Can It Be Done?

Here is my To Do List for the next 2 weeks:

This week:  Practice Piano for church

                  Prepare talk for church

                   Feed the missionaries on Saturday

                   Start cleaning for In-laws' visit

                  Farrell's every day

         Make wedding shower invites for a friend

 Next week: Continue cleaning for In-laws' visit

     Practice cello for church

     Prepare lesson for Young Women

     Make Visiting Teaching appts.

     Make B-Day gift for Young Women

     Help friend frost 200 cupcakes for wedding reception

     Take the girls to tennis clinic every day

        Entertain in-laws (who I love, by the way!)

     Go to Nauvoo

     Cheer for Hannah at her triathalon!!!

     Farrell's every day - 1 WEEK TO GO!!!!

All this in addition to feeding, clothing, teaching and entertaining the children.......

ANYONE WANNA HELP????

    

 

When Life Gives You Lemons......

This is Sam's 10th day alone.  His sisters are in New Mexico without him, and he is very, very lonely.  He got tired of being bored, and asked me if I'd like to meet his new friend.  He then brought out from behind his back Mr. Lemon - which he created to keep him company until the girls return!  (His original face came off because he used a pen, so I helped him re-do it with a sharpie!)

Here they are sharing a nice cold beverage together.

And playing in the doghouse.....

And watching tv....

All in all, he has learned how to make the best of a bad situation.  Good job, son!  Don't worry, the girls will be home soon!

p.s.  the text in this post has gone all wacky and I have no idea why! Why is it underlining things and turning them blue???  And why is the spacing different between each photo?  It didn't look like that in the preview.  I guess I need another tutoring session from Shanna.

Success...AT LAST!!!

Well, as many of you know, today was our 5 week testing at Farrell's.  The big half way point.  I had every intention of walking out the doors when the scale didn't move in a downward direction. ( The coaches, however had NO intention of letting me do that!!)  So here are my results:

Weight:  SAME!!!  Not one pound lost in 5 WEEKS - ugh. 

Body fat:  36.3 %  -  That's DOWN 3.3 % !!!!!!

Inches lost:  4.25  -  2 of which was from my waist, 2 from my hips!

Push ups:  35 - more than DOUBLE what I could do 5 weeks ago!!

Sit ups: 28 - nearly TRIPLE what I could do 5 weeks ago!!!

Mile run: 10.5 minutes - that's ONE FULL MINUTE LESS that 5 weeks ago!!!

All in all, success.  The weight thing still boggles the mind, but all the trainers assure me that it's normal, especially in women.  But with all the other numbers going in the right direction, I have decided to stay on for the full 10 weeks, and do so with a much better attitude! Something is working - and I will choose to believe the staff when they tell me that from this point on things will happen much faster and that the lbs should start dropping.  So do I feel like Wonder Woman yet?  Not quite, but I know that I'm a lot closer than I was 5 weeks ago.   

p.s.  I'm glad I didn't have to heat Laura's big speech that she had all prepared for me - something about "how could I commit to our salon if I couldn't commit to a 10 week gym program...?"   She may have had a point!

How Do I love Thee?

You are looking at the greatest tennis player of all time, my secret boyfriend, Roger Federer.  Isn't he beautiful?   Today he won the French Open and as I watched the emotional trophy presentation ceremony,  I became a little teary-eyed, as if I knew him personally.  Here are all the reasons I love Mr. Federer:

1. He is so smooth!  Just look at this photo...yummy!
2. He is the most graceful player I have ever seen.  He makes it all look so easy - never even breaking a sweat as he faces hours long matches.
3. He always keeps his cool. He never has outbursts (like McEnroe or Djokovich) and even when things aren't going his way he presses on until the tide turns in his direction.
4. He accepted the French Open trophy today in a speech given in both french and english, and could have thrown in some swiss-german if he wanted.  Again, smooth!!
5. His backhand is a thing of beauty.
6. He is not afraid to cry.  He cried when he lost Wimbeldon to Nadal.  It was heartbreaking! He has cried when he has won too, including today. I cried a little too.
7. He is now tied with Pete Sampras for 14 major slam victories - the most of any player ever.  
8. He has now won all 4 majors  - French Open, Australian Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon, on all surfaces.  He is a machine!!
9. He accepts defeat with incredible dignity - always giving props to his competetors and giving them the credit they deserve.
10. And last but not least....HE IS BEAUTIFUL!!  I will watch him play any day, in any match.

And now, I will leave you with some photos for your viewing pleasure.  Ladies and Gentlemen, Roger Federer.

I'd Rather Stab Pins In My Eyeballs!

So, the question I've been asked is, "How is Farrell's going?"  

For those of you who don't already know, Farrell's (FXB from now on) is my 10 week exercise program that is sheer TORTURE!!

Here we are at the end of week 2, and I am desperately trying to see some results....is my butt still as dimpled?  Are my arms still flabby?  Do I still have boobs on my back?  

And the answer is - YES to all!!   No measurable progress at all!  WHAT IS THE POINT?????

Here is a summary of the events of the last 2 weeks:

Fitness Testing Day nearly killed me.  "Before" photos taken in a bikini, sit ups and push ups were counted, and the dreaded one mile run was timed.  Weight and body fat percentage were recorded as well.  My stats are as follows (and I am ONLY posting these numbers so that at the end of this hellish journey hopefully you will all be witness to the incredible progress I have made):   Weight:  175.5     Body Fat:  39%      Sit ups/min: ???  I think the number was around 12, but Laura and I got the giggles pretty bad, and you cannot do sit ups while laughing uncontrollably.    Push ups/min: 15    Again, this number is questionable.  I got down to the ground many  times and collapsed.  Although I got back up eventually, I don't think I did but 2 or 3 real push ups.   Mile time:  11.5 min

Armed with these tragic results, we began the journey that will last for the next 10 weeks.  Mon, Wed, Fri is cardio kickboxing.  If you have not yet tried this, I highly suggest that you avoid it like the plague!  It is hard, it makes me sweat like never before and it makes my face turn a deep reddish purple color that does not go away for hours.  Highly embarrassing! (This was also the cause for our case of the giggles during the sit up test which came AFTER the mile run on testing day.)

Tues, Thurs, and Sat are resistance bands.  I see these days as a break.  While it is still very hard, and definately responsible for most of my soreness, at least my face remains a normal color and there is very little sweating going on.  We rotate between upper and lower body on these days.  Legs KILL!!  Arms KILL!!  I was unable to lift my arms above my head or walk up the stairs without whimpering - and still am for that matter.  When does all this get easier?

Then there is the diet plan.  6 small meals a day, with equal parts of protein and carbs at each meal and all the veggies you can eat.  No sugar or artificial sweetener (hence my breakup with Sonic) and 100 oz. of water every day.  I feel like I'm drowning.  Water makes me gag - literally.  I hate it.  And just as I get a bottle down, it's time for another one.  UGH!

So my coaches assure me that it's normal not to lose weight right away.  There are several factors that lead to this.  ONE - I have gone from NEVER exercising to hard exercising 6 days a week.  My body is in shock and it will take a while for it to get with the program.  TWO - I have gone from drinking NO water at all to 100 oz. a day.  I am retaining it until my body learns to flush it out.  THREE - after a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits, my body thinks I'm trying to starve it and is storing every bit of food I put in it for fear that it won't get enough.  After a couple of weeks this too will change.  They have told me not to weigh myself every day (but I can't help it!  I'm looking for any small drop that may come!) and that by the 5 week weigh in I will see significant changes.  It takes time to adjust to all this at once.  Plus, muscle weighs more than fat, BLAH, BLAH BLAH!

Here is my plan.  If at 5 weeks I don't see changes that make me happy, like baggier pants, smaller numbers or smaller body parts, I will QUIT!!  This is waaaaaaaaay too hard to do just for fun.  When I was on Weight Watchers, I lost nearly 8 lbs in the first 2 weeks, and I wasn't exercising at all.  So the plan would then be to get back on Weight Watchers and walk every night.  Easier, cheaper, and probably better results. 

In conclusion, I think my body is rejecting this kind of severe program, and I am more than a little upset at the lack of results.  I hope that I have the power to stick to it until the end, but I'm not making any promises.  I just want to be skinny for our cruise in September - and I hope I find a way to accomplish that goal! 

Dear Sonic,

This is the hardest letter I have ever had to write.  I never thought I would have to say these words to you, but I'm afraid it's over.

There are some things I just have to say to you before I walk out of your life forever.  First I want you to know that it's not you, it's me.  I have to make some changes in my life right now, and I can't be dependant on you while I do that.  You are the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning, and sometimes even the last think I see before I go to bed at night.  Your styrofoam cups and crushed ice have become a part of me and it kills me to think about what my days will be like without you.

Your sausage breakfast bistro has been at times the only "real food" Sam has eaten during the course of the day, and I have to say that this break up will be just as hard on him as it is on me!  But for the sake of our health we just have to make a clean break.

I will miss seeing Rashelle, whose smiling face appears through your window each morning, as well as all the others who know me by name and cheerfully pass me my Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper each day, sometimes twice!

If it's ok with you, we can still have a few days together so that our parting will not seem so sudden.  I'm sure that from time to time our paths will cross - you will always be my weakness and I know that I cannot live without you forever.  But for now I have to do what's best for me, and that means exercise and a healthy diet.  I'm sorry!

Thank you for all the hunger you have filled and the thirst you have quenched in me.  I will miss you more than you know......

I Have My Mother's Hands

The past few years I have noticed one alarming thing about my hands.  They are beginning to look just like my mother's hands (sorry, Mom.  Don't be mad.  It gets better!)  They have the appearance of a much older woman - loose, wrinkly skin. Old lady hands. This has bothered me, as I don't want any part of me to age, especially parts that are so visible to the rest of the world!   I apply hand cream liberally each day, trying to stop the clock, but it's not working.  I will never have long, lean, smooth fingers again.

Today during church, I was examining my hands and thinking about the similarities between them and my mother's hands, and instead of feeling disappointment or sadness, another feeling swept through me, and I began to cry.  The feeling was gratitude.  As images of all the things that my mother has used her hands to do and to teach me, I began to feel lucky that this is a trait we share.

I have seen my mother's hands help build our house and make it into a home.  Her hands have cared for her children, made us dinners, cleaned our rooms, sewn our clothes, bandaged our boo-boos, and wiped our tears.

Her hands have cared for the elderly, served countless church members and neighbors, brought meals to friends, helped care for underprivileged children in another country and even helped those who have passed away be prepared for burial.

Her hands have played the viola and taught us to love music, lead choirs and clapped in accompaniment as we presented concerts and dances in the living room as children.

Her hands have taught me how to sew and crochet, and also shared these skills with my daughters.  Her hands have made blankets, shawls, hats, scarves, booties, and beautiful lacy runners that have found a home in the temple.

Her hands are worn because they have spent a lifetime working and serving others.  As I examine my own hands and notice the similarities, I count myself lucky to have something that reminds me of the legacy of service that my mother has given me through example.  And I hope that I can live up to that legacy.

And I am grateful today to have my mother's hands.