Friday, January 8, 2010

This is THE year!

OK.  So here I go again...the vow to lose weight, get in shape, and free my mind from all of the negative thoughts that I have.  I am already doubting myself.  Even saying (typing) those words makes me feel this heavy unseen pressure.  Where is that coming from???  I feel like I am in a force field.
Either way, I have rejoined Weight Watchers online...which I know works like a charm...if I can stick to it.  And I am also signed up for a race in February.  Not just any race, but The Great Aloha Run.  We run or in my case, walk, from the Aloha Tower to the Aloha Stadium.  That's alot of Aloha's getting tossed around.  Its an 8.15 mile race.  Yes, that is a distance that is usually covered in a car, but not this time.  What was I thinking??
I was thinking that a friend asked Jason and I to sign up.  You see, he is a walker, but his wife is a jogger...how convenient, as I am a walker and Jason is a jogger.  Now we have race buddies!  I am sure that I can walk the 8.15 miles, but in how long?  I am guessing it will take me at least 2 hours.  And by the lack of training I am currently doing, maybe even longer.  Before Christmas, I was walking everyday...at least three miles.  I know its not even HALF of what I need to walk for the race, but it was easy.  So, I am just assuming that I will cross the finish line on my own accord...not on a stretcher or in a wheel chair.
Please, if you will, send lots of positive motivational thoughts my way...for the diet and the race.  I have yo-yo'd one too many times and like always, this is the LAST time.  Although this is the longest YO towards the big side, I hope I can recover.  And I miss the trim days...the enjoyment that I received from shopping is a distant memory.  I keep trying to recapture the glory days.  Will this year be the "year"?  Let's hope or you can expect a similar blog this time next year.  ;-)

Blog Award #2


One more blog award...this one from Allyson!  Thanks so much!

Blog Award #1

Ok...So, for some undeserving reason, Cindy has awarded me this "SWEET" blog award!  Thanks Cindy...sorry it has taken me so long to accept.


Here are the official rules...




1) List 10 things that make you happy, and try to do at least one of them today.

2) Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

3) If you are one of those 10 lucky (happy) bloggers who get the award, link back to my blog and create your happy list!
 
So, here goes, in no particular order:
 
1:  I love waking up knowing that today is a new day and anything is possible.
2.  Jason is fantastic!  He makes me smile every day and sometimes all day long!
3. My family is the best.  Everyone is so unique and interesting. 
4. My friends are always there for me.  This gives me such comfort and happiness.  I am so glad that I met each of you.
5.  The sunshine!  I love it when its bright and sunny.  Its an immediate mood lifter.
6. Babies...this really needs no explanation, but you can't help but feel overall love and happiness when you see/hold/kiss a baby.
7. Coffee and the Today Show.  My favorite morning routine.
8. Food...this is a double-edged sword.  I love food...cooking, eating, etc.  But I may love it too much...
9. Traveling.  I get so excited and HAPPY when I am heading out on a trip!
10.  Believing in God.  I am happy to know that when I say my prayers, someone is listening.  Thank you!

And, as soon as I find 10 Bloggers to award this to, I will do it!

Monday, January 4, 2010

"Crazy Plane"

Jason and I made the long trip back to Hawaii on December 30th.  My original plan was to leave on the 29th, but I was feeling terrible!  I somehow managed to acquire a chest cold for Christmas.  Not my favorite gift this year.  I pushed my flight until the 30th and tried to recover.  Jason and I had to travel separately, due to the original Army travel plans.  But that was ok...we both had super long days ahead of us.
My total travel time with layovers was around 18 hours and Jason's ended up being the same due to two different delays. 
We neither experienced any difference in security or weather issues, thankfully.  Although I did come into contact with the "Craziest Lady Ever".  I don't know where to start.  First of all, she STOLE my lovely aisle seat on the plane...and the stewardess didn't want to make her move, due to her not feeling well.  Give me a break!  She didn't feel well because she had a middle seat!  So, the lady is talking nonsense and is most likely drinking rather heavily for that early in the day.  So, I obediently moved to the row in front of "Craziest Lady Ever"...which turned out to be a great seat.  I was in the middle of two very quiet people and we had the bulkhead...so endless leg room.  But as we flew the friendly skies, I could hear "Craziest Lady Ever" having the strangest conversations with herself and the guys seated next to hear.  Their names were Chris and Frankie, but she referred to them both as "Bo-Bo"...she had the lovely name of Grace, but asked to be referred to as "Mommy".  I tried to tune out specifics of the conversation, but sometimes it was really hard for me.
Like the story about her being in a hotel bar in sweatpants and losing 4 hours of time.  She assumes that someone slipped her something and she made it clear that she had on sweatpants. ????
Well, we were about an hour from Phoenix, when "Mommy" stood up to let the "Bo-Bo's" out to pee.  Yes, they both went at the same time and no, they weren't together.  They didn't even know one another until this flight...it was just a ploy for them both to escape the "Craziest Lady Ever".
When she stood up, she saw me...great!  She then leaned over the seat, grasped my head in both hands and laid her face upon mine.  She started rubbing all over my head and for a moment, I thought she was going to snap my neck.  I was kind of afraid to say anything or make a scene because she is obviously off of her rocker.  So, I sat there and listened to her while she told me what a lovely lady I was for giving her my seat.  Give, I did not do!  She stole it from me.  As she rubbed my head, she told me how she loves everyone and she wishes that she didn't have to suffer...she named several afflictions during this time.  I tried to react and tell her that I didn't care about the seat and I hope she started feeling better and she "SHHH'd" me.  She told me to be quiet while she prayed (preyed)  upon me.  And then she did just that...she prayed.  Loud and long, all the while, holding my head.  And then she started crying.  I noticed the lady next to me was getting showered with tears and I could tell she was uncomfortable...but she never flinched.  Finally, after about 5 minutes of head rubbing, praying, and crying,  "Craziest Lady Ever" decided to take a stroll, er, stumble to First Class!  Some nerve...but she should be familiar with First Class because she had been in there about 5 times during this trip.  When she disappeared, the "Bo-Bo's" returned and both said "Do you know that lady"?  Uh, no...I just "gave" her my seat.  To which they replied, "Well, Merry Christmas to us!"
And then, the lady next to me, who had just received a shower of tears, took off her headphones and asked if I was ok.  She had left her headphones on, but with the music turned off as a way to eavesdrop on us.  She said that she more or less wanted to witness what was happening and be ready in case I needed her!  Thank goodness for this lady.  She had my back!
So, as the seatbelt light came on, "Mommy" returned to her seat very quietly.  We landed and I took a deep breath.  As we started to deboard, the stewardess asked us to remain in our seats due to a few people needing to make a quick connection.  That didn't stop "Mommy"...she stood up, grabbed her stuff, and said "Come on Bo-Bo, follow me!".  And no one stopped her, she was thankfully, gone in a flash.
And as I walked pass the cockpit, I heard the flight attendants discussing how "Craziest Lady Ever" kept coming into First Class to kiss someone's baby!
Thankfully, my next flight was quiet and relaxing.  I got home, unpacked, went back to the airport for Jason, and finally fell face first into bed.  I didn't open my eyes for 12 lovely hours and when I woke up, that crazy lady was in the far reaches of my memory and far away from Hawaii.  Look out Phoenix!

Merry Christmas

So, Jason and I made it home for Christmas!  We had a wonderful two week visit.  One highlight of our trip was getting to see snow!  The snow came down in the biggest flakes I have ever seen!  It looked like someone tossing snowballs around.  It was a wet, heavy snow which stuck beautifully to all of the trees.  Of course that led to a power outage.  We weren't planning for that when we left beautiful, sunny, warm Hawaii.  The power went down about 10:30 on Friday night and was restored 24 hours later.  Matt and Alexandra were with us at Dad's and we were totally surprised that Alexandra was never bothered by the power being off.  I think she may have asked us to turn a light on a couple of times (because she couldn't see to play with her dolls).  She also asked if I had turned out her nightlight and could I please turn it back on.   She was asleep when the power came on, but the next morning, she saw the Christmas lights shining and said "The power is back on!!".  We cooked with the help of propane tanks and used Coleman lanterns to light our way.  If you have the ingredients, gourmet meals can be prepared on portable Coleman grills.  Stuffed mushrooms & buffalo chicken dip for dinner...bagels fried in a cast iron skillet for breakfast.  And let us not forget the "endless" pot of coffee.  It was fun while it lasted, but we were definitely ready for the lights to be on.  Unfortunately, some were without electric for a week!
Another highlight was getting to see UK play basketball.  Merry Christmas to us!  We went on December 23rd and watched them play Long Beach State.  We had a great time.  Jane, Katie, Beaver, Jason, and I were decked out in BIG BLUE and really enjoyed the game.  The boys were the happiest, of course.
But, the best part of all was getting to visit with our family and friends.  We had Christmas Eve bingo at Jason's grandmother's house and Christmas Eve gumbo with my folks.  These are two long standing traditions in our families.  We are so glad that we didn't have to miss them!
Merry Christmas all!