Some grooming required

You may have noticed I'm still messing with my blog template. I've tried a few different pictures behind the title and the one I've got posted now is what I guess I'll stick with for a bit. I'm tired of trying to master Photoshop, and I just can't create the shapes and images that are in my head. I'm hoping to make more permanent changes very soon so thanks for bearing with me.

On to my real message for the day....

I have a question for anyone who would like to respond. How do you feel about chest hair on men? More specifically, too much chest hair on men. Personally, I am not a fan of it. My husband grooms himself regularly and has a very smooth chest most of the time, which I appreciate VERY much. The gentlemen that I work with, however....we'll, let's just say that several of them have little pokey hairs coming out of the top of their shirt collars and it absolutely repulses me! Especially the guys that don't get regular hair cuts and look otherwise disheveled on a daily basis.

(We'll be sitting in a meeting and my eyes naturally gravitate to their collars and I find myself thinking...hey, haven't you heard of an undershirt? Don't you see how long those things are? Does your wife really like that look or does she even see it anymore? I try to stay focused on the topics of the meeting, but sometimes my mental wandering is totally unconscious until it's too late. Then the rest of the day is shot...any time I have to converse with them after that I can't stop looking at their necks!)

If there are any men reading this, please look in the mirror and see what's coming out of your clothes. If you're even remotely close to resembling Big Foot I think you're ready for a time out for grooming. Women all around you will thank you for it...silently, of course!

Prayerful interventions

Today I am feeling very blessed and felt compelled to share an idea with you. A few weeks ago I entered into a new facet of my friendship with four other women. One of them had the idea for all of us to pray for each other, our children and our husbands. This idea was sent out in an email and all five of us agreed that we liked the idea.

We are all quite busy with our families and our jobs, plus volunteer and social organizations that we belong to, so it was agreed that we would circulate a prayer each week to the group via email and also read a chapter each week of two books...The Power of a Praying Parent and The Power of a Praying Wife to help us with our practice of prayer.

The first week was kind of strange as it seemed we didn't really know how to get this new thing started. Our fearless leader sent out an email that included a prayer for everyone, and I must admit at first I didn't feel comfortable with it. Perhaps it was my lack of contribution that made me feel a bit guilty... I went ahead and said the prayer throughout the week, and when I saw my friend I asked her about it. Since we didn't all respond to her email that first week she just decided to include everyone's families so we would have a prayer to follow. As I repeated the prayer that first week I appreciated her action more and more.

The second week we all fell right into place. By Tuesday of that week we had all emailed each other our prayers, which are just about five to six sentences per person, and seemed to be getting a handle on our new system. I must admit it feels really good to pray for people outside of my family and to know that my family is being prayed for. I keep thinking I need to share this with my son so he will know that other people are praying for him, too. I know that would make him feel even more loved and appreciated. I'm not sure how Hubby feels about it. He hasn't really commented on my prayer group. I'm sure he thinks it's a motherly female thing, but I hope deep down he appreciates it.

We have officially entered into our third week and I'm excited to send out my prayer of the week and to receive everyone else's. My questions and anxieties about being involved in a prayer group through email and not actually in person have all faded away. I'm so glad I gave this new venture a shot. It has meshed so well with my hectic schedule, and has also brought me closer to friends and to God. I have this great feeling that I'm contributing more behind the scenes to my family and to other families for their emotional, spiritual and physical protection.

Banners, and templates and gadgets...oh my!

I'm becoming totally addicted to this blogging business. I've been looking and looking and looking at other blogs and seeing some fabulous designs! I'm getting ideas and inspiration all over the place! Now the problem is...what can I afford, and can I even implement this stuff being the novice that I am.

You may have noticed over the last few weeks that I've been dallying with my template design...changing colors and gadgets and what not. I'm ready to take things to the next level. I've been searching for freebie options on the Internet and found some great template designs, but if you're willing to shell out a couple of bucks there are even more options! I must admit that I want my blog to be enviable! I must peruse my budget and see what my options are....

Hubby is a graphic and Web site designer, and a great one at that, but his schedule doesn't permit a lot of pro bono work to be done. He has offered to help me out a few times, but honestly by the end of the day we both just want to go to bed and he's not ready to try to squeeze in one more project. Can't say that I blame him. I have a hard time making room for the projects that I can do all on my own. So, that being said...I hope to have some changes made to my blog over the course of the next couple of weeks. I found a great banner design by Lindsey that I would like but as I mentioned budgeting is required. Check out her stuff if you have a chance...she's pretty talented!

Happy blogging, my friends!

In-delectable experiences

My highly anticipated weekend is almost over, which is a bit disappointing, but a great weekend it has been! I still have a few hours of relaxation time to go, and we'll see if I manage to start that Roman Shade sewing project that I have told myself for weeks that I was going to begin. I'm a bit intimidated by it, I must admit! Procrastination has been in order!

My son's football game was pretty exciting last night. The other team won by a few touchdowns, but it was really good seeing the boys getting to put some of their hard work into action. I know they liked being dressed up in their game uniforms. My little guy did a great job when he was on the field and I'm very proud of him!

It was also fun getting to see my mom and pop last night. After dinner we came back to my house and watched some of Saturday Night Live. We always seem to watch that together when they come to town...kind of interesting considering Hubby and I don't watch it all that much any other time. Anyway, the monumental tidbit about last night that I wanted to post about was our dining experience. Pop suggested we go to the Aussie Steakhouse, if you know where I mean, after the football game. No one objected so we headed down under. The waiter seemed as if he was going to be good...said all the right things, was in seemingly high spirits, so we didn't think it would be a bad experience. Well, it didn't take too long to catch on that our waiter just put up a good front.

It took over 15 minutes for us to have our drink order filled, so we were a bit thirsty and agitated by the time we could quench our thirsts. It took another 20 minutes or so before we could even give the guy our food order. Drink refills were slow for some of our party and nonexistent for others, and our food didn't surface for another 40 minutes. My son's plate was the only one that didn't come out with the other dishes. The kid who had just played his heart out and needed food the most wasn't being served. Yep, I was further irritated. I gave him a bite of my steak kabob thing, then cut a bite for myself. Just then the little guy asked if I thought the meat tasted funny. Right as he said that I started tasting something strange...something a bit like floor cleanser. Then, I saw it. The pube-styled hair stuck to my next bite of meat. I about gagged. I had to chug some tea to keep my last bite going down instead of coming back up.

Not sure if you've seen the movie "Waiting" but it's about scenarios just like this and the wait staff who prepare such fine in-delectable meals for unsuspecting patrons. I hadn't been rude per se to our waiter up to this point. (Granted, I had asked earlier when we were all starving how much longer it would be before we saw our food, but I said it with a super fake smile and I'm sure I said thank you after his response.) I announced to the table there was a hair in my food so we passed the plate around for inspection. Needless to say I gave the dish back to the waiter and didn't order anything else in its place.

Of course the manager was sent over, and he said all the right things, but honestly...how could he expect me to try anything else with the curly visual stuck in my head? We were offered free dessert and a coupon for $45 in free food so we would come back, but Hubby and I aren't exactly excited about giving them another shot. Maybe we'll just go back for drinks sometime in the future... One thing's for sure...no more steak for me from the Aussie Steakhouse!

A tight squeeze!

Well, folks...if you read yesterday's post then you may remember my comment about the jeans I'm wearing in the picture posted. Last night my curiosity got the best of me so I tried them on again. I haven't worn these jeans in over a year. I hated to burst my own bubble, but they just don't fit anymore. Yes, I was able to get them on...and zip them all the way up, however the resulting look was one of a gal stuffing herself inside pants that aren't flattering and would cause immense va-j-j pain in a very short amount of time. Needless to say, these pants are worthy of passing on to a greater cause than permitting my rounder butt to fill their backside.

Don't get me wrong, I love the benefits of working out regularly. My butt is firmer (even tho it is a little bigger) and my quadriceps are definitely more firm and shapely. It's just a little disappointing that I can't still fit into all of my old clothes when I've worked hard to burn fat. I know, I know...the muscle is toned and the fat is certainly less than what it used to be. I guess this means fat is so much easier to squeeze into tight jeans than muscle.

Note to self, buy all pants with a bit of stretchy spandex so that my curves can be accentuated instead of flattened and squished!

Really good weekend!

I must say that I am really looking forward to this weekend! My mom is coming to town and my son is playing in his very first football game. My sister and her fella will be coming over, too, to join all of us for dinner after the game. But, wait... there's more!

(This is a picture of me, my mom and my sister that was taken a few years ago. I figured since you can't see our faces I'm not really violating any of my privacy guidelines, so here's an actual personal photo on my blog! You can obviously tell who "Shorty" is, right? You can also see that I'm wearing a heel and my sis is in flip flops....just to give you a better visual of my shorty-ness.) On a side note, I need to see if I can still fit in those jeans. I wasn't working out back then so I am now curious to see how they fit.

I'm also looking forward to working out with Hubby this evening because I know he'll push me to work harder than I work myself, and we are going shooting Sunday morning. It will be great to see if I can pick up right where we left off the last time he took me shooting. Let's see if I can swing right by the chicken phase and move directly to the confident armed woman phase!

Another thing that's great is the weather! It's been sunny and in the 80's during the afternoons and I can't wait to soak it up! I'm only at work for the first half of the day on Friday so there is a lot I can enjoy after leaving. There is a completely dead plant on my back porch that I would like to replace....today would be a great day to take care of that! I've got some indoor stuff I absolutely need to stay motivated to do...begin a roman shade project for my son's room and clean my house! With family coming in I always like for it to look as pristine as possible!

Happy weekending to you and yours!

Nope...nothing here

Today I am soooo blah! Not in a bad mood; just ready to go home and curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket. I don't even want to turn the tv on. I just need my pups to curl up with me and we can veg-out. My apologies to my number one (and only!) blog fan M for not having better things to say today. I hate it when my brain malfunctions like this! I've looked at other blogs for inspiration and it's as if my mind is absorbing what I'm reading; I'm moderately entertained, but the neurons aren't firing properly. I feel like I could sleep for an entire day! I'm trying to psyche myself up to run this evening, but I'm supposed to work out with my husband tomorrow so I find myself mentally repeating that I can easily blow off today's exercise. Lame...I know! Lazy....yep. But, at this moment I could care less. Wait...I can blame it on hormones! Now I feel tons better.

A friendship star....or a star friendship

How do you define relationships with your friends? Are all friends lumped together; do you have a best friend; are there just a few people that you call friends? I am very blessed to have a lot of friends. (not that you can tell by how many people follow my blog! perhaps I need to advertise...) Not all of them are "close" friends but I am fortunate to have several very close friends. There was a time when I thought I had a "best" friend but circumstances have presented themselves over the years that made me bump that classification back to "close" friend instead of "best." I really haven't had a "best" friend since high school...someone that I ran around with all the time, talked to on the phone every day, and spent virtually every moment I could with.

It's funny because some of my close friends refer to me as their "best" friend, but I always wonder if they say that to any of their other friends, too. That's why I wonder how other people define their friendships. I'm sure those people think of their multiple "best" friends very highly and somehow mentally separate the relationships. I just have a hard time with people claiming to have more than one best friend since that one person should seemingly be at the top of the list. Right?

I have two groups of "close" friends that I communicate with regularly. In the first group there are four of us that always celebrate each others birthdays by exchanging gifts and taking the celebrated one to lunch. We stay in touch weekly either through phone calls, emails or make plans to hang out and are always sensitive to what each other has going on our personal lives... I feel we are truly close. The second group is made up of totally different people that I confide in about certain things and likewise they confide in me about some things. I don't typically get to see them more than a couple of times each month (sometimes less) but we touch base through phone calls and emails all the time. I still consider these friends to be "close." As a matter of fact, there are five of us from the second group who have just started a prayer group where we pray for each other and our families.

My husband has one "best" friend. The two of them can sometimes be like I was with my "best" friend from high school....they go through periods of inseparability that drive me insane! But, something always happens to remind them that they don't really and truly like hanging out every second of every day because then they won't see each other for a week or two and just talk on the phone...a lot less than before whatever falling out they had. I just wait for these times to resume because the distant times usually outlast the inseparable times. Needless to say, they both know I don't understand it. I just can't get how two grown men can be so needy at times. Anyway....moving on. I don't have a girl friend that I'm like that with. And, honestly I don't want a relationship like that. I don't like the idea of someone being that dependent on me.

I guess all of the other friends I have are just "friends" or acquaintances. I don't know how else to classify them. I guess classification isn't really necessary. I just find the topic interesting and am curious how other people think about it. I can be quite overly analytical at times so maybe that's what I'm being today.

No matter how I decide to break it down I am extremely grateful for the friendships that I have. When I was a teenager I was quite anti-social and withdrawn except around my alternative/punk friends. I tried forging personal relationships after high school with a couple of different girls but got burned, so I stopped trying to find a running-buddy. Considering how relationships in my adulthood began I find it amazing that I have as many friends now as I do. That makes me feel really good!

Another thing that makes me feel good is that my friend "M" is my number one blog fan! I appreciate that very much! : )

Movie Recommendation

Last night my husband and I went to see Burn After Reading with Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Malkovich (and other people you would know by name or when you saw them), and I must say it was an awesome movie!!! I highly recommend checking it out if you have a dark sense of humor like I do. We were laughing our butts off almost the whole way through it! There are definitely some disturbing moments, but this flick is full of comedic twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are hilariously quirky. The ending wasn't as fulfilling as I would've liked it to be, but I would actually pay to go see it again!

Amazing tidbits to cheer me up!

For whatever reason my mood changed today before I got to work. I was in a great mood while I was getting ready this morning and during breakfast with my son. Somewhere between saying good-bye to him and sitting down at my desk my mood plummeted. I've been cursing at the dumbest things and gritting my teeth when something doesn't go exactly right.

I took a few moments to look at the blogs I read regularly and found some great posts. I'm so glad I took a break to do that! My friend M posted about our workout from Saturday, which was a complete kick in the butt, and I also read a very inspirational post on a blog I found last week. Just before I finished reading I got a call from my good friend Bridg just to say hello since I didn't get to visit with her very long at an open house we were both at yesterday. All of those things helped pull me out of my selfish little shell for long enough to see that there is a lot more going on in my world than petty stuff that I'm letting bring me down.

I've been over-focusing on some major changes that my life will take on after the new year. My husband's career is going to drastically change and our current living arrangement is going to be turned upside down. I find that these little worrisome thoughts filter into almost anything I'm doing these days and I have to deliberately move my thoughts to whatever task is at hand, blocking out the worries. Since I'm not good with ambiguity AT ALL it is very easy for me to lose focus on what I should be focusing on and get trapped by the spiraling negative worries of what our lives will be like next year instead. I can't continue like this! I'm strong enough to get past it, I just need to do it. I've felt improvement over the past two weeks so perhaps in another two weeks I'll be even better off.

My goal today, and for everyday, is to remind myself just how good my life is and that there is no reason to let the minutia of life bog me down. I'm going to see the good in the little things, and if there is no good to be found, then I just need to happily move on to other thoughts. After all, I'm a truly blessed individual, mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister, coworker.... My life has A LOT of good going for it!

Thanks to everyone who unknowingly helped pull me out of my funk!

A day to remember.....always!

What an anniversary today's date marks! I can't believe it's been seven years since the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon were attacked . I can remember exactly what I was doing when I heard about the first plane crash. I'm sure you can, too. I remember being scared that we would have attacks all over the country for years to come. Fortunately, our government intervened and we haven't been attacked like that again.

Many things have changed since that day. We've practically been at war ever since. Even though the invasion of Iraq started in 2003, the United Kingdom helped us invade Afghanistan the very next month after the 9/11 attacks. Our country seemed so unified about war back in 2001 and now our country seems so divided.

The main thing I want to remember today is that we are still a free country and not by chance. We are blessed with so many freedoms every day. We have to thank our military for that. We have to remember that there are people from our country that are fighting the battle for our continued freedom every night and day....men and women who are away from their families putting their lives in harms' way so we can function normally. Let us not forget their service to us.

Thank you to all of our soldiers and the people behind the scenes helping the military to function. I pray that they never lose the fight. And, an ongoing fight it will always be.

Stealing a good idea from another blog....

I've been searching my brain all day to try and figure out what to blog about today. As I was looking through some notable blogs I came across an idea, and an amazing blog. (Check out theluckynest when you get a chance....the blogger is very talented. I'm aspiring to acquire talents equal to hers at this very moment!) So, I'm stealing the idea from Ellie! (You can read her original post here.)

Six random things about me....

1. Let me just take you back to a piece of my childhood...when I was little my mother put me in beauty pageants three years in a row. Each year I won First Runner Up, which someone recently told me that translated to The First Loser. Thanks for that tidbit. Anyway, the funny part is that my first year I was three years old and decided to pick my nose while I was at center stage modeling my fancy dress with the can-can. It gets better....not only did I pick my nose, but I picked a winner. Then ate it before I turned around. Lovely, right? Maybe if I didn't throw in my random talent I would've won First Place!

2. I like Pamela Anderson. I know she's not a wonderfully talented actress, but I've always found her very intriguing. I could just stare at her for hours. Not in a turned-on kind of way...just in an admiring fashion. Her hair and make-up always look great.

3. I say little prayers for homeless people or stray animals when I drive past them. I also say little prayers for victims when I see the Care Flight helicopter or car accidents.

4. I wish I could eliminate obesity. It disturbs me greatly.

5. There are ideas in my head of things I would like to paint, and I fantasize an art dealer will find my work and promote it in an art gallery. I guess I could say the same about writing a book and being published.

6. When I was a freshman in high school I wanted to go to college in New York. I had a plan that I would move to Connecticut for my junior and senior years of high school and live with a family as their nanny. I wanted to commute to college in NYC after establishing residency (so I could pay cheaper tuition rates) and study Advertising, and it was my ultimate goal to become a big executive in an ad agency.

So, there are six random things you might not have known about me. I would love to read your random facts, too. I know I'm not structuring my post quite like Ellie's and tagging friends with blogs to share, but feel free to share in the comments section.

Classic VW Show

Sunday morning my husband and I headed out to a classic Volkswagen show with an old friend of his from high school. We had such a great time! Hubby's pal Ms. Beetle was so fun to hang out with! Her and my husband used to hang out with a bunch of VW lovers when they were in high school. Hubby had a Karmann Ghia that he restored and she had a Beetle, I think she said it was a '69 but I can't remember. He no longer has the Ghia but she just recently acquired a 1967 Beetle that she's in the process of restoring. It was fun watching her walk around and scope out parts for her Bug. Everything was completely new to me so I was mesmerized by the stuff her and Hubby were talking about. Needless to say, I had lots of questions...."What is that? What does that do?" etc. We had a blast just walking around checking things out. There were some VW's racing each other, too, at the drag strip. Funny to see little Beetles going 120 mph!My husband would like to restore another Ghia, but I think a project like that will be a few years down the road. I know my son would certainly love to learn to work on classic cars...he's already an enthusiast. It cracks me up listening to him tell me about specific makes and models of old cars and trucks that he likes. Who knows, maybe one day the little guy will restore a car of his own!

Another one's gone....

Another weekend has come and practically gone. But, it has been a good one. I have overcome another major fear and I'm excited to share my progress!

Let me start by saying that over the past two years I've tried some new things...learning to SCUBA dive, CrossFit workouts and learning to shoot are a few of those new things. And, let me add to that by saying I've been a big chicken about all of it. I'm not good with change and usually end up being a cry-baby at some point because I stress myself out so bad when I'm faced with new challenges. But, I guess the main point that I'm focusing on is that I'm learning to face my fears (with lots of help) and to overcome them! This weekend I can say I've officially crossed my fear of guns (and actually shooting one) off the list. Ok, well maybe not all guns, but at least ones that will fit in my hand comfortably. I don't mean pellet guns or something like that; I mean real fire arms.

My husband has taken me to shoot at a gun range on more than one occasion and I've gotten freaked out and opted out of shooting on more than one occasion. This Saturday we went to an indoor range so that I could rent a gun that would fit my hands better than the 9mm that he has. I still used a 9mm, but it was a Sig Sauer P239, which I could reach my index finger around the trigger.

Of course I started off with my usual song and dance...looking at my husband with teary eyes saying, "I'm just so nervous...I can't do this! My hands are sweating! I can't do this!" Hubby can be a great coach and is always able to walk me through this phase when I let him. He helped me get over my fears when I was learning to SCUBA (and I'm sure he'll be tested again in a few weeks when we go for more dive certifications since my chicken antics like to resurface) and he was very patient with me AGAIN Saturday when I was telling myself I couldn't calm down and fire the stupid gun.

Yep, my eyes watered and I had to focus on my chicken-ass breathing so I wouldn't over-freak out, but he talked me through it and reminded me that I could handle this. (Glad you didn't see me...wiping my palms on my pants over and over, eye balls bulging...I'm sure I looked like a complete dork!) Finally, I told myself I wasn't at the freakin' Olympics competing for my country and that I could do this. I fired away. And, I did a lot better than I figured I could do!!! I shot through three boxes of ammo...Hubby kept going and getting more which made me feel he was proud of me and wanted me to keep going. I appreciated that so much! We reviewed my shots on the targets and could see that my aim improved each time and my shots were pretty consistent for a novice. I even made a couple of bulls-eyes! I practiced loading and unloading the gun I can't tell you how many times, but that made me feel so much better. I've always been afraid I would fire the thing by accident, so getting comfortable with the magazine and the bullets, clearing a round and checking to see what was in the chamber, over and over really helped to relax me. We even timed me once to see how long it took me to load the magazine then put the clip in and check the chamber, press check, etc. I'm not really sure if I'm using the correct terminology here...more practice is required!

Anyway, moral of the story...I did well and am learning once again to have more faith in my abilities. I'm getting better at not talking myself out of what I'm able to accomplish. I felt so good when we finished shooting! I thanked my hubby several times for being so patient with me and working through my anxiety with me. I can't wait to go shooting again!

Things that make me smile...

Looking at my son's smiling face...I have pics of him on my cell phone wallpaper and on my work computer desktop so I can see him almost every moment of the day. Hearing my son's voice when he calls me on the phone or answers my calls. Receiving romantic notes, cards or flowers from my husband. Getting cards and letters in the mail or invitations. My husband calling me just to say hello or "I love you!" Hearing someone laughing uncontrollably. When I laugh uncontrollably (doesn't happen often enough). Playing with my dogs. Seeing a funny kid in public or a child who is confident and carries on an intelligent conversation with me. The show Will & Grace. Reading novels by David Sedaris. Watching Saturday Night Live skits. Remembering the Carol Burnett Show and how I used to watch it all the time. (My mom and I used to love to impersonate Mrs. Huh-Wiggins!)

Giggling(obviously). Driving in my car thinking about something I'm looking forward to. Listening to upbeat music. Completing a good workout. Finishing my chores. Seeing my mom and sister...just making plans with them makes me smile! Talking to my dogs in my goofy voice naturally makes me smile most of the time. Seeing my son laugh. Catching my husband when he messes something up (because he's an anal perfectionist). Hearing Crumbles tell a story because he's an awesome story teller (he really should become a writer). Watching my sister "do the Grinch." Planning Christmas with my family. Opening presents. Singing songs I haven't heard in forever....like any song by Journey! Hearing someone compliment me. Giving compliments to someone else. Smelling rain or fresh cut grass. Watching my doberman run laps in the house or yard. Seeing my son feel good about something. Reading my friends comments on my blog. Knowing my friends/family even read my blog! Being welcomed by someone. Feeling great! Thanking God for my blessings....and I have many!

It's official....my mind left the building.

Another day of not knowing how to stay focused. Unfortunately, I can't write about all that's going thru my mind because that would impose on privacy issues of the person I am working through something with, but I feel lost. I don't know which way to turn. I'm trying to keep in perspective desires other than my own, but to also consider fairness at the same time. It's hard because I feel the person I'm dealing with isn't playing fair. I feel like I've been given an ultimatum. Take it or leave it....

Anyway, this one issue is consuming me. I've got to get past this, but I'm not sure how to cope...where to start. I have so many questions and not enough answers. It boils down to what's best for my family. I guess once I know the answer to that question I'll know how to proceed.

I'll get back to more entertaining blog posts, I promise!

Where, oh where, is my mind today?

Today has been strange so far. I'm not quite sure what my problem is other than I've been dwelling on some things that are out of my control. I've been busy at work which is helping to keep me side-tracked, but obviously not busy enough. On my lunch break I went by a friend's house to drop off something, so that helped clear my mind a little. I listened to Think on NPR while I was in my car and the report was a good one! Maybe that's what helped perk me up. The guest was the author of a new book called Click and he was discussing what all of us are clicking on while we're on the internet. It was very interesting!

Anyway, I got back to my desk and the sinking feeling had somewhat subsided, but I began feeling a little frustrated that I allow my mind to do that. I know I've posted before about worrying about needless things so I don't want to repeat that same message. However, I want to get better at clearing my mind of the things that bog me down and move on to happier thoughts more quickly. This is something I've worked on over the years, and I do feel like I've made improvements, but there is still work to be done.

Support the Twins!

Ok, Girls. Let's talk support, because a lack of support is seriously one of my biggest pet peeves. I'm not talking about emotional or mental support, I'm talking about breast support.

You know how when you're driving down the road (or working out in public) and you see someone jogging or walking you take a quick peek at what they look like? I do this all the time. Not necessarily to see if that person is hot or anything...more like to check out their exercising outfit because I constantly dream of getting cute little matching workout outfits. But, the judgmental side of me is also checking to see if that person is fit or if it looks like they might just be getting started....just out of curiosity. Yep, I'm shallow like that....

So, as I'm casually gazing, when I see a woman exercising that does not have her boobs properly supported I literally want to pull over (if I'm driving), stop that person, and yell in her face...."Do you realize what you're doing to your skin tissue??? Do you really want your boobs to be saggy as hell, or what???"

Ladies, most of those little jog-bra style tops aren't going to cut it. That shirt has to be super tight to offer the necessary support you're going to need for any type of impact. If you're moving around and your boobs are bouncing as much as the rest of your body then you've got a problem. Not only does it look hilarious and totally take away from the seriousness of your appearance as a fitness guru, but you are destroying your breast tissue. Thus, leading to Saggyboobville. Is that really where you want to go? I certainly don't! Gravity will help me out all on it's own, so why would I want to spur on what's going to happen over time?

Finding a good exercise bra should be at the top of your workout priorities...before asking, "Does my butt look good in these shorts?" you should ask yourself if your chest moves in your shirt. If your answer to the shirt question is, "Yes, I have movement!" then keep looking for better support. Believe me, your boobs and your fella will thank you for it later! A great one that I've used for years is made by Natori (click on the picture) and I puchased it at Nordstom's. It's also available elsewhere online and in fitness catalogs. Here's a link to one site's top 10 recommendations... Go try on several exercise bras when you're looking for one. And, since you're all by yourself in the dressing room bounce up and down, jog in place and move your arms around in all directions. Make sure it's comfortable and most of all that your properly supported!

Look at it this way, we workout to make our body more fit and shapely. Why would we want to destroy one of the most feminine areas of our body in the process? Don't stretch out one part of your body (your breasts) to make another part firmer and tight (your tummy, bum or thighs). Keep everything as firm as possible!

Here's to a workout with no bounce!

Back to work!

Well, I took a few days off so now it's time for me to get back to posting! A lot has happened since Friday. I met a good friend Friday for a quick lunch and it ended up being perfect timing....she has been going thru a divorce and it was finalized Friday morning. We didn't chat a whole lot about it but it was good for her to get side-tracked for an hour or so with a friend. I'm glad our lunch date turned into a reprieve!

Friday evening while my son was at football practice I walked over to the high school track across the street and completed my workout. It was an intense CrossFit one, but I was so proud of myself when I finished. I started off with 50 squats, ran a 400m lap, then completed 15 burpees (a push-up with a jump up at the end, then back down to a push-up position, then repeat the whole process), then ran another lap. I completed three rounds of that. I ended up having to walk my last lap, but I finished the entire workout in about 40 minutes. Definitely not a record setting pace but I finished it. It was a little embarrassing since I had a small audience...a girl and her boyfriend were kicking a soccer ball around inside the track and surely thought I was retarded for doing push-ups with a jump at the end and squats. Oh well...I turned up my Ipod and tuned them out as best as I could. (I couldn't help be distracted sometimes that this girl did not have her boobs supported properly while she was exercising...a huge pet peeve of mine. The chick was probably 18 years old and seriously on the way to Saggyboobville. Very sad to sag at such a young age! Support your twins, ladies, when you're working out!)

My son and I had a big weekend planned together...Hubby was going camping so the little guy and I were going to have a lot of time to ourselves. Our solitude was cut short as the camping trip got rained out, but we still made the most out of what time we could spend on our own. We went to a lake party with some friends on Sunday, and Saturday night we dined on Sushi...a special treat! We ended up still getting to spend quite a bit of time with just each other so everything worked out nicely. I think Hubby was glad camping got rained out, too, as he ended up having a lot of work to complete at the hacienda. And, no...I didn't have a "honey-do" list for him...he's really good at generating his own home improvement projects on a regular basis.

Monday morning the little guy had football practice so we spent two hours in the sweltering sun and humidity. I felt so sorry for him and his teammates. I keep hearing that's what football's all about, but I can't stand watching them being tortured in the heat! Those boys were barfing on the sidelines and gasping for breath throughout most of practice. Don't get me wrong, they are given lots of water breaks, but the heat here can be horrendous! And, they have little toasters on their heads (helmets) most of the time. I tell my son to take his off at every opportunity he gets but when he's focused on just breathing and keeping his last meal down he's not thinking about taking off the helmet. I wonder just how much he's really enjoying this sport. He tells me he's having fun, but we'll see what he says at the end of the season. It won't hurt my feelings any if he never wants to play again. I would much rather he keep as many brain cells healthy as possible!

Well, on to enjoying the rest of my Labor Day since it's back to work tomorrow! I wish every weekend could be a long weekend. Some day I won't have to work five days a week...... some day. Hey, a girl can dream!