Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Today is my mom's birthday. We are in the process of having her and my dad move out here near us. (So e'sited! -- as my then 4 year old said). So, calling all snowbird want-to-be's: my parents are selling their gorgeous home in Sun City, Arizona -- a retirement/golf community. The sooner they sell, the sooner they can be with us. Yes, this is a shameless plug to sell their home. Any takers? (Next year, Mom, we'll be celebrating your birthday together! I love you!)

Award II - The Lie About Me Revealed

My last post listed 8 things about me, one being a lie:

1. I used to drive a pink 1965 convertible Mustang.

2. I married my childhood sweetheart.

3. I was an atheist and ended up joining a church that had been on the top of my dislike list.

4. Someone smashed into my car's left door and front fender. I spray-painted "Sh*t Happens" (without the *) across the left side and drove it around like that until I got it fixed.

5. I married someone I only knew for three weeks.

6. I can do 18 push ups in one set.

7. I took myself to Kauai, Hawaii and spent most of the week alone: me, the beach, and a VW van.

8. I'm a horrible liar.

I did drive a '65 convertible Mustang.  My father bought it when I was a baby.  I grew up in that car.  It was passed on to me when I graduated.  It was a bronze color at the time.  Someone turned into me and wiped out my left side, but it was still drivable.  Do you remember those bumper stickers that said, "Sh*t Happens?"  I spray painted that across the left side of the car.  My boss didn't think it was funny and made me park in the back until I had it fixed a couple of weeks later.  THAT'S when it was painted pink with black vinyl.  I had to sell it after 9-11-01 to pay the bills.  (1,4)

I did marry my childhood sweetheart.  Met him at 16, married him at 18, divorced him by 20.  (2)

And...

I married someone I only knew for 3 weeks at age 26.  Danny and I will celebrate 15 years together next week, Sept. 15.  (5)

I was an atheist and the Mormons (LDS) were at the top of my dislike list.  Danny invited the Missionaries into our home almost 12 years ago.  My perceptions of them were wrong.  We converted 11 years ago, giving up alcohol, tobacco and coffee (almost -- that's a hard one).  If you want to read about my conversion story, it's on my other blog here.  (3)

Two weeks after I had my car repaired and painted pink, someone else clipped my front fender.  It was minor.  I put off repairing it and took myself to Hawaii, instead with the money.  I had a friend that lived in Kauai.  She lent me her VW van and let me sleep on the couch.  I had just gone through the divorce and had been doing a lot of rebounding.  I just needed to be alone to think.  I loved it so much that I gave away most of my stuff and planned on moving there.  Then I met a Tom Petty look-alike and stayed on the main land with him a couple of years.  (7)

I AM a horrible liar.  I can't even put on a poker face to hide a joke or prank.  I dread it when my kids ask if there is a tooth fairy, etc.  I just say, "I've never seen one."  (8)

That leaves #6 - I CAN'T do 18 push-ups.  I can maybe do 10 from the knees.  (Sorry, Jody).

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you Joy of Nuggets of Truth ~ My Weight Loss Journey and Skye of Skye's the Limit - The Possibilities are Endless for presenting me with the Versatile Blogger award. I was very happy to receive them and thank you for thinking of me. I'm sorry it has taken me a month to begin blogging and show it off.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Nominate fifteen newly discovered blogs.
4. Let your nominees know about the award.

Being the versatile blogger, I am going to make the rules versatile, too. Rule #2 - I've shared 8 things, but one of them is a lie. Can you guess which one?

1. I used to drive a pink 1965 convertible Mustang.

2. I married my childhood sweetheart.

3. I was an atheist and ended up joining a church that had been on the top of my dislike list.

4. Someone smashed into my car's left door and front fender. I spray-painted "Sh*t Happens" (without the *) across the left side and drove it around like that until I got it fixed.

5. I married someone I only knew for three weeks.

6. I can do 18 push ups in one set.

7. I took myself to Kauai, Hawaii and spent most of the week alone: me, the beach, and a VW van.

8. I'm a horrible liar.

I need to change Rule #3, also. I haven't ventured out into blogland in a while to find 15 newly discovered blogs, but there are some great ones on the right side.

Thanks for stopping by!

He's Only Just Begun

My youngest began kindergarten yesterday. I have a mix of emotions. Among them is the realization that this is the first time in almost 11 years that I will have kid-free mornings. It's been a crazy 11 years.


And it's been a busy month. (Good grief, only one post for August). We made tremendous progress on my parents' "new" old home, I finally have my computer back, the yellow jacket sting has cleared up as well as the cellulitis (but not the cellulite) and the colitis -- recap here.


I was happy to finally venture away from the safety zone of my bathroom. I even signed up (and paid) for WasatchWoman's 5th Annual Love Your Body 6K Run/Walk -- my first running event!!! It will be October 9th. Within the first week of training, plantar fasciitis made itself clearly known, again. I first developed PF last January. It improved, but I must have become complacent because it's back. It doesn't look good for the 6K. I can't even do exercise walking until I've had a full week of no pain. Shoes must be worn all the time including night trips to the restroom. I have really good shoes complete with orthotics. They are lovely with my Sunday church dress.

: p


I have to admit, this PF thing had really gotten me down. Walking boosts my mood and energizes me. Without it, I had slipped into a depression. I felt defeated. (Or, is it de-feeted?)


Being the strong, resilient woman I am, I shifted my focus to foot friendly exercises like resistance training, pilates and yoga binged. (So much for being aware of what is good for my colon -- last post). I sort of wished I could turn on the colitis again to keep me from binge-eating.


Now what? I'm going to clean my house. During my pity-party, I pretty much ignored my chores and myself. I didn't want to deal with anything. I didn't want to cook anything. Fitness had left the building -- physical, mental, and most of all, spiritual.


Tomorrow, I'm going to work on becoming clutter-free, clean the kitchen and bathrooms and get rid of dead clothes. I'll have to baby the PF, but it has to get done.l I'd also like to clear the family room floor so I have room for my resistance training, pilates and yoga. With the little one now in kindergarten, I have those couple of hours in the morning.


Do you remember when you were in kindergarten? For most of us, falling down was fun, jumping and running in bare feet were good for us, we ate when we were hungry and stopped when full -- even if only half the ice-cream cone or cookie was eaten. New tasks were adventures not burdens. We knew how to play. Happy was easy.


It's back to basics for me. Tomorrow, I will begin drinking water about every 1 1/2 hours, again. I've totally neglected hydration. Water should help my mood a bit.


(I also want to thank Joy and Skye for the Versatile Blogger Award; I haven't forgotten about that and am very grateful you thought of me. That will be my next post).

It's Not What It Looks Like

Is it big, round, jiggly and white?  And you think it's my derriere?  Okay.  It is what it looks like.  But, I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about my blogging absence.


I haven't thrown in the towel, given up, called my fitness journey kaput, nor drowned my sorrows in mind-numbing sugar-comas.


I'm fine.


Sort of.


I mentioned last time that I've been extremely physically busy working on the old house my parents bought as well as the landscaping work in my yard.  People were beginning to comment on my toning and slimming.


Then I got stung by a yellow jacket.


Not this one:

This one:

I never saw it coming.  I just walked into my neighbor's backyard and was stung on the leg.  Four days later I developed cellulitis, and it spread rapidly.  I was given  two antibiotic shots, a Rx for more antibiotics, had my leg wrapped and was told to stay off of it and keep the leg elevated.

"Yay!  Blog time!!"

Nope.  No computer.  (Dell is replacing our lemon, and it will arrive in a couple of weeks).

Leg was on the mend.  I got active, again.  I now have antibiotic-induced colitis.  And I got the 24+ hour flu (unless that is part of the colitis) -- fever, nausea, chills, sweats, chills, sweats, yuks.  Major headache.  Oh, and the lethargy --  I didn't want to move, much less blog, even if I had a computer.

I'm better but still low on energy.  So, here's my little moment to post (our other broken computer -- Danny's travel/work-computer --  was fixed this afternoon).  

Thank you to the blog-angels that have checked up on me.  That means SO much.  I hope to have more computer time soon to see how all of you are doing.  You're in my thoughts.

You know what?  I haven't binged.  My choices haven't always been wise, but I haven't binged.  I wonder if it has anything to do with my contentment and enjoyment of my projects and physical exertion.

Well, I have no clever way to close this.

The end.

Checking In

Still here.


And there.


And everywhere.


Very, very busy. Good busy. Sleep-when-the-head-hits-the-pillow busy.


Walking 2.5 to 3.5 miles every morning. Up and down hills. With a stroller.


Sweating.


Lifting weights: bags of soil and retaining-wall blocks. Putting them on hand-truck. Putting them in vehicle. Taking them out of vehicle. Carrying them up slanted yard (putting in a garden on slopey property -- my project).


Digging. Lots of digging.


And cleaning. Parents bought a 55-year-old home around the corner from me. Lots of grime. Dirt. Webs. And carpet laden with black mold that needed to be ripped out.


The thing is I LOVE THIS WORK. I have to be careful because I will go and go and go.


And not drink water.


And not plan my meals. Or at least not follow through with the plan, grabbing a fast food meal instead.


So, I'm maintaining.


I found another love, too. I should be ashamed of myself. We met last week.

Have you seen the size of these things? "Campfire Giant Roasting Marshmallows" - they are ... giant. I, dare I say it, like them better than chocolate, especially when they are golden-crunchy-chewy on the outside and melty soft on the inside.

I know.

I am what I eat.

White.

Fluffy.

But,

sweet.

Four-Mile Hike

Stewart Falls, Utah

I'm squeezing in some blog time to report that I'm hanging in there. I could be doing better but have been very active. Today our neighbors invited us to join their family to go into American Fork Canyon-Provo Canyon and hike two miles to Stewart Falls. It was amazingly beautiful. Danny, my daughter, and I held hands and walked behind the falling water next to the wall of the mountain (bottom part of falls in photo -- not me in pic). Invigorating. Nothing like a shower of melting snow in the morning to wake you up. We hiked back soaking wet, which was great because of the growing heat from the mountains.

We could see Sundance Ski Resort from where we were. It's owned by Robert Redford. As we were walking, we realized we were on the trail with the Sundance Kid himself. He was with two other adults and a toddler. I was too busy admiring their child-carrier back-pack style with a canopy to notice Mr. Redford. We kept passing each other. We would stop to rest, they would pass. They would rest, we would pass. At one point I walked right by him on the narrow trail and said, "Excuse us, please." "Sure!" he said. Anyway, hikers were polite and respectful. No one bothered him.

I haven't been perfect on the challenge, but I haven't given up. Life is busy and challenging in and of itself. I didn't drink as much water today, otherwise I would have been in the stinging nettle bushes often to relieve myself. Besides, I wouldn't want the Sundance to see my moon-dance in the shrubbery.

Enjoying the falls but not falling.