I'm 59 years old. I've been married to my hubby for ... WOW! 30 years! I'm Mom to 4 great kids - 2 girls, 2 boys - and one granddaughter, now 12, and a grandson who is 5!
I am a firm believer that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I struggle daily to be the woman He wants me to be.
1 - What was the scariest movie you have ever seen? Ummmmm... 2 come to mind. I HATE scary movies -- so I've probably only seen a few. One would have to be Silence Of The Lambs. That was probably the most "realistic" scary movie to me... just the idea that people like Hannibal Lectur really do exist terrifies me! The other one - I don't know the name -- I think it might be Halloween... the one with the stupid clown doll? Isn't that Chucky? Hubby talked me into watching it back when we were first married, and I swear I spent HALF THE MOVIE hiding behind him!!! I HATED IT! (he was also the one talked me into watching Silence of the Lambs... you'd think he'd learn! Well... I think he has.)
2 - What was your favorite Halloween costume as a child? I only EVER rember seeing pictures of me in ONE costume - an angel when I was 2 or 3. But I DO "remember" having a Casper the Friendly Ghost costume one year... or at least the mask! It MUST have been a favorite - cuz I remember it!
3 - Given enough money what would be your fantasy Halloween costume? For me costumes really aren't about the money. I like ODDBALL stuff! Creative stuff. I would probably like to go as ... I dunno... a pair of scissors or something like that!
4 - When was the last time you went trick or treating? I think I was 16. Maybe 15. It was a group of us -- none of us had gone trick or treating for a few years and we just decided on a whim that day to do it! I quick threw together a costume as a scarecrow. We grabbed some pillow cases and off we went! Made a HAUL too! That was probably the beginning of allllllllll my weight problems! LOL!
5 - What is your favorite Halloween candy? Hm. Mine isn't just at Halloween -- it's available all the time! Milky Way Dark - or I guess now days they call it Milky Way Midnight, I think.
6 - Tell us about a scary nightmare you once had. When I was a child, for YEARS I had a recurring nightmare that a man wearing a trench coat and a fedora was following me home from school, and of course, the faster I walked the faster he walked, and then I would get to this stone WALL that I had to climb over to get home, and it was 10 feet high and I couldn't climb it and he would catch up to me -- and I always woke up right as he was going to grab me. IT WAS AWFUL!!! I started having that dream when I was about 6 years old -- and honestly I think I had it until I was about 12!
7 – What is your supernatural fear? I don't really have one. Not that I've ever thought about anyway. Personally I find ANYthing supernatural to be a little frightening... don't you?
8 - What is your ‘creepy-crawlie’ fear? Well... I'm not crazy about ANY creepy crawlies... but I think the worst would have to be either the snake pit in Indiana Jones or the GIANT Spider thing from Harry Potter!!! UGH!!!! The idea of both of those really gives me the willies!
9 - Tell us a time you saw a ghost or heard something go bump in the night. Again... when I was a teenager ... I think I was supposed to be out babysitting that night or something ... but I wasn't -- something had happend to whatever my "plans" were. I was home alone, and I thought I heard a noise out in the back yard. I got up to "investigate" -- don't know what I thought I was gonna DO - but I went to check. But as I got the patio, I DEFINATELY heard a noise! And then I DEFINATELY heard somebody TRY to open the patio door! Luckily it was LOCKED and the bar was in it! But above the patio was a balcony that was off of my mother's bedroom - and when they couldn't get the patio door opened, I heard them CLIMBING UP to the balcony! Now, stupid me... instead of running DOWN stairs and OUT the front door and screaming for my LIFE, I went running UP the stairs to make sure my mother's balcony door was locked! As I walked IN to her room I heard the sliding door open and I have NEVER BEEN SO SCARED IN ALL MY LIFE!!! I was SURE I was a dead girl! Until my sister walked in through the curtains... she had forgotten her key and was "locked out" of the house. She didn't know I was HOME or she would have just knocked. Scared the livin' crap outta me!
10 - Would you stay overnight in a real Haunted House? Now... you've read all my other answers - what do you think? NOT. A. CHANCE!!!
11 -Are you a traditionalist or a creative carver of your Jack-o-Lantern? Oh very much a traditionalist in that I like a FACE on my pumpkin. I'm not into doing all those fancy black cats or vampires or things like that... I just a couple of eyes, a nose and a mouth - maybe some eyebrows or ears... and I really prefer them to be cute ... but I did some mean or angry ones for my kids too.
12 - How much do you decorate the house at Halloween? When my kids were small I went ALL OUT! The house was done to the max, we all dressed in orange and black for a month, I painted t-shirts and sweatshirts for them -- the whole shebang! Now? I do NOTHIN'! But... when I have grandkids - LOOKOUT! I'll get back into it all then! I think SOME of us have to take that little break so as to not be "burnt out" for the grands!
13 - What do you want on your Tombstone? Well... I want to be cremated and have my ashes sprinkled out in the world ... so I don't know WHERE they'll put a tombstone -- but if THEY need one, I HOPE it gets to say "She lived long and died happy!"
And Now... a TREAT for you! This is actually ANIMATED the way I MADE it... but Blogger doesn't allow that! Sorry!
Yesterday the Family and I took a little trip into Washington (DC) to go to the circus! Not just ANY circus though... Cirque Du Soleil!!! YAY! This is actually the 2nd Cirque I have been to -- but it was Hubs and the kids first time! I saw Varakei with my sister a few years ago ... and yesterday we went to see Corteo!
First we stopped for lunch at the Capitol City Brewing Company. I had their Portabello sandwich - and it was Heavenly. Amanda had that too. Dennis and Mathew had the Fillibuster Burger and were both pleased with that. Krysti and Derek had the steak and cheese sub and both said it was the best steak and cheese they've EVER had! So... I highly recommend the CCBC!!!
The restaurant was just across the street from Cirque, so we were able to just walk over after eating -- it was perfect! We only had to PARK once! LOL!
You are not allowed to take ANY pictures INSIDE the grand chapeteau, but we had some fun inside the wee chapeteau that I CAN share! You would not expect they would not have their own travelling STORE with them - would you? NO! So...
Sadly, I was so busy laughing and taking pictures that I forgot to try one on myself! Ohhhhhh welllllll... And Mathew - the scamp -- always disappears when such NONSENSE is going on! No one is going to capture HIM in the act of being silly!
I am SO sorry that I was not allowed to take ANY pictures inside. I would truly love to share with you. Though I have found that EVEN the photographers and videographers that work FOR Cirque are not able to capture the "magic" on film that you actually SEE at the show! I bought the DVD when I went to Varakai, and was SO disappointed when I watched it - not that it's not WONDERFUL - but the "magic" wasn't there. So this time I saved my $31 and just have my memories. I did, however, find THIS at YouTube to share with you! There are several more if you just search for Corteo! Enjoy!
And now... I must go to work! Aiy! I think I'm going to be late! Have a GREAT day!
Answers are in the first comment ... NO CHEATING! God is watching.... :)
1.) "_______ is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
a - The Holy Spirit b - Thy word c - The Lord, our God d - Thy law
2.) After Jesus rose from the dead, how long did he remain on earth before ascending to heaven?
a - 12 days b - 40 days c - 3 months d - 1 year
3.) Which of these men was not one of Jesus' original 12 apostles?
a - Bartholomew b - Judas c - Matthew d - Paul
Since the answers are inside, no need to actually answer them there! Just tell how you did! ... and have a blessed and happy Sunday! My family and I will be gone on a special FUN day today -- I'll tell you about it tomorrow!
Soooooo... remember when Krysti FELL OFF THE HORSE? And cracked her helmet in THREE places? And had to go to the emergency room??? Well... HERE is Krysti trying on her brand NEW helmet ... the one with NO cracks... the one that will hopefully do as good a job as the last one did! We do OUR best to keep her safe! (if only she would help us out some.... )
Appetizer Create a new candle scent. Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire (must be the season! That and "Sea Breeze" has already been done over and over again... very badly!)
Soup Name one way you show affection to others. (((((((HUGS!))))))))
Salad What is your favorite writing instrument? Oooooo... I don't use them all the time... they're kind of more expensive than just a ballpoint -- I usually save them for my artwork... but I DO really LIKE to write with a ZIG Millennium size 01 permanent marker pen.
Main Course If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy?Ohhhhh... I can think of MANY... but proooobably Amazon.com ... I am such a book freak!
Dessert Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be? Noooooo... I'm not dressing up. Not going to any parties... no kids come to our house... and I really don't care much for this event... I'm sorry.
~~HaPpy dAnCiN~~ HaPpY DaNcIn'~~ Hooooody Hoooo!~~ My youngest darlin' daughter, Krysti, has just received her acceptance letter from KEUKA COLLEGE!!! She will be heading for New York next fall!!! Whoooo hooo! *snif* I'm Sooooo gonna MISS her! *SOB*
Awhile back I showed y'all a pasta plate I had painted, and several of you asked to see other things I've done. I've been snapping pictures as I think of it... and I was going to do a post with a whoooooole kaboodle of stuff I've painted -- but then I remembered that NOVEMBER is coming... and I might NEED something to talk about one day! So I decided to share a couple of things today... and then a few more next month! LOL! (what a CHEAT I am!!!)
Below, (i hope) you will see a wine cooler I did. This did not come out looking ANYTHING like what I anticipated... but I was very pleased with it all the same! Although I still think my grape leaves leave MUCH to be desired! (as you can see, all wine served at MY house is only the finest from the house of Insanity Prevails!)
Then, above, (i hope) (you never know for sure with blogger, do you?) is a little handbag that I sponged. (the red and black one!) When I looked at this piece in all it's whiteness I really had no idea what to do with it -- and I wasn't even really "in the mood" to be painting. (thus the sponging) But Krysti wanted me there, and so I was... and I really do like the way it came out... I actually have two more handbags yet to paint - but they are larger. One is a coin bank and the other a vase. It could be years before they get done though!
I "feel" trouble cookin'. It started a few days ago with the arrival of COLD weather in my area. COLD, in and of itself is a new phenomenon to me. I have not "felt" it for many many years! I have been well insulated by several layers of warm fat for soooooo long that I had forgotten what COLD really means! In days of yore, (last winter) I wore shorts and tee-shirts throughout the winter, only donning a light jacket or sweatshirt in the most brutal weather! However, it is not yet November, and I am finding myself sitting before you in socks AND slippers, (too big) sweatpants, and a hoodie! And I'm COLD! The temperature outside is reportedly 36 degrees -- but I'm sure they lie! It feels like 10! And if this is how my new body reacts to 36, what the HECK am I going to do when it DOES dip to 10??? Enough whining... you know I'm miserable!
So... with this cold weather, I have noticed that my taste in food is changing. (huh?) Yes, dear reader... it's true! GONE is my love for fresh, crisp salads and apples! GONE is my satisfaction with a cup of yougurt! GONE is my yen for pretty much ANYthing COLD! (which happily also includes icecream...) I know longer wish for tuna and crackers for my lunch, but now I find myself wanting rice! Bowls and bowls of hot steamy rice! Covered with stew! Or covered with chili! Or just covered with gravy! Rice! Rice! Bring me MORE rice!!! ACK! Rice is my "comfort" food. And when I'm COLD I want to be comfortable! *SOB* ... How am I EVER going to reconcile my new eating lifestyle with my desire for comfort? Woe is me! (what does that mean? i know... i know... i am full of woe.. and i am!)
I am hoping that you can all HELP me. In recent weeks I have made some really scrumptious and satisfying verrrrrrry low fat and verrrrrrry low calorie warm stuffs! I've made a heavenly pumpkin soup! And darling daughter made REAL mexican chili! And Sunday I made a phenomenal chicken stew. THESE foods are not bad for me and if I can keep them away from the rice bowl will help me get through winter without re-gaining my pounds. (did i say MY pounds... no no ... i meant just pounds! they're not mine! i don't want them!) So... if you can all share with me some really YUMMY warm stuffs that you frequently enjoy in winter, even if they are not particularly low in fat or calories... I'm pretty good at making substitutions to bring those levels down. I just need some great ideas! They just should NOT be centered around rice, potatoes, or pasta! (not that I won't make lasagna a time or two... but I'm looking for OTHER ideas!) HELP ME OUT HERE!!! Please....
Well... yea! Apparently it's coming! SOON! In NOVEMBER in fact. November IS ... indeed... National Blog Posting Month! Declared by... who? Who knows! All I know is that I have signed up and agreed to post "something" every single solitary day for the entire month of November... yes, even including Thanksgiving Day! Before signing up for this, I looked back through my blog to see ... and I generally only miss posting 2 or 3 days a month! So... honestly, all I'm doing is agreeing to toss something up on those 3 extra days! Right? Of course, now that I've done this, I've probably given myself the kiss of death... Comcast will go down for 3 weeks! Right? LOL! Ain't nothin' but a thang!
I spent the day today with my mother-in-law. Hubby's brother and she came down for the day and typically when this happens, Hubby and BIL go off and play in the garage while I entertain MIL. I hate to say it, but I don't look forward to these visits anymore. MIL has alzheimers. On a typical afternoon I may listen to the same story from her ancient past ... oh... 7 or 8 times... before she moves on to another ancient story! My own mother went through the same thing and I didn't have NEARLY the patience with her that I have HAD with MIL ... (NOT proud of that!)... but my mother and I never had much of a relationship, so I don't dwell on it. MIL and I have never had a FABULOUS relationship either -- I mean she was never a 'mother figure' to me -- but she's always been someone that I enjoyed "enough" when she was around! So recent years have gotten a little harder.
I have discovered, through experience, that if I keep her 'busy' she stays in the present! And if she stays in the present, she doesn't repeat herself! Soooo... when she arrived this morning I was trying to think of SOMEthing to do with her today! This is made harder by the fact that the kids "scatter" as soon as they know she's coming! (okay... not fair... the kids really DO have busy lives! I, of course, DON'T!) So she sat in the kitchen with me while I got our stew going for this evening's meal, and then I decided to run some errands! (I had already RUN all my errands yesterday -- but I would FIND some more!) Our first errand was to go eat lunch at the new Mexican restaurant. MIL doesn't get out much, so I knew this would make her very happy -- and it did! HAPPY also keeps MIL in the present! And she only tried 3 times to leave a tip that I had already left on the way out! LOL!
From there, I decided to go 'check out' the new Farmers Market down the road. We had FUN in there! Besides all the fresh fruits and vegies and breads and pastries and HOMEMADE DOG BISCUITS, and fresh made pastas and unprocessed spices, Ohhhhhh my Lord! The smells alone were enough to keep me there all day! But they also had tons of crafters and I was thoroughly taken by the wreaths that one of them had for sale. I'd like one over my mantel -- but I didn't buy one today because I need to work out how to hang it in my brick fireplace... The woman selling them kindly showed me a neat display thing that I could just set on the mantle that would make it LOOK like the wreath was hanging on the wall... but she doesn't sell them - so I have to get to Michaels or someplace and get one of them. If I brought the wreath home first one of the cats would eat it. ... ... ... come to think of it, the cats will probably eat it anyway. They love to wander across the mantle. (off track? ME?) Okay -- we got OUT of the Farmers Market with ONLY having purchased ONE jar of Apple Spice Pecan Honey Butter and a bag of apples! (I'm gonna regret that honey butter, I just knOw it!)
Then I went off in search of some new sweat pants. The weather is starting to get coooold here and well... my old sweatpants are not working for me anymore. The crotches hang down to my knees... So. Where do YOU go to get sweatpants? I mean I'm not talking DESIGNER sweats ... just good old everyday workout sweats! Walmart! Right? They don't have any. Not good ol' plain ol' sweats. They've got FUNKY sweats this year. BELL BOTTOM sweats. Or CAPRI sweats! (that's what I want in 20 degree weather! cold calves!) Same story at K-Mart! What is UP with this? Amanda now tells me that she's been to Bowie and Annapolis looking for plain ol' sweats - and she can't find any either! Have the fashion police put a BAN on sweats this year??? I'm gonna have to go lookin' on-line me thinks! Anyway, MIL was very amused by my tantrums! Hey... they kept her in the present!
When we left K-Mart I couldn't think of anymore errands, so we came on home. I kept her happy playing Yahtzee for the rest of the afternoon. She whooped me 3 out 3 games! Her memory may not be much, but her math skills are right on! I couldn't even cheat and SAY I won! But it's okay. God gave me a full day with MIL and not ONE flashback! A-MEN!
This is my dream! To wake up each and every morning to this view. To have a home ... be it house, townhouse, cottage or condo... right ON the beach! That is my dream! Unless I hit lotto for a humongous amount of money, this dream will never come true... but will remain forever, my dream. This picture was taken during my week in Ocean City last month... while I was "pretending" to be living my dream. And I thank God that I can at least do that!
Stopped in at the doc's this morning! His scale reports me down another 3 pounds this week! (don't know what's up with Curves scale!) According to the doc's I've lost 6 pounds this month. (much better than the 3 from Curves yesterday!) lol! OR MAYBE I lost 3 pounds overnight! (hope that happens again tonight!) LOL! But the BEST part was... I broke OUT of the 230's! Check it out!
Appetizer What is your favorite beverage? Well... I drink a LOT of water... but that's NOT my favorite. If I was to choose a favorite it would have to be something with some flavor! And though I don't drink except on verrrrry RARE occassions anymore, I would still have to say that Pepsi is probably my favorite! It's a major treat when I allow myself one now.
Soup Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work. My vitamins, my Aveeno hand and body lotion, and my camera.
Salad On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are? Oh, I'm pretty darned honest! I'm one of those people that always tells the clerks at the store when they give me too much change! I don't like to lie and will usually keep my mouth shut rather than tell a blatant lie ... which sometimes makes me "guilty by ommission" ... so I would have to give me an 8.5!
Main Course If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why? LOL! Well... not being the "world traveller", I'm not familiar with a lot of different places. And I wouldn't want to change any of the MAJOR ones that I AM familiar with because that would just tend to confuse people and who needs that? BUT... there is a town in Maryland ... my sister used to live there... and I've always felt sorry for this town because it's called SCAGGSVILLE! So, I would rename Scaggsville and call it something like Primrose Creek... something pretty! LOL!
Dessert What stresses you out? What calms you down? Students being bicuitheads definately stresses me out! I will NEVER understand why some of them think that it's MORE worth it to sit in class and sleep or talk or doodle or play RATHER than get their work done! And I don't know why they don't see how disrespectful it is to their teacher. (or care) NOT ALL students -- please, no hate mail! 95% of the kids do what they are supposed to do - and do it the best that they can! But then there are the biscuitheads!
What calms me down? Music. Exercise. A cup of coffee. Or tea. Sometimes my family can be very calming... but not always! And playing on the computer is generally good stress relief too!
It is definately time to re-evaluate my the exercise portion of my current weight loss plan. 6 weeks ago I decided to increase my rounds at Curves to 4 each session. My thinking was that this would increase my "cardio" time at Curves and should help me burn fat. It makes sense in theory, but I had my weigh and measure at Curves today, and the reality is that while I lost 3 pounds on their scale this month, I have not lost ANYthing in inches! Not ONE millimeter! Sooooo... I'm rethinking this! (because after all, it's all about getting THINNER - right?) So I guess for the next 4-6 weeks I'm going to back down to the standard 2 times around the track, but I'm going to try to increase my cardio only workout at home. (put in more time on the bike and gazelle) I do track my daily exercise on my calendar, so it will be pretty easy to make sure I really am increasing, and by how much! Let's see how THIS works! I'm not unhappy with things the way they are -- I mean, I'm still LOSING -- I just want to find the BEST combination of resistance/strength training and cardio that works for MY body! Or should I say that works best for my body FOR THE MOMENT... because when it comes to fitness it seems it's a never ending challenge to keep up! LOL!
I found this meme over at one of DesLily's blogs the other day ... I was just cruisin... and this was an oooold post... BUT... I've never seen this meme before and so I tried it! And here's how it works! You just go to Google and type in your first name and the word "needs" and then hit search! Then you find the first 10 sentences that start with "Blank needs" and report them in your blog! Soooooooo ... here are mine... and I must say this probably would have worked way better if there weren't a soccer team SOMEwhere called MELLI! (who'da thunk it?)
1. Melli needs some great goal keeper coach. (maybe... does he have tight buns?)
2. Melli needs its own thread. (I'm coming apart at the seams!)
3. Melli needs to get a practice match ... (Moi? I am perfection!)
4. Melli needs some beauty sleep. (well, we can all use that!)
5. Melli needs to put the defence under pressure. (at least I'm on the offensive!)
And I'm sorry to report that these were the ONLY sentences I could find (and most of them REALLY started with "Team Melli" ... *sigh*... how sad is that?
I DID notice that if I put one of my kids names in I had MUCH better luck! When I put Amanda in one of the sentences said "Amanda needs to be rebuilt." LOL! I wonder how we'd DO that???
I won't tag anybody - but this is fun - you should go try it and if ya come up with anything interesting, maybe you'll post it! (i hope)
I'm not actually eligible to "choose" a "Perfect Post" (and it's NOT the beginning of the month anyway)... but if I WERE eligible to choose a PERFECT post, THIS would definately be it! This is a post by Diet Girl when she had been on her weight-loss journey for 300 weeks! She has lost 172 POUNDS!!! This is the single most inspiring piece of weight loss literature I've read on the web! I hope all you folks who are traveling this road with me enjoy it as much as I did! KUDOS to Diet Girl, for puttin' it out there! Diet Girl - YOU ROCK!!!
I was thinking this morning about some of the songs I remember from Church when I was a child... the ooollllddd hymns... many we rarely hear or sing anymore because they've been replaced by updated, more modern songs of faith and inspiration. But I still LOVE the old songs... and this is one of my absolute favorites! This song takes me back to St. Rose of Lima, which at the time was just a weeeee little church. It only held about 200 people! When I was 16, Father "Jim" came to St. Rose! He had long hair and looked like our imagined Jesus Christ! He brought with him a guitar and and a new fangled Folk Mass! I loved it! But, I left the area in 1975, and though I did come back to have my oldest baptized there in 1981, St. Rose has grown since then, as has the parish. I'm sure I wouldn't even recognize it anymore! I understand they have added on to the quaint little chapel and "modernized" everything. But I like going back, in my mind, to the old version!
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; Praise Him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, Who over all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth! Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, Who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee; Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee. What need or grief ever hath failed of relief? Wings of His mercy did shade thee.
Praise to the Lord, Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee.
There are several more verses, but this is as far as we usually went when we sang it! Do you have an OLD favorite hymn? Or even a new favorite?
Tonight is the BIG night! My baby girl is at her homecoming dance, with her one true love, having the time of her life! I had to share pictures, of course!!!
And then... because mOst of you have never seen this one before -- I'll show you this picture from last year too! YES! She wore the same dress! Because she WANTED to! I offered to buy a new one, but nope - she LOVES this dress! And honestly... wouldn't you?
Flip Flop Floozie got me again! I was tagged for this meme ... and I accept!
1) Five Minutes to yourself. How would you spend them ideally? -sipping an iced tea lemonade from Starbucks -checking out a blog or two -doing a few stretches -shnugglin' one of the pets -prayer/meditation
2) Five Dollars to spend right now. How or where would you spend it? -Starbucks iced tea lemonade -a good magazine -postage stamps (to collect) -a new hand creme -Hair glaze
3) Five Items in your house you could part with right now? -all my carpets -my refrigerator -my oven -my HOUSE! (does that count?) -family room couch
4) Five Items in your house you absolutely, positively could never part with? -my photo albums -my stationary bike -my gazelle -my camera -my holiday decorations
5) Five Words (or phrases in my case) you love? -"Let's do lunch!" -"I love you!" -"Surprise!" -"I'm home!" -"Meow"
And... I don't usually "tag" anyone... but since no one ever tags themselves either, I'm going to try it this time! (hopefully no one will hate me for it!) I'm tagging Mar,Penny, and Quilldancer!
Today was NOT a "weigh-day" ... but since I had to go to the doc's office anyway to get that stupid diabetes test ... I stepped on the scale! I was THRILLED to find that the gained pounds last week are ALL GONE -- plus one! I'm down to 232! Yay!
Appetizer Approximately how many hours per week do you spend reading other blogs? Oh wow! Waaaaaaay too many! (though many would say "not enough" I fear!) It's really hard to balance real life with computer life! The actual reality though is that as neglected as some of my computer friends "feel", I spend a LOT more real life TIME with my computer friends than I do with my real life friends! (some of whom I'm lucky to visit with once a month!)
Soup Your community wants everyone to give one thing to put into a time capsule. What item would you choose to include? Oh! My cell phone! Because a) it's trendy and definately a sign of the times - just got it in April so it's fairly up-to-date with camera feature and all the other bells and whistles! AND because in another year it will be a dinosaur! It's small enough to fit in a time capsule and will show where technology WAS this year! And best of all... if it's IN the time capsule, I can't answer it! Oh dear... "just leave a message... I'll get back to you when I can!" LOL!
Salad What is the most interesting tourist attraction you've ever visited? Interesting? Interesting is different than FUN... I would have to say the National Archives in Washington DC... even though it's right in my own backyard, so to speak! Really all of the museums at the Smithsonian are VERY interesting -- but I love the National Archives! I love SEEING the real live Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights... and many other documents and history! It's just a really neat place to go! (of course the Hershey Chocolate factory was neat too! I like to visit factories and learn how things are made!) Main Course If you could give an award to anyone for anything, who would it be and what would the award be titled? Oh good Lord! This really is not the kind of question that I can answer spur of the moment on a Friday morning! I need time to THINK about this one! I would want it to be an award that honors someone or something that is not currently honored, and I would want it to be "important" - not something frivolous. But I need more time to think! (sorry... I hate answers like this cuz I think they're a cop out -- but I really don't HAVE an appropriate answer for this) Dessert What do you think your favorite color reveals about your personality? OY! I don't really HAVE a favorite color -- I love them all! Well, I'm not "crazy" about the "darks"... black, brown, navy... So I guess that reveals that I'm open and cheerful??? I dunno! (certainly NOT that I'm "bright"! LOL!)
Soooooo... here I am, rolling right along... eating well, exercising regularly, getting fit, and feeling healthy! Right? Maybe not.
I come home from work this afternoon to find a message on my answering machine. "Mrs. Lantz, this Dr. W... your blood work came back and your cholesterol is fine! Good is good and Bad is good too. ... ... umm... your sugar looks a little high though -- it could be nothing, or it might just be something you ate, but it's been a while since I've had anything to compare it to... I'd like to do a more elaborate diabetes test... I'll leave the order on your chart ... you can just come in - you don't need an appointment and you don't have to be fasting... I'll talk to you after you have this done."
Honest to God... If I have diabetes NOW I'm gonna just scream! For yeeeeeears I kept saying "I think I have diabetes... look... my feet are swollen ALL the time! I'm always thirsty... sometimes my head feels swimmy if I haven't eaten for awhile..." ... and yet everytime they tested me I was FINE! But now... my feet NEVER swell anymore, I haven't felt swimmy in months, I am still always thirsty - but I always have been!
I just really don't want to hear this right now! So... I'm going to go get my diabetes test tomorrow I guess... *sigh* ... getting old sucks! And I'm NOT old! 49 is YOUNG dammit!!! Not as young as ... 20... but it's not OLD! Grrrrr... (not my tummy!)
Darling Daughter 2 (Krysti) and I went to the TOBY KEITH concert last night at Nissan Pavilion! Ohhhhh my gosh! It was FABULOUS!!! Hours and hours of musical pleasure! It started off with this dreamboat ...
Indeed! Joe Nichols came out first and played for about 45-60 minutes. I don't remember the order - but he sang The Impossible, She Only Smokes When She Drinks, What's A Guy Gotta Do?, Size Matters (Someday), and OF COURSE - Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off! He is SUCH a hottie, and a concert of him alone would be a thrill! BUT... lucky us ... he was just the appetizer!!! Actually... he was the soup -- there was an "opener" before him. (I'm sure Joe Nichols quit being anyone's opener 4 or 5 albums ago!) LOL! Now... on to the the meat and potatoes!
I got ZERO "good" pictures last night -- but this was the best of the bad ones! I'm afraid it will have to do... But that is my man Toby up on the stage, and on the big screen behind him! I had heard that he puts on an awesome concert ... and let me tell you ... he did NOT let me down! He did do a few songs that I'm not "as familiar" with, mainly because I don't listen to a lot of his earlier stuff -- but they were obviously songs that a great majority of the audience WERE familiar with - and they were very pleasant! He also did two new ones from the movie he just made (Broken Bridges) which is out now. All the rest were ALL my FAVORITES!!! I will name just the ones I can remember! He did ... How Do You Like Me Now?, Who's Your Daddy?, What Happens Down In Mexico (stays in Mexico), As Good As I Once Was, I Love This Bar, Should've Been A Cowboy, A Little Less Talk and A Lot More Action, Whiskey Girl, I'm Just Talkin' 'Bout Tonight, Get Drunk And Be Somebody, I wanna Talk About Me, and without Willie Nelson actually BEING there, he still managed to do Beer For My Horses - using video of Willie for his parts! Of course, when he left the stage we KNEW he was coming back for an encore - which he did - because he HAD TO DO American Soldier AND Courtesy Of The Red, White and Blue (Angry American) ... And he DID!!! And then we were all happy to let him go on his merry way, because he had given us about 150%!!! His show TOTALLY rocks! Lots of lights... lots of fireworky explosive confetti stuff... LOTS OF TOBY... LOTS OF MUSIC!!! I'm going to be WOWWED by this one for quite a while!
LOL! I tooooold you the scales would be up this week! +2 lb! I'm not at all worried about it though... I'm pretty sure I've worked off all that food I ate last weekend! My wedding ring is much looser - I'm going to have to have it resized soon or it's going to fall off. My watch is almost ready to have another link removed -- and yesterday I noticed that I can now slip my "smaller" jeans (my only jeans) off over my hips without unbuttoning them! So... though the scales are UP, other indicators tell me I'm still heading in the right direction! This is probably because two weeks ago I started doubling my efforts at Curves. I now do 4 times around the track every time. (did I mention that already?) Well... 2 times started feeling waaaay not right -- because you don't get to "fat burning" until your body has been working for about 20 minutes. So if the WHOLE Curves workout only takes 30 minutes, then I'm spending twice as much time GETTING to my fat burning as I am actually BURNING! And I wanted to be burning MORE! So... there I am! And between that and the darn pilates, I'm pretty sure I'm building some muscle sOMewhere! So... if muscle burns more calories than fat, and I gained 2 pounds of muscle, really I should be very PLEASED! Shouldn't I??? LOL! Well... it sounds good on paper anyway!
OY! I forgot all about the hunt this morning and ran off to do a million errands! This WORKING during the week stuff SUCKS! LOL! I actually had to grocery shop on Saturday - and the store was PACKED! YUK! So... Mysterious Lady reminded me and so I'm putting this up - Quick! And then I'm off to have lunch with my eldest! I'll come visit y'all this evening! Heeeeeeere's my sleepy boy! I played around with it a bit!
Appetizer Name a song you know by heart. I'm Not As Good As I Once Was -- Toby Keith
Soup What will you absolutely not do in front of another person? *shrug*... not much... *thinking*... HAVE SEX!
Salad How often do you use mouthwash and what kind do you like? I use Listermint Green EVERY morning... it gives me minty fresh breath! i hope...
Main Course Finish this sentence: I am embarrassed when... Oh yes... I remember... "I am embarrased when I fart LOUDLY in front of a whole room full of people!" ... haven't we already talked about this once this week?
Dessert What was the last food you craved? It has to be Sbarro's pizza! That's the only food I EVER crave anymore!
Well, I must say session 2 of Pilate/Yoga went MUCH better than session 1 did. (if you don't count the part where I passed gas during a certain humiliating pose!) Yes... I wanted to just crawl out the door! Sheeeeesh! Needless to say I was the "butt" of many jokes! HOWEVER... after MUCH practice during the week, I was able to keep up on all but maybe 3 or 4 moves tonight! Four during the whole HOUR? I thought that was pretty exceptional! I've definately decided that I need a "roll-up buddy"... because honestly I don't think I'm EVER going to be able to roll-up on my own! I need a buddy to grab my hands and HELP! (perhaps some actual sit-ups ... as opposed to crunches ... over the next 7 days MIGHT help... we'll see!) A roll up is LIKE a sit-up only it's done very very slowly... peeling each vertabrae off the floor one. at. a. time. UGH! The other MAJOR trouble area is when she wants me to make like a ball! I said "Lady, I AM a ball! I can't get INTO a BALL position!" OY! That one I think is going to take about 50 more pounds before I can do it! But I'll keep trying, and who knows... God still pulls off miracles every now and then. He MIGHT find me worthy. It's not MY job to second guess Him! So... I have MY work cut out for me!
