Shannon's World

Losing...

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

I know that its been awhile since I posted my Weight Watcher's results. I finally decided to go in and face the music (a.k.a. weigh in). Here are the results:

Weekly Loss/Gain: -3.4 pounds
Total Loss/Gain: -9.8 pounds

Believe me, I am as surprised as you are that my weight is down! Especially after spending a week and a half in St. Louis and it all it seemed like I did was eat. Although for the past week, I have been a lot more conscious of what I have been eating. (And probably being a little under the weather helped that too!)

None the less, I think I am finally ready to get back on my weight loss wagon. Last week when I was town for a day, Simply Fit Foods was running a promo special on house accounts. So today I swung by there and picked up my meals for the next several days. Although I will be traveling the first part of next week, the travel is close enough that I can pack some meals to take with me.

A few weeks ago I was watching a TV program (probably Oprah or Dr. Phil) about weight loss. And there were three questions that were asked regarding losing weight:

1. Why are you overweight?

I'm overweight because I don't exercise portion control and will power. I thoroughly enjoy eating - trying new and different things, going to new restaurants, desserts, the taste and texture of foods, and the list goes on and on. I realize that I can enjoy all of those things but it doesn't have to be on a daily basis. And when I do enjoy those things, it needs to be in moderation. I can still enjoy eating. I just need to begin enjoying fruits and vegtables a lot more.

2. Why do you want to lose weight?

I want to lose weight to be healthy. Adult onset diabetes runs in my family. And I know that the extra weight that I carry makes me more susceptible to getting diabetes if I don't begin watching what I eat and in turn losing weight.

3. Why have you been unable to maintain weight loss?

I've been unable to maintain weight loss because I think of it as once I lose the weight, the battle is over. And it's not. For me, maintaining my weight loss is going to be an active job for me. And probably a job that I will have for the rest of my life.

When I think about it, the extra weight didn't happen overnight. Unfortunately, it isn't going to go away overnight either. It is going to take a conscious decision on my part to become more active and make better choices around the foods that I eat. I want to lose the weight in a healthy way in order to have a better chance of keeping it off once and for all.

Next Stop....Orlando, FL!

2012-02-08T09:54:00.000-06:00

Duty called and I had to travel to Orlando, FL for a few days (I know, wow is me). Unfortunately my allergies decided to join me on the trip which made the trip a lot less pleasant. Fortunately after a day of staying in bed, I feel like I am finally back on track to feeling better.

While in Orlando, I had the pleasure of staying at one of the hotels at Universal Studios, Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Since it's the off season for the Disney properties, Universal Studios closed at 6 pm daily, so I didn't get the opportunity to go check out any of the attractions after my work responsibilities were over. Fortunately, Universal City Walk was open late and I did have the chance to try The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Emeril's Restuarant Orlando. About the resort...

Until I arrived I didn't realize that the resort has a Pacific Islander theme to it. When I arrived, the valet person said "Aloha!" and I felt like I was back in Maui again! All of the staff were very nice and accommodating during my stay. The resort is a mid-size resort, and it was very easy to get from my room to the conference area. (I've stayed at properties in Las Vegas where it was a solid 15 minute walk from the room to the conference area)

The nice thing about the resort is that the hotel stay included admission to Universal Studios, which was a short walk or water taxi ride away (an $87 a day value!). If I had been able to go to Universal Studios, my room key also would have given me access to special lines to access the attractions quicker. So if you are ever traveling to one of the Disney properties, you might want to consider staying on site and inquiring if the resort offers this amenity.

About the food...

While I was there, I was pleasantly surprised by a tasty and colorful grilled shrimp salad that I had at Bubba Gumps. And if you plan on dinign there, you might want to be up to speed on your Forrest Gump trivia!

I've been fortunate to dine at a few different Emeril restaurants before (Las Vegas, New Orleans, and this was my second visit to the one at City Walk). The service is always outstanding - my glass was never half full, crumbs were quickly brushed away from the table, and finished dishes were quickly removed. I had a wonderful Cioppino (seafood stew) which certainly helped the sore throat that I was nursing.

If you ever plan a trip to Orlando, always consider the time of year when making flight arrangements. Since the Orlando airport is extremely busy, you'll want to make certain that you have a solid two hours to return a rental car, check in your bags, and get through the long security lines. I also don't recommend flying standby either since the flights are typically full. I thought I would try for my return flight home since I was able to leave earlier than I thought. In the end, I was able to get home about two hours earlier that I was scheduled to, and I don't know if it was worth all of the hassle.

All in all the business to trip to Orlando was good. Hopefully next time I'll find more time for pleasure!

Facebook Funny on a Sunday

2012-02-05T09:34:00.000-06:00

I'm sure many of you are on Facebook, and have witnessed a strange exchange of comments in response to a status update. Well, I just so happened to have one that appeared in my Newsfeed that I thought I would share:

I think my Facebook friend got tired of trying to explain whose birthday it was. Honestly, I think he was pretty clear from his status update whose birthday it was. When I checked his status the next day, he never responded to his friend's last comment. Hopefully she's not still wondering.

Hopefully you got a laugh from this like I did! (And hopefully whomever was making the comments doesn't follow my blog either!)

The Fountain on Locust

2012-02-04T08:59:00.000-06:00

My work assignment in the St. Louis area ended a few days ago. In a small way, I was sad to leave. I think mainly because I wasn't able to see (or eat) all of the things that I wanted to. Typically for me a work assignment can last up to 90 days which allows me to pace myself a little better. Unfortunately, only being someplace cool for a week and a half, causes me to cram everything in.

Before I left, I did have the chance to try The Fountain on Locust which was an "I INSIST you go there!" recommendation from a friend of mine. And he was right on point!

The theme of The Fountain, is what I envision as a old time fountain and ice cream shop restaurant. It's a very small place yet packed with character and great food. I decided to have a egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread, with a cup of Tuscan bean soup.

OK, you might be thinking, "What's so special about egg salad?". Well, this was the best egg salad sandwich I had ever had! It was a hearty sandwich and wasn't overly mayonnaisey (if that's a word). It was made with Dijon mustard and had capers in it which give it extra flavor. The soup was....it was an AWESOME bean soup! Full of beans and small bits of potatoes and lots of flavor. All of The Fountain soups are homemade every day too. (You might notice a partial view of a fountain glass in the upper left corner of my picture. That was a Pomegrante Egg Creme...delish!)

My friend who INSISTED that I go to The Fountain, is a big (and I men really BIG!) ice cream lover. The Fountain has all types of wonderful ice cream drinks (adult and non-adult) and ice cream concoctions. I decided on a butter pecan ice cream cone. Now, this was just any butter pecan ice cream cone. It was the creamiest butter pecan ice cream I have ever had, and it was in a homemade pretzel cone!

The combination of sweet and salty was WONDERFUL! The ice cream comes from a dairy in Wisconsin that some how ages its ice cream. Whatever they do to it, it is beyond awesome. By time I got to the ice cream cone, some of the ice cream had melted inside it, which made the cone even better. The cone was salty and it tasted like a fresh baked pretzel.

You definitely have to try The Fountain if you are ever in the downtown St. Louis area!

MWF Doesn't Find BFF

2012-02-03T08:30:00.002-06:00

Well, I finally finished reading MWF Seeks BFF. Being the nice person that I am, I think my initial thoughts about the book might have been a bit harsh. At least by the end of the book, the writer seemed like she became a bit more normal and less obsessive about her pursuit and expectations for friendship. The writer didn't find a new BFF although she did find about 22 new, solid friendships (according to her Dunbar Number calculations, she only had room for 20 more friends anyway). Moving on...

Overall the book left me very intrigued about friendships - how they develop, how they are maintained, and how they end. I think most people think that I'm a fairly like able person (of course I do have my moments!), and that I've never met a stranger (I think I have my dad to thank for this trait). A friend says it's because I smile a lot which makes me engaging to others (who knows). It's very easy for me to start a conversation with someone on just about anything.

On the flip slide I don't talk about myself very much. Although I'll admit that I'm an open book (just ask me anything you want to know and I'll tell you), in the same breath I'll say that I'm also a very private person. (If you're not directly asking me something about me, I'm probably not voluntary telling you what you want to know). I can still remember participating in a team building exercise at work. One person who I considered a work friend said "Shannon knows a lot about me, but I hardly know anything about her. She has a way of turning the conversation around to make it all about me." And she was right.

In light of my shortcomings (believe me, the list is long), I still don't have a problem meeting people. After reading MWF Seeks BFF, I think making friends is a more conscious effort for some people than others. My biggest problem is developing friendships with people that I meet. Part of this I blame on my career choice (traveling for weeks at a time can make it difficult to give a new friendship the attention that it needs) and the other part is that I don't have a big desire to find 52 (or even 22) new friends like the writer of the book did.

I'm sure if I figured out my Dunbar Number, there's probably room for more friends in my life. Maybe I should figure out what that number is. Well, one day...

MWF Seeks BFF

2012-02-02T08:48:00.000-06:00

The theme for this month's NaBloPoMo is 'relative' and the focus on relationships. Although I might follow the daily prompts for writing, I'm also thinking about writing about some topics from a book I have been reading, MWF Seeks BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Bestfriend by Rachel Bertsche. And probably from the title you've figured out what the book is about. Basically the writer has relocated to Chicago with her husband and well, doesn't have any friends (OK, friends who live in the Chicago area).

I thought the book would be kind of lighthearted, but it is laced with a LOT of scientific data about friendships and the research the writer has conducted. Who knew? I mean, who knew that it's soooo much work to make friends? Similar to the writer, I have relocated to several different states since I've been an adult. And I can't say that making friends has been that difficult for me.

Other than the scientific data, the writer also seems to be a bit, well needy. She sets up 'friend dates' and over analyzes them before the 'date' even happens. Like, "Julie is 40 and has two kids so I don't think she will make a good BFF." Seriously? And even if she doesn't hit it off with the potential friend, she's disappointed when the person doesn't respond back to her follow up emails. I mentioned that the writer is married, and I certainly feel for her poor husband who is on the journey (not his choice) with her. Oh, I forgot to mention that the writer's goal is to go on one friend date a week for a year. So far, I'm only about half through the year in this (long, drawn out) process.

Although the book makes me frustrated at times, whenever I start a book I have to finish the book. Hopefully by time I reach the end of the book, Rachel will find a new BFF and I will learn more about my friendships too.

Blogs and Friendship

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Since the beginning of the year, I have been trying to organize areas of my life a bit better. One area that I started to organize was my digital photos, Internet favorites, and blog subscriptions.

Although I’m not very good at it, I love to take pictures. I’m pretty good about getting the pictures from my camera to my laptop to a folder. Other than that, it’s just a bunch of pictures that I seldom go back and look at or do anything with for that matter. So I decided to organize my pictures by creating folders for each type of event (i.e. - vacation), and then I created subcategories within each folder (i.e. - Hawaii). Then to really get organized, I went through each picture and deleted the ‘not so good’ pics.

My Internet favorites was a bit more daunting task since I have tons of favorites! Soon after I started going through them, I realized a lot of the links were outdated or the links were no longer valid. From looking over my favorites list, I realize that ‘my favorites’ are applicable to whatever phase I was going through at a certain period in my life (house hunting, tattoos, hobbies, etc.). Now, onto the blogs…

Organizing my blog subscriptions was the hardest for me. I’ll admit that I have (OK, HAD) over 50 different blogs that I am (was) following. And if you’re a blog follower, you already know that’s a lot of content to read. Especially since some bloggers are more active than other bloggers. (I have a few bloggers that I love to read who post two or three times a day! Maybe one day I’ll get to that level.)

For me, unsubscribing to some of my blogs was kind of like saying good bye to a friend. Once I begin following a blog, I begin to feel like I know the person in a cyberspace kind of sense. I look forward to hearing what happens next in their lives. And similar to the real world, the friendship continues to develop in some way or it ends for one reason or another.

So, I started going through my list of blog subscriptions in Google Reader. If I came across a blog and the blogger hadn’t posted anything in 4 – 6 months, I stopped following the blog. This was the hardest for me – selecting unsubscribe. Especially since before the past 30 days, I was one of ‘those’ bloggers who posted very sporadically. Now I have a greater appreciation for my followers and making certain I keep you in the know.

Now, the ‘4 – 6 months’ timeframe wasn’t a hard and fast rule. Some of the blogs I follow are 3-Day bloggers. These bloggers only blog about the 3-Day so I don’t expect them to blog all year long (although it sometimes feels like the 3-Day should be a never ending event). To be honest, I don’t have expectations for anyone to blog every day since I don’t have time to read blogs every day. I just want you to be there when I need you. Just like a real friendship.

Core of Discovery Tour

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Since it seems like I have been eating my way through St. Louis (if you've been following me, I think you'll agree!), I thought it might be a good idea to get outside and walk. When I checked the Core of Discovery website, I realized there were downtown walking tours. So off I went!

There are two types of walking tours: one is a visual arts tour to see some of the visual artwork in the downtown area; the other tour is a architecture tour to see the different types of architecture in St. Louis. Since both appealed to me, I decided to do a combination of the two.

The tour started at the famous Gateway Arch located on the St. Louis Waterfront:

To be honest, I don't believe I had ever seen The Arch before. And is it massive standing underneath it! There are tours in which you can go up 630 feet to see out over the city. I had been forewarned by a friend that it can be a bit tight as you move up the arch. And since I am becoming a bit claustrophobic as I get older, I decided the best place for me was on the ground!

I had the chance to see Busch Stadium and the cool statues of players outside of the stadium:

One of the sights I was really looking forward to was Citygarden:

My pictures don't do the garden justice. I bet it's a beautiful place to be in the spring and summer when the trees have flowers on them and the flowers are in bloom.

As I started walking again, I saw a wonderful tribute to firefighters (surprisingly, not on the 'official' list of statues to see):

And you'll never guess what I saw painted on a completed street block...PINK RIBBONS!!!

I have no idea why the pink ribbons were spray painted on the ground. But it was certainly a nice and unexpected surprise for me!

I decided to walk a few extra blocks (OK, like 8 blocks!) to see St. Louis Union Station. I believe in its day, this was a pretty happening and terrific place. It has a hotel connected to it, and some shopping, but I don't know if it was worth the 8 blocks (16 round trip!) that I walked to get there. Just sayin'.
Probably my most favorite thing I saw all day was this statue:

Walking Figure

'Walker Girl' (as I like to call her) reminds me so much of myself since since I like to walk. To me she possess a 'can do' attitude just like me!

Although I didn't hit all of the spots listed on the walking tours, I did see a great deal of downtown St. Louis. The complete tour is listed at 3 - 3 1/2 miles. Honestly I think you can probably add on more mileage once you get to each of the items walking around the general area. A GREAT way to see downtown St. Louis if you are ever in the area!

Fly, Fly Away...

2012-01-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can hardly believe that it's the last week of January! Where has the month gone?! Mine started with two weeks vacation, and the rest has been busy with work responsibilities. I'm glad that I will be headed home on Wednesday. I'll only be home for a little over 24 hours, and then I'm off on my next business trip. Whew! Unfortunately, February is already looking to be a busy travel month too.

Speaking of travel...

Most of the travel that I do is by commercial airline. I've been fortunate to have elite status with American Airlines for the past two years which certainly helps make traveling a bit easier. If you fly a lot, I strongly encourage you to book your flights with the same airline. This will help you reach elite staus with one airline a lot quicker. All airline programs are different, so you'll have to check the program rules for the airline you are interested in.

To achieve gold status with American Airlines, you have to fly 25,000 elite qulaifying miles OR 30 airline segments in a calendar year (January - December). 'Elite qualifying miles' means actual miles flown on an airplane. (Although I also have an American Airlines credit card, the points from the credit card go toward a free airline ticket not elite status qualification). A segment is each time an airplane takes off and lands. (So a non-connecting round trip flight would count as two segments.)

You might be wondering what the benefit is. Well, here are some of the benefits (in no particular order):

1) Seat Selection: I'm able to select any seat (except for First Class unless I purchased a First Class ticket) on the plane when I book my ticket. Since I'm tall I like to sit in the exit row for the extra leg room.

2) Boarding the Plane: I'm one of the first people to board the plane after First Class passengers. This means that I don't have to worry about finding room in the overhead compartment. (If you've ever been the last person to board a plane, you know what I mean...there's no place to put you're bag!) Which seagues me to the next benefit...

3) No Baggage Fees: I am able to check 2 bags ABSOLUTELY FREE! This is a savings of $120 round trip. The only thing I carry on is my purse and laptop bag.

4) Flight Check In: Although I typically use the self service kiosk to check in, I have the option of checking in the First Class line. This line is always considerably shorter than the regular line. Which can come in very handy at a really busy airport.

5) Priority Access Line: I have access to the Priority Access Line when going through airport security. Although I live in Dallas and typcially the wait times aren't that long due to the number of security check points, this sline has come in very handy in busy airports (Denver, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta) where the security check in lines can be ridiculous.

6) Complimentary Upgrades: For every 10,000 miles I fly, I receive 4 complimentary 500-mile upgrade credits. Each upgrade credit is used to fly First Class. So if a flight is 800 miles, I would need to use 2 upgrade credits. A year ago, I purchased a ticket on an overbooked flight, and I received a First Class upgrade without having to use any of my credits...sweet!

These are just some of the benfits that are important to me. Traveling can be stressful enough. Why not have a little help to make it better?

February NaBloPoMo

2012-01-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that I have already signed up for February NaBloPoMo?! Over the past month I have found out just how time consuming keeping up a blog can be. And not that I am complaining. I am really enjoying writing for my blog!

One of the concerns I am experiencing is making certain I am writing about things that will interest other people. I mean, I think my world is somewhat interesting. But even I get bored with my world sometimes.

So, for the month of February I am going to try to follow the theme from NaBloPoMo. This month's theme is: RELATIVE. I decided to look up the meaning of relative (curtesty of dictionary.com):

noun

1. a person who is connected with another or others by blood or marriage.

2. something having, or standing in, some relation to something else.

3. something dependent upon external conditions for its specific nature, size, etc. ( opposed to absolute).

4. Grammar . a relative pronoun, adjective, or adverb.

adjective

5. considered in relation to something else; comparative: the relative merits of democracy and monarchy.

6. existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent: Happiness is relative.

7. having relation or connection.

8. having reference or regard; relevant; pertinent (usually followed by to ): to determine the facts relative to an accident.

9. correspondent; proportionate: Value is relative to demand.

So, it looks like I might possibly be exploring my family relationships, friendship relationships, business relationships, etc. Looks like this could be interesting. And if all else fails, I can just go back to my very random posts!

I'm Baaaaaack...

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I can hardly believe that I have posted almost daily on my blog this month! I have posted more this month that the entire year of 2011!

See, I told you I was back...

Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe'

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week when I was checking out historic St. Charles, I forgot to mention that I found a new cupcakery to try! One of the shops had a banner hanging outside advertising that it sold Jilly's Cupcakes. Intrigued, I decided to go inside...

Well, once inside the store I realized that it was a children's store that little customized beanie type hats were sold. On a stand were about 8 cupcakes in plastic containers. I have to admit that the cupcakes looked tasty, but I wondered how long they had been sitting there a.k.a how fresh are these cupcakes? After checking them out, I went outside and accessed the cupcake business on my smartphone. Next thing I knew I was in my rental car headed to try Jilly's cupcakes!

When I arrived, I was surprised to see the following window wrap:

I had no idea this cupcakery was a winner of Season 3 Cupcake Wars! Now, as much as I love cupcakes, I don't follow Cupcake Wars (maybe I should start, huh?). So now I was even more intrigued about these cupcakes.

There was a line which gave me time to look over the cupcakes, although I already had my mind made up. Here's my cupcake selection...The Bee Sting!

Love the bee on top!

Two of my favorite flavors are honey and lemon, and this cupcake had both! It's a vanilla cupcake, with honey lemon curd stuffing (also known as filling), and topped with lemon cream cheese frosting, toasted almonds, and white chocolate bark with crushed lemon candies. The cupcake was kind of dense (not as dense as Sprinkles) and not overly sweet. Although the topping certainly won the prize for sweetness! The frosting was a thick cream cheese frosting that complemented the cupcake very well.

I received a fresh cupcake (meaning it had not been sitting out on the counter like the others) and it was a bit chilled. I believe that I would have enjoyed this cupcake more if it had been sitting at room temperature for a little while.

Overall it was a great cupcake. A little pricey ($5) but the size and quality of ingredients definitely warranted the price. The decorative nature of Jilly's cupcakes is a big draw. Bottom line is I would definitely return to Jilly's if I were in St. Louis again!

Drunken Fish

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

On the first night that I arrived in St. Louis, I took a list of recommended restaurants from the front desk representative at my hotel. Almost immediately, I decided on a restaurant named Drunken Fish, which sounded like a Japanese restaurant. As I started to drive there, I began to second guess my decision...I really, really wanted some good sushi, and I was going to be soooo disappointed if this was garden variety sushi. So against my better judgement I continued on.

When I arrived the restaurant hadn't open yet, I decided to wait 20 minutes until it did. And am I glad that I did!

First plus is that Happy Hour is offered daily three times: 11 am - 12 pm; 5 pm - 7 pm and 10 pm to close. For Happy Hour there was an assortment of appetizers, speciality rolls, traditional rolls, nigiri, and adult beverages offered at half price to choose from.

Everything sounded good so I decided to try a hodge podge of things: lobster spring roll, white tiger roll, and sticky fries. And here's what that goodness looked like:

White Tiger Roll

Although I don't have a picture of the lobster roll (I took the first bite before I knew it and it was gone quickly!) it was AWESOME! It was a spring roll stuffed with lobster, cream cheese, jalapenos, asparagus and masago with honey wasabi dipping sauce. The spring roll was warm and creamy, and felt like it melted in my mouth. And the honey wasabi was wonderful! The honey kind of cooled the wasabi and gave it a light touch of sweetness to compliment to spring roll.

About the time I finished the spring roll, the sticky fries and white tiger roll arrived. I love, love, LOVE sweet potatoes, and the sticky fries were home-cut Japanese sweet potatoe fries, caramized in sweet syrup and black sesame seeds. O.M.G!!! The white tiger roll consissted of calamari tempura, crab, avocado and massago, topped with white tuna, spicy mayo and eel sauce. YUMMY!

Sticky Fries

Well you can probably tell that I throughly enjoyed my meal. I definitely give this restuarant two thumbs up and highly recommend Drunken Fish to anyone who goes to the St. Louis area and is looking for phenomenal siushi in a hip atmosphere. And to confirm just how much I enjoyed the restuarant, I found myself there AGAIN two nights after my first visit!

Red Dragon Roll and Caterpillar Roll - YUMMO!!!

http://www.drunkenfish.com/#home

New Attitude

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, I think I'm finally over my Weight Watchers and non-weight loss funk. It's totally not me to have a bad attitude about things as I am normally a glass half full type of gal.

The other day as I was lounging for the day in my PJ's (ok, being lazy), I found myself watching past episodes of weight loss stories featured on Oprah. There were people who lost under a 100 pounds, a 100 pounds, and some who lost hundreds of pounds. The people who lost hundreds of pounds really amazed me. Some had lost their mobility due to their weight, yet they still found a way to exercise to lose weight.

When I thought about my 'woe is me' attitude, I quickly realized that I don't have a lot of other factors hindering me from losing weight. I am physically mobile and I'm not responsible for preparing meals for anyone but myself. I've determined that my lack of exercise and daily activity is one of my challenges. Yes, I can walk a half marathon or 60 miles for breast cancer, but just exercising everyday because I should isn't something that I do.

So I've decided to get back on the wagon and get back on my weight loss journey again. My goal is to lose 75 pounds, which is a lot of weight. And I would like to lose it by this time next year. Which is completely doable since safe weight loss is 1 -2 pounds per week.

I know there will be good days and bad days, and lots of other temptations and distractions along the way. The important thing is for me to keep my eye on the prize just like I do in other areas of my life when I want to reach a goal.

Historic St. Charles

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Since my trip to the St. Louis area is short, I decided to make the most of it and venture out on my second day there. The front desk representative at my hotel recommended walking Main Street in the historical area of St. Charles, so I thought "Why not?". Well...the first reason should have been because it had been a little rainy that day, and the second reason was that my newly coiffed curls were going to get damp and fall. But determined to do something, I set out for St. Charles.

And am I glad that I did!

Once I reached the cobble stoned streets lined with beautiful historical homes and buildings filled with unique shopping, I knew I was in for a treat! I parked at one end of the 19 block area and decided that I would walk (or shop!) my way up and down the street.

It didn't take long before I came across this cute little shop, I Am What I Am:

The store is owned by one person, although it has a collection of unique items created by local artists that are sold in the store. (If I even had a creative bone in my body, this place would have certainly given me LOTS of ideas!) The best thing about this store is that I was able to find a Christmas gift for someone. (And yes, I DO shop for people other than myself!). This year I am determined to purchase more thoughtful gifts for people other than the simple option of gift cards. (Although I love to receive a gift cards!)

As I continued walking, I quickly realized that I couldn't stop into every store due to my urge to want to purchase items! But I couldn't help but go into Di Olivas, a olive and vinegar emporium:

I had heard of this type of store previously, but never knew exactly what it was. Basically it is a store that sells high quality extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) and balsamic vinegars. Before even tasting one, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the store.

Fortunately there was an extremely nice salesperson to walk me through the process of trying different oils, vinegars and mixing the combinations together. (And thankfully consuming 2 tablespoons of good oil is on the Weight Watchers plan!) I ended up purchasing a butter flavored EVOO (yummy!) which the sales person said some WW members purchase it to spritz on their air popped popcorn; it also will be amazing to drizzle on baked fish. This way I am getting the taste of butter, but with the healthy, good for me oils that I should have. I also purchased a cranberry-pear balsamic vinegar (tart, yet a hint of sweetness) to spritz on my salads. I will also visit their website to order some gifts for other people for the holidays because this is GREAT stuff!

Although the day was a bit chilly (and I quickly lost my curls), it was still a great day to be out and walk about. Before I knew it, I had spent 3 hours walking in and out of shops, and I hadn't really stopped at all of the stores I wanted to!

There are lots of restaurants, some with very hip, cool and inviting outdoor seating areas that I am certain must stay busy in the spring and summer months.

So if you are ever in the St. Louis area, it's definitely worth it to make the drive to historic St. Charles!

3-Day Discount

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you've made new year resolutions or set goals for yourself for 2012. If you're interested in doing something completely remarkable, unforgettable, and meaningful, think about participating in the 2012 Susan G. Komen 3 Day!

You can register to be a walker (it's only 60 miles and they feed you along the way so you won't go hungry!). Or you can register to be a crew member (which I think might be harder than walking 60 miles!) or volunteer . And to entice you even more, a $25 discount is being offered if you register to walk or crew by January 31st at 11:55 pm CST (who doesn't like to save money?).

Of course I'm very partial to my home city of Dallas to walk in. And if you walk in Dallas, you can join me and my fantastic team as we walk the streets of the metroplex! (Some of us are walking two cities this year...more to come on that later!)

Angels for the Cure after the 2011 Dallas 3 Day Walk

Wether you decide to walk or crew, you'll be helping to create awareness for breast cancer education and research, and ultimately finding a cure!

Come on, think about it...what's stopping you?

On the Road to...

2012-01-21T20:23:00.001-06:00

St. Louis!

Although I'm not quite ready to return to work, I have to admit that I am looking forward to traveling to the St. Louis area. Mainly because I've never been there before and I always like to travel to places I've never been.

With my job, it's possible that I could travel on any day of the week. Although today is Saturday, I love to take Saturday flights. Depending on where I am traveling to and from, Saturday flights tend to be less crowded. Business travelers typically travel the most on Sunday, Monday or Friday; and people traveling for pleasure typically travel before the weekend to get to their destination.

My flight today was no exception - thankfully plenty of empty seats (no one likes to sit cramped up next to someone else) and I had an entire exit row to myself! I love to get an exit row seat due to the extra leg room (I'm 5' 7"). And just in case there is an emergency, I always say a short prayer before each flight that everything goes well so I won't have to be responsible for the exit row door in the event of an emergency. (I also like to think that a kind gentleman will be more than willing to assist me with this responsibility if needed)

This morning as my flight left the gate, we quickly returned to the gate due to a problem with one of the instruments. The pilot was very kind to keep us updated throughout the process. Although an hour after returning to the gate an announcement was made that the plane was 'out of service' and we would need to deplane. By time we deplaned, another plane had been located for us just a few gates away. After waiting another 30 minutes, we were able to board. Only to get on the second plane to be told that there was an auxiliary unit that wasn't working properly. So after another hour on a plane we were finally off into the clear blue ski. Even after the 3 hour delay, I still stand by Saturday being a great day to fly!

The morale of the story is to make certain you bring things to keep you busy when traveling, like reading material, your iPod, or some type of electronic device (I guess kids can be entertaining too depending on their age). Unfortunately there was a problem with the Nook app on my iPad to read the books I recently purchased and downloaded. Fortunately I found out Citi/Advantage Card was offering 30 free minutes of Internet access, which allowed me time to reinstall the app and download the books again. Problem solved! This little nugget of info was only learned after checking my email during one of the delays. So see, some good can come from subscribing to emails from the airlines that you frequent.

Don't forget to check back to see what I figured out to do (in additon to working) while in St. Louis. And if you've ever been to St. Louis or the surrounding area, please feel free to recommend some things for me to do!

T.G.I.F.

2012-01-20T21:35:00.001-06:00

I'm certain that you are pretty glad that today is Friday! Possibly the end of a short week (if you had this past Monday off for Dr. Martin Luther King Day) or a long week if you had to work everyday. Seems like everyone looks forward to Friday no matter what!

For me, today means the end of staying home and being a lady of leisure. (No more sleeping in, staying up late, or wearing my PJ's all day) Duty calls and my next work assignment begins tomorrow. Be sure to check back to see where I land!

Since I travel for my company a new aspect of my blog will be me posting about the places I travel too and what that area has to offer. (Don't worry, they don't send me anyplace too exotic!)And if you've ever been to the same area, hopefully you can point me in the direction of some cool things to do while I'm there!

Well, my bags are packed and it's time to say goodnight!

Buddha Bowl

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

I’m certain by now it’s no surprise that I enjoyshopping (Probably a little too much sometimes). Well, today my Buddha Bowlsarrived in the mail!

Who doesn't love a cute box?

It’s kind of a looong story about how I found these bowls,but here it goes…

Somehow I came across an online website called OpenSky. Ihonestly have no idea how I came across this website, and this could be a caseof which came first – the blogger or the website! Well on the website, I couldselect different people (who become my team) whose online store I wanted to follow. The ‘team'then selects items that they like to showcase in their store. Well I cameacross a blogger, Kath, who is a registered dietitian and writes a food blog(more on her wonderful food blog later!) and decided to follow her. And this ishow I found the Buddha Bowls!

Every now and then OpenSky will give me store credits (I’msure it’s just a marketing ploy to entice me to make a purchase. And itworked!). After I received a store credit for $10, and I decided to use it topurchase a set of Buddha Bowls. First, I love dishes that are ceramic or madeof stoneware. Second, I love unique items and these bowls seemed to be a coolway to eat soup or drink tea or coffee. Thirdly, seeing Kath’s deliciouslooking creations in the bowls definitely sold me!

See how easy it is to hold the bowl in the palm of my hand?!

Although I have only had ramen noodles in my bowl, I lovethem! I love the way I can slip my thumb in the handle and then hold the bowlin my hand. The warmth from the bowl just feels comforting and makes me want tosnuggle up on my couch in a big blanket! OK, about Kath’s blog….

Kath is an awesome blogger who post several times a day at Kath Eats Real Food. Sheposts mainly about what she cooks and eats, the bakery that she owns, and remolding her home. Kath is also a great photographer and her pictures will immediatelydraw you in! And if you like unique plates, bowls and glasses, you will love what she presents her food items in. What I like is that Kath is into healthy eating, although when youlook at the items you might not initially think that they are good for you. Overnight oats are one of my favorite things to make. Ah ha… I just figured somethingout!

The blogger came first! I follow another blog in which theblogger wrote about overnight oats and referenced Kath’s blog. That’s how Ifirst located Kath’s blog. Then once I found out about OpenSky, it wasnice to see a familiar name listed and I decided to follow Kath’s online storethere. So hopefully you’ll take the time to check out Open Sky and Kath’s blog.Just don’t do it on an empty stomach! You’ve been warned…

Still Not Losing...

2012-01-18T16:51:00.000-06:00

As much as I didn't want to go to Weight Watcher's today and weigh in, I knew that I needed to keep my promise of reporting how my weight loss journey is going. Here are the results:

Weekly Loss/Gain: +2.0 pounds
Total Loss/Gain: -6.4 pounds

Honestly, I'm not surprised that I gained weight this past week. Every since I returned from vacation about a week and a half ago, it has been very hard for me to motivate myself to do the right things concerning losing weight. Although I know I will feel better once I start losing weight, that hasn't been enough of an incentive.

All I keep thinking about is how much I enjoy food...I love socializing around food, trying new dishes, going to new restaurants, and the list goes on and on. In the meeting today other members shared some of their food success stories and what they have been eating. As I heard each story, it just sounded like a big compromise to me. All I could think is that no matter how much they say they are enjoying what their eating, they certainly can't be enjoying it! I mean what's exciting about grilling chicken breasts and opening a can of black beans to go with them? To be me it just sounded like a means to an end, and that they are choosing to eat things because the point value might be low. I'm just not ready to compromise.

Hopefully I can turn my not so cheery attitude about my eating habits around. Right now I am just feeling so limited with my choices. This week one of my goals is to really review my Weight Watchers materials to see what options are available on their Simply Filling program. Maybe this will help me get around counting points and jump start me back into a positive direction.

If any of you have thoughts and suggestions about healthy food options to try, I would love to hear them!

Finisher's Medal

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

It finally arrived today...myfinisher’s medal from the Las Vegas Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon!

Some of you might remember that I walked in the Las Vegas ½ Marathonabout 6 weeks ago, and that the sponsoring company RAN OUT OF MEDALS!!!Needless to say this was the let down of the event for me. Seriously, how doyou run out of medals? Seems pretty simple to me, but if you have 30,000 peopleregistered to participate in the event, you should probably order that numberof medals OR less a small percentage to account for those people who registeredyet couldn’t participate for one reason or another. Doesn’t seem like rocketscience to me.

OK, the medal is pretty cool and worth the wait. It actuallyglows in the dark!

You can faintly see the moon and stars...pretty cool, huh?!

And in case you’re wondering, no, I am not any kind ofcompetitive athlete. I registered for the ½ earlier in 2011 because it soundedlike fun to walk (not run!) the LasVegas Strip at night.

So for those of you who might be interested in participatingin the Las Vegas ½ Marathon, the following are some pros and cons:

1. It was GREAT to walk The Strip at night and seeit in a different way. Although I think this might have been the first and lastyear for it to be scheduled at night. This event shut The Strip down from about3 pm until midnight.

2. This event had over 45,000 participants for thefull and the half marathon. That’s a lot of people!

3. Due to the number of participants, I wouldhighly recommend staying at the hotel/casino that the race begins from. Istayed at a hotel about a mile away, and it took over 2 hours to get back tothe hotel once the race was over. (And after walking 13.1 miles who wanted towalk another mile to the hotel?) Side note: I stayed at the ARIA and I highlyrecommended it!

4. If you are a marathoner and using this event toqualify for another marathon, this might not be the one for you. The fullmarathon merges into the half marathon which definitely slowed down the truerunners.

If you have other questions about the ½ marathon, please letme know! And if you have other ½ marathons that you recommend, please let meknow that too!

Product Expiration Dates

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

After my trip to Sephora, my mind slowly drifted to all of the skin care and make up products that I already have. I have so many perfumes, moisturizers, lip glosses, lotions, etc. that from the outside looking in, an outsider would think that I probably don't need to purchase any additional items. And if I were really being honest, I probably don't need to purchase any skin related products for the rest of this year.

Some people might think this is borderline hoarding of some type but I honestly need these things!

So, since I do have all of these items, I decided to look up what expiration dates are of products. And that's when things got a little scary. Here's what I found out:

General period after opening is:
Perfumes, perfume – up to 3 years;
Powders (including blush, eyeshadows powdery texture) – 1 to 3 years;
Foundation in a jar or a cream powder – 1 to 3 years;
Liquid tone means (in tubes or jars with dispenser) – 1 year;
Nail polish – 1 year;
Sun cosmetics – 1 year (but no more than one season);
Lipstick, lip gloss – 1 year;
Pencil (Eye, Lip) – about 1 year;
Skin care products (hydrating cosmetics, wrinkle, eye contour) in a sealed packet with the pump – about a year, in a jar – from 6 to 10 months;
Solid eyeliner and eyebrow pencil – from 6 to 8 months;
Bronzing – 6 months;
Mascara – 3-6 months;
Liquid eyeliner – from 3 to 4 months;
Natural/Organic products – up to 6 months.

Yikes!

I decided to look up the expiration of a few items, and let’s just say that I will need to throw some items away. Like yesterday. And there are some items that will be expiring within the next six months.

I also learned that some items have a PAO (period after opening) date. I had always seen a symbol like a jar printed on some products, with an ‘18M’ printed inside the symbol. This means the product is good for 18 months after it has been opened. But of course if the product expiration date occurs first, then that might prevail. To be honest, trying to decipher some of this stuff started to give me a headache (and I’m sure you might be getting one too right about now). So here’s a link to the site that I used to get information AND it has a product calculator on it: http://checkcosmetic.net/

I have a feeling that I won’t be the only person throwing away some items…

Ah, Sephora

2012-01-15T19:24:00.001-06:00

Today I made a long overdue trip to Sephora – the make-up, skincare, lotion andpotion wonderland. For me, Sephora is one stop shopping for anything beautyrelated. And the best part is that I can test whatever I want to purchase beforeI actually make the purchase. (Well, today the best part was probably that Ihad a Sephora gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket) Which brings meto today’s testing excursion…nail polish!

For the most part, I don’t have a nail polish collection athome. I get mani’s and pedi’s on a regular basis and I typically select a colorfrom the salon that I go to. Couple of problems with that: 1) I tend to wearthe same colors over and over again and 2) if I chip a nail I don’t have thecolor at home to do a quick touch up. So today I decided that I would find asignature color to wear for the rest of the winter months. After trying onabout 15 different colors (thankfully there was a wonderful and conditioningnail polish remover handy), I finally landed on a Sephorafor OPI color named ‘Metro Chic’.

I like it because it is a neutral color that should go withjust about anything that I am wearing. And to me, it is kind of grayish with apurplish undertone to it (and then again, I could be becoming colorblind) whichseems to be pretty popular right now. (I am happy to announce that Sephoralists the color as ‘opaque dark smoke with a hint of purple’, so I wasn’t toofar off with my description of the color!)

Other purchases for the day were a new blush brush and UrbanDecay eye primer. (Since I have spoken about this amazing product before, I’llhave to later this week!) And the second best part of the Sephora excursion wasthat after using my gift card, it only cost me $1.42…winning!!!

Friday the 13th Update

2012-01-13T20:40:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I posted that I received my first ever mammogram. The following is the message that I received from my OB/GYN today:

I hope you are doing well! I am happy to inform you that your mammogram is within normal limits. Please continue yearly screening.

So see, great things can happen on Friday the 13th!

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T10:31:00.002-06:00

This morning when I awoke, I quickly learned from a morning show that today is Friday the 13th. I've been on vacation for the past two weeks, and I honeslty have no idea what the current date it. I'm still having trouble remembering that it is 2012. (Although I do know that Monday is 'doomsday' - the day my vacation officially ends. Sigh)

Not only is today Friday the 13th, there will actually be three Friday the 13th dates this year AND they are 13 weeks apart from one another. (Just in case you want to mark your calendar, the next dates are April 13th and July 13th)

And since I've mentioned the number '13' seven times already, that might have some people even more spooked out. Well guess what? You're not alone! People who have an aversion to the number 13 are known to have triskaidekaphobia. And people who have a fear of actually saying 'Friday the 13th' are known as having paraskevidekatriaphobia. (And I thought I had problems?!)

So, all of this probably way more than you wanted to know about Friday the 13th. I'm certain many of you are more like 'T.G.I.F'! Enjoy the day and have a great weekend!

First Mammogram

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000-06:00

I typically don't write about things too personal, although today I have decided to. (And I promise that I won't get too personal either!) Today I went to get my mammogram. Actually I should say my first mammogram. EVER.

Over dinner tonight I told a really good friend that I went to have my first mammogram. She just looked at me for a few seconds before saying 'I am really surprised to hear you say that. I thought if anyone had had a mammogram, that it would be you.' Later when I shared my news with my mother, she also said that she was surprised. She too assumed that I had been getting a yearly mammogram.

The reason for the surprised responses from my friend and my mother is that I have been a breast cancer awareness advocate for as long as I can remember. I have participated in too many to count Susan G. Komen for the Cure Walks; and over the past three years, I have participated in 5 Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walks raising over $10,000 to create awareness and find a cure for breast cancer. And more importantly, breast cancer runs in my family.

To be honest, I don't have a reason for why I have never had a mammogram before today. Yes, my OB/GYN has repeatedly talked to me about it. And no, I wasn't afraid to have a mammogram. And most importantly, I know first hand that early detection is key since this is the reason that my family members and friends are survivors of this deadly disease.

I share my story with you today to create awareness and with the hope that you will not prolong having your yearly mammogram or to encourage someone you know to have theirs. A mammogram only takes 15 minutes...15 minutes that can give you with a lifetime.

No Longer Losing

2012-01-11T23:03:00.000-06:00

OK, I promised whether positive or negative results that I would post my weekly Weight Watcher weigh in. Here are the results for this week:

Weekly Loss/Gain: +2.4 pounds
Total Loss/Gain: -8.4 pounds

Although I am disappointed that I gained weight, I am happy that it wasn't more than 2.4 pounds. The last date that I weighed in was two weeks ago on December 28th. And that was 2 days before I left to go to Hawaii for 10 days. Although my plan was to eat as healthy as I could, my plan fell apart pretty quickly. (I just couldn't resist the wonder shave ice!)

I believe that one thing that did help me (meaning not gaining more weight) was that I stayed active during my trip. Of the 10 days that I was gone, I walked or hiked 7 of those days. I would awake in the morning and either hike along the coastline at my resort or I would walk the resort (which was extremely hilly). So even though I didn't lose weight, I am happy that I remained active while on vacation.

So this week it is back to my Weight Watchers plan AND sticking to it. Hopefully next week I will have negative (in a good way!) results to share with you!

My Prayer for 2012

2012-01-09T21:59:00.000-06:00

On my last day in Hawaii, I awoke early to take one last walk around the resort to take in the views and snap some final pictures (I promise I will post some pics by the end of the week!). I can hardly believe that my last day in Hawaii has arrived so quickly! The past 9 days have done me a world of good and I'm not quite ready to leave. But I guess ready or not, I'll be returning to the mainland very soon.

During my walk, I had a chance to reflect on the past year and focus more on the upcoming year. My walk quickly turned into a conversation with God, and went a little something like this:

1) I am very thankful for the opportunity to travel to Hawaii. Traveling to someplace so beautiful is a wish and dream that many have, yet many will never obtain. I am very fortunate to be able to travel to the places that I have during my life.

2) I prayed for a healthy 2012 for my family. Over the past two years my dad, my stepmom, and stepfather have experienced different medical problems. Some medical conditions extremely serious, and other conditions unexplained. Fortunately everyone is healthy and doing well right now. I pray that the upcoming year brings nothing but good health to my family and friends.

3) I prayed for a young lady, Lauren Scruggs, who was seriously injured in a helicopter accident 5 weeks ago in Dallas. Although I've never met Lauren, her story has touched me. Lauren lost her left hand, left eye, and suffered brain damage from walking into the propeller of the helicopter after it landed. In spite of all of this adversity and change, her mother writes a daily blog about Lauren's progress. I am amazed her mother's selfless act of keeping everyone updated, and I pray for healing for Lauren and continued strength for her and her family. Here is a link to Lauren's story and journal: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/laurenscruggs

4) Lauren's story makes me think about my own life, and feeling as though I am not living my life to its full potential. I pray for more direction and that I will be open to where I am being led. For awhile I have felt very unsettled. Typically I move to action to attempt to change what is wrong. Now I am going to be still and listen to where I am being led to see what my future has in store for me.

5) I prayed for a fresh outlook towards my current career choice. I have been feeling so burned out and slowly resenting my job due to the amount if travel, the long hours, and not feeling any purpose in what I do professionally. At one time my job brought me a sense of excitement, fulfillment, and I looked forward to my next assignment. I am prayerful that feeling returns or that a new opportunity presents itself.

6) I prayed for patience. Patience has never been a strong suit of mine, and I find what little patience I have left is slowly draining away.

This is just a short synopsis of the thoughts I had this morning on my walk. I don't know what this year will bring. Although I finally feel lie I am ready to face it.

Homeward Bound!

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

My trip to Hawaii is coming to an end. Sigh. Maui is so green, lush and tropical that it is sometimes hard for me to remember that I am in the United States. (I also am beginning to think that there are many uncovered treasures in the US, and that I should plan more trips exploring my great country!)

This trip was much needed to rejuvenate me and get me in the right frame of mind for 2012. So if you ever need a place to regroup, travel to Maui!

Hopefully by the end if the week I'll be able to recap my trip here and include pictures! Here's hoping for an easy breezy and safe travel day home!

Crazy or Not? You Decide

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

People who know me, know that I don't eat chicken. Many find it funny and interesting since I'm Black (guess all Black people don't eat chicken...LOL!) and since just about everyone (except me) does consider eating chicken a pretty basic food to eat. The other evening as I was dining with friends, the question came up about why I don't eat chicken. Well, here's the story...

In December 1999, I had three bad experiences with chicken. The first one was at a random strip mall Chinese restaurant (enough said). The following week I was at Popeye's Chicken and received some chicken strips that we're a little too pink inside for my liking. Well, the last bad experience took place at Wendy's. I'll begin by saying that it was mid day New Year's Eve and the drive thru line was wrapped around the building and out to the street. After I ordered my fried chicken sandwich combo meal, I drove home. After I took the second bite of my chicken sandwich, the inside of the chicken was completely raw!

I like to think that if each if these occurrences had been more isolated, and not a week apart from one another, I might still be eating chicken today. As time passed on, I thought about trying chicken again, but just couldn't do it. Now that 11 years has passed chicken free, I don't believe I will ever eat chicken again. And to be honest, a grilled chicken breast doesn't even look appealing to me. Watching others eat chicken doesn't bother me (as if it would stop them from eating it), although smelling large quantities of chicken does make me queasy (like a few weeks ago when I went inside Chick Fil A to purchase a gift card for someone).

So after sharing my story, I asked my friends if they had a food phobia or aversion that others might think strange. Here are theirs in no particular order:

Friend 1: Patio Umbrellas. If she is sitting outside she can't stand to look at them because she thinks they will fall over and they make her sick. (And I have been with her when it was almost a matter of life and death if we didn't change tables or seats)

Friend 2: Bone meat. She doesn't eat meat off a bone. Example ribs, fried chicken, corn dogs, etc. She says there is a name for this, but who knows. That night at dinner she didn't realize her entree came partially on the bone. Thankfully her husband was there to cut off the bone portion.

Friend 3: Ice Chewing. Although he loves to chew ice, he can't stand to hear other people chew ice if he doesn't have some ice to chew on too.

Somehow my chicken phobia isn't looking so crazy anymore...

Weight Watchers on Vacation

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

For the past several weeks on Wednesday I blog about Weight Watchers and fortunately my success with it. Today I am in Maui (I know, woe is me) and it doesn't look like I will be completing my weekly weigh in (or that this will post on Wednesday either due to the time difference). Yes, there are WW locations on the island although they have strange weigh in dates and times.

Every since I started doing Weight Watchers again, I have been worried about how my trip to Maui was going to affect me staying on the right track. I did bring work out clothes with me (first ever for a vacation!) and I have managed to use them.

Every day I have taken a regular walk or hiked a trail. The trail hikes have surprised me since they are more physical than I thought they would be. The stepping motion is very different than walking, and stepping 'up' or 'down' rocks works different muscle groups (after the first day I was really amazed that I could feel some soreness in my legs!). Although the trails aren't that long, I can really feel my heart rate increasing. I also purchased a pedometer before I left. Each day I have come close to walking 10,000 steps which helps me to know that I am being more active than I think.

As for my food choices...well, I could be doing better. Shave ice seems to be my favorite thing here. Although shaved ice on its own has zero calories, the wonderful flavored syrups and creams certainly do not! So for the remainder of my stay, I am going to try to make better choices. And maybe only have shave ice one or two more times.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday to see how my weigh in goes!

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-04T01:10:00.001-06:00

Ok, here's this week's Ten on Tuesday, with questions provided by Chelsea at Roots and Rings. (Actually this might be Ten on Wednesday due to the time difference that I am experiencing right now)

1. What did you get for Christmas?
Ugg Sparkle Boots, Kurieg Coffee Maker, iPad stylus, gift cards (bed, Bath and Beyond, Starbucks, Nordstrom, P.F. Chang)

2. Have you taken down your Christmas decorations?
Anyone who knows me knows that I didn't decorate. My goddaughter gave me a musical snowman that I will need to put away when I return from vacay.

3. What did you do for New Years Eve?
I spent it in Maui with friends. We had dinner at Duke's Beach House, and afterward returned to our condo to toast the New Year in.

4. Do you like accents?
For the most part yes. Although sometimes a southern accent can drive me crazy! I live in Texas and dont think I'll ever pick up one (thankfully!).

5. What kind of television do you have?
A 42" Samsung LED TV in my living room, and a 42" Samsung LCD TV in my bedroom.

6. Did you make any changes at the beginning of 2012?
So far, no. I am on vacation and will think about this more when I return home.

7. What’s the last book you read and do you recommend it?
I just finished reading 'Something Borrowed' by Emily Griffin, and yes, I do recommend reading it. Although I didn't realize it when I started the book, I believe it has been made into a movie.

8. Do you stay current on celebrity gossip?
For the most part, yes. Between the reality email I receive daily, Twitter, and Facebook, I tend to stay in the know.

9. Do you know the words to Bohemian Rhapsody? Gangstas Paradise? Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?
Nope, nope, and nope. Should I?

10. What is your favorite educational television show?
Hmmm, great question, and I really don't know! I probably watch way too much reality TV (see question #8) which I don't consider educational.

Hawaii by Daylight

2012-01-02T19:06:00.002-06:00

Ok, Hawaii is much better in the daylight than the dark!

Although I awoke still a bit fatigued from traveling, I was anxious to get out to begin my day to see Hawaii. I also needed to switch resorts as well. My first night was spent at the Marriott Waliea which is a wonderful resort. (I even had my first celebrity sighting, Weird Al Yankovich!) After breakfast I walked the resort and was able to take some beautiful scenic shots before leaving.

After checking out of the resort, I headed west to the Kapalua area which is where I will be staying for the rest of my stay. On the way there, I found the most wonderful thing by accident - shave ice! And this is nothing like the Sno Cones I've had before either. Each shave ice (and yes, it is 'shave' without a 'd') has the ice shaved to order, and it looks like fine snow falling into to cup. I selected to have pineapple, blue Hawaii and guava syrup added to mine. And to top it off, I had it 'snow capped' which is sweet cream poured over the top of the shave ice. Well from the first scoop it was love at first taste for me!

For dinner that night I dined at Duke's Beach House and had a wonderful Seafood Risotto full of shrimp, scallops, and lobster. At the table we shared a slice of Hula Pie which is a macadamia nut ice cream pie on a chocolate graham cracker crust. That night we returned to the condo to toast in the new year with champagne.

After all of my festive eating, I thought it would be a good idea to get some exercise in. I walked part of one of the hiking trails and then added on another 2 miles to check out the resort.

So far the New Year is off to a great start for me!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:29:00.002-06:00

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, and blessed 2012!

I am beginning mine looking at the beautiful ocean in Maui, feeling the warm sun on my back, and a light breeze tickle my toes. As the waves roll in and then out, I can't help but think 'in with the new, out with the old'. I can't think of a better way to start the new year, and I look forward to all of the promise that it brings!

Hawaii Bound

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

From yesterday's post you might have read that I traveled to Hawaii for a vacation, which is also where I will ring in 2012. When the decision was made to travel to Hawaii, the decision was also made to fly First Class (if you've never flown First Class it should be on your bucket list of things to do!). Fortunately I had enough frequent flier miles to cover the upgrade cost which made it an easier pill to swallow.

On the first leg of the trip I was well taken care of with toasted mixed nuts, a cheeseburger, and lets not forget the FREE drinks! There was also a nice blanket to jeep me warm and headphoneS to listen to the movie that was playing. With all of the attention from the Flight Attendants, the almost 3 hour flight to Los Angeles went by before I knew it.

During a 2 hour layover in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to use a free Admiral's Club pass (I received this a few weeks ago to entice me to sign up for a yearly membership). As fabulous as the Admiral's Club is, paying $400/year is a bit steep to me (I do gave enough frequent flier miles to purchase the membership, but i think I'll use the miles fir free flights). Besides, flying from Dallas I am able to book direct flights and I very seldom get to the airport hours in advance to reap the benefits of the membership.

Once I boarded the plane to head to Maui, the First Class treatment started with pre-flight champagne. The meal was served in courses, and I was even given a menu to make my selections! After having a wonderful spring salad, cheesy four cheese ravioli, and a fruit and cheese plate for dessert, I was ready to enjoy the remaining 3 hours of my flight.

Once I landed in Maui I was beyond tired. After a short drive to the hotel, I was ready for bed, yet very anxious to see what tomorrow brings since it was already dark when I landed.

2011 Reflection

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

At the end of the year it always seems that everyone is very reflective of the past year while looking forward to the new year. I'm no different although I try to set new goals and plans for myself continuously throughout the year.

As I sit waiting for a flight to Hawaii, I am thinking that I am just ready for a break. This year has been so demanding mentally and physically with pursuing and completing my masters degree, an increased work load at my company, and trying to train and walk two 3 Day for Cure events. (And lets not forget to throw in the daily curve balls that life brings.) There was a point when I knew I didn't have enough hours in the day, felt that I was disappointing many people with the choices that I made, and I felt I was so close to a meltdown. (Fortunately I believe my manager saw my desperate need for a break, and she happily extended my current vacation request.)

Although I want to completely shut everything off and not plan for the future, I can't. It's just not me. I'm always looking for a way to better myself . Although many people have asked me 'What's next?', I really don't have an answer for them. At this moment I am completely fine with saying that I don't know what I want to achieve in 2012. (OK, I do have some ideas.) I just feel that I am destined to do more with my life than I have to this point. (And that's not to diminish what I've accomplished so far.) Hopefully the warm sun and inviting waters of Hawaii will allow me time to reflect to continue my journey into 2012.

Out With the Old

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've been very fortunate to have been off work for the past two weeks, and this good fortune will continue until at least January 15th (YAY for me!). One of the best things about being off work is that I have time to do the things that I typically don't have time to do. Like...clean up my 'Favorites' list on my computer.

OK, you might be laughing or thinking 'Really? That's all she has to do?'. But seriously, when is the last time YOU cleaned up your favorites list?

One of the folders I came across was labeled 'Blogging'. There was even a sub folder with some blogs that I had intended to go back and look at when I had time. And you know what? Some of the links no longer worked. Some of the bloggers hadn't written anything new in a loooong time (which I can relate to). And you know what else? I found some pretty cool blogs to begin following!

The other thing that I found were some blogging resources. This was especially helpful since I am going to breathe new life into my blog (I can see my stepmother rolling her eyes and laughing now). OK, just wait and see, my blog is going to get better! Until then...

Still Losing...Although Barely!

2011-12-29T00:22:00.003-06:00

For those who are anxiously awaiting my Weight Watcher update for today, here it is:

Weekly Loss/Gain: -.4 pounds
Total Loss/Gain: -10.8 pounds

I am proud to say that I managed to lose .4 pounds in light of the Christmas holiday! This past week was challenging due to an unplanned lunch with my manager, Christmas dinner, and a birthday celebration. Here's how it went down...

My manager contacted me about meeting for a Christmas and congratulatory (for my masters degree) lunch. We met at Gloria's which is a Salvadorian restaurant that I had been wanting to try for a long time (the wait is over!). Let's just say it was well worth the wait! I made a great choice by choosing Salmon Costeno (marinated salmon served with rice and grilled veggies), and a not so good choice by choosing the sangria (it did have fruit in it which should count for something!).

I wasn't feeling too bad about the unplanned lunch outing since I tracked the points for the meal (and yes, the sangria too). My adopted family, The Meyers, invited me over for Christmas dinner. I'll begin with they are from New Orleans and there was lots of New Orleans flair in all of the dishes. There was an amazing cornbread dressing with smoked oysters and shrimp in it; then there was the sweet potatoes with a buttery pecan topping on them; and let me not forget about the 'meat pie' which was a slice of heaven - a buttery delicious crust filled with chopped oysters and other unidentified goodness. Those items were the highlights of the meal, although EVERYTHING was WONDERFUL!!! And I also had a couple of glasses of wine as the evening went on.

So after the Christmas meal extravaganza, I gave over all of my daily point allowance AND weekly point allowance. Honestly, there was no way that I could begin to place a point value on the items I ate. I just hoped that I would be able to keep my cool for the next 2 days until I weighed in again.

Well, my 'hope' quickly faded because it was a friend's birthday on the night before weigh in. This outing took me to Button's, a restuarant that plays live music. The chef at this restaurant is from New Orleans (are you seeing a theme here?). As I debated between the Shrimp and Spinach Salad or Shrimp, Fish, and Grits, what little will power I had quickly came to an end. And I'll be honest, the Shrimp, Fish and Grits was worth every point that more than exceeded my daily point allowance.

So when I say I am proud to have lost .4 pounds, I really mean it...in spite of some bad choices, I still lost weight! The next couple of weeks will bring a new set of challenges since I am going on vacation. Although the bright side is that where I am going the weather should be great, there should be lots of seafood options, and the opportunity to be active (for the first time I am packing workout clothes to take with me). Wish me well and LOTS of will power!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Typically I receive my Ten on Tuesday questions from Chelsea at Roots and Rings. Imagine my surprise when I realized Chelsea is taking the week off from blogging AND no Ten on Tuesday questions...oh my! And just when I was counting on her to supply me with questions so I can at least one posting per week.

Well, here goes my own Ten on Tuesday. And in typical form of my blog, very random questions that someone has asked me at one time or another, wished they had asked me, or they did ask and I danced around the question.

1. Where am I from?
I was born and raised in a small, rural community named Cassopolis, Michigan. It's a village (that's what it says on the welcome sign) located in the lower southwest corner of Michigan. The nearest large city that people probably know is South Bend, Indiana (home of the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish!).

2. How did I wind up in Dallas, Texas?
While I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio (hated it!), I spent a few months in Dallas for a work assignment. A few days after the assignment ended I was offered a different position with my company. Although I was not required to move I looked at the new position as an opportunity to leave Cincinnati and move to someplace that I liked, where I knew people, and would provide other career opportunities in the future.

3. Do I have siblings?
Yes, I have three. A sister and two brothers. I am the oldest. In many ways we are very different, yet we do have underlying similarities (although half of us aren't blood related).

4. Why do I blog?
Blogging started as a way to express my feelings in an anonymous way. I think that my life is kind of random most days, and thought (OK hoped!) that someone else might think my life random enough to want to follow along.

5. What do I do when not blogging?
If you're one of the 8 followers that I have, you already know that I don't blog on a daily basis (although I really, really want to!). Hopefully 2012 will make that pipe dream a reality! I recently completed my masters degree which took up a lot of my time. Since the end of October my time has been spent watching mindless TV (anything Kardashian, Real Housewives,) and some good TV (Revenge, Person of Interest). It's the off season for the 3 Day, although very soon my focus will return to training and fundraising for a worthy cause.

6. Do I have any friends?
Other than my Tweeps (follow me @indygirl_1997 if you want to read 140 character random thoughts), Facebook friends (send me a friend request, my name is Shannon Underwood), and loyal folders here, I actually have a few friends! For the most part, I am a pretty private person yet an open book. If you ask me a question I'll answer, although I'm not that forth coming with info on my own (much to the chagrin of my few friends).

7. What is my one guilty pleasure?
I'll keep this answer to material things since I seem to have a lot of guilty pleasures in different categories. It's jewelry. I love bling which I blame on my birthstone being a diamond. I love watches (OK, specifically Michele watches). I love bracelets and bangles. One goal for 2012 is not to make any major jewelry purchases (I haven't defined the threshold for 'major' although I probably need to figure out what that means soon!).

8. Growing up what did I want to be?
I always wanted to be a Flight Attendant and longed for the day that I could apply to an airline. My dream was cut short when I shared my dream with a complete stranger. His response was 'Why would you want to do that? That's nothing more than a glorified waitress in the sky?' From that moment forward I realized the power of words and the affect (positive or negative) words can have on someone.

9. What is my favorite vacation spot?
To date it is Aruba. I've been there twice and will definitely go back again. The island is small, located outside of the hurricane zone, and everything is reasonably priced. A lot of different countries are represented there and the food is wonderful! It's one place that I would feel safe enough to travel there alone.

10. How hard was it to come up with 10 questions!
Let's just say that I'll be glad when Chelsea returns next week!

Still A Loser!

2011-12-21T12:10:00.000-06:00

I mentioned last week that I am actively involved in Weight Watchers again. I'm happy to report that when I weighed in today, I was down 5 pounds! Here's the summary:

Weekly Loss/Gain: -5 pounds
Total Loss/Gain: -10.4 pounds

A Twitter friend asked me what I did different this week to lose. I have to say two things: 1) I have been eating out waaaaaaay less and 2) I have been planning my meals. And here's how I did it...

This past Saturday I had a FABULOUS meal at Bob's Steak and Chop House. Since I knew I was going, I made certain to save my weekly point allowance for my special meal. I also made the choice of have a smaller cut filet mignon which is considered a lean protein. The big change that I made was only eating half of my meal, which is rare for me! Typically I leave a restaurant feeling stuffed and wondering why I ate all of that food. And before I forget, I also had my favorite dessert creme brulee!

I have also been using Simply Fit Meals to assist me with my meal planning. The meals are prepared and don't have any additives or preservatives. The GREAT thing is that each meal has the calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein and fiber amounts listed on them making them Weight Watchers friendly! I also make certain that if I will be away from home to take my meals with me in my cute insulated lunch bag.

So see, I can be on Weight Watchers and eat whatever I want. I just need to plan for it. I mentioned earlier that I have been eating out waaaaaaay less. For me that means that I have gone from the majority of my meals being eaten out, to now only eating out 1 or 2 meals a week. Over the course of the next few weeks I would like to transition from eating the Simply Fit Meals to cooking more at home. Stay tuned to see how that goes!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-20T16:15:00.003-06:00

Here's this week's Ten on Tuesday compliments of Chelsa at Roots and Rings! If you'd like to join the fun stop by her blog to sign up.

1. What is your favorite online-only store?
Hmmm, I don't believe I have one. The closest one I can think of is QVC, although I can order phone by telephone, I never do.

2. Do you enjoy wrapping gifts?
Nope! Although I do appreciate a beautifully wrapped present from someone.

3. What is the temperature in your city today?
I live in the Dallas metroplex, and right now it is 44 degrees. A little below normal temperature for this time of year.

4. What time do you eat dinner?
Typically whenever I think about it. Although I try to eat around 6 pm.

5. Will you be making New Years Resolutions?
I always use the New Year and my birthday as a time for self reflection. I like to look back at what I have achieved and set new goals for myself.

6. How old is your oldest pair of shoes that you still wear?
Today I had one a pair of leather boots that I have probably had for about 5 years.

7. Do you have any restaurant phone numbers saved in your phone?
Yes, I do! Doesn't everyone???

8. What is your favorite and least favorite letter to write in cursive?
Probably the letter 'S' since that is the letter my first name begins with. I don't write the letter 'Q' very well. Probably because I don't use it that often.

9. Do you know any good riddles?
I sure don't.

10. How do you feel about snow?
I grew up in Michigan and have experienced enough snow to last me a lifetime. Although there is something special about it at night when it covers everything and it twinkles like tiny stars.

I'm A Loser

2011-12-15T00:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know that I shouldn't call myself a loser. Although today I am pretty proud to be a loser. I lost 4.2 pounds this week! Ok, let me back up...

Last week I decided to give Weight Watchers another try (And why not? I have been paying the monthly fee, and April was the last time I can say I was seriously following the plan). I know that Weight Watchers works because I have lost weight on the program before. Although, I did regain all the weight that I lost. So you might be wondering 'What's different this time?'

What's different is that I've finally decided to be committed to do something to lose weight and improve my overall health. Over the past couple of years, I have realized that I can accomplish anything that I want if I just put my mind to it and stay committed. How else could I train and walk five 3-day 60 mile walks, walk two 1/2 marathons, and complete my Masters degree? Each of those were possible by setting a goal and staying true to it. Why should losing weight be any different?

I've blamed my weight gain on many things: my love of food, socializing around food, my career choice and the amount of time on the road, stress, emotions...the list goes on and on. Right now, none of those things are going away. So I am choosing to manage those things:

I can still love food...I just need to love it in smaller portions.

I can still socialize around food...I just need to do it less often.

I can still travel and spend time on the road...I just need to make better choices about what I eat.

There will be stress and I will be emotional...I just need to find a healthy outlet for it.

Hopefully making the decision to write about my weight loss journey will make me more accountable to each of you. Maybe I can give someone else the push they need to take the steps toward weight loss. Maybe someone will share with me strategies that they have to eat healthy and lose weight. I know there will be good days and bad days with my journey. The important thing is to keep my journey moving forward.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-13T20:07:00.000-06:00

Ok, here's this weeks Ten on Tuesday! If you want to join the fun, please check out Chelsa at Roots and Rings.

1. How do you eat your eggs?
Although I don't eat chicken, I do eat eggs from time to time. When in the mood, I like them hard boiled with salt and pepper; over easy; or scrambled with lots of cheese.

2. Do you volunteer?
I do, although it has been awhile. The last time I volunteered was earlier this year for the Rock 'n Roll Dallas Half Marathon.

3. What’s your favorite brand of jeans?
I'm not that much of a jeans person. The couple pair that I have right now were purchased at Lane Bryant.

4. What was your child’s first word? Or what was your first word?
Not applicable...no kids here! And I have no idea what my first would have been.

5. Can you french braid?
I can, although I don't believe I will win any awards.

6. Do you prefer wide rule, college rule, or blank paper?
Of the three, I pick college rule. Although I write pretty big, so I end up taking up more than one line when I write.

7. Is there a specific treat do you always make during the holidays?
Nope. Although one Christmas I made about 8 different types of Christmas cookies. I want to do that again one year when I have the time.

8. Do you have a KitchenAid mixer? Do you want one?
For someone who doesn't cook, I do have a white KitchenAid mixer! It was a wedding gift, given to me by by mother who loves to cook and bake. The marriage didn't last, but the mixer certainly has!

9. What kind of computer do you use?
Dell.

10. Favorite Christmas movie?
I'm kind of a grinch when it comes to Christmas...no favorite Christmas movies here.

Rock 'n Roll Vegas Half Marathon

2011-12-10T19:47:00.001-06:00

Seems like I can't get enough of walking, so I decided months ago to sign up for the Rock 'n Roll Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon. Let's be honest, after walking 60 miles I know that I can walk 13. miles in my sleep. This half marathon intrigued me because it was walking the Vegas Strip at night!

Before the Half Marathon

Little did I realize that walking with 44,000 people AND doing it in Vegas would present its own challenges. My hotel was about a mile and a half from the start/finish, which I thought would be a good thing. Well, let's be honest, who really wants to walk extra miles before or after walking 13.1 miles? Note to self: next time select the hotel that the race starts from. Getting to the start wasn't that bad. Leaving the hotel afterward was a completely different story...it took about 2 hours! This was due to the amount of people participating in the event and the lack of taxis.

Walking The Strip at night was way cool since I was able to see all of the hotels and casinos lit up. Unfortunately, I really couldn't take any pictures (I know, a marathon/half marathon is a competitive event and not a sight seeing adventure). This was also a great way to see the entire strip, including the downtown strip area.

I have been to Vegas more times that I can remember, but I always stay on The Strip and move between a few hotels and casinos. This was my first (and probably last) time going to the downtown area. As we walked away from the bright lights of The Strip, the landscape changed pretty quickly. It was pretty apparent where the money is at in Vegas. Needless to say I was happy when I was able to see the bright lights of The Strip again. And yes, this also meant that the half marathon would soon be finished!

I was excited to walk the event with my step mom and a friend of mine. This half marathon was the first endurance event that my step mom has completed since completing her treatment for breast cancer in December 2010. For my friend, this was her first (and hopefully not last!) half marathon that she has ever walked.

My biggest disappointment of the evening was that there were no finishers medals when we finished! I am all about instant gratification and was really looking forward to receiving my medal. Hopefully it should arrive in about 6 weeks.

I mentioned earlier that walking a half marathon really doesn't challenege me. I suppose I could train to walk it faster (I finished this one right at 4 hours), although I believe I am going to train to jog my next half marathon! There is another Rock 'n Roll half marathon the end of March that I am going to make it my goal to do a jog and walk combination to complete. At the very least, I want to beat my 4 hour finishing time!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-06T16:52:00.001-06:00

Ten on Tuesday is something that I stumbled across on one of the blogs that I follow. Each Tuesday, 10 questions (sometimes very random like this week) are posted and then answered. I think it's a great way to get conversation started AND it gives me something to post on Tuesdays!

If you're interested in participating, you can find Ten on Tuesday at Roots and Rings by Chelsea.

1. What are 3 things that are on your Christmas wish list?

I just received a friendly reminder text from my mother this morning that she hasn't received my Christmas wish list yet. So I guess that answers that question!

2. What’s your favorite Christmas song?

I am probably in the minority that Christmas music isn't one of my favorite music types.

3. Do you have a favorite band or singer that sings it especially awesome?

See the answer to Question 2.

4. Have you heard about the website GoodReads?

Never heard about GoodReads until today! And this is the reason I love reading blogs...I always find out new and relevant information for me. (And there's an App for GoodReads too!)

5. What are 3 books you want to read?

I have been working on my masters degree for the past 18 months, and haven't had much time to read for pleasure. I have been reading Emily and Einstein for almost a year and really would like to finish it!

6. Do you hunt deer?

Seriously? Uh, no.

7. Have you started Christmas shopping? Are you completely finished?

I have. I purchased items to send overseas to a fellow 3 Day Walker's brother who is deployed in Afghanistan, and I purchased a gift card for a family in need. I now need to start shopping for my immediate family.

8. Did you shop on Black Friday? What was the best deal you got?

No, I love shopping but can't take the crowds and didn't do any cyber shopping either.

9. What’s one holiday tradition your family has?

My parents are divorced and I always spend Christmas Eve with my Dad's side of the family. We do a gift exchange and my Dad plays Santa. And there is always great food and merriment involved!

10. How many blogs do you read? Do you subscribe/unsubscribe often or do you purge every once in a while?

Probably too many! I just counted, and right now in my FeeddlerRSS App I have 52 blogs that I am following. Some of those bloggesr are like me and don't post on a regular basis. Although the majority do post at least everyday. Now that school's out, I have more time to actually read the blogs.

And yes, it probably is time to do a purge!

2011 Dallas 3 Day Walk

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

The night before every 3 Day Walk is kinda like the night before Christmas for me. There is so much excitement, anticipation, and anxiousness for what the next three days will bring! I was feeling a lot of anxiousness since I had just walked in Tampa the previous weekend, and I didn't know if I would be able to walk all of the miles in Dallas. I was excited to walk in Dallas with my team, Angels for the Cure, and my friend (and first time walker!) Adrianne.

Adrianne and I arrived at Opening Ceremony and it was cold! But like the rain in Tampa couldn't dampen my spirit, neither could the cold temperatures in Dallas. There was so much excitement in the air! We took pictures, danced and waited for Opening Ceremony to begin. Four members of my team participated in Opening Ceremony which was really awesome!

One of my team members in the Survivors Circle

Walking out from Opening Ceremony there were so many people there to support and and cheer everyone on! The spectators in Dallas really come out, especially with the first day being a Friday. The schools are kind and they allow the students to come out to cheer us on. The angel wings we wear are always a hit with the kids (heck, even the adults too!).

When we arrived at camp I was able to show Adrianne around since we wouldn't be spending the night at camp. I'm not a camper and neither is Adrianne, so we opted to stay at the Crowne Plaza. We ate dinner at camp and then headed to our 'camp' for the night. Just the thought of a comfortable bed was all that I needed!

Day 2 started nice and early for us. We arrived at camp in time to have breakfast and talk to other walkers. One of the walkers shared a story with us about the fall he had on Day 1 (very soon this will become quite coincidental). From the scrapes he had on his head I could tell it was a painful fall. Yet he was there to walk on behalf of his wife who was fighting breast cancer. As Adrianne and I left camp, I was was talking to her when I decided to walk right off the track we were walking on and took a tumble myself! I hit the ground hard,and thankfully I aimed for the grass and not the track we were walking on. As I lay there I was silently praying that nothing was broken since I put my hand out to brace my fall (I know, bad move!). My right hand was in a lot of pain, yet I could kind of slowly bend my fingers and move my hand and wrist so I knew nothing was broken. I decided to forgo seeing Medical (I had miles to walk and wasn't going down over being clumsy!) and keep pressing on.

Adrianne was beginning to feel some of the affects from walking Day 1. She wanted to walk slower which was fine with me since I was starting on mile 80 of my 120 mile journey (in a weird way I think my painful hand helped me forget about my sore tootsies). Thankfully I had some personal spectators in the crowd today! My friends Tanya and Claire came out with fabulous signs and smiles to cheer us on.

Adrianne, Clare, and Tanya

As the day progressed on, we were moving slower and slower and I started worrying about staying on pace with the route time. Adrianne started experiencing blisters that she had been self treating but wanted to go to Medical to have them treat them. I encouraged her to take one of the sweep vans to go to the next Pit Stop and gain us some time on the route. But by time I made it to the Pit Stop, she decided she was done walking for the day. I decided to continue on since it was important to me to walk all 120 miles. So I set off to finish the remaining 10 miles. During the 3 Day one is never walking alone, and I met up with some other walkers to finish out the day. Then it was off to the Crowne Plaza for a hot shower and a good nights sleep!

Day 3 started and I knew we were in for a long day. My body was starting to feel like it had walked 100 miles and Adrianne's blisters were giving her lots of problems. Thankfully we only had 15 miles to walk (ok, I know that's still a loooong distance!) and I knew we could get through it. I did meet an amazing man, Jim, who is walking all 14 cities this year! Yes, that means 840 miles....unbelievable!!! So when I want to complain about anything, I just think about Jim and what he is accomplishing one step at a time.

The amazing Jim!

As we continued walking Adrianne and her tootsies were not doing well. She decided to take a sweep van and I would met her at lunch. We fueled up and decided we had plenty of time to walk leisurely to make it in. As always it is such a wonderful feeling to see that there is only one mile left to go!

1 mile to go! I can hardly believe that I have walked 120 miles!

We made it to Fair Park and then waited for the rest of the team to make it in. Then a big group of us walked in together. I can never explain what a wonderful feeling it is to walk into holding. This year it was a mix of emotions for me: I thought about all of the people I met during the 3 Day, actually walking 120 miles, the survivors that I walk for, the people frightening this disease that I will never know, and just doing something amazing to make a difference!

In case you're wondering, yes I am going to walk next year AND I have already signed up. I've already decided that I will only walk one city. Stay tuned to see which city that will be!

December NaBloPoMo

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, here we are at the beginning of another month that I will attempt to participate in NaBloPoMo!

For those who follow my blog, you already know that I have attempted this challenge several times and haven't been successful. To those same loyal followers, you also know that there's not much that I set my mind to that I don't accomplish!

Although the idea behind NaBloPoMo is to blog every day, my goal is just to blog more often than I have been. And in the process hopefully I will find a few more blogs to follow. So here's to December NaBloPoMo and seeing how often I blog this month!

2011 Tampa 3 Day for the Cure Walk

2011-11-30T17:35:00.000-06:00

By now everyone who knows me knows that the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure is 'just my thing'. Who knew that walking 60 miles over 3 days would be something that I would enjoy doing?

This year I decided to walk in Tampa and Dallas. Although I knew the walks were back to back weekends (yes, that means walking 120 miles over the course of 10 days), I don't think I realized that I would have so much going on in my life right before the Tampa walk (the last week of classes for my masters program and ending a seven month work assignment). Nonetheless, I was looking forward to each and every step! I walked in Tampa with three friends from my Dallas 3 Day team, Angels for the Cure. In the end, I can't think of three better people to have shared this 120 mile journey with.

Getting ready to leave for Opening Ceremony

Day 1 of the walk started with rain although it would take a lot more than rain to dampen our spirits...we came too far for rain to keep us inside! The first day of the walk was beautiful walking in the Clearwater area. The spectators were pretty awesome too!

After a good first day of walking, we headed into camp to set up our tents for the night. Unfortunately the cot I rented to sleep on didn't have all of its parts, and I ended up sleeping on a pile of sleeping bags for comfort. Once I was able to get comfortable I was able to drift right off to sleep.

Our tents

Day 2 of the walk also started with a little rain, and some fatigue. Sleeping on sleeping bags didn't allow for the most comfortable night of sleep that I've ever had. One of the bright spots of the day was meeting Judy, one of my 'I've never met before Facebook friends'. Judy and I 'met' through a mutual 3 Day and Facebook friend Barbara (who I actually have met - long story - although Judy has never met Barbara in person) and had hopes of meeting up during the walk. Judy found me by the pink sock monkey that was attached to my fanny pack. We were able to talk and walk for several miles which helped the time to pass.

The Day 2 scenery was as equally beautiful as the day before, yet my tootsies were beginning to say 'Do you really think we can walk the next 80 miles ahead of us?'. I was beginning to have my own doubts too. By time I got to camp, I knew the tent wasn't going to work for me. I ended up getting a hotel room for the night which certainly helped! I asked my teammates to join me, but they wanted to stay to camp.

Day 3 was met with much excitement since it meant that half of our 120 mile journey would be completed! The four of us took our time and just enjoyed the walk. Although our happiest moment was probably seeing the sign that said we were one mile from holding also known as the end of the walk!

1 mile to go!

Walking Tampa was an awesome and emotional experience that I will never forget. It started with seeing a male survivor at Opening Ceremony in the Survivors Circle, all of the people I encountered during the three days, and ended knowing that I helped to create awareness for breast cancer education and finding a cure.

Finished with our 3 Day shirts

On the flight home, I couldn't help but think 'The Dallas 3 Day Walk is in 4 days...can I do this again???'

2011-11-24T09:15:00.000-06:00

Some of you might know that for the past 18 months I have been pursuing my Master's in Education. Well I'm happy to say that I am finished!

Interesting thing is that I actually completed my last course a month ago. Two days after my last class I was on a plane to Tampa to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk. Once I returned from that walk, four days later I was participating in the Dallas 3 Day Walk. And the day after that walk was finished, I was on a plane for business reasons to Jacksonville, FL and then on to Chicago, IL. Whew! I hope you're getting the idea that my life kept moving once my last course was completed!

Well, yesterday is when it all hit me. As I was going through weeks worth of mail (remember all of the travel), a good friend who lives into another state sent me a congratulations card for completing my degree (when she asked for an updated address a few weeks ago, I never thought about why she asked). I was blown away that she even knew I had completed my degree (maybe I mentioned it on Facebook?) and the kind words that she shared with me.

Also in the stack of packages was my actual diploma. Once I opened the package and looked at my diploma, all of the emotions from the past 18 months came flooding forward: happiness (that I was finally finished!), sadness (for the relationships that suffered during that time), and exhaustion (from the long hours of studying, the late nights, and balancing a demanding career that has lots of travel). But mainly I was proud of myself for achieving something that was important to me and the sacrifices I made along the way to achieve my goal. There were so many times that I just wanted to crawl in my bed and give up. In the end, I'm glad that I didn't.

So, you might be thinking 'What's next?'. Right now I'm just going to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family, walk the Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll 1/2 marathon next week with family and friends, and then go to Hawaii at the end of December for some rest and relaxation!

We'll see what 2012 has in store for me...

November NaBloPoMo

2011-11-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

What better way to revive my blog than to participate in NaBloPoMo for November!

My few dedicated followers already know that I have been pretty busy the past 18 months working on my masters degree. I am happy to report that I have finally obtained it! Hopefully now I will have more time to focus on blogging which is something that I have always wanted to do. Please be patient as I find my voice and the focus for my blog. At the very least hopefully you'll find some entertaining stories to make you laugh!

Well, here's to the next 30 days of blogging to get me back on track!

The Countdown Is On!

2011-08-13T23:30:00.001-05:00

Well, ‘the break’ is finally over and the countdown is on…only 9 weeks until I am finished with my master’s degree! (And the crowd goes WILD!!!!)

I’ll be honest, the past 17 months have been pretty busy (and mostly stressful) working on my master’s degree. Possibility it wasn’t the smart idea to pursue this endeavor while working a job in which I travel at a moment’s notice, am away from home for long periods of time, work 12 hour days, and training for multiple 3 Day Breast Cancer Walks. In the beginning, this sounded like a great idea. And now, well, it’s just been exhausting!

I’m ready to have my life back to do things that I enjoy…sleeping in on my day off, watching hours of mindless TV shows recorded on my DVR, doing things with friends (hopefully I will still have a couple when this is all said and done!), and doing absolutely NOTHING if that’s what I want to do.

To be honest, I’m excited about being able to focus on my blog. We all know that it has suffered over the past year. I’m excited about being able to seriously focus on living a healthy lifestyle and lose the weight I’ve always wanted to lose. I’m excited about focusing more on my family and friends. As supportive as they are, I am certain they have felt neglected on more than one occasion.

So even though the countdown is on to finishing my degree, the countdown is really on to the next chapter of my life. And that within itself is pretty exciting to me!

New Neighborhood, New Training Routes

2011-06-15T18:45:00.001-05:00

Last year I sold my home and moved to a different suburb. This also meant that I lost the great training routes that I had mapped from my home. When training by myself for the 3 Day, I like to be able to leave from where I live to begin walking, instead of needing to get in my car and drive someplace to walk. Where I live at now is near a large shopping area, which means there are lots of restaurants, hotels, and you guessed it, TRAFFIC! So now my training routes include stopping and obeying traffic lights and watching for cars that turn in and out of parking lots. This morning I decided to start walking early and beat the traffic of people going to work.

A few days ago I drove the route I was planning to walk this morning. Only one major intersection to cross and the office park parking lots weren’t busy with traffic since it was still early. The only downside to the walk was that it was just short of 3 miles. I can sometimes be a little anal about making certain I walk 3 complete miles, not 2.9 miles. I know, I know…

When training for the 3 Day it is important that you hydrate during your walk. Now that it is already 80 degrees at 6:30 AM in Dallas, I am definitely sure to carry more than just water. I carry two sports bottles – one sports bottle with water and the other sports bottle with a beverage that has electrolytes. I am not a Gatorade fan, so I use a powder by Crystal Light that is meant for fitness workouts. And by time I returned home, I had nearly finished all of my liquids!

Another important factor for training walks is to make certain that restrooms are easily accessible. The route I walked this morning had a nice gas station that was open….just in case. Although I didn’t need it this morning, I can see stopping there on longer training walks for a bio break and possibly to refresh my fluids.

One of the no-no’s on the 3 Day is walking with headphones. I will admit that I am guilty of walking with my headphones when walking alone. This morning I just made certain not to turn on my music until after I had crossed the major intersection. I also made certain to walk against traffic in order to see the vehicles that might try to turn in front of me to enter a parking lot.

The only thing left to do is to perfect my route to be a true 3 miles instead of 2.9 miles!

Taking a Break

2011-06-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

For the past 15 months I have been working on my master’s degree, and I’ll go on record to say that time has been a very precious commodity during this time period! I used to say ‘People make time for the things that are important to them’. I have learned that I need to modify that statement since it seems that I don’t have enough time for all of the things that are important to me. So, I finally decided to throw in the towel and take a short break from school.

The decision was pretty hard for me….on one hand I am at my breaking point with balancing my career and school, and on the other hand I feel like I am giving up. (I forgot to mention that I only have 3 classes left, which makes me feel like an even bigger loser right now.) Placing all of those things aside, I know that taking a break is the best decision for me right now.

Although this is only Day 3 of the break, it is refreshing to know that after working a 12 hour day that I can go back to my hotel room and watch mindless TV, or catch up with friends, or learn more about my iPad. And I won’t feel guilty that I should be reading an assignment for class or working on one of the many assignments that I have due for the week.

I am looking forward to this break to get my life back (temporarily!) and refocus on all of the things that are important to me. Hopefully I’ll come out on the other end refreshed, reenergized, and motivated to finish my last 3 classes!

3 Day Training Officially Begins!

2011-05-30T18:00:00.002-05:00

For many people, the Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer. For me, it marks the official beginning of my 3 Day Walk training season!

It is so hard to be believe that 6 months have passed since the Dallas Walk. Fortunately I have a great team that I walk with so there have been endless opportunities to see one another (3 Day and non-3 Day related). That's just one of the great things about the 3 Day...the people that I have met that have become my extended family. Living so far away from my own family, it is nice to know that I have people here in Dallas who care about me and are just a phone call away if I need anything.

I was able to get in 6 training miles over the weekend. Here's to many more training walks and stories!

And Happy Memorial Day to all of those who have risked their lives to serve and protect our country!

Who Knew There Is a Collector in the Family?

2011-04-10T19:57:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel home to see my family who lives in Michigan. After moving to Texas a little over 4 years ago, I am sometimes limited to seeing them only once or twice a year. Most times it is during the holiday season and there never seems to be enough time to spend with everyone. My most recent trip was great and I seemed to learn something about family members that I did not know before. For instance…

I didn’t know that my father is an avid coin collector. I knew that he had an interest in the state quarter collection (he gave me and my siblings each a collection to begin back in 1999) but I had no idea the amount of coins (and dollars) that he has collected over the years! Although I have learned that my state quarter collection is “tainted” (more to follow later), it was interesting to learn about the other coins and dollars that he has in his collection. At least now I have an idea of what to get him for future gifts.

My father also shared with me his medal collection from being in the Army. He was honorably discharged due to an injury and when he submitted a request to the military for something he needed, he received several other medals that he had never received before. I was very proud to learn about his time spent in the Army and what each of the medals meant. In addition to those medals, he was also able to secure medals that were given to law enforcement officers during President Obama’s inauguration. These medals are a wonderful keepsake and remembrance of a very special day in history.

Now back to my “tainted” state quarter collection…

When my father gave each of us a starter collection for the quarters, I thought the idea was to collect each of the state quarters which were released each year. So whenever I received change from a business, I would look to see if I needed the quarter of not. Well, 11 years later I have learned that was not how I was supposed to complete my collection! The goal was to get new quarters that have never been in circulation to place in the collection. My collection has a combination of quarters since some I received from my father (which were never in circulation) and the other ones came from who knows where. I told my father that he left out a very important piece of information when he gave those starter collections to us. Now he has offered to “sell” me the uncirculated quarters that I need. I have a feeling that it is going to cost me more than $12.50!

Weight Watchers

2011-04-07T01:43:00.008-05:00

On February 19th I decided to join Weight Watchers. And no, this isn’t my first time at attempting to change my eating habits and lose weight in the process. I decided to join (again) after seeing Jennifer Hudson on Oprah. I am amazed at how remarkable she looks!

Jennifer spoke about feeling empowered since she had lost her extra weight which really struck a chord with me. Every since I completed my first 3 Day for the Cure event in 2009, I have felt empowered to better my health. The only problem is that I have used walking as an excuse for me to eat whatever I want and not as a way for me to lose weight. This year I have decided that things will be different. I have decided that I want to lose my extra weight once and for all. My goal is find a way to balance endurance walking while still providing my body with the nutrients that it requires and losing weight in the process.

So far I am down 9.4 pounds…I had a little stumbling block a few weeks ago when I went to visit family. I’ll be honest, the 2 pounds that I gained back those few days were worth all of the home cooked meals that I had!

Right now I am trying to remain focused since I am back to work and every other day seems to be a Food Day in the office. Last week I tried to get a yummy looking Lemon Square when somehow it jumped off my napkin and to the floor! I took that as a sign from someone bigger than me that I needed to stay strong! So far I am doing pretty good with packing my lunch every day and being in control of what I eat.

Stay tuned for more updates regarding my weight loss journey. I will try to ‘weigh in’ with everyone once a week to let you know how I am doing. If you have any suggestions that you would like to pass along, please feel free too!

Dallas Rock ‘N’ Roll ½ Marathon

2011-03-28T22:13:00.007-05:00

After the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Walk in Dallas last November, I was given a coupon for a free registration for the Dallas Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. (“Free” that I didn’t have to pay the $85 registration fee, although I did commit to raise a minimum of $250 for Susan G. Komen.) This past weekend the big event finally got here!

On Friday I kicked off the weekend by volunteering at the expo for the race. This is where race participants picked up their race bib, event shirt, swag bag, and visit vendor booths for all things fitness related. Race expos are a great way to prepare for a future event (let’s say the 3 Day!) since there are vendors who offer GREAT discounts on running and walking gear. My local outfitter, Luke’s Locker was there, and I was able to get my 2011 3 Day shoes and new socks for 20% off! You might be thinking that the prices are inflated for the expo, at Luke’s Locker they were not. It always helps to know what you need and what you would normally pay before going to an expo (or any type of shopping) to know if you are really getting a deal or not.

My volunteer assignment was to hand out race bibs for participants who decided to participate in the Susan G. Komen Marathon for the Cure. This was pretty cool since there was a special VIP pink table set up for the participants. It was also a great way for me to meet other 3 Day Walkers and Crew. In addition to the event shirt, SGK also provided Marathon for the Cure participants a special event shirt and VIP parking for race day. And did I forget to mention a very cool pink race bib to wear during the race (picture to follow later)!

On race day, Susan G. Komen had a special meeting place at a local downtown hotel. Race participants met there, took a team picture, and then walked out together to the start line of the race. Everyone was honored for their fundraising commitment in addition to pumping up the crowd for the race. I met up with my walking team, Angels for the Cure, and we were ready to begin!

As many people know, I do not consider myself an athlete. Walking in the ½ marathon was a personal challenge for me since this is a competitive race for runners. Walkers are able to participate as long as they can complete the event in 4 hours. So needless to say, this is no leisurely walk full of stopping to take pictures and eating snacks every 2 – 3 miles like the 3 Day! I had been training for the race, but not nearly as much as I wanted. Although I was determined that I would complete the race before the course closed. And I am happy to report that I did finish!

My official chip time was 3:59:01. I consider my time to be 3:45:00 which considers the stops that were made along the way…like the McDonald’s stop that my team mates just had to make.:-)

Although I am a wee bit sore today (a 2 hour massage earlier today really helped), this didn’t stop me from thinking about my next ½ marathon. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon Series has marathon and half marathon races all over the country, some benefiting a different charitable organization like Susan G. Komen (the next SGK marathon event is a week after the Dallas 3 Day…I don’t think I am going to be that adventurous to sign up for that one!). Stay tuned, I just might sign up for another one later this year!

Happy Anniversary?

2011-03-16T20:12:00.001-05:00

This afternoon when I checked my email there was a message with ‘Happy Anniversary’ in the subject line. Since I’m not married, I was kind of perplexed by the subject. That is, until I opened the message. It was from my university telling me that it has been one year since I decided to pursue my master’s degree. I guess that could be considered an anniversary although someone forgot to send me flowers!

As promised in my last post, I said that I would catch everyone up on where I have been and why my blog went into hiatus. Now you know the reason…pursuing my master’s degree. Obtaining my master’s degree has been something that I wanted to do for a long time, and I finally decided to jump in with both feet last year and “Just Do It”! Little did know how my life was getting ready to change.

This past year has been one of the most stressful years in my entire life. About the same time I started my master’s degree, my step father was diagnosed as being at the beginning of the end of congestive heart failure. Then a few short months later, my step mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then I decided to sell my home. Once it sold, I had about 2 weeks to find some place to live, pack my home, and move (that was due to being out of town for 3 ½ months for a work assignment). And just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, two people that I think the world of told me that I didn’t have time for anyone anymore, including them. Needless to say, I was (and still am some days) at my breaking point.

So when I received the email today, one word and its meaning stood out to me: Perseverance: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. For me, this one word summed up what I had not been able to about what this past year has symbolized for me. Although October 10, 2011 (the last day of my last class!) seems far away, I can slowly begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I am beyond thankful to report that my stepfather and stepmother are both on the road to recovery. No, I’m not homeless, but I am transient again until I can find that place I can really call home. And my relationships? I wish I could say I am succeeding…I am still working on them one relationship at a time.

And So My 2011 PINK Journey Begins

2011-03-08T20:59:00.001-06:00

Wow, I can’t believe that 7 months have passed since I made my last post! Believe me, this wasn’t my intent. Somehow life has gotten in the way of one of the things that I enjoy doing so much (more about that in another post!). So to my 7 dedicated followers, PLEASE accept my apologies…I’m back!

And what better way for me to revitalize my blog than to talk about my 2011 PINK journey!

A few days ago I sent emails to my family and friends gearing up for the 2011 3 Day season! I say 'season' but since I started participating in the 3 Day in 2009, the 3 Day has become a daily part of who I am and what I do.

It is a great feeling when friends contact me and ask 'Are you walking again this year?' (At least now I know that they have an interest). It was an even greater feeling when 3 friends (Adrianne, Tonya, and Tara) contacted me and told me that they signed up to WALK this year...YAY!!! Can you tell that I am beyond excited?! As they embark on this journey for themselves they will be able to experience firsthand the greatness of what they are about to do.

This year I have decided to walk in Tampa and Dallas. You’re probably thinking that’s not a big deal since I walked in Chicago and Dallas last year. Well…the Tampa and Dallas walks are back-to-back weekends! So yes, that means I will be walking 120 miles over the course of 10 days. Some people think walking 60 miles is crazy, but I think I have now beaten my personal best for crazy.

Fortunately I will be walking with a few of my Dallas team members (Renee, Mickey, and Tina) in Tampa (they’re the ones who talked me into this) so I won’t be alone. (Is someone ever really ‘alone’ walking during the 3 Day?) So far the four of us have formed a unique bond, and I am really looking forward to walking with them.

Stay tuned for more…

So Begins My Chicago 3-Day Story...

2010-08-03T23:57:00.004-05:00

This evening I arrived in Chicago for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk!

While waiting in the DFW airport, I met an interesting man. Interesting from the standpoint that he offered me a bite of his McDonald's Snack Wrap. Unfortunately, it was made with chicken or I might have taken him up on his offer. (Well no, not really!)

Soon I realized that his wife was sitting across the way from us. I began to ask him if he would like for me to trade seats with her so they could sit together. Before I could even get the question out of my mouth, he said "Oh no, I'm having too much fun!". (I thought I had asked the wrong person the question, but I soon figured out that his wife was probably the real one having fun!)

Our conversation led to why we were at the airport. He explained that he and his wife are relocating from Chicago to Phoenix. They just found someplace to live in Phoenix, and were returning to Chicago to pack their belongings. Then he asked why I was headed to Chicago. I said "I'm walking in a 3-Day breast cancer walk. He asked "The Susan G. Komen Walk?". After I said yes, he explained that his wife is a 12 year survivor (YAY!!!). He then called to his wife and said "Honey, she is doing the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk". His wife simply smiled and gave me the thumbs up. I gave her a smile and the thumbs up back. As they left to board the plane, they thanked me and wished me well this weekend.

You know what? My day didn't start the best. At that time, little did I know what the day had in store for me. I didn't know that I would have the pleasure of meeting yet another unknown person who has fought breast cancer and won! This is the reason that I walk...for all of the people that I know and don't know who have fought or are fighting breast cancer, knowing that I can make a difference with each step that I take.

And yes...my day ended much better than I ever could have expected!

2011 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Series

2010-07-25T00:34:00.008-05:00

Yesterday the first 2010 3-Day for the Cure Walk series started in Boston, MA (Go Walkers!).

And guess what? I also received an email announcing the 2011 3-Day for the Cure Walk series!

Decisions, decisions...to walk or not to walk, that is the question. And as of this moment, I don't have an answer. My indecisiveness has nothing to do with not having walked my first (as in more than one) 3-Day walk this year. (Believe me, once you walk 1 time, you will be hooked for life!). I am wondering if it is time for me to show my support and appreciation in another way by being a crew member instead of a walker.

But please, don't let my wandering thoughts prevent YOU from signing up for a 3-Day Walk for next year. The following are the event cities and dates:

2011 3-Day for the Cure Schedule

Boston July 22-24 Cleveland July 29-31

Chicago August 5-7 Michigan August 12-14

Twin Cities August 19-21 Denver August 26-28
San Francisco Bay Area September 9-11

Seattle September 16-18 Washington, D.C. September 23-25

Philadelphia October 14-16 Atlanta October 21-23

Tampa Bay October 28-30
Dallas/Fort Worth November 4-6 Arizona November 11-13
San Diego November 18-20

And, if you register by November 23rd you can receive a $35 registration discount using the code CURE2011.

What's stopping YOU from making the journey of a lifetime?

Where Has the Time Gone?

2010-07-24T00:49:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can hardly believe that my last post was April 1st. Where has the time gone? Where have I been? I'm so glad that you asked...

After returning home from a work assignment in January, I decided that it was time for me to try to get my life in order. Well, at least sit down and come up with a plan for my life. For those who know me well, you already know that my life is a form of organized chaos, I can't sit still, and no one ever knows what I will do next.

In March, I decided to pursue my Master of Arts in Education/Adult Education and Training degree. That's in addition to working a full time job that has the added excitement of never knowing when (or where) I will be called on assignment (or for how long), and training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk (oh, did I forget to mention that I am walking in TWO 3-Day events this year?).

I quickly found out that there really aren't enough hours in the day! I used to say 'People make time for the things that they really want to do'. Well, I have since retracted that statement. After working a 12+ hour day (6 days a week), studying, and trying to find time to train, there isn't too much time for anything else. I soon realized that work gets in the way, and I really would be happy just being a student and a walker.

So, that is where the time has gone for me. But never fear...I'm back!!!

Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk Discount Code

2010-04-01T16:36:00.003-05:00

I know that you have been thinking about walking the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk with me in Chicago or Dallas this year.

And guess what?

To make you really want to walk, you can register between April 12 – 23 for a $25 discount off the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ registration? To receive the discount, give the promotional code TEAMKOMEN when you register online at The3Day.org or via phone at 800-996-3DAY.

And even if you decide to walk in a city other than Chicago or Dallas, my feelings won't be hurt! Really, they won't be. Just walk...

Today, Do Something Different

2010-03-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

This morning as I was driving in my car I heard a radio advertisement about 'doing something different'. Well, it was 5:30 in the morning and I was on my way to volunteer at the Rock and Roll Dallas Half Marathon. So yes, that was something different from my normal Sunday morning routine.

From time to time I think some areas of my life tend to settle into what's comfortable and I miss out on new experiences. Looking back over the past several months the following are some different things I tried:

1) My hair - I had been wearing it in a similar style for way too long. And I found as it was getting longer, it really wasn't as exciting as I thought. (As a good friend tells me 'People's styles get caught in a time where they think they looked good') So last summer I decided to cut my hair to a chin length bob and added highlights. What I got was a sassier look and lots of compliments!

2) Training Walks - When I start my 3 Day breast cancer training walks from home I always walk on the side of the street that my house is on. Well last week I crossed the street and noticed lots of great ideas (and NOT so great!) for adding color to my landscaping.

3) Meals on Wheels - A couple of weeks ago I volunteered to deliver Meals on Wheels to the elderly and shut it. It felt great to bring a hot meal to someone and possibly be the only person they would talk to that day.

Doing something different doesn't have to be earth shattering or mind boggling, it can be really simple. What are you going to do different today?

Writer's Block?

2010-03-09T21:48:00.002-06:00

Writer's block - a condition, associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work.

Ok, let's be honest, my blog doesn't constitute 'writing as a profession', but I am experiencing a bit of writer's block! Just when I was ready to jump start my blog into something great, post every day, and hopefully have lots of dedicated followers, this writer's block thing set in. (And besides, I really didn't think anyone cared if I was posting or not, until someone told me that I hadn't posted anything in a while.)

Right now it seems like my life is at such a crossroads: I will be turning 40 in about a month (can't believe I just typed that!), I am restless with my career choice, I am seriously contemplating starting my Master's degree (ok, I am scheduled to start online classes next week so I guess it is more than just 'contemplating' at this point), and I am dealing with a family member being seriously ill.

My crossroads has moved me to the point of not doing anything, which isn't good. I would say that I need to get away, but the truth of the matter is that my last work assignment ended over 6 weeks ago, so what would I be getting away from? Some days I just wish there was a 'Do Over' button and that I could reset my life to a certain point in time. But honestly, I don't even know what point in time I would choose.

Hopefully my writer's block will pass soon. Hopefully I will pass my crossroads even sooner.

3-Day for the Cure Discount!

2010-02-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Are you thinking about participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure? Do you have family or friends that are thinking about it too? Well TODAY is a great day to register!

Register for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure between February 24 – March 9 with the discount code RESOLVE and you will receive a $25 discount off the registration fee.

And you can always use the $25 you save as your first step toward meeting your fundraising goal. Doesn't get too much better than that!

3 Day Thursdays - Finding the Right Walking Shoe

2010-02-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

This past weekend my walking team 'Angels for the Cure' were invited to a shoe clinic at Luke's Locker to get fitted for walking shoes for the 3 Day. For those of you that think 'I already have walking/running shoes for the 3 Day and I don't need to get a new pair', read on!

If this is your first year walking in the 3 Day, YOU WILL WANT TO GET FITTED FOR APPROPRIATE WALKING SHOES!!! Seriously, think about it...you'll be walking 60 miles and that's not even counting all of the miles you'll walk during training (you will be doing training walks, right?). I cannot stress the importance of finding appropriate shoes (and socks) for you to wear.

The benefit of going to a running store vs. a mall athletic store is that a running store specializes with assisting people who run or walk endurance events. The people that work in running stores are usually runners or walkers themselves and they can provide a lot of valuable information (about shoes, clothing, what to eat, etc.) as you prepare for the 3 Day.

In addition to their personal experiences they are able to accurately fit you with a pair of shoes. (Case in point - I am a Nike girl to heart...Nike Shox are all that I wear. But not for the 3 Day.) They will watch you walk and then bring out various shoes that they believe will work best for you. You are then able to try on the shoes in the store to see how they feel. (Luke's Locker actually has a treadmill and a walking path to try out potential shoes).

You're probably thinking that the shoes are expensive, right? Of course you can pay just about any price for a pair of shoes. But the great thing is that the sales associates are not out to make the biggest sale. They want to help you AND your feet. The shoes that I have worn cost in the neighborhod of $110 a pair. Believe me, a small investment for comfort and not getting blisters!

On the day of a foot clinic the hosting store will usually offer an additional discount if you purchase shoes (or other items) at that time. I also recommend taking in a pair of your current walking shoes for the shoe specialist to look at the current tread pattern on your shoes.

One last thing to think about is that you should have 2 pairs of shoes to rotate during your training walks and for the actual 3 Day event. The sooner that you are able to find the shoes that you will walk in the sooner you will know how your shoes and feet will respond in case you need to make a change.

The Bachelor

2010-02-09T21:42:00.004-06:00

One of my guilty pleasures is the ABC reality TV show The Bachelor (and of course The Bachelorette!). I started watching the reality series because I was intrigued with the concept of a person finding love from a pool of 25 potential members of the opposite sex that had been hand chosen for that person. Being a single female I thought the concept was a great way to narrow the playing field to find true love.

I honestly have to admit that the first few series I watched of The Bachelor that I honestly believed in it. I really cheered for the women and felt my heart melt once The Bachelor gave his final rose and true love was found (and did I mention an engagement ring too?).

But then somewhere along the line I guess the reality set in for me. How could I not see that this show was just an opportunity for someone to date 25 women (or men) at one time? The lucky Bachelor gets to go on fabulous one-on-one dates, two-on-one dates, and sometimes even group dates. It is amazing that somehow he kisses woman after woman and none of women seem to have a problem with it. And as the playing field narrows down to a few select candidates that he 'thinks he is really falling for' there is always the option to spend the night in a fantasy suite (Hmmm...I don't think it takes too much thought about what really goes on in the fantasy suite!).

This past week one of the contestants had to choose between staying on the show and her career. (It's important to point out that this same scenario happened on the last series so it is time for the producers to come up with a new angle...yawn). Although she was a top pick of mine, I really couldn't believe how much time was spent agonizing over her choice. Ok, I am a true romantic at heart, but...if it came down to me continuing on a reality TV show or my career, I think the choice would be fairly easy. (Certainly I know that things happen, but wouldn't she of made certain she had off all the time that she needed to be on the show? Oh that's right! This is reality TV!)

As much as The Bachelor has made me think twice about women finding true love on the series, I'll still be tuned in next week to see what happens!

Did I Miss the Baby Gene?

2010-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine got married several months ago. Soon after the wedding took place we spoke about how she and her husband were looking forward to becoming parents and were hopeful to become pregnant within the next year. I remember how happy and excited she was looking forward to their new life together.

Then today she shared with me that she experienced a miscarriage at the nine and a half week point in her pregnancy.

When she told me the news my heart immediately broke for her. I know that she will make an AWESOME mother once she is blessed with children. I am thankful that she is in a very good place with what occurred and knows that God has bigger things in store for her and her husband. To top it all off, her doctor is very optimistic that she should be able to conceive again.

Since I began blogging I have encountered many blogs by women who have documented their experiences with infertility and miscarriages. I can't read the blogs for long because I find myself saddened. I don't know if my sadness is for them or if it is for me...I have never had the desire to have children. I sometimes wonder 'Did I miss the baby gene when I was born?' because I don't understand the deep desire that many women have to have children.

From the time that I was a young girl I knew that I didn't want to have children. Even once I married my thoughts never swayed about that (very fortunate for me since my marriage ended before it really ever began). Interesting fact is that I really love children and people often comment how good I am with them. I have a wonderful 8 year old goddaughter who means the world to me and there isn't anything that I wouldn't do to protect her or for her well being.

Until about a year and a half ago I had been suffering for 5 years with a medical condition that had made my life so intolerable and unpredictable, and me, incredibly miserable and unhappy in the process. Since I was in my early thirties at the onset of my medical problems, my physician wanted me to wait until I was older to make a final decision about having a hysterectomy. When my medical condition finally got to the point that I had no other medical alternatives I proceeded with the operation.

Leading up to the surgery I wondered how would I really feel once the choice was no longer mine about not having children? What if I met someone and they really wanted us to have children together? I can honestly say that I have never had a moment of regret about my decision.

So, to answer my original question: Yes, I think I did miss the baby gene, but I also believe that someone more deserving than I received it instead.

Magnolia Bakery Cafe

2010-02-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

Last year when I was on assignment in Pasadena, TX I found a wonderful lunch spot called Magnolia Café and Bakery. They have wonderful sandwiches, salads, soups, and I would be remiss if I left out their desserts…FABULOUS! So yesterday as I was driving around between appointments I decided to stop at the location in Lewisville, TX.

For the past week or so I have been in hot pursuit of a ham salad sandwich. And believe it or not, you can’t find ham salad sandwiches everywhere. There are TONS of varieties of chicken salad (and anyone who knows me knows that I do not eat chicken!) and tuna salad in grocery stores, but ham salad seems to be a rarity. So when I saw the sign for Magnolia Café and Bakery I knew my craving would be satisfied.

I had some great ham salad on whole wheat bread along with kettle chips and a side of sliced carrots. But the ultimate ending to my lunch was the homemade Coca Cola Cake that they make. The cake sits on the dessert counter in a pan that looks like it came from my grandmother’s kitchen. The cake is about 2 ½ inches thick and is covered with some type of fudgy, chocolate icing…yummy!

If you are ever in the Houston or Dallas areas you won’t be disappointed (or hungry!) if you find Magnolia Café and Bakery!

Barnes and Noble Nook

2010-02-06T07:00:00.003-06:00

After many weeks of waiting my Barnes and Noble Nook finally arrived!

Last Fall I was contemplating purchasing an Amazon Kindle 2. Believe me, this was a big decision since I am definitely old school when it comes to books: I like to touch books, feel the pages between my fingers, and you can’t beat that new book smell. But after I had a chance to play around with a friend’s Kindle, I was like I love it!

Well, right about that time Barnes and Noble announced that they would be introducing their own eReader, Nook. And being the diehard B&N fan that I am, I had to wait until the Nook made its debut to make my final decision.

Some of the pros that I liked about the Nook are:

1. It has a color, touch screen.

2. When you are in a B&N store you can download a book to your Nook to read just like you would pick up a regular book from the shelf to read.

3.You can lend your eBooks to other people.

(To be honest, there are a lot of similarities between the Nook and the Kindle; for me the choice just came down to a brand that I was familiar with.)

Now the downside to obtaining the Nook was the waiting! I did have to wait about a month until my Nook shipped. I also picked out a cute cover for my Nook but it is still on backorder. So hopefully it will be here one day soon.

Stay tuned for more updates on my Nook! If any of my readers has a Nook, pleae let me know what you think about it too.

When In Doubt Don't Bounce!

2010-02-05T07:00:00.002-06:00

The other day while I was out trying to enjoy a quick lunch, I found it quickly interrupted.

A couple of tables away from me there were two ladies and a toddler. Knowing that toddlers will be toddlers, I specifically choose a table a little bit away from them. But I found it wasn’t the toddler that I had to be worried about.

I soon realized that it was the little boy’s first birthday (Yay! Happy Birthday!) and that his mother and her friend had brought him out to have a cupcake on his actual birthday. From the conversation I overheard, his birthday party was taking place in a couple of days.

The little boy’s mother then left the table to go order something else to eat. It was quickly apparent that the friend didn’t quite know what to do with the little boy. (To me he seemed very content sitting there and smiling at the ladies that he could make eye contact with.) So she decided to pull out a toy. This toy was a conglomerate of plastic things on a bouncy string. She then began bouncing the plastic things on the table.

Everyone close by figured out pretty quickly that it wasn’t the little boy bouncing the items due to the rhythmic sound the plastic was making as it struck the plastic table top. Just when I thought I was the only person annoyed by the noise, another customer next to me looked up and had a similar expression of disbelief on her face.

The little boy finally turned around and looked at the toy, but then he did something interesting…he pulled it from her hands and he dropped it on the ground. YAY! But that wasn’t the end of it. She then proceeded to pick up the toy and started bouncing it again. Once again the little boy took it from her and guess what? He dropped it on the ground!

Now, I am not a baby expert, but….I am thinking that if he really wanted to play with the toy, he wouldn’t keep dropping it on the floor. Well, obviously she thought she was a baby expert so she picked up the toy yet AGAIN and began to bounce it on the table!

Fortunately the little boy’s mom returned and the bouncing stopped. Maybe she heard it from the counter and decided to put us all out of our misery and return to the table. Thank goodness for small favors!

3-Day Thursdays

2010-02-04T07:00:00.003-06:00

In honor of me officially signing up for the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure breast cancer walks in Chicago and Dallas, I have decided to make Thursdays '3-Day Thursdays' on Shannon's World!

I also have more exciting news...I submitted an application to become a 3-Day Ambassador and it was accepted! Since I only became an Ambassador earlier this morning, I don't fully know what my responsibilities will be. I'm not interested in doing any TV or radio interviews, but I am interested in being a social media ambassador and write about my 3-Day experiences on my blog.

I am hopeful that the PR firm handling this will provide me with information about informing other 3-Day walkers about my blog. Hopefully my readers (hint, hint) will share my blog with other people who might be interested in walking for the first time, those that are already signed up to walk, or anyone who might be interested in my 3-Day activities. Also, if any of you have any questions please be certain to email or post the question within the comments.

Is It Just a Car?

2010-02-03T07:00:00.001-06:00

One day last week the 'Service Engine Soon' light illuminated in my car. I was a bit perplexed since I had been out of town and hadn't driven my car in about 3 weeks. (Funny how those things just pop on, right?)

Being the independent woman that I am, I proceeded to pull out the owner's manual to troubleshoot the problem myself. Since the light wasn't flashing (which meant if it was I should take it to a dealership ASAP and not drive over 45 m.p.h. - whew!) and was a solid light, it appeared the problem could be less severe. The manual suggested to check the gas cap to insure it was on correctly and tightly. Certainly that must be the problem since I had gotten gas the night before. Well...

That didn't appear to be the problem. After 'driving several trips' the light did not go off as the owner's manual suggested it might. So off I was to contact the dealership service department and probably get taken for a real ride.

Now is probably a good time to point out that my car is 10 years old with 140,000 miles. For the past 5 years I have driven it less due to my current job, but let's face it, the first 5 years were probably pretty tough on it. I take good care of my car - I wash it, take it in for scheduled maintenance and when it's sick (like now) take it to the dealership service department.

Since I am celebrating the Big 4-0 this year (that's another story!) purchasing a new car has been on my mind as a presant to myself. BUT, I want to purchase a new car when I am ready to purchase a new car. NOT because I am faced with a high auto repair bill and I will make a rash decision to 'fix' the problem. So I began to do my research...

I found out what the Kelly Blue Book trade in value and private sale value of my car would be. Then I came up with a make it or break figure for the car repair:

1. If the car repair was over X dollars, I wouldn't get it fixed and would negotiate with the dealership for a trade in towards a new vehicle or

2. If the car repair was under X dollars, I would get the car repaired but begin working on selling the car myself.

Fortunately the repair was under my break figure (whew!). I really didn't want to make a rash decision about purchasing a car and I have been without a car payment for soooo long that I am really not that excited about having one again.

The real thing that I realized through all of this is what my car means to me...this car is the first brand new car that I purchased all by myself. I purchased the car while I was married (in my name only) and I was able to afford the payments after the divorce and without anyone's assistance. I have been able to pay for the maintenance and repairs. For me this car represents my independence and what I can do on my own. I'm not so certain that I am ready to trade that in to someone else just yet.

But if someone showed up with this and a red ribbon tied on it, I think my new love affair would begin:

An Afternoon With My Goddaughter

2010-02-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

The other day my 8 year old goddaughter and I had an outing to a local mosaic studio Smashing Times. The first time we went was a couple of years ago and she absolutely loved it! She is sooo creative and it amazes me how quickly she can come up with an idea and then BANG! she has created something!

Me on the other hand...I want for whatever I am going to make to be perfect. (Well, as close to perfect as I can get it.) I want to pick the right project, the right color tiles, and the right placement of the tiles. While I was sitting there contemplating life, my goddaughter was a third of the way finished with her project. Needless to say, I didn't do a project on this outing!

After we were finished we stopped by Sonic because it was Happy Hour! And if you don't have a Sonic in your area...Happy Hour means that all drinks and slushes are half price everyday from 2 pm - 4 pm. (Certainly you didn't think I would take an 8 year old to a real happy hour, did you?) Her drink of choice was a Green Apple Slushie and mine was a Strawberry Lime Aid Slushie - yum!

On our way back to her house she said 'Auntie, I used to think that you were my fairy godmother and not my godmother.' (Yes, I do remember her telling people that but honestly I thought she knew what the difference was)

She went on to say 'I used to think that you could fly places.' (Yes, I do remember her asking me about flying. Just when I thought we were joking about flying, I guess she was serious!)

The more I spend time with my goddaughter she reminds me of things that are important in life: laughing, having fun and believing in oneself. Sometimes I get so caught up in the busyness of the day and forget about the things that should be important, not the things that I have no control over or cannot change that I let dictate my life.

February NaBloPoMo

2010-02-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

For those new to blogging you are probably wondering ‘What does ‘NaBloPoMo stand for?’ Yes, I too asked the same question at one point when I was a newbie to the world of blogging.

NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. The idea is to post a blog every day for 30 days (or in this case 28 days since February is a short month!) to set the habit for posting regularly. Each month there is a theme, and the theme for this month is ‘TIES’. (I am just going to be hopeful that I can get through 28 days of posting and not worry so much about the theme my first go around.)

Over the past several months I have wanted to take my blog to the next level (whatever that might be!) I am hopeful that participating in NaBloPoMo will help me develop my blogging voice, pick up new followers, and tie me closer to the wonderful world of blogging!

2010 3-Day for the Cure

2010-01-31T11:13:00.006-06:00

Yes, I am back walking the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure…in The Windy City AND The Big D! Crazy, right? Not at all if you followed my 3-Day journey last year. I learned a lot about myself, met some AWESOME people along the way, and I made a difference.

But you might be wondering what motivates me to walk not only one, but TWO, 3-day, 60 mile walks this year. (Although my math is not always the best, I do realize this means a total of 6 days and 120 miles)

First, the selfish reasons:

1) I love Chicago! (And who doesn’t?! Garrett Popcorn Shops, The Magnificent Mile, Giordano’s…the list goes on and on)

2) After family and friends cheered me on at the 2009 Dallas 3-Day, I thought if I walk in Chicago (only 2 hours from my hometown) that even more family and friends would come out to support me! (Who doesn’t like people clapping and cheering them on every 3 feet making them feeling like a rock star?)

3) My team, Angels for the Cure, in Dallas. They have become some of my biggest supporters AND friends. (Walking 60 miles is always more fun with a friend or two!)

Now, the real reasons:

1) When I began my last mile to Closing Ceremonies last year in Dallas .
I knew that was only the beginning of my continued support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure

2) Breast cancer education, research and finding a cure has always been a personal passion of mine.

3) Breast cancer has personally affected my family and some very great friends. And THEY ARE ALL SURVIVORS!!!

How can I not walk again?

As much as I am excited about walking this year (I have already updated both of my personal 3-Day web pages and blogs, updated my status on Facebook, and updated this blog) I am nervous about the commitment I have made to raise a minimum of $4,300. That’s a lot of money!

I have to admit that raising $2,300 last year was easier than I thought. The big thing I learned was to just talk about the 3-Day journey I was on. (As much as it might seem that I am ‘All about me’, when it comes down to it, it is very difficult for me to talk about me.) And whenever I would someone would ask ‘Do you accept donations for the walk?’ Many times I received donations from people that I had no idea who were personally affected by breast cancer. So I quickly realized that I was doing millions of women and men affected by breast cancer a disservice by not asking for donations.

So this year will be different…I am going to tell everyone that I encounter about what I am doing AND ask for their support. Hopefully by time November rolls around I will still have family and friends that haven’t tired of hearing about my journey!

And since you are reading this (someone is reading this, right?) please check out my 3-Day websites and consider making a donation:

www.the3day.org/goto/ShannonWalksChicago
www.the3day.org/goto/ShannonWalksDallas

Blogger Extraordinaire?

2010-01-28T14:32:00.010-06:00

Whew…I can hardly believe that I actually completed ICLW this month! YAY!!! And in the process I even gained a few more followers – double YAY!!! (For those that are wondering 'What the heck is ICLW?' please check out this blog Stirrup Queens.

I feel these accomplishments are just the push I need to take my blogging to the next level. I have always loved to write…whether it is a letter, keeping a journal, or even making a list, I love to write. And for those that know me pretty well, my life seems full of stories to share with my family and friends (I think I might even be eligible for a reality show, but I'll focus on blogging for now). I'll admit that they probably don't always want to hear my stories and that sometimes the stories can border on TMI (too much information), but certainly they don't want me to keep all of that inside!

I contacted someone a few weeks ago to help me revamp my blog. Unfortunately she is a little backed up, but hopefully within the next couple of months you will see a new and improved Shannon's World. In the meantime get prepared for more random thoughts from me!

How People Lose Track of Cash

2010-01-24T08:54:00.001-06:00

According to USA Today Snapshots the following is the percentage of adults who lose track of cash spending when doing the following:

Grocery Shopping - 34%

Leisure Shopping - 32%

Enjoying Night Out - 31%

Dining Out - 26%

Buying Snacks - 25%

Daily Lunch - 22%

Looking at the list I can see that I have been guilty of losing track of spending in all of those categories. Although I find that if I have actual cash in my hand I am a bit more selective about my purchases. And it is true that the daily mindless little purchases (snacks from a vending machine, Starbucks coffee, etc.) are the purchases that add up to large amounts over time.

A few years ago after reviewing my bank statement I realized that a Starbucks debit was just about every few line items. Once I totaled up how much I was spending there, I was floored!!! So I decided to get a part time job at Starbucks.

After going through the extensive training (learning more about coffee than I ever wanted to know), making all types of drink concoctions, and working at a very busy location, I had a new found appreciation for Baristas! One of the major perks was that I could drink all the Starbucks I wanted while working which quickly added money back to my checking account.

What are some ways that you have tracked your spending and then done something positive about it?

The Fresh Market

2010-01-22T11:04:00.003-06:00

While on a work assignment in Virginia Beach, Virginia I had the pleasure of being introduced to The Fresh Market speciality food store. When I heard the phrase 'They have an entire row dedicated to trail mixes!' I knew that I had to check it out!

True to my friend's word, The Fresh Market has at least 20 different types of trail mixes (Sweet Carolina is one of my personal favs) in addition to about another 20 speciality mixes. And if a store has good, fresh banana chips, it definitely ups their ranking with me!

Just when I thought I had already died and gone to heaven, I found the most wonderful snack: purple sweet potato chips! I love, love, LOVE sweet potatoes (I have a baked one about 5 times a week!) so when I saw the purple sweet potato chips, I knew I had to try them. I'll admit that the $9.99 per pound price scared me (well, not really) but I had to taste them. And it was love at first bite!
In addition to the wonderful mixes The Fresh Market has, they also have a fabulous prepared food section (really great for people like me that don't always find time to cook, but like to have a healthier food option available).

I also love fresh flowers and you can get an awesome bouquet of flowers for less then 10 bucks!

Bond No. 9

2010-01-20T09:18:00.001-06:00

Bond No. 9 is the name of a fragrance collection, as well as the address of its headquarters boutique at 9 Bond Street, in NoHo. The collection was launched as homage to a great city and each fragrance represents a specific downtown, midtown, or uptown locale or a city-wide sensibility.

While in NYC a couple of years ago, I had the chance to smell the Bond No. 9 fragrance collection. I was in the city for a Girl’s Weekend and we were purchasing the fragrance as a surprise birthday gift for a friend on the trip.

About a year or so later I decided to splurge on me and purchased The Scent of Peace fragrance and The Scent of Peace Body Silk. I don’t often use the word ‘splurge’ and ‘me’ in the same sentence because I think I am worth it. But, let’s be honest… spending over $250 on perfume and lotion is a bit much, even for me. (NOTE: the funding for the splurge came from my $750 bingo winnings while on vacation)

Although I really love the fragrance (and let’s be honest, the bottle too!) I have to say that the customer service from Bond No. 9 is first class. Once I made a purchase with them I was given VIP status, which includes:

1) Being the very first to receive free samples of their newest scents, even before they officially debut and

2) Receiving surprise scents on a regular basis!

Now, you might think these free samples and surprise scents are the garden variety type that you receive in Macy’s when you request a fragrance sample. No, no, no! These samples are cute little Bon Bon’s that are a complete .25 FL OZ! Perfect for traveling with and mixing up my daily fragrance choices.

After doing some checking on the Bond No. 9 website their Bon Bon’s cost about $15 each (if you could purchase them individually). To date I cannot tell you how many Bon Bon’s I have received. And you know what? Since my first purchase almost two and a half years ago, I have never purchased anything else from Bond No. 9.

My last kudos to Bond No. 9 is that they also acknowledge that we are in a recession. Throughout the past year they have specials were if you purchase a fragrance and bring in an empty Bond No. 9 bottle (and who wouldn’t save their beautiful empty bottle?) you can have it refilled for free. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Up in the Air

2010-01-06T17:41:00.006-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to see the newly released holiday movie Up In the Air starring George Clooney. I'll be honest, George Clooney is pretty easy on the eye but he wasn't the reason for me wanting to see this movie. When I first saw the previews I thought 'This movie kinda sort of sounds like my life!'.

George Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham, is a corporate downsizer and business traveler. Ryan is constantly on the road traveling from city to city, living out of a suitcase and racking up frequent traveler points from various travel reward programs (airlines, rental car companies, hotels, etc.).

I work for a large insurance company in a department that handles catastrophic weather related events for my company. Like Ryan, I travel a LOT for my company...I am on the road about 8 - 9 months out of the year, travel from city to city, and spend most of my time living out of a suitcase. Fortunately I am not threatening other people's livelihoods due to corporate downsizing, but hopefully I am assisting to get their lives back on track after the damage they have sustained.

The following are some similarities between Ryan Bingham and I:

1) Travel Rewards - Although Ryan is a member of just about every travel program out there, his main goal was to reach 10,000,000 frequent flier miles with American Airlines.

Although I fly commercially I don't think (and hope!) that I will ever reach 10,000,000 frequent flier miles! On the other hand I am a member of many travel reward programs. My big one is Marriott Rewards. Friends and family never have to worry about paying for a hotel stay since I have more points than I'll ever use.

2) Family - Ryan is viewed as an outsider by his family. His younger sister is getting married and has chosen her future husband's uncle to walk her down the aisle.

Sometimes I feel like an outsider to my family. This past Christmas was the first time I had been home to see them in a year. Many will think 'What's the big deal?'. The big deal is that me and my family are very close and it just isn't acceptable to only see them once a year.

3) Nomads - Ryan loves (and mean LOVES!) being on the road. When his job is threatened by technology I could tell that he was really pained about returning to a 'normal' life that didn't involve travel. At one point I believe he said that he was more comfortable on the road than he was at home - never mind that home for Ryan is a sparsely furnished one bedroom apartment.

I too love the sense of adventure with traveling to a new city and seeing parts of the country that I would never have any reason to go to - like Bismark, North Dakota for example. When I first took my current position my life was in a bit of flux...someone that I loved more than life itself had died and I found myself losing my way. This job allowed me to hide and not face the realities that I needed to face.

4) Love - During the course of the movie, Ryan meets a woman (of course there has to be a love story in there!). She is just like him in regards to traveling. But for the first time, I believe Ryan really begins to open his heart and his life to let someone else in.

For so long I have used my job as a shield to hide behind from the realities of life. I have a feeling that there are some wonderful possibilities out there for me to find balance in my life. I might just be ready to hang up my travel wings too! Well, maybe...

Christmas Q & A

2009-12-23T21:03:00.002-06:00

I found this on Don't Scare Easy via ICLW.

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire post. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then post this on your blog.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags...I hate, hate, hate to wrap gifts! So if anyone ever receives a wrapped gift from me they should know they are pretty darn special!

2. Real tree or Artificial? If I only had a tree....but, in my pretend world it would be a big, full, beautiful real tree.

3. When do you put up the tree? See the answer to Question #2.

4. When do you take the tree down? It's down already! See the answer to Questions 2 & 3.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yummy! And especially if it has something 'adult' in it!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmm...I can remember getting a Merlin electronic game that seemed pretty cool. But now I believe that I have dated myself.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Everyone...I don't have any idea what to get anyone. Thank goodness for my sister who does all of the shopping. With the exception of her gift!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Me! I am always willing and ready to give someone a list of possible gift ideas.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I don't have a Christmas tree. Do you really think I have a nativity scene?

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I actually mailed a couple of Christmas cards this year. Finally, a step in the right direction!

11. Worst Christmas ever? Christmas 2008 in regards to the travel. My connecting flight was cancelled and in turn my luggage showed up a day or so later. Then when I was ready to leave there was an ice storm that delayed me most of the day.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie(s)? Seriously??? I'm not a fan of Christmas movies.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I have to, about 2 days before. No wonder I am always so stressed!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Certainly!

15 .Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything home cooked. Although my family typically does a non-traditional meal (crab legs and steak) so I miss the good stuff from Thanksgiving.

16. Lights on the tree? If I had a tree (see Question #2) it would have lots and lots of white lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I don't care for Christmas music. At. All. But 'Let It Snow' would probably be it because I hate the snow.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I am typically traveling to see my family in Michigan. Since I have been an adult, I have never spent Christmas where I live. Sad, but true.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Nope!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both. My parents are divorced, hence I spend Christmas Eve with one parent and Christmas Day with the other parent.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Everything!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I don't have a tree, let alone a theme.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? It would be ham, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, greens, and peach cobbler for dessert. But since we have a non-traditional meal I can only dream.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Absolutely nothing.

Now it's your turn. If you play, please leave me the link so I can read your answers.

Thanksgiving Is What You Make It

2009-11-27T19:05:00.003-06:00

This year I spent Thanksgiving away from from my family due to my current work assignment. I am uncertain what made this year different as I haven't always spent Thanksgiving with my family. But for a reason that I cannot put my finger one, I really wanted to share this Thanksgiving with my family.

Maybe it was knowing that my office wasn't going to do anything special to recognize the holiday. I mean when it is less than 24 hours to the holiday and talks are just beginning about 'What should we do for the office?', anything that was going to be organized for 125 people should have happened well before then.

A few good friends that I know were on this assignment with me. For some of us it had been awhile since we had last seen one another. The next thing I knew a plan was in place to go to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. Ruby Tuesday was having a holiday meal - roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and sugar snap peas. So off we went. And you know what? The meal was really good! But what I think was even better was the company.

We talked about our job and how it take us away from the people we love in addition to making us desensitized to the fact of there even being a holiday to celebrate. How everyday is just another day unless we are at home and able to celebrate with our families. But on the flip side, here we were celebrating the holiday together as friends who were reunited on this assignment and making the best of it. We shared some laughs and funny holiday stories. We even left there with our bellies full (minus the sweet potato and pecan pie!).

Later two of us decided to see a movie after work. Although it wasn't the movie I would have picked (more about the movie in another post), it was still good to continue the day with someone else and not just return to my hotel room. It reminded me of last year when I did spend Thanksgiving with my family and we went to see a movie Thanksgiving evening.

As my friend and I parted ways for the evening, I found myself commenting that the day had been far better than I expected it to be. I had the chance to fellowship with good friends throughout the day. Most importantly, I didn't feel alone. Although I didn't spend the my family, I spent the day with my adopted family of friends who I chose to spend the day with. Things didn't turn out so bad after all!

The Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk - Day 3

2009-11-25T22:32:00.014-06:00

Day 3 of the walk started with a short bus ride further into Dallas. The air was a bit chilly but definitely the start of what would be a beautiful day. My teammates that I had been walking with decided that we would take Day 3 leisurely and just enjoy the walk and the day since we knew that we didn't have to be to the Closing Ceremony until 3:30 p.m.

Soon after the walk started I saw Barbara and Nancy. As usual they were walking at a pretty fast pace. I really wish that we had taken a minute to get a picture together since that would be the last time that I would see them during The 3-Day event.

We walked through some beautiful neighborhoods that I had never seen before. I loved seeing the older homes that were being restored into more modern homes. We walked past one home that had a stunning pumpkin patch on the corner of its lot. The pumpkins were so big and the mums really made it feel like Fall. Although I am certain the pumpkins were not there for us to sit on and take pictures, we couldn't help ourselves:

By lunchtime time we were all starting to get pretty tired. Also, happy that we were finally in downtown Dallas and closer to our goal. We started walking through Turtle Creek and I just took in the Fall day. The sun was shinning, the weather was not too warm, and I noticed the leaves had changed colors and were starting to fall. It was finally Fall in Dallas!

We walked to the American Airlines Center (home of the Dallas Mavericks) and the it was on The West End. Here is where we would have our last official cheering station. When we entered The West End, spectators were already lined up. But when we turned the corner, I don't think any of us were prepared for all of the people that we out there! I got the chance to see my family and Tanya again. Although my family had been a pretty quiet cheering group, they were finally really getting into the spirit of things. (I have a feeling that if they had been at a Notre Dame football game, it would have been a lot different!).

We continued walking past the Grassy Knoll, Deep Ellum and finally to Pioneer Park. Pioneer Park was the very last pit stop for the 3-day walk. We knew that from here we only had about 3 miles to the end.

I believe that it was during the last miles of the walk that I finally realized what I had done...I had really walked 60 miles! I kept saying to myself 'I can't believe I just walked 60 miles! I can't believe I just walked 60 miles!'. And then I began to think about what a statement myself and all of the other 3-Day Walkers were making...we were willing to take a stand for something that we believed in.

One of my biggest surprises came as I was walking into Fair Park, our final destination. I ended up meeting Team California. Team California is a wife and her husband who walk all (and yes, I mean ALL, each and every one) of the 3-Day events each year. She started walking when she was 60 years old, and she told me the Dallas 3-Day was her 110th walk! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

When I rounded the corner and I could actually see the end in site, I was moved beyond words. We each grabbed hands and began our victory walk in. Some of the Angels that had made it in before us were standing there cheering us on. It was at that moment that I could no longer hold back my emotions and I began to cry. I began to cry for so many reasons, reasons that I cannot even articulate here. I couldn't believe that I had been a part of something so much bigger than myself.

I saw a quote that said 'A perfect day is when you do something for someone else, and that they will never know you or what you did for them.' And that is what the 3-Day Walk was for me: committing to do something important to me but that would benefit someone that I will never know.

During the walk spectators constantly thanked us for walking. I felt so humbled because I was honored to be able to walk. To be able to participate in the walk had been a goal of mine for such a long, long time. What started out as something very personal for me has changed me in ways that I may never be able to tell others. The only thing that matters is that we are one step closer to finding a cure for breast cancer.

The Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk - Day 2

2009-11-22T17:46:00.004-06:00

Day 2 of the walk started started nice and early under overcast skies. The temperature was forecasted to be in the mid to upper 70's, which would be a beautiful November day in Dallas if you're not planning to walk 20 miles!

Once we started the walk I was feeling pretty good...I had slept well (OK, well enough for being in a small two person tent where I couldn't really stretch out) and I had minimal aches and pains. But sometime during the first 8 miles, things began to fall a part for myself and for my teammates that I was walking with. Between the first and second pit stops (at 3 miles and 6 miles respectively) we started to experience varying problems:

1) I began to feel upset to my stomach. (I knew I should be drinking more water, but I wasn't thirsty. I also knew that even though it was overcast outside, it was a lot warmer than the day before!) I also started to feel some hot spots on my feet that could possibly turn into blisters.

2) One of my teammates had always experienced problems with her feet blistering and today her feet were in worse condition than ever before. To be honest I applaud her because if I had half (OK, a quarter!) of the blister problems that she experienced, I don't think I ever would have done the walk.

3) Another teammate began to experience a problem with leg cramps, which in turn caused her to aggravate an old knee injury.

We decided to stop at the 6 mile pit stop to really address our problems. After spending more time there than we intended to we kept on going.

By lunch, mentally I was really starting to second guess myself and began to wonder if I would be able to finish walking the next day and a half. Although I wasn't hungry, I did eat most of my lunch, drank a lot of fluids, and nursed my feet. The rest did my body some good, but I still wasn't sure how I was going to get through the afternoon.

Since Day 2 of the walk was a Saturday, there were many more spectators out than the day before. In addition to my family being out to cheer me on, a good friend had driven 3 hours to be there, and another friend that lived in the city came out too. It did so much for me to see all of the people cheering us on...they gave us beads, candy, cookies, stickers, and even hugs! For me, it was the spectators that helped me through Day 2.

By time I was down to the last 5 miles for the day, my feet were hurting unlike anything I had ever experienced before! With each step, the pain was there. But when I stopped walking, my feet would just throb, so I had to keep walking. With each step that I took, I was feeling so defeated...I had NO idea how I could walk another 20 miles tomorrow! The spectators were still out thanking us for what we were doing and telling us we didn't have much further to go, but even with their words of encouragement, I wanted to cry. I felt like I was going to let down not only myself, but all of the people who supported me with my fundraising, and not to mention all of the people who would like to walk but couldn't.

By time I got to camp I was so tired and in so much pain. I called my good friend and put her on standby to 'spring me out of jail' as I put it because I didn't think I would be able sleep in the tent again and not have a comfortable place to sleep.

Fortunately a teammate had extra baggies with Epsom salt. I took two bags and went to go soak my feet. I sat there for about 20 minutes just letting my feet rest and soak. And something magical happened...the tenderness and soreness in my feet went away! It was like I had brand new feet and my spirits were lifted!

To make the night even better I had the opportunity to take a 'private' shower! I mentioned before that the showers were not private with the exception for the breast cancer survivor showers. There were 5 private showers that had a door, a small dressing area and shower. Since I had waited so long to shower that evening, everyone else had already taken their shower for the night. So I had 30 minutes of peace and PRIVACY!

I felt like a new woman and began to anxiously await Day 3 of the walk...

The Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk - Day 1

2009-11-21T22:27:00.010-06:00

I can't believe that it has been almost 2 weeks since I finished the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk and I am just now blogging about it! (Please don't think that my delay in posting diminishes The Walk for me, it's just that I was deployed to a new work assignment 5 days later, changed a time zone and have been in two different states since then!) So here goes my attempt to put my story in words...

I arrived at the Plano Convention Centre during the wee hours the morning of November 6th. I was there early for two reasons: 1) I had to secure a weekend long term parking space , and 2) I was so excited that The Walk was finally here!

Soon after I arrived more and more people began to arrive. Many people had friends and family there to drop them off. Soon I found members of my team, and we began to get in line (the first of many lines that I would stand in over the weekend!) for the Opening Ceremony. Standing there in the dark, I could just feel the excitement mounting. I met ladies from all over the country, and each one had a story to share about why they were there.

After the emotional Opening Ceremony, we were finally released to begin The Walk! Not long after leaving the convention center, there were already people on the side of the road to cheer us on, along with car honking their horns at us. This is one of the first signs that I saw that made me smile:

Little did I know what a journey I would be on for the next 59.5 miles!

Walking that day I felt like such a celebrity! There were so many people out to cheer us on! And since it was a Friday, I was really surprised at the number of people that were out. One of the great things was that we walked past a lot of schools and the children were outside to cheer us on. Although I don't know if they really understood what we were doing and why, seeing them gave me so much encouragement. Me and my teammates wore angel wings (our team is Angels for the Cure, and yes, I wore the wings most of the weekend) and the kids really liked that. More than once I heard someone say 'I just touched an angel!'

During the walk, there were flags available that we could carry. The flags represented a person to honor (mother, daughter, best friend, aunt, etc.) or a word of encouragement (hope, commitment, cure, etc.). If I had one goal for the weekend, I secretly had hoped that I would have the honor of walking with the Grandmother flag. During the first 3 miles I was able to get that flag! It was nice to walk with it so early on because I felt like my Grandmother (who was a breast cancer survivor) was there with me during this journey.

Speaking of family, my family made it in town just in time to see me at the last cheering station for Day 1, and this really made my day more than they know!

I believe Day 1 of the walk I was fueled by all of the anticipation that had been leading up to this weekend. But by the end of the day, I was so happy to finally see our camp insight. Even though it meant I would be sleeping under the stars!

My tent mate and I put up our tent (OK, we did have help from some other teammates!) and settled into our new home for the next two nights. After that it was off to the mobile showers. The mobile showers were quite the experience because you couldn't find privacy if you want to. And to be honest, at that post I just wanted to feel some hot water on my body and change into something less smelly.

As I walked around camp after dinner, I ran into Barbara and Nancy sitting in the cafe reading! I was so excited to see them since I didn't know if we would get the opportunity to spend any time together during the weekend. Being the fast walkers they are, they had been at camp since early in the afternoon. Nancy had taken a bit of a spill and scrapped up one of her knees pretty bad. But it was so great to catch up with the two of them!

By time lights out came at 9 p.m., I was ready to hit the sack (or the air mattress) and call it a night. Little did I know what Day 2 would bring...

Restroom Cell Phone Talking

2009-10-28T10:34:00.002-05:00

Have you ever walked into a restroom to hear someone having a conversation but obviously there is no one else in the restroom other than you two? Then you quickly realize that you have a 'cell phone restroom talker' on your hands!

I first ran into this problem a few years ago with a family member. We were out to lunch when they excused them self to use the restroom. After some time passed (enough time for them to use the restroom in my opinion) I had to use the restroom myself. As I entered the restroom, I could hear my family member talking. I proceed to handle my business and leave the restroom. When they finally returned to the table I inquired about what I had witnessed in the restroom.

They proceeded to tell me that their cell phone rang as they were entering the restroom. (Me thinking: 'Um, why couldn't you let it go to voicemail?'). They decided to answer the call and proceed on with their business at hand. I think that after some strong words I succeeded with the world having one less cell phone restroom talker.

Now, there now seems to be an epidemic with talking on a cell phone while in the restroom. I was at work the other day, and a co-worker was inside the stall talking on their cell phone. It was obviously a personal call ('How are my doggies doing?) and not something life changing ('You have just won $1,000,000!).

I left the restroom to vent my frustrations to another co-worker. I soon realized that maybe I am the only person that has a problem with people talking on a cell phone while in the rest room!

Me: Can you believe that someone was just in the restroom talking on their cellphone?!

Co-Worker: (laughing) What's wrong with that? What are they supposed to do?

Me: (thinking - are you serious?!?!) They have two choices. If they are on the phone prior to entering the restroom, they can end the call ('May I call you back in a few moments?') OR wait until the call is finished and then enter the restroom.

Co-Worker: But what if the phone rang as they were walking in?

Me: (thinking again - are you really serious?!?!) They have the option of not answering the call and letting it go to voicemail, answer the call and tell the person you will call them back in a few minutes, or take the call and once you are finished proceed to enter the restroom.

Co-Worker: What is your problem with talking on a cell phone in the restroom?

Me: (thinking - SERIOUSLY???) It is an invasion of my privacy! I am in there for legitimate reasons. Now I feel like I have to be quiet (IE - not flush the toilet) because someone else is having a conversation. And heaven forbid that I have a really serious bathroom problem that produces a bit more sound!

Me: And let's not even go there about their hands touching the cell phone and then trying to wipe themselves. Are they disinfecting the cell phone once they leave the restroom? (Note to self: don't EVER even think about using someones cell phone again!)

After a few minutes, I realized that I was not getting anywhere with my rant. Then I began to wonder, am I the only person who has a problem with people talking on their cell phone in the restroom?

Kid Sized Grocery Carts

2009-10-27T15:01:00.004-05:00

I would really like to know who thought up the 'great idea' to create kid sized grocery carts?

I have to believe that the person who thought of this idea is a parent. A parent that probably thought 'This will give little Suzy something to do while we are in the grocery store. Suzy will feel like a big girl because she helped Mommy with the grocery shopping'. And in a perfect world of teaching responsibility to children, this would have been a great idea.

Problem? Someone forgot to create 'The Rules' for the kid sized grocery cart! And this is where I step in...

Rule #1 - Kid sized grocery carts can only be used Tuesday through Thursday between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. (Sorry if Suzy has school. An education is far more important than pushing a grocery cart.)

Rule #2 - Only one kid sized grocery cart per family. (Yes, I have seen a family of 5 in the grocery store and all three of the kids were pushing a kid sized grocery cart. Why not use Dad to his fullest potential and give him a cart since he tagged along?)

Rule #3 - The kid sized grocery cart shall remain within 3 feet of the adult sized grocery cart at all times. (Why does Suzy need to be alone half way down the aisle with her kid sized grocery cart?)

Rule #4 - There must at least 5 items from the grocery store in the kid sized grocery cart. (Did you really only give Suzy a kid sized cart just to push her doll in in? Seriously?)

Now, if every parent will just follow the rules everyone like me (childless and in a hurry) will have a much better grocery store experience.

Bed Wetting

2009-10-21T13:45:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time I was dating a man who spent the night at my apartment. At some point during the wee hours of the night I was awakened by him:

Him: 'Wake up, the bed is wet.'

Me: 'Huh?'

Since I was awakened from a deep sleep I was a little confused about why the bed would be wet. As I went to get out of the bed I realized that the back of my sweatpants and the back of the t-shirt I was wearing were soaking wet! Thoughts began to race through my mind:

'Did I pee on myself?', and if so, 'How the he@@ did that happen?!'

'Did the bladder from my water bed bust?' (yes, I still a water bed from the 90's)

'Did my lovable Shih Tzu decide to pee in the bed?'

About that time I looked at my Shih Tzu who was at the foot of the bed curled into a ball, also looking like he had been awaken from a deep sleep. He raised his little head and looked at me like 'Oh no, don't blame THAT on me! I've been down here at the foot of the bed ALL night.'

So then I began to think "Well if I didn't do it and my dog didn't do it...it must be my overnight guest!'. As I slowly looked over at my overnight guest, I quickly realized who's bladder contents were on me, my sheets and my bed.

I tried to handle the situation as best I could and not make him feel any worse than he should about the 'accident'. He retreated to the living room like a child with his head hung low. I began to clean up the bed - where to even start? This was my first time (and hopefully last time!) with this experience.

I soon realized that even though I had removed the sheets, the mattress cover was SOAKED!

Me: 'Geez, how long had it been since he last urinated prior to this? How much liquid can one person's bladder hold?!'

I retrieved my cleaning products from under the kitchen sink and began dousing the mattress cover with all types of chemicals with the hope that I wouldn't have an even bigger problem later. Once I had satisfactorily cleaned the mattress cover, I then laid many towels on the cover to absorb the water (at least I was hoping water was the only wetness left!).

I then went to get my guest. As I walked to the living room I began to wonder what do I say to a grown man (age 40) who has peed in the bed for no apparent reason? Sure we had went to dinner earlier in the evening, but I didn't remember him having any alcohol, so it couldn't be blamed on drunkenness. What could be the reason for it?

It wouldn't be until sometime later that I finally realized the reason for the bed wetting episode...my overnight guest was a lying, cheating, manipulative person that was overly tired from his travels attempting to be Casanova to several women that lived in different cities. That particular night I think he was just so tired from his double life that he peed on himself (oh that's right, and me!). Once that was discovered, a group of innocent women had the last laugh together over a man who was weak in more ways than one!

Korres Lip Butter and Full Color Gloss

2009-10-16T18:05:00.009-05:00

While on a work assignment in a VERY dry part of the country I found myself in dire need of a new lip product to hydrate and moisturize my lips. (When your lips are so dry that you start licking them and then begin to see the start of chapping around your lips, you know they are way too dry and that it is time for an intervention!)

I took this unfortunate situation as an opportunity to visit one of my favorite one stop beauty stores...Sephora! When I was in a Sephora store earlier this year I remembered a friend tried a product that she said felt like heaven on her lips. So I beelined my way right to...

Korres Lip Butter! Even though the label says 'a buttery lip balm that melts on the lips', I had NO idea what I was in store for. When I first touched my lips with the lip butter, I think my lips let out a sign of relief and began clapping. And when the labels says the lip butter melts on the lips, this is not an understatement...it literally did melt on my lips!

I purchased the Guava Lip Butter and not a tinted variety (But I will be back to purchase some of the tinted lip butter!). I thought the Guava would be great to wear to bed and also as a base under my other lip glosses and lip sticks (The website says the guava color is clear, but it is not. It turned my lips a pale shade of white). Within days I witnessed a transformation of my lips back to the smooth, kissable lips that I remembered and missed.

While I was falling in love with the lip butter, a salesperson came over and suggested the Korres Full Color Gloss. He raved about the gloss because it doesn't have the tacky feel that many lip glosses/lip glasses have. My hesitation was that the product is made with cherry oil. And I don''t like cherry flavored anything! But with his insistence I tried the gloss. And guess what? I fell in love for the second time that night!

The Full Color Gloss goes on soooooo smooth and there is no sticky feeling (especially great if you have longer hair and it is a windy day!). To be honest I think I was just being hypersensitive about the cherry flavor...either I have gotten used to the flavor or I now like cherries.

Although I am a loyal fan of another cosmetic line that carries lip glosses/lip glasses, I will be adding the Korres line to my make up bag. At this time the only thing stopping me from letting the Korres line become number one is the limited number of colors.

Item of Note: Upon doing a little more research on http://www.sephora.com/, I realized that the tinted lip butter can also be used on the cheeks to give a natural, healthy glow.

Why Can't The Past Stay In The Past?

2009-10-14T23:44:00.003-05:00

According to Wikipedia, 'the past is a portion of time that has already occurred; it is the opposite of the future; it is regarded as the conglomerate of events that happened in a certain point in time'.

As hard as I try to keep the past in the past, it always seems like the past wants to find a way to come to the present. Certainly my present is much better than my past. Could it be better because the past is not a part of my present? Honestly, I can see why the past would like to become a part of my world.

But, if the past stopped to think about why it is in the past, wouldn't it realize that it was never meant to be in my future? Hence the reason it is in the past where it rightfully belongs.

18/15 - The Big Training Walk Weekend

2009-10-12T23:12:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was the 18 mile/15 mile training walk weekend. The idea is to simulate the 3-day walk by doing two, long back-to-back training walks to see how your body will respond.

I have admit that I was a little afraid to complete these training walks. It had been several weeks since I had completed a long training walk (13 miles), and I didn't know how my body would respond. Had my body forgotten everything I had worked so hard for up to this point?

I was pleasantly surprised that I did great! I finished the first 9 miles like a champ. By time we were done with the next 9 miles, I decided to add on a bonus 2 miles! I actually walked 20 miles and I was feeling good! So good that I went to lunch with a few of the walkers. During lunch I started to fade quickly. Maybe it was the Perfect Margarita or the 20 miles. All I know is that once I got home and showered, it didn't take long before I crashed for the evening.

The next day was another story...I awoke to the sound of rain outside. Nonetheless, I had my rain parka and proceeded to meet the group. The first 5 miles were fine. As I started the next 5 miles, things began to fall apart for me...it was a little cold outside, there was a steady drizzle and my feet and legs decided they had enough. Up to this point, I thought I would be a repeat 3-Day Walker next year, but all of a sudden I wasn't so certain about that anymore! I pulled myself together (barely!) and I completed the training walk. No Perfect Margaritas today, I was defeated.

Although I know I can walk 20 miles in one day, I found out a few important things:

1) Hydration is important! Since the weather was colder and I wasn't thirsty, I didn't drink nearly as much water as I should have. I will have to be better prepared for the walk and start drinking more water now so it will become second nature to me.

2) Just because I can walk 20 miles one day without any problems, doesn't mean that Day 2 and Day 3 will be that easy.

3) I can do anything that I put my mind to. I haven't come this far to fail. And completing the 3-Day Walk will be no exception!

My Inner Voice

2009-09-30T22:35:00.004-05:00

I would like to say that I give people the benefit of the doubt. But I don't.

I would like to say that I trust people until they give me a reason not to trust them. But I don't.

I would like to say that I can forgive and forget. But I don't.

I can admit that I am one of the most difficult and complicated people that I know. To be honest, if I wasn't me I don't know know if I would like me.

One of the greatest gifts I have been given is my inner voice. It speaks to me on a daily basis, but many days I choose not to hear it. It is the voice of caution and reason that protects me from so many things that I am unaware of. Many times I don't understand the reason I am so guarded with my thoughts and feelings, but my inner voice does.

I want to believe that one day I can be a trusting and forgiving person, but my inner voice constantly tells me, and then shows me that this can never be.

And with this, I am fine.

Taking My Training On the Road

2009-09-27T23:05:00.001-05:00

Since I started training with my team back in July, I have had the fear that I would get deployed to an assignment. About a week ago, my fears came true. I was deployed to El Paso, TX. At least I am still in the same state, but I am 10 hours from Dallas. So no way to continue my weekend training walks. Or at least I thought.

I finally got smart and decided to use the tools that the 3-Day website provides. I searched for other 3-Day participants in the El Paso area. I sent an email to two people that live in El Paso and are registered for the Dallas/Ft. Worth 3-Day Walk.

Fortunately, one of the two people responded to me. At first I thought that my work schedule would prevent me from meeting her, so I didn't respond. Then as the stars lined up, she called me! Little did she know that call was just what I needed.

So this morning I met Barbara and her sister Nancy and we walked 13 miles! Not only did I get a chance to do a longer walk, but I also met two wonderful women, got to see the mountains as I walked, and saw 2 hotair ballons float along in the sky.

Life is good!

Training in the Rain

2009-09-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

When I first signed up for the 3-Day walk, a fleeting thought crossed my mind that it could possibly rain the weekend of the walk. But I talked myself out of that happening by saying 'How could it possibly rain that weekend when we are walking to find a cure for breast cancer?'. (We'll have to wait and see what happens the weekend of November 6th!)

Well, I don't think I ever really thought about it raining the day of a training walk. And guess what? It happened not only once, but TWICE in one weekend!

When I awoke on Saturday morning I checked to see if it was raining outside. There was a light drizzle and the forecast was indicating pretty high percentages for rain during the hours of the training walk. And since I didn't have any rain gear, I thought it might be best not to walk. (I was also nursing a small foot injury so I really took this as a sign that I should stay in - smile!)

So along comes Sunday morning. And guess what? It wasn't drizzling like yesterday, it was really raining! Since I had only walked one other day this week, I felt bad (and I really missed training!) and decided that I was going to train in the rain today. So I packed my rain parka (yes, I purchased one yesterday in anticipation of the rain) and left for my training walk.

When I arrived there were other dedicated walkers waiting. As always, Debby (my team captain) was there with everything anyone needed that they might have forgotten to walk in the rain. She even met me at my car with an umbrella for me to sign in!

We started off the walk and things really weren't too bad. Everyone was in good spirits and we determined that this would be good experience and preparation in case it does rain during the 3-Day weekend.

A repeat walker from last year pointed out that last year they never trained in the rain and it didn't rain on the 3-Day either. I hope (and pray!) that this rainy training weekend is not a sign of things to come!

Nonetheless, I have come too far to let a little bit of rain stop me now!!!

Did I Really Want to Know?

2009-09-07T14:36:00.004-05:00

Do you ever find yourself asking someone a question that 1) you already know the answer to or 2) don't really care what their answer will be?

Although I believe that I am a very self aware person, I feel it is important to solicit feedback from other people from time to time. I found myself faced with this age old question yesterday while 'speaking' with a friend online. To be honest, I didn't know if this friend would be honest with me or not. So I took a chance and threw a question out there to see what would happen.

I think he jumped at the chance to tell me what I could do differently in romantic relationships. (Note: He is a work in progress and I have a much longer list for him if he ever wants to know how he can improve...but that is another topic for another time!) He came up with two things: stop being so (actually he typed 'sooooooooooooo') defensive and be a little more understanding.

Since I didn't know what he meant about being defensive, I asked for an example. Although he provided an example I didn't think it was a very good one. But, since I had asked the question (or maybe I was beginning to pick option #2 from my original question to you) I decided this wasn't the time for me to critique his example. I later determined that his example was accurate (see option #1) but 'defensive' was the incorrect noun to use.

Once we finished IM'ing I did take time to think about what he shared. And guess what? I was already aware of the things he shared with me so it wasn't any type of big revelation. But it did kind of hurt to know that someone else views these things as shortcomings of mine. Now the question is 'Do I really want to change?'.

Walker Stalkers

2009-09-07T14:35:00.005-05:00

Walker Stalker: A person who supports and follows Breast Cancer 3-Day Walkers while they are on training walks and during the actual 3-Day event.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet another one of my team's Walker Stalkers, Ronni. Ronni showed up during one of the breaks on our training walk. I thought she just stopped by to say 'Hi' but little did I know there was much more in store!

Once we started walking again, Ronni rode down the street and tooted her car horn and waved at us. (Of course this caused other driver's to join in on the fun!) Then on one of the side streets she pulled over and had banana's and smalls bags of chips for us! (Remember, we have to keep our energy up) And just after I finished eating my banana and was wondering what I was going to do with the peel, Ronni showed up AGAIN and took our trash!

I later learned that Ronni and her 2 children will be Walker Stalkers during the 3-Day for my team. Ronni was so apologetic that she hadn't been out to see us during the training walks due to her work schedule. And get this...this was her first Saturday off in months and she decided to spend a portion of it raising our spirits during the training walk! She also shared that last year she put 300 miles on her car being a Walker Stalker and traveling along the route with the team.

When we were almost at the end of the training walk, Ronni showed up again...this time with popsicles! And no, I did not have one. I have heard the the 3-Day is a 'walking buffett' and I am trying not to eat my way through the training walks or the 3-Day.

Our other 2 Walker Stalkers, Cheryl and Cheryl have been at all of the training walks walking right along with us. I have had the chance to 'walk and talk' with both of them and they shared wonderful information about what to expect along with helpful hints.

I am so appreciative of the Walker Stalkers for my team. Thank you Cheryl, Cheryl and Ronni for making us feel special and giving so much of your time - we couldn't do this without you!!!

Double Digit Training Walk Weekend

2009-09-06T15:35:00.004-05:00

I knew that one weekend it would happen and this was the weekend: back to back double digit Breast Cancer 3-Day training walks!

Throughout my training for the 3-Day I believe that I have been discounting how far I walk. When family and friends ask me 'How miles did you walk today?' my usual response is 'I only walked X miles today'. The 'only' part comes in because typically my answer is 1 or 2 miles more than I walked the previous weekend. So in my mind I only walked 1 or 2 miles more than I did the previous week.

Being the visual person that I am, I had to figure out what these training miles really look like. This morning as I drove from my house to the training walk I calculated the mileage on the odometer in my car. It was 15 miles. The training walk yesterday was 14 miles. And at that moment I had a visual of what the miles really look like...a far distance!!!

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't even think about walking 14 miles for something. And believe me, there are lots of 'somethings' out there that I would like to have (a new car, jewelry, a Sprinkles cupcake), but the thought of walking 14 miles for it would keep it on the the 'Nice To Have One Day' list. But once I started training for the 3-Day, I never stopped to think about the training miles. I only thought about doing something for a cause that I have always supported, and that participating in this walk is the least that I can do to help find a cure for breast cancer.

Back to the double digits...today's training walk was 10 miles to make a grand total of 24 miles walked this weekend. Yep, that is a lot of miles. Next time someone asks me about my training miles I will leave the 'only' part out!

Reached My Fundraising Goal!!!

2009-09-04T12:38:00.008-05:00

A big 'Thank You' to everyone for donating to assist me to reach the $2300 fundraising goal in order to participate in the 3-Day walk!!! You have not only helped me to achieve a personal goal but to also help find a cure for breast cancer.

Now all I have to do is concentrate on training and getting getting mentally prepared for the 3-Day Walk!

Although I have met the minimum fundraising goal, you can still continue to make donations for me or to my team mates that are below their fundraising goal. Again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all of your donations!!!