Archive for April 2012

“Workin’ 9 to 5….”

By on April 13, 2012

I remember how much Molly loves that song. I posted a live version of it on Facebook one Friday last summer, and she seemed very appreciative. LOL That evening I met her, Petra, Brittany, and Josh at church to work on decorating for VBS. She was even more appreciative of Petra and I singing 9 to 5 to her shortly after I walked in the door, and I think Josh and Britta were just as appreciative. haha

That was the beginning of a fun week, and that is saying something because I don’t use “fun” and “VBS” together. Molly had finagled me into doing music, much like Sarah had done the year before. Neither of them really had much of a fight to get me to do it because I would rather lead the music any day than be a floater or a teacher. I was so pumped because the music was really upbeat, and heavy on drums and I got to pick out a couple of songs that I just loved. I had a leader packet for the music & skits (because the hubbster was PandaMania Pete & therefore, the skit guy), and it really helped bunches in getting the hand motions down with the songs because it described what the motions were supposed to convey.

First night, Molly said to me at some point “You are killing me with Sing Sing Sing.” I totally did not understand, and would have forgotten about it had I not later made some awful statement about the prizes to Petra who also mentioned Sing Sing Sing…and visually explained what they had thought when they saw the hand motions. I just about DIED laughing.

It slipped by me because I head read the explanation in the leader packet and knew that the questionable hand motions were SUPPOSED to be that of a choir director. However, the actual motions themselves failed…badly. As you can see if you watched the VBS video.

The hubby helped with the leading and so that first night, I was kind of in the middle, hubby was to my left, and Molly was to my right. The second night, she had convinced Petra to get up there with us (because Petra has some dance moves – seriously – hahaha), and so the four of us lead with the hubby and I taking one side and Molly & Petra the other. By this point, Sing Sing Sing was a running joke, and I had stopped doing the motions exactly like the video. But then night 3 happened. We started Sing Sing Sing, and suddenly Molly and Petra are in front of me, FACING me, overaccentuating the moves in perfect coordination as if they had practiced that, and I just lost it. They were then dubbed my Solid Gold Dancers.

So, yeah, that was a fun week.

And I miss my Solid Gold Dancers…

This entry is filed under Funday Friday, Video. | 4 Comments

Not a diet

By on April 11, 2012

It’s a lifestyle change.


You are welcome for that. bahahahahahahaha!

Admittedly, I miss being able to eat whatever I want. I mean I really miss it. You know what I don’t miss? Being bloated daily. Brain fog after every meal. My hair falling out. Weighing over 200 pounds. General lethargy. Ok, I still have bouts of lethargy that is unrelated to what I eat. Sometimes honey badger gets stung by the cobra and just doesn’t care and has to take a nap. LOL If you are new, or just missed it, here is the background for the change in what I eat, and when the ante got upped.

I have to repeatedly and grudgingly remind myself that a lot of my issues stem from a gluten intolerance. But I cannot ignore certain facts when I eat gluten free: my hair doesn’t fall out, my scalp isn’t so itchy, I’m regular (who knew I wasn’t before?), the extreme mood swings are all but gone and only surface every 3 weeks…which is now a consistent cycle, I don’t have heartburn much anymore, I’m losing weight even when I am not exercising, I’m not tired all the time, and I just really feel better in general. I have done so much reading up on healthy/clean/whole food eating that I refuse to eat fast food, and am leery about chain restaurant food. After the withdrawls when I gave up the artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives, I want a farm where I raise all my food. But that isn’t happening on 1.6 acres, and I don’t plan on moving back to the 40 acres in AR while the kids are still in school.

Admittedly, I was a total skeptic of the whole change in diet. I repeated scoffed at Petra, until I started listening to her and saw & felt the results. Oh, and I got scoffed at by my entire family too, so those chickens came home to roost. The hubby has relented since seeing the changes not only in attitude & physical appearance, but also how I have been more diligent than not at sticking with it. Though, it has been hard getting back on the wagon after falling off during surgery recovery. Not that I can use that excuse for glutening myself 3 times last week. But I did say as I was eating both the jalapeno burger from Army City & dipping the bread in the shrimp scampi at Carrabba’s that any ill effects would be well worth the taste. And, oh, did they ever taste WONDERFUL, especially the Carrabba’s.

All in all, it truly is a change in lifestyle every bit as much as forcing myself to run everyday. I have a love/hate relationship with running. I have a love of eating. But, as my doctor said, I can change my lifestyle now and get healthy, or I can change it in 20 years while I am being medicated for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. I can be fat, or I can be fit(ish). I choose the latter.

This entry is filed under Diet, Video, Wholesome Wednesday. | 8 Comments

Run like the wind

By on April 10, 2012

But watch out for fog.


This video doesn’t really have anything to do with the post, but it got stuck in my head when I decided on that title. 😉

In an attempt to blog regularly, I am following Molly’s advice and doing themed days. This may even last past a week. hahaha I decided on Training Tuesday to be the day I blog about exercising and fitness. This is a new thing in my life because the only time I have ever been remotely fit was in high school when I went through spring training to play basketball (which got nixed completely at the beginning of the year thanks to a ruptured appendix right before school started), and when I was in basic training…in 1995. Wait, there was also late 2001 through mid-2002 (my last year in the Air Force) when I worked my tail off to lose 30 pounds because 1) I was NOT going to buy new uniforms right before I got out (stop lossed or not) and 2) I really didn’t want to be put on the fat girl program. I’ve probably mentioned that before.

Anyway, so last summer, Molly joined the newly formed Brick City Running Tribe, and would not let me say no to joining also. That right there is craziness…joining a running club in the summer in the south. But I did it, and shortly after that, Petra’s husband started leading a crossfit group that I got sucked into also. Those workouts resulted in my first ever exercise-induced vomit. But then it got cold, and Petra got too pregnant (but mainly too cold), so the crossfit quit happening. I am still amazed, though, that during one of those workouts I did 100 sit-ups. Anyway, with no crossfit, and now Molly has moved to Alaska, I am having to mostly motivate myself, though I do get a good amount of encouragement from Molly (remotely), Petra, and Karyn. And while I could blow them off, a few of my co-workers give me some encouragement, and one often comes in the office in the morning saying “Did you bring your stuff?” meaning he expects me to go run at lunch. Now that the weather has warmed up, I have no excuse.

I run with BCRT on Tuesday nights because I cannot do the Friday morning run. With the Ritterbecks and Josh & Trisha both moved away, I’ve been reliant on Jamie to be my main motivator on the BCRT run. The non-prego Cardens haven’t been coming either. I really miss Justice & Jarvis running past me 5 or 6 times. LOL I do still have a motivator there, and tonight she literally grabbed my hand and pulled me along to get me running again. See, my groove got blown right away because I ended up behind a perfume fog and couldn’t breathe. Seriously, if we are outside and I can taste it, you have too much on. Plus, who puts on that much perfume to run? It also gave me a headache. And you know, I really wrote all of the preceding stuff just to complain about the perfume. But, now that I know for certain who it is (and no, tonight wasn’t the first time I got fogged), I know who to steer clear of. Fortunately, I normally have to start my run early because I have to be at Bible study 30 min after the start of the run…and I’m not that fast…so, I’ll be able to avoid the fog anyway. 🙂

This entry is filed under Exercise, Training Tuesday, Video. | 4 Comments

All the Earth

By on April 8, 2012

This entry is filed under Remembrance, Video. | 2 Comments

Yes, I think I have lost my mind

By on April 6, 2012

Because seriously, who runs a 5K on a Friday night? This is all Molly’s fault. Have I mentioned she is the one who got me running last summer? After years of refusal to run unless chasing or being chased (and life or death being involved in either)? It is so bad now when Brenda was training for and talking about running a marathon, I didn’t tell her she was crazy like I used to. Anyway, so Molly posts this the day I started running again. I made my little comment and moved on, but Monday morning (her morning since she is in Alaska), she started in on me to do the Jelly Bean Virtual Race. So I signed up, and did it today after work because 1) it was cold and rainy at lunch today and 2) I have a date tomorrow.

After my second attempt to print out and write my name on my race bib, I took a photo that Fluffy III tried to photo bomb.

Then I went outside with the hubby taking a photo before I took off.

And off I went. I remember being so happy when I passed the Webster’s house and I was still running. I thought that was a full mile, but it may or may not be. It isn’t according to mapmyrun.com, but I think my trip meter on my car said it was. Regardless, I was almost to their yard when I got the first urge to vomit. But I didn’t. That may have been why I couldn’t make the hill just passed their house, and spent the next mile unable to run more than a few feet at a time. I was wearing ankle supports because I need new shoes, at least that is what I figure the problem was running yesterday when my ankle starting hurting after the first lap and I didn’t turn it. But anyway, the ankle supports kept my ankles from hurting, but sure made my arches hurt.

But I pressed on, and made it home, running the last quarter mile (which is downhill…and don’t judge).

Taking a photo with my phone wasn’t working out like I wanted, so I got Jamie outside with the camera.

I was still gasping for breath, and was having problems with standing, but I didn’t puke or pass out (didn’t even get dizzy – lol). I didn’t do as well as I would have liked, but I’ve only been back running a week after not running for a month. Or more. Anyway, I know a 5K is 3.1 miles, but my from home loop run is 3.4 miles, which I finished in 45:56. That would be my personal best.

And it hurts. Everywhere. Just sayin’…

This entry is filed under Exercise, Funday Friday, Life, LinkWhoring, Photos. | 6 Comments

Why blogging is such a pain in the ass now

By on April 4, 2012

I threw out a statement on Twitter and Facebook this morning saying I need a blog topic. Because I felt like writing but couldn’t come up with a topic. Diane commented on my FB post “Why blogging is such a pain in the ass now~”, but I apparently inserted punctuation that wasn’t there because I read it as “Why? Blogging is such a pain in the ass now~” But, turns out she wrote it as a topic suggestion. I wasn’t sure I could stretch that out beyond a couple of sentences, but I will give it a shot with a list of reasons why blogging is such a pain in the ass now.

1. Selecting a topic. Seriously, this is often a problem. There is a very good reason I quit the political blogging. However, there was no shortage of topics when I did. I just got tired of being angry all the time. I know the proceeding statement will come back to bite me depending on who reads this post, but seriously, I do not like being angry.

2. Finding the time. Clearly I have plenty of time right now.

3. Finding the motivation. Really. You know, I really need time, motivation, and a topic at the same time. That is so rare these days.

4. Being coherent. Ok, sure I did blog under the influence recently. But I was unable to finish the post until a couple days later. Back in the days of the political blogging, I had a “drunk blogging” category. I’m pretty sure they weren’t coherent. Anyway, sometimes I just ramble all over the place (ADHD), and I’ll have this super long post that makes no sense. And so it sits in the draft hole.

5. Staying focused. I have a pitiful attention span. That probably has a lot to do with #4.

And I seem to have lost my motivation. It is no wonder I interpreted “Why blogging is such a pain in the ass now~” as “Why? Blogging is such a pain in the ass now~” 😉

This entry is filed under LinkWhoring, Ramble. | 8 Comments

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