Summer Blues!

June 18, 2014

Summer is always a joyous time and a bummer at the same time.  I am glad to be home after the frantic last few months of school, but the absence of a daily schedule sends my body into a tailspin.  For the first four weeks or so, I search out projects that we haven't had time to do, like clean and reorganized closets, paint the bathroom, redo the molding on the doorways, add a new electrical outlet, and...well you get the idea.  My poor hubby suffers through it all, knowing that eventually I will run down and my summer "I don't care if I get up before noon" attitude will kick in.  Then my body clock will get so messed up that I will dread the new school year because it will mean that I have to get up before noon and be productive.  Here are just a few to the project that I have scheduled for the next few weeks:

1. Turn the junky third bedroom, although that is really a generous description of that little overgrown closet room", into an office.
2. Find a good used bathtub and change it out for the rather odd colored blue one that we now have.
3. Tile the tub surround.
4. Paint the door trim through out the house.
5. Add three new electrical plugs.
6. Plant three flower beds.
7. Clean out and enlarge two of our closets.
8. Haul away all the junk that we seem to attract like we have a magnetic junk force or something.
9. Oh, and spend as much time with my grandson as possible.

We'll see how many of them I get done, or should I say, Doyle gets done.  He could always buy me a new house, if he'd rather.  But then we'd have to move and well, I'd rather complete the above list than move any day.

How does this affect my weight-loss goals?  Well...when I am working, I want something quick, filling, and good.  Something that I don't have to fix or clean up after.  Sometimes that means I make good choices, like Subway, and sometimes it means that I grab What-A-Burger.  However, after the project mania runs its course, then I want to cook all the time.  Then I do a better job of staying focused on eating good nutritious food.  I am collecting soup recipes to try out.  I have a few faves from last summer, and I hope to add a few more this summer.

So to all of you out there who have a list of things that need to be done if you are ever going to be happy, I wish you luck.

Run and Sweat to Death Is More Like It.

June 11, 2014

Well, we went to Houston on May 31, and in 90 degree heat, we walked the 5K Run or Dye marathon. We turned in a respectable time, 56 minutes.  I know, turtles walk faster, and  I will admit there were a few times that I was really disturbed when really old crippled people zipped right past us.  But, the whole point of this adventure is to set goals for ourselves and achieve them.  Our goal was to complete the course and set a baseline time.  We did, so I will try to quit griping.That means the next time we enter, we have to beat 56 minutes.









Did we enjoy the event?  Enjoy might be too strong a word.  We had to get up at 7:00 in the morning to sign up. I can truthfully say that I never enjoy getting up a 7:00 am on a Saturday.

 On our way of the hotel, we grabbed breakfast, and it was nice to just eat what I wanted--that was our reward for sticking to the plan and entering the race.














 Doyle was very supportive, bless his heart, he was there with us the whole time.  He took pictures, bought us sunglasses, kept us company while we were waiting for the 5K to officially begin. Then he stood around for an hour waiting for us to finish.  Here are a few of the pictures of the pre-race activities.

 It was interesting, but I don't know that I would call it fun. The best part was that the sky was dark and stormy, which blocked the sun and kept us from burning to a crisp. Happily, tThe rain held off until we were finished, otherwise we would have been extremely uncomfortable, cool, but soggy.




















When it was all over, I got the feeling that Donna might balk at finding another 5K, but yesterday she looking for another marathon  for us to enter. It goes without saying that it will be one that focuses on the FUN rather than winning. Turtles never caring about winning, just finishing.

So, Mom only tells half the story. You know the part that doesn't mention that she constantly told me we had to speed up, even though we agreed that it didn't matter how fast we went. She is very competitive. But the absolute best part was finishing. And that was because it was a goal we set. But next time, I am thinking a night time 5k not a marathon (have no idea where she gets marathon from.)