight and personal appearance? Why should my kids or husband care about the house? I set a terrible example. For that matter, why would they care about me? I haven't been caring about myself. It's all interconnected. Change is scary, but here I go . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA!

FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT SERRANO'S (AND YOUR FRIEND KAREN, TOO!)

"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh