End of January...brrrrr, I've been cold!

I truly enjoyed my massage on Wed, Kirby, thank you very much. I also was in bad need of an adjustment. As you know I have the best chiropractor ever to hit Estill Springs, thanks Dr. Rudder. :)
I did manage to get in some ab work, some weight machines, & 30 mins (very low impact) on the elliptical after my chiro appt. As I discovered early on, my shin doesn't care too much for the elliptical unless the settings are wayyyyy down. So, I am cutting back yet again on the time spent on the elliptical. (Feb 19th is the next X ray & I don't want the doc to yell, scream, & make me hit him!)

Getting up early two days isn't so bad. I'm really only losing one hour of sleep on Tues/Thurs so I can't gripe too much. Early spin is definitely more sane than the afternoons right now. This morning we did some push ups, lunges, & crunches along with spin. Kim likes to mix it up in order to wake us up on Thurs mornings. I headed to Harvey's after work for some weights. I did a few that I haven't done in quite sometime. I had to get Terri J. to refresh my memory on how to use them. After 50 mins on the elliptical (while socializing, of course), I decided to go get the grocery shopping out of way. (Grey's Anatomy was a repeat! :P)

As for the weekend, Paul S., Jessie, Terri J., & I have tentative plans to meet up at Waggoner Park for a ride into the base Sat morning. The weather looks decent for a change. We shall see...

I'm in the midst of changing some eating habits. My weight hasn't changed yet I feel a little lighter. It doesn't take a crow bar to get into & out of my sports bras anymore so I guess I'm building muscle mass. Am I excited about that? Not really....I don't have the desire to be a hard body even though I do like the way my shoulders & arms look right now. (See Colts game pic on blog...that's what I want them to look like forever!) Now if I could just get better looking legs but I'm working on it. I'm not a good judge of my physical appearance at all. I only go by how my clothes fit really. I know one thing's for sure, I need more fruits, veggies, & less snacks at my desk during the work day.

I finally started reading, "Once a Runner". It's been on my list to read for years but as you all know it just became available again & Joe got it for me for Christmas. Recently, I finished up a book called, "Pretty Fat". It's basically the memoir of a woman who's a comedic writer. She wrote about her struggles with her weight. Funny but not as funny as the Chelsea Handler crazy books I read in the Fall.

I actually had Aerosmith withdrawals when I finished "Walk this Way". Seriously, I dug out cds & even bought some new ones to listen to...& on my way to early spin, I blare "Take me to the other side". ha!

So, anyway that's it for winding down my week & btw...Go Cardinals!

Two for Tuesday

Mon: ab work & 45 min spin class (6-6:45pm)

Tues: 5:30am 1 hr spin class (I got so hot n' sweaty I wanted to stick my head outside in the cold rain for relief.)
5:30pm 1 hr spin class (I got in so why not?!)

The 5:30pm class did get full but a newbie did leave early. The 5:30am class seemed hard to me but I was probably feeling the effects of Kim's class on Monday. I didn't exactly see a stampede for the 6:30pm class (Don has 2 classes back to back on Tues for the time being.) Some people were staying for the 2nd class. Not me, I was starving & 3 hrs of spin today would have done me in, I think... I did do this once before way back early Fall but for some reason doing two seemed harder to do today.

I'm off to the tub to catch up on my Sports Illustrated. Who am I rooting for Sunday? Cardinals! (Sorry Pauly!)

Plan B, Lonely shoes, Found stuff, & a Police Chase!

Ok, so if I can't get into Kim's 6pm spin class tonight, I'm going upstairs for some misc. stuff & I'm heading home early for my bike, which is sitting on a trainer now in front of the TV. I rearranged a few things over the weekend, found some lost jewelry, & the remote to the DVD player. ha! I'm thinking I need to buy the block for the front tire because I don't care for the leaning forward feeling when I drink. I got on last night for a while to get used to the dreaded pedals. (Is it me or is it a lot easier to get out of them when I'm not frozen?!) Anyway, the first relatively warm weekend, above 40 degrees, I'm going outside for a ride.
I can't wait to have some extra daylight so I can take it out during the week.

As for all other things...I almost took a photo of the running shoes I organized last night & labeled them "Lonely Shoes". I have about 10 prs of running shoes, probably 2-3 pr that I could run in if it were not for the shin, the rest are good enough to keep for general working out & yard work. I threw out my white water rafting shoes. I guess I'm in the mood to Spring clean a little early this year.

Oh yeah, this morning we had a criminal come down to our little neck of the woods. He got chased by cops & shot. Word has it that he was wanted for shooting a Murfreesboro cop & he was accused of domestic violence. (but don't quote me on that!) Deb saw the chase right out in front of our plant between 6:30-6:45am. Katrina came in about 8am & said she saw the body bag with feet sticking straight up. The police stopped him on exit 114 with tire spikes. He pulled a gun on them. Gives me chills thinking about it!

The run down of the last few days...

Thursday morning spin was all I did on thursday.
After work, I had to go see Liam do his thing with a basketball...cute! I heard from Daniel J. about his upcoming June 6th wedding to Kristin. I'm so there! Another former theater employee grows up & gets married. :) We used to joke that one day I could be his 8th wife & he would take care of me in my old age. ha!

Friday, I did the "social" hour at Harvey's talking to my peeps & then some...(45 mins elliptical & some leg weights) A perfect stranger came up to me & asked me why she hadn't seen me out running. It always stuns me when people do this because as you know I like to be an invisible, anonymous runner in this small town. :P So, I had to give her the low down on my shin & listen to how her son in high school had the very same injury for a YEAR! He had to give up cross country.
I got caught up with Terri, Carla, etc... It sure was busy in there for a friday afternoon.

I'm glad Paul S.took my advice to get his run in this afternoon instead of in the cold tomorrow. He now has no excuse not to come to spin class in the morning. He ran my favorite afternoon course...(East area-East Middle). Way to go on your first 7+ mile run, Paul!

I have to say that lately facebook has become fascinating. I'm talking to folks that I have not laid eyes on since I was walking the graduation line in 1985 at THS! Those were the days...the days where I trusted everybody, loved without strings, didn't have a clue about life, & weighed 105 lbs! Just amazing the people I've hooked up with & low & behold my ex husband is on facebook, too. ha! Why he has Stella Parton (Dolly's sis) as a friend who knows...too funny!

Tomorrow is 1 hr spin & some ab work...then I'm off to hang in the village, Lenox that is...

More Freebies on Wednesday

So, it really wasn't just one day...the website Joe read was wrong. It's for 5 days or while supplies last. Apparently, the cosmetics companies were overcharging us. Imagine that?! Joe got me more freebies today at Cool Springs. :)

I'm still amazed at how many women are really into the Zumba craze. I do like the music. I did my crunches right outside of the yoga room tonight to it. :P I did the usual Wednesday night stuff at Harvey's. Tomorrow I'm only doing the morning spin because I want to catch Liam's basketball game.

Freebie Tuesday

I got this for free today at the Lancome counter. whoo hoo! A gal told us at work that because of some cosmetics lawsuit, places like Dillard's were giving out freebies of Lancome, Clinique, etc... It was ONLY ONE DAY, though. I was going to get Joe to get me something else tomorrow.

I got my butt up early for the 5:30am spin class. It's 1 hour & it was a good sweat. I am going to make every effort to attend the Monday evening, Tuesday morning, & Thursday morning spin classes. (Saturdays will always be an option but not every weekend.) It was nice to be able to head to Harvey's on a Tuesday afternoon for a change. When I got there I did a few weight machines & I jumped on the elliptical for an hour to watch repeats of the inauguration.

MLK Snowy Day

It was warmer when I left for spin at 7:40am this morning. Call me a fuddy duddy but I'm not a big fan of snowy, icy roads. This weather bites! I stretched, did ab work, & some free weights before spin. Good 1 hr sweat that I truly needed. I'd love to go to tomorrow's 5:30am spin but I'm not sure how nasty the dark, icy roads will be...will see...

My middle sister, Debbie, (she prefers Deborah but that's just the "Bre Van de Camp" coming out, I call her Debbie Doo Doo), turned 40 yesterday. Below is a pic from her party this weekend. She's the 2nd from left. If you click on the photo, you can see that her shirt shows pierced belly button. I bought the Texas bikini shirt during Christmas. (far right). Too funny!

Weekend Stuff

Friday: No workout at the gym...running errands after work & dinner with Terri J. & Joe S. was fun. Mike F. joined us, too. Two cosmos with a salad. Yum! I'll just have to make sure that gets in the food diary. :P

Saturday: 65 mins elliptical, some stretching, & a few leg weights.
I got a GREAT deal on TWO new coats (Dillards) & a pair of boots (Shoe store in Coker Building in Tullahoma)!
We had a GREAT dinner at Arrezo's with Tim & Pam. We were excited that the booth was heated but midway through the dinner all 4 of us started shedding clothes! Great atmosphere! Great food! I'd post a pic of the 4 of us but we are all red faced from the heat at the table. ha!

Sunday: Since the day proved to be so warm compared to the entire week, we headed out to Tim's Ford State Park for a brisk 1+ hr walk. I'm not sure exactly how far it was since I didn't wear the garmin but judging from what I used to run out there, I think we did roughly 4 miles with all the deer & scenery viewing. I know I did work up a little sweat. So nice to be outside in the sunshine today! I took this photo with my cell. I sure miss running with the Carla, Chris, & deer out there!
We saw "Bride Wars" this afternoon. I liked it but I like just about all of Kate Hudson's movies. Anne Hatheway is so likeable in this movie.

Wow, just noticed that the Cardinals are way ahead of the Eagles...so, it's football time.

If you think you've had a bad day....

.....read this blog.

I'm happy to...

...welcome Conner & Braden Harris into the world today. My cousin, Clint's wife, Trisha, had twin boys today. They both weigh well over 4 lbs each. (All went well!) :)

I'm happy that it's almost friday & sad that Kutsukake-san is going back to Japan. I just made some cucumber sandwiches for his going away lunch tomorrow.

I'm happy, SOOOOO VERY happy that ALL the passengers are safe from the splash landing in the Hudson river today. :)

I'm happy that I got a spin bike this morning, worked my abs, did 45 mins elliptical, & a few weight machines tonight.

I'm happy that I did weights & 65 mins elliptical on Wednesday night, too. (and got caught up with gym buddies!)

I'm happy for a man who gets to retire next week (on the 21st) but also sad to see him go in a weird way....but that's just ole sentimental me.

And last but not least, I'm happy that "Grey's Anatomy" is on right now.

Good bye & have a good weekend!

No passes!

Well, here we go again...the strike of the "New Year Resolutioners". They stay long enough to mess up my "plan". Don't get me wrong, I've gone out of my way to encourage people, train with people, offer advice, etc... I wish these folks would stay all year because I think it would eventually force the Rec Ctr to keep the equipment in better shape, buy new spin bikes, & offer more classes. They know that "they" will be gone by Valentine's day. They know so they don't do anything different. I think my biggest gripe is that they don't prepare & Harvey's is guilty of this too. If you have a machine broken in Dec, FIX IT BEFORE JANUARY! There were at least 3 of us that I know of that didn't get in & 2 of us were regulars. The guy walked in & saw me on the elliptical & said, "You didn't get in either?!" So, we griped about it for a few minutes & Joyce griped with us. I told her that it would help just to throw in an extra class or two just during the month of Jan. When attendance falls off, revamp the schedule. Simple. She said she'd say something so who knows...

I didn't have any trouble last week or Monday night. I did my usual Monday 45 min spin, ab work, & some time on an elliptical. Tonight I headed upstairs. I spent 1 hr on an elliptical, 15 mins on a very poor running bike, did crunches, & jogged "lightly" for 30 mins. I broke my vow not to run on my shin this month at all but oh well, I considered it an "emergency". (Laugh with me!)

We're setting up the trainer this weekend & so help me if I can't get into spin next week, I'm coming home. I will bring my suit for the pool Thurs morning if I can't get in then either. I would hate to go postal at 5:15am, ya know...so a back up plan will be in place & nobody will get hurt, I promise...

I'll get over it...

Well, we all knew it would be a fight to the finish. The score was exactly the same 13-10 but this time it wasn't in the Titans favor. :(

Hannah had called me at 4pm on friday to offer me free tickets she had won at work but I declined. (WAY too busy & the weather looked sucky!) They were upper level & I'd rather sit in front of the TV than sit upper level anymore. I got a text pic from Wayne with the giveaway towels. :) I showed it to Tim W. while we were eating chili & getting ready for kick off. He & Joe want one. (So, Erin & Wayne, if you can spare a few, throw a few towels my way, please.) Friday, I hit the elliptical for 65 mins slowly while catching up on the news & I did some ab work.
Saturday, I did the 1 hr spin class, aqua jogged 30 mins, & sat in the therapy pool. (It felt good!) Paul S. has fixed my shuffle for me. He even added more Bon Jovi & Aerosmith. ha! Today, is rest, cleaning, & getting ready for a busy Monday.

Welcome, Chad & Paul S.

Welcome to blogland Chad from spin class & Paul S. who I've known for what? 10 yrs now! I don't tell Paul our film is burning anymore, I ask him how many miles he ran...who would have thought? ha! Ahh, the weekends at the movie theater...seems like someone else did that.

Lighter? Soreness? & Deferred again...

As I was walking out at 5pm on Wed evening from work, it was daylight! Anyone else notice?
Weird, since I know I drove to the Rec Ctr on Tues at 5pm in the dark.

Tues spin was just as crowded as Mon's spin class...if you don't get there 30 mins before class starts you're out of luck. There's rumors that they'll be getting new bikes. They need them, if anything just to increase class size. By Wed, I was feeling the butt soreness that I hadn't felt in quite sometime. Two weeks of no bike seat made me soft again?!

Thank God, the "Zumba" craze has hit Harvey's. The yoga/aerobic room was full of people waiting on the instructor last night, which meant most of the machines were open! Yippee!
I worked on abs, did free weights, some weight machines, & spent 65 mins on an elliptical. I briefly caught up with Terri J., Duane G., & Linda W. (which reminds me I need to make an appt for a haircut!)

This morning's spin was not full but everyone seemed to be sore from the last few days. I've restarted my food diary & I've decided to do what Hannah's doing...see how long I can go without eating any sweets starting today. She works for Mars so you can imagine why she's doing this... ha! We're in the process of planning something for Feb 1st (Super Bowl). Still not sure where to party yet. Let's hope that this Saturday there's a big "W" for the Titans. Maybe D. Mace will get them fired up again by running his mouth. :)

I got my 2nd deferment letter from the Mercedes marathon yesterday. Apparently, you can only get 2 deferments so next Feb 2010, I will be there one way or the other even if I have to walk/jog the half or I'll forfeit $55. I'm so hoping that my injury list stops growing this year! Lots of folks who've never done the CMM appear to be signing up for the 1/2 this year. Looks like I'll be able to trot along with a lot of familiar, local faces. :)

My sleep pattern is slowly getting back to normal. I tossed & turned an hour last night but still got up for the early spin class. I have a feeling I won't have trouble going to sleep tonight! I've been up way too late lately reading. I'm almost done with "Walk this Way". When I pick it up, I can't hardly put it down. It's like every page I turn I wonder what's going to happen to them next! I love learning how they came up with this & recorded that. The women they loved, the women that did them wrong, the people who stole from them, the folks that kept their drugs coming, etc... I love to find out what makes people tick, especially people who are gifted in some way. Say what you want about Steven Tyler, but the man has an amazing ability to survive. It's a wonder any of the band members are alive today actually. My fascination began with the version of "Walk this Way" by Run DMC. They did that video as a way to let the younger generation know what they looked like because up till that point MTV had ignored them. Sure, as a child I do remember screaming the lyrics to "Dream On" but never knowing who it really was then there was MTV. Every band had a face then! I saw Aerosmith in the fall of '03. Kiss opened for them at Starwood. I was at the front of the grassy area hanging on the fence railing looking straight at the front of the stage the entire time with my mouth open. Amazing how those old guys in the tall shoes could still move around. Kiss rocked! Then Aerosmith came out & WOW!! As someone once told me, "Their music makes me want to dance around on a pole or strip." So true! ha! Anyway, it's been one of the most interesting books I've ever read. Well worth the $10 off amazon.com. :)

This afternoon...even though the lower half of my body feels like lead, I'm heading to Harvey's again. (doing mostly cardio)

"Grey's Anatomy" is back on tonight! Whoo hoo!

...and back "underground"....

....the way I like it! :)

The page looks slightly smaller but I probably need to shorten some things in there anyway. I leave out so much of what I do (believe it or not! ha!) but I need to leave out more & make it more "exercise/runner" stuff anyway. I think I found a GREAT New Years Resolution: cut down on the blogging, leave it mainly as it was originally for....keeping myself accountable for my workouts & progress (or lack there of...) I have a myspace page which is hidden like this blog that I've neglected for months & facebook which I hop on once in a while. I think it's time for more reading, more cleaning, more time working out, more time with family & friends, etc...

I should probably retitle it, too. How about, "Lisa's football antics, favorite books, music, & workouts". If I take a vacation, sure, I'll throw a few photos here. I'd hate for anyone not to see me hanging off a cliff somewhere, ya know... Overall, just a little less blogging & more real life socializing.

So, a quick update on my friend, Terry Q.'s Mississippi marathon. With the heat at 70 degrees at the start, he was sweating as he arrived at the starting line. He had the option of making it a half mary & he took it. (I wish we had that option in Huntsville at Rocket City because I sure would have taken it in Dec '07) I believe his time was 1:43:something but don't hold me to it. I shamed him for not showing up at the social run but hey, the man does have two adorable little kids & he's working on Cody's next soapbox car & hopefully getting Claire ready for her soapbox race this June.

And....I'm proud of Kirby, my friend & massage therapist. She finally found time to rejoin her old gym in Winchester specifically for their spin classes. She gets up most mornings for a 5:30am class. You go girl!

And....Joe, who has been running off & on for barely a month...(5 miles in 42+ mins is great right now)

And....Paul S., who is sticking to his plan no matter what for his 1st 1/2 mary at CMM in April. I'm so jealous that he got to bike during the holidays in Louisana & I'm jealous I can't run with him right now! :P

Tonight's workout: "the usual Tues head banging 1 hr spin"
Before spin, I may try to get another elliptical. I got lucky last night. I jumped on right as someone cleaned one off. I did some ab work, too, which I may skip tonight.

Tomorrow: "Wednesday Weights"
Mostly weights & hopefully 65 mins on the elliptical if I can get one
(Yall know what time of year it is, ya know!)

Temporarily Unhidden...

Start of my tuesday morning.......has started with a Venti Nonfat Vanilla Latte. Yum!

I'm temporarily "unhidden" today. Thinking of changing/updating this thing if time allows.

1st "spin" of the year...

As I hopped on the seat, "Back in the Saddle Again" rolled in my head. I'm on Aerosmith overload! :P
Joyce sub'd tonight & drained my soul out of me for an hour.
(Kim, get well soon!)
Running out of there with a wet head in the rain again only to get home to unload my bike & weekend bag in the cold rain. I didn't shiver until Joe mentioned white water rafting this year to me on the phone. :P

And yes, Paul....we will ride again the first nice day that comes along. Pray for a freakish, nice, winter day, ok!

Announcements

Ahhh, the holidays.....they bring out new beginnings sometimes...
Pregnancy announcements, engagement announcements, etc...
Everyone's so cheerful today despite coming back to work after most of us were off 2 weeks.
My boss asked us if we had a good time off & everyone said, "yes". He looked at me & I said, "Fabulous". ha!

2009 will prove to be an interesting year no matter what's thrown my way, I'm sure.
"Changes" scare me to death, which isn't very characteristic of Sagitarians. Most of us are easily bored & love change. I'm easily bored but scared of BIG changes. What changes? Let's just say BIG ones. I'm a Dec 2nd birthday & Hannah's a Dec 7th. She fits the Sag characteristics much better than me. She dives head first into her changes! She has a goal for herself this year. "Learn how to snow ski". I'm still thinking about some goals (big & small). It's so hard when I love to run & can't but it's not all about running either.

The bike is tuned up & apparently I didn't damage it too much by falling 3 times in Percy Warner back in Nov. Alex loosened my left pedal & showed me a better way to get out of it. Long story short, I need to make myself get out of the right one first. I am right handed so that would make better sense anyway. (FYI, ALL his bikes are on Sale right now.) He told me that it will probably take me a good 6 months of riding to get used to the pedals. Trouble is...who wants to get out when it's rainy & 38 degrees? So, I'm going to set up the trainer that Anderson gave me & practice those pedals when I can until a good "ride" day approaches. If I have to put off the goal of a century ride, I will. I sure don't want to fall & crack anything in 2009!

As for the New York City Marathon, Joe (who's very generous) has that weekend booked for us already. (the weekend of Halloween-marathon weekend). As you know, I'm going to register just so I don't lose my "place in line" for the lottery. If I can't train properly, it's a no go on the marathon but there's no reason we can't still go, see some sites, & watch the elites finish in central park. It would still be a fun weekend.

Plan A: Register, get in, & run it (shin well, God willing)
Plan B: Register, get in, & postpone till 2010
Plan C: We both register, get in, & walk/jog it (it would make for a great sightseeing adventure)

The problem with Plan C, what are the chances both of us will get in the same year, but you never know....... :P

So, tonight's workout will be the typical Monday night workout.
Crunches, elliptical (if I can get one), & 45 mins in spin class
Back to the grind.....I've missed it.

Fri-Sat Randomness

We drove into t-town yesterday around lunch to retrieve my new blackberry from FedEx. The screen on my other one was having problems. It would go black for like 10-15 secs for no reason at all. I may have dropped it one time too many times on the pavement. who knows... At least this one isn't all scratchy.

We saw "Yes Man" last night at the drive in. It was ok but I suggest you rent it. Nowhere near as funny as "4 Christmases". So, I've seen 3 movies during the holidays this year. That's about how many I see every year when I have time off. :P

This morning we headed to Harvey's for a good, long workout. I was on the ellipitcal machine for 65 mins, then leg weights & crunches. We were starving when we left. I think Joe did 4 miles on the treadmill. Carla informed me that she got her & Chris registered for the CMM 1/2. She called me NY's Eve for the code but I couldn't remember it. I always google everything I buy on the net for a coupon code. Hey, you never know... I know "holiday" expired & the code is something else now. I hope & pray I can join her & Chris for a few runs sometime in the near future. My shin feels ok this week but I've not run one step on it this week.

We're heading to Pro-cycling for a bike tune up & then to Hannah's for drunken Yukor (sp?). I've never played it but apparently Hannah, Jeff, & Joe have.....we shall see. The party continues at least through tonight.

Am I looking forward to work on Monday? Yes, I hope to be busy as a bee & challenged in the New Year. I have some personal goals to achieve. :)

Music City Bowl Vandy Win!

Joe called his friends as we were driving downtown. It was cold but we had many layers on as you can tell. I'm pretty tired of looking like a layered pillsbury dough girl in these pics. Joe's friends were already tailgating WITH JAY CUTLER! I walked as fast as I could from the car & we didn't find him at first but as you can see, we did. I sent a text to just about everyone I know with this photo of me with Jay Cutler (Denver Bronco's quarterback-former Vandy quarterback). April: "When are you going to stop stalking NFL quarterbacks?!"
Ted: "How much did you pay him to pose with you?!"
Smartass friends! :P

Ummm, well there's been many times I've come very close to Peyton as a Vol & a Colt. There was the embarrassing incident on the ramp with Chris Simms, a stare down on the ramp with Tony Romo, & I've talked to Vince Young. I won't mention the incidents with the other players but I will say the nicest guy I've ever talked to was Derek Mason (as a Raven). He signed my D. Mace Titans jersey & told me he missed being a Titan. Tony Dungy seems very approachable too. He was very patient with us when we asked him if Peyton was coming out on the ramp once. If you don't know what ramp I'm talking about...it's the ramp we've all run in on at the end of the Tom King 1/2 marathon & 5k event. The visiting players come out there after the game, wait for their families, & sometimes chat with folks. GREAT place for autographs & photos.

So getting back to the Boston College & Vandy Music City Bowl. It was a close game but if you don't already know, Vandy won! I'm not a big Vandy fan & frankly college football seems to move too slow for me. Of course, there's a HUGE difference in the way college football is played versus the NFL. Fun event, though & finally a bowl game for the home town team Vandy! Something like 26 yrs since they had a bowl game?! Just icing on the cake that they won! Me with Joe (my other man) ha! Start of the game.

Right after the game, we high tailed it to Murfreesboro for Mexican with Jeff & Hannah. (always fun!) Sat evening we have a card game night planned with them in the 'boro. While eating I got a text from Patti & her guy, Chris. "Happy New Year from Michigan". They were in a ski lodge.

Apparently, they got their hummer out of the 6 ft snow bank & had a good time at the lodge. Ahh, so glad I don't live up there!

Wednesday was pretty quiet. Lots of rest, football, reading, & we went to Joe's gym for a while... I did 65 mins elliptical, some free weights, & crunches. I can't wait to get back on a spin bike come Monday night!

I'm truly loving the Aerosmith autobiography, "Walk this Way". The band saw "Young Frankenstein" in New York while working on an album. When Gene Wilder said "walk this way" in the movie, they knew they wanted a song titled that. They already had the music but no words, no title....So, Steven Tyler went down on a stairwell in the building they were working in & wrote the lyrics to "Walk this Way". He forgot to bring paper but was too lazy to go back & get it. He brainstormed the words on the walls of the stairwell. "Sweet Emotion" was written by Steven with Joe Perry's wife Alyssa Jarret as inspiration. He couldn't stand her! ha! Interesting how the GREATEST rock songs were born...

Today, Joe is working from home & is on a conference call in my bedroom as I do this blog entry. ha! No gym for us today, just dinner & a movie. We're heading to Harvey's in the morning & I'm taking my bike to get a tune up in the afternoon when we head to Hannah's for game night. I hope that we have some freakishly warm days the next couple of months because I'd sure like to get back out on that thing!

Tuesday night Battle of the Bands

I got in a decent workout on Tues before heading to Nashville. 65 mins elliptical, some crunches, & a few weights. (the gym was pretty busy on Tues since some folks were off work.)

I've been down town for the "Battle of the Bands" before way back in 2002 & it was better back then before CMT took over. They don't let the bands march & inch closer to each other as they play. They just walk down & play. Kind of boring if you ask me. I loved it when they inched closer & closer down the street battling with music. Oh well, we had fun but probably won't go down for this again.
Vandy BandVandy Dancers Vandy FlagsAn MTSU grad & a Vandy grad. :P

More of the same on Tuesday...

I have to admit working out to daytime talk shows could get addicting. It's been nice to see what's on during the day. To think that there are actually folks who get to watch daytime tv everyday. I'm jealous! Today would have been a great day for a long run. Just beautiful! I ran my car through a car wash so I'm sure it will rain very soon.

Today's workout:
65 min elliptical
some weight machines
stretching

Busy Monday in front of busy New Years week.

I piled 3 doctors appts on today, worked out, grocery shopped, & spent a lot of time on the phone. (Productive? Probably)

I'm now on daily migraine meds so we'll see how that goes...
I've gained 4 lbs over the holidays & judging by how my sports bras fit, I know where most of it went. Yikes, move over Pamela Anderson & Dolly Parton. These 4 lbs are coming off SOON!

I got a cute pre-lit 4 ft tree today for $12.50, a very ugly fish ornament that I love, & several other Christmas decor on sale. I also got 1,000 thread count sheets for $70.00. Joe will be happy since his bedding makes mine look like & feel like crap. :P I'm due for another comforter set. The Tommy Hilfiger Hula girl stuff is fading. I love it but it's got to go in the new year.

Sunday, I did the usual 65 min on the elliptical & a few weight machines. I got tied up doing the wash & unpacking.

This afternoon, I did a 30 min slow walk while talking to Terri, 65 mins on the elliptical, some yoga ball crunches, free weights, & weight machines.

Tomorrow morning, I hope to do more of the same...absolutely NO running this week or next. Jan 5th, I hope to hit the spinning again with a vengeance. I have missed spin class!

FYI, I'm loving this "Walk this Way" book! Did you know that the drum beats you hear on the front of "Living on the Edge" are the beats off a drum that Steven Tyler stole from his high school when they kicked him out? He kept the drum all these years. Cool!

Sad to leave but happy to be back...

I feel like if I blink Austin will be out of high school or Avery will be driving. Words cannot explain how much I wish I could be around my nephews ALL the time. I had a GREAT Christmas & I hope everyone else did too. We had so much fun; Spurs game, Riverwalk, developed a wii injury, jog/walked 4 days in a row with 2 overweight beagles, & ate way too much. Tomorrow will be the first day of "detox". :P

Tues was the coldest day there with a high of 47. It was also a bit rainy. I walked the dogs to the school behind my sister's house.

It's amazing how much that neighborhood keeps growing with new schools going up everywhere. Avery's school is directly behind their house.
We took the boys to Randolph Air Force base to eat lunch & bowl. Avery, always easy to photograph. ha!Austin bowling & never easy to photograph. :P I had forgotten how nice that base always seemed to me. (much nicer than any Army post!) I snapped a photo of the "Missing Man Formation" on my cell. Tues night we went to the Spurs game. (they won!) Tony Parker was on fire. It was a tight game & I could hear a few people behind me saying, "Give it to Tony!" We had a blast just like we did last year. Me with Deb (I had on my Tony Parker jersey & Titans scarf. Someone actually wanted my scarf! ha!) Avery (far left-white jersey) shooting hoops in the lobby of the AT & T arena. Wed, the temp got up to 68. I started the morning out with a 2.62 jog/walk/sniff with Toby & Eva. Both are a tad out of shape & that's putting it mildly. :P I guess they kept me from hurting my shin, who knows... Trust me we were slow on all our little jaunts around Belmont Park subdivision. We went by the neighborhood pool every day. Afterwards, I did manage some crunches on the floor & some pilates moves. This neighborhood loves to exchange plates of goodies so I was feeling the guilt big time. Everytime the door bell rang, we would get something different. "Oh let's see what they made! Yum!" We hung out at the house most of the day getting ready for Christmas day. We went to the Christmas eve church service & watched "Speed Racer". I sent that movie to Avery for his b-day in Nov. He loved his Titans training camp jersey. ha! (Yes, I will get another one.)Thurs, the temp was low 70's. After all gifts were open, I took the dogs out for a slow 40:47 min 3.1 mile jog, walk, sniff jaunt again. When I returned the wii playing had started. (By friday, we were all complaining about our "swinging arms".) My wii age started out at 49 but after two more tries to lower my age, I'm now 28 yrs old!! Whoo Hoo! Thank God, I rocked the bowling! The batting was the worst for me but then again, I could never hit the broad side of a barn anyway. I can see where it can be addicting!

Excited dogs on Christmas morning. Avery made a Christmas wreath out of clothes pins for Mark & Deb. :)
I got lots of books, gift cards, & Joe gave me the entire "Sex & the City" dvd collection. (He's going to watch every single episode with me, right Joe? ha!) A sure fire way to get exactly what you want is to create an amazon.com wish list. Deb started this with the boys years ago since so many relatives live way off. I did one this year. Let's just say that I won't be returning or regifting anything this year. :P Speaking of Joe, he informed me today that he's made reservations in Times Square for the weekend of the New York City marathon. Whether I can run it or not OR I get in or not, we are going. (Cheryl, I hope you can come into the city that weekend!)

We all headed to the movie theater in the afternoon for "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler. It was cute. If you have kids, they'll like it. I'm looking forward to seeing Will Smith's "7 pounds" this week.

Fri, San Antonio had a record high of 83 degrees & I felt it when I took the dogs out for 3.3 miles of more jogging/walking/sniffing. When we got back Toby drank a ton of water & laid on the cool tile kitchen floor as if he were dying. I got Mark's free weights & worked on my arms. I did some standing squats that I felt on Sat & I did some crunches on the floor. Our day included more wii & some after Christmas shopping before heading to the Riverwalk. As many times as I've been to San Antonio, I had never been inside the Alamo. It was cool & it sort of reminded me a bit of Nashboro downtown on the river. They didn't allow photos of the inside but we saw some cool Davy Crockett stuff. Avery patiently waiting in line. He's such a good boy. Unfortunately, he's inherited the sinus/allergy problems. The Smiths (yes, Deb married one she wanted to keep a long time. ha!) I've said it a million times, the best thing she ever did was join the Air Force. She got out after Avery was born & became a federal employee. Mark is a retired communications officer & federal employee now. They timed all this just right with the boys ages. NO MORE moving around. My 6 ft 2 in brother in law has a 13 yr old almost as tall as him. Austin also wears a size 11 shoe. To say he plays basketball very well would be an understatement.

We had some great mexican food on the river & I drank a margarita. The area was packed afterall, it was 83 degrees & the day after Christmas... Joe sent me this snowy pic from Lake Orion, MI when I told him it was shorts weather in San Antonio. ha! It did finally warm up to 60 degrees yesterday in Michigan. Patti said it literally went from one extreme to another in less than a week. Sledding on friday in Michigan.
Waiting on a patio table. Boys eating mexican on riverwalk. I finally caught them with their napkins down from their faces. :P

Sat, I got out for a slow 2.64 miles with the dogs for the last time this year. It got tumble weed windy & then hot. A lot of folks were fighting the wind while taking down Christmas decorations. We hung out at the house playing wii, of course, before leaving for the airport. Mark's step father was flying in from Jacksonville as I was flying out. My sister's got another big week ahead of her. It's becoming a tradition for them to host a huge New Years Eve party. They set up board games everywhere in addition to video games. She's got a loft area with ping pong, air hockey, & a pool table. Something tells me there's going to be a lot of wii going on this year.

Overall, no flying problems & no hassles anywhere. It's this good karma that I've been preaching about all year long. ha! I have another VERY busy, fun week ahead. I'm planning to hit the gym hard all week long, though. (We have plans with friends & the Music City Bowl game.) You can bet I'm heading into 2009 with high hopes of an "uncracked shin" & many adventures. Other than New York, not much else is set in stone. Hannah & I will catch up over New Years so I'm sure something will get planned. :) Much like previous years, '08 is ending on a positive note. It's hard to believe that one year ago I was with Hannah & family in Indy at the Titans game. 2008 sure flew by. As I read Hannah's yearly newsletter that she sends with her Christmas cards, I realize out of everyone I know she's had a REALLY busy, stressed year. Even in the face of adversity, that girl smiles right through it. We're all counting our blessings & hoping for a better economically sound 2009. Whatever gets thrown my way, I will handle it just fine. I took this in my Aunt Becky's yard after they picked me up from the airport. Christmas palm trees look cool! :)

Happy Early New Years everyone! Please be safe!

Did you know that "Steel" can crack?

Wow, it just wasn't Big Ben's day much like last Sunday just wasn't Kerry's day... How can they lose to the Texans one week & beat the Steelers the next? I know home field helps but still... I'm glad we sat this one out at the house. Tickets too expensive, too cold, too much packing to do, & last minute things to buy. I got the Texas nephews shirts. (see pic above) Last year I took them Vol basketball shirts since the Vols were playing so well.

We saw "4 Christmases" with Vince Vaughn & Reese Witherspoon. We laughed our butts off! We then paid a quick visit to cousin, Pam's house. (She registered for the CMM 1/2 yesterday.) :)
I cannot believe Christmas is almost here!