How has almost a week gone by?

And what was I doing?

I've worked out twice (yay me!!)

Work has been less crazy but just as busy.

I want to go to the county fair tomorrow (and I've not wanted to go to the fair in years).

I am eating a lot more salad... always a good thing.

We're not going to build the Arizona room this year. We need to save up for the things we want... and before we do anything we need to get our emergency fund back up to a decent amount.

I have another workout buddy (Yay!)

I haven't managed to go to bed very early lately... and it is key to getting up early!

I really really need to clean my car. Inside and out.

I finally loaded up my ipod -- and figured out itunes on my pc. I'm entering the 21st century ;-)

I refuse to text. I understand the value of it... but hate pushing a key on the number keypad more than once to get the letter I need. It bothers me to just find a name of someone to call (!)

There is nothing more I can think of to write.

A Good Reminder

"Be Kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Attributed to Plato

"Without music, life would be a mistake"
Neitzsche

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
Norman Vincent Peale

"That which does not kill you makes you stronger."
Neitzsche

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Jesus Christ

"What goes around comes around" OR "You get what you give"
Proverb... cliche'...

"Life is short, eat real sugar."
me

"When you follow your bliss... doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else."
Joseph Campbell

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music."
Jimi Hendrix

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Calvin Coolidge

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit."
Aristotle

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who amd I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God... It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates other."
Maryann Williamson, used in Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural speech

*Bonus
"They may forget what you said. But they'll never forget how you made them feel."
Carl W. Buechner

* * * * * * * * * *
So my Thursday Thirteen is on Sunday... "whatever!" :D

Bizzare Websites

Of all the weird stuff on the 'net, once in awhile my mind wanders to the three more bizarre (therefore memorable) sites I just happened upon by accident.

Knowing I wanted to post these on the blog, naturally finding them again has taken 20 minutes (so much more information out there now!)...

Why Does Corn Show Up In Poop? The original page I found on this site, but this site has some interesting thoughts as well.

Life Gems. I'd never heard of this until I came across this site.

There's one more but I can't find it and I've got to get going.... maybe later.

Kinda Cool...

You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic. You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything. You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests. You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time. Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to. (But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.) You excel in: Inspiring people You get along best with: The Question Mark

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Workout #3!!

Well... I could hardly put my left side hand on my hip today... my arm muscles hurt so bad.

I worked out again with my personal trainer today -- 5 minutes walking, 40 minutes weights, 4 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes walking -- mostly right around 2 mph. The difference today was that I spent 15 minutes stretching. Oh it hurts so good!!

* * * * * *
Nothing major going on except I was a crabby b-word pretty much all day... couldn't get anything done between the phone, email, talking to people who were coming into my office, and the pile of crap on all three surfaces that I'll generously call a desk being covered with papers and more papers and calendars and calculators... ack!!

After Saturday things will be better.

I really want to vent about this Combined PR Event We Are Doing experience in the worst way... but I wouldn't be nice, or even funny, really... and I really do want to KMMS... (Keep My Mouth Shut) as it has managed to get me into trouble a number of times in the past, and I need to just Get Over It Already.

*********
I'm going to hang out with some fun and funny people tomorrow and crop and scrap... which will be much fun!!

How To Catch Wild Pigs

Found this story on another blog, and rather than put it all here... I'll put a link to it instead.

It is a political analogy... and if you know how a frog won't jump out of water that is heated until in eventually boils to death, you get the gist.

A good read, anyhow.

Work out, then chocolate ice cream - nothing incongruous there, is there?

It's hot. When its hot I eat a lot of ice cream. I tried to do frozen yogurt one summer with a cheap freezer thing-a-ma-bob, but it broke and wasn't all that great... and took way-hay too long to freeze up the yogurt.

Yes, my second workout with weights today... yi-yi-yi!!! I was really in pain last Friday and Saturday... and I know it is a good pain, so I was enthusiastic when I groaned and moaned... ;-)

I need to get in the habit of going every day - and tomorrow my goal is to go after work and just do 20 minutes on the treadmill. I also want to take advantage of the food plan that the personal training program gives me. I've resisted for so long being told what to eat... and that hasn't worked spectacularly for me... eating when I'm hungry and eating what I want to eat works for me, when I focus on actually doing it.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

So... on my way to the fitness center after work, I'm heading south and turning left to get to my gym. In my town our green arrows in most intersections come after the main green light... so I was in a line of left-turning cars and as it got to my turn to actually make the left, I saw what had been hidden infront of the tall SUV in front of me... a blind man was crossing the street in the middle of the intersection!

I saw a man who had obviously seen what was going on and was running to him to let him know that he was *standing in the middle of 12 lanes of opposing traffic.*

It looked like the blind man thought he had crossed the entire intersection (West to East) when indeed he'd only crossed 4 lanes, came to the island that separates the dual road, so he turned to then cross North to South. Holy Crap!!!

I said a prayer of thanks for the guy who was running to help him out. I said a prayer of thanks that everyone so far had seen him and wasn't honking obnoxiously at him (which only would have confused him, I'm pretty sure). Then I said a prayer of thanks for my health and my sight. How easy it would be to make that mistake, especially if my mind was on something other than crossing 6 lanes of traffic.

So... if you're reading this, give thanks.

Dumb Laws website

I thought this was a fun find on the world wide web this morning...

Dumb Laws; Stupid Laws

Have a dumb-law free day ;-)

Tucson Desert Harmony Chorus going to International Contest 2009!!

Wahhhh-hoooooo!

I had a slight twinge of regret... not being a part of going up and getting that Region 21 blue ribbon medal... I know I'm doing the right thing, but that is something I'll never be a part of ~ that first blue ribbon...

But I have every intention of going back to chorus after the weather cools down and I'm firmly entrenched in a regular workout/exercise routine.

Today I'm in organizing mode -- I'm revved up from contest yesterday and inspired... hard to stay motivated and inspired... that is my constant challenge. (or, as Beth would say, OGAD - another "Opportunity for Growth And Development" ;-) I'm also in a clearing the crap mood -- getting rid of some clothes first. Going and getting next year's calendar second, then coming back and putting some craft stuff away. In 15 minute increments. I may stop at the fitness place and do some walking on the treadmill.

I signed up (finally) onto itunes and am switching over my music to my ipod ~ it is taking awhile... but I've already made one 1-hour walking music playlist... and will make a few. I also want to go and see about the podcasts and listen to some of those.

Oh Why Am I Not Asleeping?

Big Mama's blog post today cracked me up -- inspired me...? or just made me envious about being able to write a post that would make himself's quirks lovable. Like how he balls up his socks to wash them. you know, like you pair socks up after you've washed, dried and sorted them -- getting them ready to put them away? Well, he balls them all up before washing them, in order to prevent single sock syndrome. I have a sneaking feeling that this prevents them from getting the cleanest clean possible.

I'm sure I can come up with more ~ but it is late, I should be sleeping.

Speaking of Himself ~ our first of the two wedding anniversaries was Monday, April 6th. I know I have so many people reading my blog -- anyone venture a guess... quite a few people know, I know (how many times can I write/type know??)... no prize offering, sorry.

I went to my chorus "Friends & Family Night" where they do their stuff over and over in preparation for the big contest on Saturday in Phoenix. They rocked! I think I'm going to ride up with friends to watch for the day -- I came home tonight and watched a bunch of barbershop on You Tube.

like this:



Yep, revealing a lot about me today.

I went and signed up with a personal trainer - 20 minutes on the treadmill with hills yesterday kicked my butt. But I have a goal! Thursday I go in for weights. whoo hoo.

I am excited about working out -- it is cutting back on the fat in my diet that sucks the big one. whine whine.

A Day of Rest

After a 13-day work stretch I'm thoroughly enjoying today. I slept in until 10 am, cleared off the dining room table, took a shower, irritated himself doing taxes, helped himself with taxes (brought it from paying the IRS to them paying us $37 because of what I spent on craft supplies for my business... any other day he would have been upset at the spending. Ah-hah! now I know when to reveal my receipts from JoAnn's, Michaels and other craft sources!! :-), organized receipts from Jan-Mar of this year, and started some laundry.

My goal for today was to plan 3 weeks of weight watcher meals and shopping lists for us... it is now 6pm and himself has gone to blockbuster to return videos and get new ones, then heading to the grocery for some supplies, and we'll settle down, eat some pizza and watch movies.

I'm hoping to get a week done for the shopping/eating plan.

I went and talked to Better Bodies on Friday after work and got an idea of how much they charge -- cough cough. $70 an hour which, like most things, goes down the more sessions you buy up front -- even then, however, it is 36 sessions for $55 which would cost $1,980.00. I'm not saying it isn't worth it. Their literature does say that if budget is a primary concern, then they probably aren't the ones for you.

I left a message for the guy at Snap 24 Fitness ~ I'll get my training in with him (free for the first time), and then talk to him about having a trainer maybe once a week. I'm ready, but just couldn't afford the Better Bodies Budget.

And the reunions coming up have absolutely nothing to do with my motivation.

Really.

Yep, I mean it. :-)

The big event yesterday for work went pretty well -- I was tired and crabby, but think I faked it okay. We had over 21 kids show up for StarKidz 2008 -- with almost no advertising. This was the 2nd year, and by next year I think I'll be okay to chair the whole thing and organize it (with the expectation that I'll have some office help by then).

It still is crazy between now and May 20th, but there's a little breather for the next couple days... little.

States I've visited/driven through

Blatantly stolen from Happy Hours Blog :-)



create your own personalized map of the USA

and I have been through Alabama... the snowstorm of '93 and I lost and found my camera
in Anniston -- at a Waffle House (great grits!!)

It says I've been to 45% of the US (23 states, really 24 - though)