Oh, joy!

i had been lamenting my recent lack of workouts, and how it was the longest I had gone all year without my usual trips to the "Y", so I dragged my sorry aaaiish to the gym today.

Well, I did what I usually do when it is the first day of the week...I wore the same clothes I usually do, and I stepped on the scale to see if my laziness had done me any damage. I guess, I thought it would be the same as the last time i had been there, or maybe even gone up a pound, but I was still pretty confident that things would not be too terrible?

Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles, the digital scale weighed me in as having lost 4.5 GLORIOUS pounds of butt meat!

There is this nice scale that you can enter a code into, and track your first weight, you ideal weight, and it also tracks what your last weigh in was and the date. Well, it did indeed record the last check in date being in August. I stepped on, sort of expecting the same read out as last time...but HOORAY, my aiish is now less booty-ful.


Ah, the joy pf not being able to wear my old favorite jeans....oh, sweet joy of inching ever closer to those size 12 jeans I envision myself in. that makes 25 pounds since feb 12th, when I started using that nice digital brainiac scale, and a whopping 43 pounds since Mallory Min Messerman made her way out of my you-know-where.

goodnight, and don't drink the water in mexico.

one fine piece of aaaaaiiish

After visiting another friend's blog I decided to ceate the uber-hot version of myself...I figure by the time my hair is as long as this, my butt should have fallen off and left the muffin-top alongside the road after a nice jog or bike ride.

Yep, that's right, I am standing in front of all of youse kids with a bra for a shirt....remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine's nemesis is running around town using a bra for a shirt? Same concept here...so....sheck out uber-miffy in all her gloreous hotness!


Some how, i did a lame job of putting the picture here?

me likey to bikey

My lovely friend and I braved the chilly air this morning to go on the fun bike for Wisconsin event today. I think we were both thinking illy thoughts of self-doubt at first, but they were soon eliminated as the wind blew, and the landscape whizzed past us. It is not the easiest thing, sometimes, when people whiz past you in color-coordinated lycra oufits and they weigh less than their bicycles, while you slowly climb the hill! Anyway, we did it, enjoyed it, and felt right at home with the friendly bikers on the road.

The ride was great, and I found all new trails that were close to my very own home here in Cedarburg...how cool to live in the town that the WHOLE state drives to for it's yearly fundraising ride.

Horns Corners road was especialiy gorgeous, with little gentle rolling hills and trees galore. We had a nice little rest stop at The Covered Bridge park...of course, this too was breathtaking in it's loveliness and splendor

Even better than the ride itself was the nice time spent connecting with a good friend who knows me in ways i find hard to explain. She is a good person with a good heart and great intentions for herself. Like myself, she often struggles with the problems associated with mood disorders. I myself have unfortunately suffered through times of such self-loathing, that it was difficult to continue living for myself, so instead I hung in there for others until I could find the strength to love and accept myself.

As time passes, all the notions of self have begun to dissolve and I am happy and grateful for each day that I no longer feel the intense feelings I once did. It is amazing to realize that a person who had been so routinely programmed to not value themselves CAN actually learn to simply like themselves. To whose who may still be in the deep and murky waters of depression, I say, keep swimming, and keep going, pretend if you have to, daily. Eventually you will find your way back to the sunshine and the simple pleasures of life.

I almost killed a little cow this morning

Yep, you read right, I nearly decapitated a small bovine this morning at about 840 am.

NOW before you get all worked up, let me explain myself....

I went to see a lovely doctor named o'meara this mornign for follow up on my wounded paw. He asked if it had improved at all with the month's worth of physical therapy, and I had to say NO, because it was not improving.

SO he asks me if I am willing to try a cortisone shot....I say yes knowing that these foot shots are quite painful...I had one about 12 years ago when I was working on some trails in Colorado during my year with Americorps.

I am not a fan of needles, like many people....I have been known to SKIP doctor appointments when pregnant if I KNOW there is going to be blood drawn that day.

So, I knew it would hurt A LOT, and I knew there would be at least 3 shots involved, so I decided to lay back so I could not see them work on me...good decision.

the nurse hands me a cute little foam rubber cow and says...

"grab this, you;re gonna need it"

me: "uh, what?"

nurse: "really, you're gonna want to hold onto that little cow, TRUST me!"

me; "um.......ah, is this gonna be really really bad?"

doctor and nurse together: " YES!!!"



what followed was a rather comical routine involving me, 2 physicians, a rubber cow and a series of howls that had the nurse and doctor cracking up.

Apparently, they have never heard someone scream out the phrase " OH MYLANTA!!!!" while giving one of these shots.

Just when I thought they were done, I ask " Is it done, was that the most painful part?"

doctor: "well, maybe...I mean, I hope so? Uh, probably, I guess"

Me: " waaaaaaahhhhh,,,, oooooooh, yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

again, the doctor and nurse found my reaction of squeals and laughter to be surprising.

Meanwhile, I am squeezing the living hell out of the cow.

Doctor: "we're all done here...that was fun! would you like another?"

me: "uh, here's your cow...it really helped! I hope I didn't hurt it"

nurse: "that's okay, most people rip the head off or throw it at us after they kick the doctor in the head"

Me; "man that was painful!"
doctor: " yeah we find it is best not to tell people that it is the most painful shot we give....otherwise they change their minds....you were pretty good about it....most people kick me and swear."

me: "uh, thank you?"

let's hope it does the trick!

I am in love withthe Zutons

I can't get over my newest music crush...the zutons. If you have the album 'who killed the zutons?", please take it out and listen to the railroad song....perhaps the sweetest love song ever. I can listen to it about one million times in a row every single day.

In other news, my hubby is a nut and could not stop being a bloggo. What a little sneak, getting everyone all worked up, and then starting a new one. Drama queen!

Also, the bike ride and wine and harvest fest is this weekend. I am expecting a sore tush, because I have not been on my bike is 3 weeks.

I also have a confession....

I have not been to body pump, or to the YMCA in 2 weeks...no running either....sadly, my heel spur/ plantar faciatis has had me limping around every single morning before work.
A combination of laziness, busy schedule and paw pain have landed me 3 weeks without any real fitness plan.

I am hoping the foot problems will be better in the next few weeks, and then I can get back to my more regular schedule of working out...I miss my body pump class! I miss swimming through the water like a seal! I miss the sound of the treadmill whirring under my feet!

I wonder if acupuncture would help the foot pain?

Wanted: meditation advice/direction?

I would like to ask the question of anyone reading if they have or do use Mala beads. I would like to increase my meditations from my thrice daily mindfulness moments to something perhaps a bit more involved or in depth?

I'm not sure I am using the correct language for what it is I am in want of doing, but as of now, I find myself reading and re-reading writing of persons or sages whose words or messages resonate with me. I also have practice of practicing mindfulness when the alarm on my watch goes off....I have it set to go off 3 times a day, (at a randomly picked hour) and once in the early morning.

perhaps I am wondering if anyone enjoys the use of malas, or if they can offer some guidance as to piking or finding an appropriate mantra?

If you have any information, please let me know!

I gotta bad itch for remodeling

I am currently making my husband insane with my need to move furniture around and redo rooms.

He mentioned(in passing) that we had a 3 bedroom house with 3 TVs in it..... a bit excessive for our tastes. I immediately began to dream up and visualize new room configurations, something I have always enjoyed. I was reluctant to accept his suggestion to remove some larger furniture items from our bedroom/master suite, but after a night of "trading spaces" themed dreamscapes, I awoke with a want and desire to move the furniture.

Let me say my husband is now a bit horrified at the idea of me wanting to spend my first 3-day weekend making him watch me move stuff around, or make HIM help me move stuff around.

I have decided to wait it out, if I can resist the urge, and only make it a smaller mission of just cleaning one room form top to bottom so it looks a little nicer. Nothing major, simply because I have a habit (bad habit) of overdoing things and getting entirely consumed with a "project'

Wish me and my hubby luck.....I really want to move some stuff around, but I should really chose to instead just hang out with them.

later gators!