Get Fit, Feel EPIC

I am taking the plunge into another challenge hosted by the lovely Miss Becky from Weight Wars.

 

Apparently there is a prize involved which is a bonus!  I'm mainly getting in this to get my ass back on the ball and since the challenge starts September, 3 - vacation will be over and I will have no excuses.

So I need to ...
1). set 5 measurable goals
2). take part in Becky's weekly challenges
3). check in weekly and link up on her post
4). GET ACTIVE !

Sounds easy enough!  I checked out her post on goal setting and this is what I've come up with so far.  This may change when I see the actual rules on Monday.

5 measurable goals
     1.  attend a WW meeting every week
     2.  do some sort of exercise 3 times a week for at                     least 30 minutes
     3.  re-listen to a hypnosis session 4 times a week
     4.  look up and try at least 3 new recipes a week
     5.  do at least 15 minutes daily straightening up the                    house (it makes me feel better - mental health counts!!)

So there.  I'm signed up and committed.  I really need this motivation, since I've been so blah about the whole weight loss thing.

Sooooo - WOOHOOOO!

My last official birthday!

Today is my 39th birthday (for another 10 minutes, so I better type fast!)  After this, I will take advantage of my ability and desire to lie about my age. 

Randy & Angel got me a nice bunch of carnations and also a little stone to put out over the cats' grave in the back yard - it made me cry, dammit!

I found some old photos of me tonight, so I took pics of them (too lazy to dig out & fight with the scanner!)

 1973

Aww!

 1975

Love this expression!

 1990 - 11th grade

is there room on the screen for my hair?

 1991 - graduation

big hair is gone!

 

 1995

Pollywog Day on Uss Abraham Lincoln CVN72

Initiation for crossing the equator the first time

Uniform of the day was inside out & backwards.

 mid September 1997

 early October 1997

baby Angela!

 1998 - Angel's christening

with my brothers & sisters

It's also Laurie's birthday today, too!  She's on the lower right.

She's 13 years older than me!

2001 

Geocaching for the first time

 2012

me & my sweetie!

My last official birthday!

I turned 39 today.  So after this I'll just continue to be 39 - you know, the prerogative of a female to lie about her age! 

Randy & Angel got me a big bunch of carnations and also a little stone to put out over the cats' graves in the backyard.  It made me cry, dammit!

I don't rightly know how I feel about this particular milestone.  At least I didn't cry last night like I did the night before I turned 30.  I do  feel like I should have accomplished more in my life than I have so far.  I don't know what....but it should have been something.   Lots of questions there.  But on the other hand...I have a wonderful husband and provider, a great kid, fur-babies to love on, a roof over my head, a car to drive, plenty of eat and a steady paycheck.  So I have tons to be thankful for, so what the heck is wrong with me?

On a happier note....here is me thru the years.....forgive me for the quality - I didn't feel like fighting with the scanner, so I took pics of the old photos.

 1973

Awww!

 1975

Love that expression!

 1990 - 11th grade

Hope there's room on the screen to show my hair!

 1991 - Graduation

with the big hair - gone!  

I was supposed to leave for bootcamp within a month, but didn't. 

 1995

Pollywog Day, USS Abraham Lincoln CVN72

initiation for crossing the equator for the first time. 

uniform of the day was inside out & backwards. 

Early September 1997

 

 Early October 1997

Baby Angela!

 

 1998

Angel's christening with my brothers & sisters

coincidentally - it is Laurie's birthday, too!  

She's the one on the lower right.  She's 13 years older than me!

 

 2001

Geocaching for the first time.

2012

me & my sweetie

Have a great day!

**peeking from under my rock**

I totally suck at blogging lately!  I totally missed posting on MGC's first Blog-iversary yesterday.  I knew it when it was, but was still recovering from a crazy weekend and was too lazy.  I didn't even have a post scheduled!

Sheesh.

Good news - I'M ON VACATION!!!!  Whew.  Just needed to put that out there.

Quick update on Miss Maddie.  I took her to the vet about her eye and the doc said she had a deep laceration on her eyeball and sent us to a kitty ophthalmologist.  Come to find out, she's got a super deep ulcer on her eye from the infection that didn't heal well.  Literally 95% of her cornea was gone in that spot.  This vet wanted to do surgery, but with her heart murmur, it would cost us $3-$4 thousand bucks!!  The vet also said there was a 30% chance she could heal with just meds, so we're going that route.  It does look better already, and she's only been on them since Wednesday. Whew!  She's still really chatty, and it's just nice to see 2 eyes looking back at me!

Isn't that one pink toe adorable?

Thursday morning, we registered Angel for school ~sniff, my baby girl is going into high school!!  They had it set up so nice - we were in line at Tim Horton's longer than it took to register!!  Walk in & get pics taken.  Go to a table with a teacher armed with a laptop and a senior helper.  I gave the teacher a check and an order form already filled out with the homecoming and yearbook orders, and the senior handed Angel a keychain that is her ticket to the homecoming dance.  The next stop was a table to get her schedule and we were done!  Then Thursday night we had orientation.  We heard from the principal and athletic director and they had a bunch of booths set up for every club / program / cult you could possibly imagine.  Senior / Sophomore Mentoring??  Really??  I feel gypped.  My old high school never did this.  I never knew about most of the clubs until I saw them in my yearbook.  I missed out on a lot!

Friday at work, I was determined to get all my work done & filed so my desk was cleared when I let.  And it was!

Saturday, my cousin and his wife were celebrating their 30th anniversary by renewing their vows (a re-wedding?)  they did the whole church & reception thing.  It was so much fun!  Their DJ rocked.  I was on the dancefloor for at least 4+ hours.  So were my sister Laurie, Angel & niece Lisa.  We were all exhausted & sore by the end of the night.  My feet were filthy & hurt from dancing barefoot.  Knees, hips, arms, everything!

Sunday, we stupidly agreed to meet both sisters at the Renaissance Festival.  I know Laurie was hurting as bad as me!  Lots of walking on uneven ground, but still fun.

Aleve is our friend!

 Me & Angel with the joust "Weee-ner"

 Randy found a grasshopper friend!

So vacation.  Miss Maddie needing meds 3X a day put the kabosh on actually going anywhere.  We do plan on making a day trip to Hell, MI !!  It's only like an hour away and we've never been there!  We're going to do some Geocaches and of course visit the general store and take lots of pics.  Our goal is to get Angel tired of us, so she'll be ready to go back to school!

So there's the rundown on life in general right now.  Tomorrow I get to visit the Secretary of State (aka the DMV) to get my license renewed and new tabs for the car, since Wednesday is my birthday!!

Later!

We look so cute!

I'm happy under my rock.

Weekend recap

Wow, I haven't done an actual post (other than FMM) forever.  Pretty obvious reasons, actually.  I haven't been to WW since.... **opens another tab to check WW online**  ...July 26! 

It's been crazy hectic all summer, and frankly - I hate all the meeting times at ever office in my area!  I get out of work at 3:30 and don't want to wait until 6 to go to my meeting.  I want to stop on my way home.  The one place that does have a 4 pm meeting is the one that is closest to my house (in miles), but farthest from my work!  With lovely traffic in lovely metro Detroit, there's no way to make it in time!  Saturday morning is always an option.  Altho the one time I went on a Saturday, it was crazy.  But I could deal.  Once dance starts, Angel will have classes at 11, so I could make the 10am meeting and be home to shuttle her there.

So anyway, that's my dilemma. I haven't been going to meetings or even following the plan very well, but I also haven't cancelled.  So I need to figure out what I'm doing or quit donating $$ ! I can only imagine how bad the scale looks!

Sigh.  So what's been going on? 

Like I said, it's been crazy.  I had the dog into the vet 4 times about his back end.  I won't go into all the TMI details, but he ended up having a blocked anal gland and had to be probed (insert giggles & alien jokes here!) but he's fine now.  4 times - 1st vet found it. wanted recheck, then wanted Vet #2 to check and then vet #2 wanted recheck).  Poor dog!  Too many fingers in places they shouldn't be! 

Our new addition, Miss Maddie had to go back in about her eye - it didn't heal well after her infection and we learned (at a kitty ophthalmologist!) that she had an ulcer on her eyeball that was so deep only 5% of her cornea was covering it. On top of a minor heart murmur, surgery would have cost $3-$4 ~thousand~ buckaroos!  The doc said there was a 30% chance she'd heal with just medication, so we're going that route.  It it noticeably better and she was just in there last Wednesday!  YAY!

Cat Olympics

Sleeping in the Pike Position

I took Miss Angela to get registered for high school last Thursday.  ~sniff~ My baby is a sophomore!  I feel gypped.  I never knew about any of the programs and clubs offered at my school until I saw them in our yearbook.  Angel's school has orientation and you can hear from the principal and athletic director and they have booths with info for every possible club / program / cult you can imagine!  She doesn't start back until the Tuesday after Labor Day. 

Let me see - Saturday my cousin & his wife celebrated their 30th anniversary with a vow renewal (re-wedding?) and did the whole church & reception thing - it was a lot of fun, even if it was a dry occasion.  The DJ rocked!  I spent a full 4 hours on the dancefloor! My sister, niece & Angel were all out there with me the whole time!  By the end of the night, we were exhausted.  My sandals weren't dancing-worthy so I went barefoot, so my feet were killing me!  And I won't get into my ankles, knees (especially my knees!) and hips.  Totally worth it, tho.  FUN!

I love Aleve.  Just sayin'.

Sunday, we made the mistake of agreeing to meet the sisters at the Renaissance Festival.  Lots of walking on uneven ground.  Linda didn't go to the wedding, but Laurie was in as bad of shape was I was! 

 Randy and his little grasshopper friend riding on his shoulder.

Me & Angel with the winner of the joust.

So that's all that's going on.   We're on vacation this week, but we're not going anywhere for any length of time, due to Miss Maddie's needing her meds 3X a day.  But we are going to make a trip to Hell, MI !!  We've been to Hell on Grand Cayman, so we need to go to this one which is only like an hour away!!  Why have I never been there???  This should be a lot of fun.  We're going to look for a few Geocaches and of course visit the store and take tons of pics!.

So that's all for now.  I'm in Limbo.  But on the plus side.....Wednesday is my birthday!!!

Friend Makin' Monday - Inappropriate Questions

I will drawl back out from under my rock for questions like that!  LOL!

Not much going on - last Monday I took a legit sick day - I was a walking NyQuil ad.  It all hit me while trying to watch the Olympic closing ceremonies (btw - I enjoyed seeing Prince Harry singing & whistling along with Eric Idle from Monty Python!!) and Monday the nausea hit & I just went back to bed.  I even had a hard time getting my thoughts together to email my boss. 

But I'm back to life now. The girl & I went to my sister's to do some horseback riding yesterday.  We rode some trails into town and while I held the herd, Laurie & Angel went across the road to get beverages for us all.  The only real adventure we had was when we discovered that Kisses (the one on the left that I rode) had lost a shoe and we used a rubber horse boot as a temporary measure.  Which worked fine 98% of the time. As we started back toward the barn, she must have stepped on it and pulled it loose, so she did this awesome half rear, half bucking motion until it came off.  She felt like a rocking horse!  It happened one more time right before we left the trail. Once it came off, she settled right down.

Now it’s time for FMM.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. Take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts.

Inappropriate Questions

1. Will you vote in the upcoming presidential election?  yes.  I don't get into political arguments & such but I will vote. 

2. Do you say curse words? I used to be in the Navy and now work around truck drivers, so YES!  I do try to censor my words around people like my Mom & child.

3. Have you ever kissed a stranger? Yes, and I think everyone should do it at some point.   (keeping Kenlie's answer!)  but not now, since I don't think the hubby would appreciate it.

4. If you could choose to meet only one fellow blogger in person right now who would you choose? Oh gosh.  Hmm.   Since I'm feeling in a fall mood, due to the cooler temps & hints of trees changing colors, it would have to be Scott, aka Stolloween - it's a Halloween blog and he makes the most incredible things out of paper mache.  And he's another Michigander!

5. What is the most inappropriate pick-up line that anyone has ever used on you?  Hmm, it's been a long time, but I recall sitting at a table in a bar, singing to the song playing and one of the guys at the table announcing that he wanted to kiss me.  O_o  Total deer in the headlights look!

6. Do you sing in the shower?  Sometimes.  It's usually "la la la" type singing.  In the car is a different story - !

7. How often do you get drunk?    Before Angel was conceived & born (she'll be 15 next month) the answer was - every weekend!  After that, I realized that the hangovers were worse than childbirth.  I can't remember the last time I've been seriously drunk.  Nothing really worse than a happy buzz for years.

8. Have you ever been fired from a job?  Nope.  We had a big discussion a couple years ago at my current job as to what it would take to get fired from here. I think it's close to impossible!  One of the drivers was present for the chat & he said he'd backed a truck into the corner of the building and obviously wasn't fired since he is still to this day driving for us!

9. Were you popular in high school?  Nope.  I never fit into one of the cliques and only had a few close friends.

10. Who is your current celebrity crush? Hmm.  I can't say that I have one!  I do appreciate eye candy like Tom Daley (who my daughter is in love with!) and always Johnny Depp.  But I don't think they're crushes.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions. Don’t forget to go back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday, friends!

Checking in!

Just popping in for a minute - not much excitement going on. 

Woke up Sunday with a bit of a sore throat and one (just one! How annoying) stuffed up nostril.  We'd been sleeping with the window open, so I thought it was from that.  Watching the Olympic closing ceremony I started getting hot to the point I was sweating - even tho Angel was across the room from me, wrapped in a blanket.  It went downhill from there.  By the time I went to bed, I was a walking NyQuil commercial (stuffy head, fever, coughing, etc, etc).  Monday I got up, still miserable, and was hit with a wave of nausea, so I stayed home from work.

I barely survived Tuesday and am slowly returning to mornal.  Altho I stood out in the yard last night, looked at the overgrown mess of a yard and went back inside.  There's no way I could manage pushing the mower for 2+ hours.  I'm too weak!!

So now that I've posted my woe-is-me story .....

Maddie has chosen her person! 

Actually, she's pretty unbiased.  Whoever is laying on their back is fair game for her to get on.  She has the faintest, tiniest purr!  It's so cute!  Her & Chester are slowly coming to terms with each other.  Last night at dinner, she was perched on the tote under the table and Chester was on the floor in front of Randy's feet.  After some initial growling, they both settled down and tolerated each other.

She's got another visit with the vet tonight.  When we adopted her, she was getting over an eye infection and came with drops for it.  Well, her eye never really was 100% and in fact has gotten to the point it's been basically glued shut.  She can only handle us wiping it with a wet towel for so long before it irritates her. 

Speaking of the Closing Ceremony.....I thought it was funny that the camera panned to Prince Harry while Eric Idle was performing and caught him singing & whistling with the song.  Awesome!!

So this weekend is the Woodward Dream Cruise!  I didn't volunteer for radio comms for the Parade of Cars this year, so I have no reason to fight the traffic to go.  Randy will be there all weekend like he usually is.  At least it's not going to be hot!

yes - I did notice the typo up there - I went back to spell "normal" correctly & realized it was appropriate, so I left it.

Later!

(late) Friend Makin' Monday - a Little More Personal

Went camping with the family this weekend and actually had a surprising amount of fun! 

 Me & Laurie tubing.

Trust me - we didn't keep our arms up for long!  It was really choppy and Linda chose to drive the boat at 30 mph, so my biceps are still slightly sore today!

Randy grilling the Spam.

 Me & Angel

Needless to say - the group dinners and

my little friend Jose Cuervo did not lead to eating well.

I'm considering checking out MyFitnessPal or something to help me get back on track & taking a break from WW for a while.  Seems silly to pay that much $$$ per month and I'm not sticking to the plan well.  Something new and different will force me to pay attention.  Anyone have suggestions?

Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. Take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers.  The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts.

A Little More Personal

1. Are you a morning person?  Without a doubt.  It makes for some fun family gatherings, when Linda and I do an early morning song & dance for those who are not morning people!

2. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?  Introvert.  I don't make small talk well and it's a good thing I didn't need to flirt with Randy when I met him, since I feel like a dork when I flirt. I prefer to be around people I know.

3. Are you addicted to anything? If so, what?  I'm a Coke Addict.  Coke Zero, that is.  I don't go crazy but I have at least 1 a day. And I always start my mornings with a tall glass to water with Crystal Lite Strawberry.

4. How many times have you been in love?  Really, really in love?  Probably not many.  It was more like I thought I was in love.  Now that I'm older, I know more of what love is. I have learned that love goes along with respect and trust and a good dose of humor.  It also helps to have separate interests.  We don't need to be in each other's pockets all the time.

5. What is your position on politics?  I don't get into them.  It seems like all these political ads aren't about what a candidate can do for the people, but about tattling on other candidates.

6. Are you religious?  Not so much.  I believe in God and pray fairly regularly.  But we haven't been in a church in over a year.

7. Would you prefer backpacking or a luxury hotel?  Hmmm.  Yes.  I'd like to do both, but only in moderation.

8. Do you have/want pets?  I have a Beagle named Jack, a sassy orange tabby cat named Chester, our newest addition is a little tortoiseshell tabby named Maddie. We also have 4 Gourami fish and a GIANT pleco (really - he's probably 12 inches long and 3.5 inches wide at his head).

9. Are you a sports fan?  I am a Detroit Red Wings fan.  I don't care much for any of the "ball" games, either pro or college.  But I will sit down with Randy to watch the Arkansas Razorbacks play (wooo pig sooie!)

10. How often do you brush your teeth?  twice a day.  And my floss is always handy.

11. Do you have tattoos and/or piercings? Yes.  Each ear is pierced 3 times and I have 4 tattoos.  I have a tiny heart & 2 flowers on my right ankle, a mandela and feather above that, a morning glory vine in my cleavage and a rose vine with LOVE (hubby's last name) in it around my left ankle.  That one is my favorite.

12. What’s your favorite clothing brand?  whatever fits.  If I have to choose one, Lee jeans since they fit so well.

13. Should a man open doors for a woman?  Within reason.  Randy tends to do it more when we go out someplace.

14. Which season is your favorite?  Fall & Spring are tied.  I like Fall = Halloween.  And it's cooler and the fall colors are amazing & there's just that special smell in the air....Spring means things are turning green and growing, flowers & baby critters.

15. Would you rather eat less or workout more?  Eat less & better

16. What’s your idea of romance?  I'm living it!  No, actually......I'd love to see a guy doing laundry / dishes.  That would be like foreplay for me!  He wouldn't even need to wear an apron!

17. How often do you do things that are outside of your comfort zone?  Probably not as often as I should.  My life is not particularly exciting.

18. Christmas or Halloween?  Halloween!!  Love it, love it, love it!  I just love to see the kids get dressed up and oh, the decorating (see Maple Grove Cemetery - yeah, that's me!)

19. Would you rather live in the country or the city?  Country.  it's so peaceful and I seem to spend more time outside moving, doing stuff instead of just sitting around like I do at home now.

20. Share your life philosophy.  Hmm.  Never thought of what my life philosophy is.  I try to follow the "do unto others", etc and give to those less fortunate.  I guess I want to be the best wife & mom I can be in the best, most healthy body I can have.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to head over and link up in the comments! Happy Monday, Friends!

Gone up north!

I took a half day on Friday to go along with Randy's full day off and we went up north to my sister Linda's place on a lake in Gladwin - pretty darn close to the center of Michigan. 

It had its fun moments.  Like when I walked out carrying a bottle of tequila and a can of Spam, telling everyone I was ready for dinner. And Tubing.  Tubing was a riot!  Of course the campfire.

 Corn, corn everywhere!

We rented a new Dodge Charger for the weekend, since it is bigger than either of ours.  

Man that is a nice car!  It drove entirely too smooth.  We were going along I-75 and Randy commented that he needed to use the cruise control, since he'd been going 95!! Sure didn't seem like it!

 Jack standing in the backseat of the car - 

with his head on the duffel bag. 

Heaven forbid he lie down and miss something. 

 Funky tree sap

 I'm ready!

 Lisa & Angel were so proud to build the fire. 

 Moon!!

 Us

 Jack got tired of waiting for us to get pictures....

 This is the biggest Canadian thistle I've ever seen!

 Oh No!  a crime scene!

 Morgan enjoying the pond.

 Jack, doing Beagle stuff. 

I also went and explored this old shack that 

burned out years & years ago.  

I have a post up on my MGC blog
about that adventure.

 Randy with his salty nut sack.

Lisa & Angel Tubing!

 I love how this looks like one of those photos where you pose in front of a screen.....but it's real!  

We were going into the no-wake zone and they decided to surf.

 Randy cooking Spam.

Me & Laurie tubing

It was so choppy out there, that my arms literally felt dead afterward from holding onto the tube for dear life.  My biceps are still sore. Luckily, we managed not to have any dramatic wipeouts like we usually do.  I thought Angel got the rope across her face, since she flipped forward off of it.  Luckily she didn't.  She's walked around for a year when she was younger with a rope burn on her neck from a tubing incident! 

Sunday we went out again, but it was too windy.  When we stopped due to the tube losing air, we decided to swim for a while, but the boat kept drifting away from us! 

it was supposed to storm Saturday night, so we packed up the tent and moved into one of the smaller campers - Linda & Dave have their camper and a "guest house" aka - their old camper and so do their friends Jeff & Annie in the adjoining lot. So we were in J&A's guest house.  It ended up not storming, but it was still, hot & extremely humid, so the a/c in the camper was very welcome.

It was nice to get home, like it always does.  Maddie was going nuts.  She's very talkative anyway, but man, she was getting annoying!  She apparently really missed us.