Many thanks to all veterans

Many, many thanks to all those who have defended, who are currently defending and to those who will defend ALL our freedoms!

Josh

As in...Josh Groban. I'm a huge fan. Huge. Have been since he burst on to the scene over five years ago. I plan to be a fan for years to come. Of course I own and listen to all his albums and especially love his Christmas album.
Rick took me to see him in concert in Las Vegas for my 50th birthday. I burst into tears when he gave me the tickets because it was such a surprise and such a great gift. We loved the concert and have loved watching him grow in popularity and increase his talent over the years.
He is about to release a new album...can't wait! Illuminations ~ November 15. Four more days!
Check out his web site and listen to a few of the songs on his new album. Happiness!!!!

10 down, 10 to go

Here I am riding my childhood bike that I got when I was in third grade. It is still going strong, almost 50 years later. My mom uses it during the winter months in her warm location, but I hope to get it back when she is finished using it.
Going through the gradual estrogen loss to menopause, I put on 20 pounds. Luckily I wasn't already overweight, so the added 20 didn't look terrible. It just made my clothes fit too tight or not at all. I had to get size 14 pants. I hated that the most of all. I wanted to keep eating the way I've always eaten. I didn't want to have to exercise (which I despise) and I didn't want to have to think about the pounds that were slowly accumulating. Too bad for me. Weight gain is inevitable for most of us. At least I got to age 50 before this reality hit me. Now my new reality is this:
~I have to exercise every day. I don't want to, but I have to. I've probably been exercising every day for about 5 years now. I started out walking. One summer I did a challenge at work and walked 1,000,000 steps. I wore a pedometer and walked more than 10,000 steps a day. That helped curb the weight gain, but didn't help to reverse it. I joined Curves (again) and went for a solid year. I assume it did some internal good and probably some muscle toning, but I didn't lose weight or very many inches. I quit and joined the Rec Center for $77 a year when I turned 55. Now I do a pilates class for an hour three times a week and lift weights and work out hard on the elliptical or treadmill the other two days. I go with a friend (my secret to success) and I actually sweat. Pilates is kicking my butt (no pun intended.) I can tell a big difference. I had to step up my exertion to lose some weight. And guess what, I lost 10 pounds in the last six months. It was very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very...hard.
~I can't eat as much as I use to. I should only eat about 1,200 calories a day. I sit a lot during the day at work, so I'm not burning calories. I have to eat smaller proportions and think about what I'm eating. If I don't like it a lot, I stop consuming the calories. I eat more fiber, more fresh fruits and veggies and drink more water. During the week I don't eat sweets but I allow myself to have some dessert on weekends. I can't eat late at night or drink calories either, although I do love juice on occasion (it's loaded with carbs...) I eat a high fiber cooked cereal for breakfast. I absolutely refuse to drink protein shakes. Tried it, hated it.
~ I don't have anything to prove to anybody. I just want to wear my regular clothes and not get new ones. I just want to do this for me. I do think I have a little more energy, but otherwise I don't see huge benefits. I just know I need to do it for better health down the road.
~My size 12 pants are feeling good now. I really just want to stay a size 12, but I need to lose 10 more pounds to get to a better BMI. I'm still packing that horrible mid-waist mid-life weight.
So, wish me luck. I've signed up for a challenge at work not to gain more than 2 pounds from now until January 3. I'm determined to succeed and then keep working on the remaining 10 pounds after the new year!

An event not to be missed

BYU Museum of Art has had some amazing art exhibits over the years, but this one might be one of the best ever. Rick, Andy and I ate lunch last week in the MOA cafe and saw all the preparations and renovations they are making for this exhibition. See this article to read more. It will be an event not to be missed to see original quality religious art work. I can't wait!

What: Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand

Where: BYU Museum of Art

When: Nov. 12-Mar 7, 2011; extended hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Admission: Free, however visitors must register for tickets online before their visit atCarlBloch.byu.edu.

Halloween spooks