Saturday, July 30, 2005
Progress this week
Over the last 2 weeks I've lost 3.2 lb, for a total of 49.6 lost! I was hoping to hit 50 lb today, but alas, it will have to wait until next Saturday. I feel pretty sure I can do it by then, anyway. I am staying on track really well, and I am excited to get my 50 lb magnet very very soon!!!
Back from vacation
OK, OK, so I've been really bad about posting. Sorry!!! Maybe no one reads this anyway, so I could be just talking to myself :).
I'm back from my trip, and Calvin proved to be quite the traveler. He was great in the plane and in the car, much to my relief. We had a fantastic time visiting my grandma & seeing my aunt as well as my friend Laurie & her family. Will post a couple of pics here in a minute.
Now that I'm back the laundry has piled up and I have just managed to finish that and also get some work done in the lab. The house is still pretty dirty, but all in good time I guess. I'm still very tired from the trip and looking forward to my weekend (Sun-Tues) to recharge.
I went to something called "Sunstone" yesterday - it's a meeting of Mormon intellectual types. My friend Mark was presenting a paper called "Mormonism as a Form of Hyper-Arminianism", which was quite interesting. I'm too tired to discuss it at length right now, so I think I'll just post pics from my trip and go to bed. When I get a chance I will discuss it more and also will review the book "A Different Jesus", which I am just about done reading, finally.
I'm back from my trip, and Calvin proved to be quite the traveler. He was great in the plane and in the car, much to my relief. We had a fantastic time visiting my grandma & seeing my aunt as well as my friend Laurie & her family. Will post a couple of pics here in a minute.
Now that I'm back the laundry has piled up and I have just managed to finish that and also get some work done in the lab. The house is still pretty dirty, but all in good time I guess. I'm still very tired from the trip and looking forward to my weekend (Sun-Tues) to recharge.
I went to something called "Sunstone" yesterday - it's a meeting of Mormon intellectual types. My friend Mark was presenting a paper called "Mormonism as a Form of Hyper-Arminianism", which was quite interesting. I'm too tired to discuss it at length right now, so I think I'll just post pics from my trip and go to bed. When I get a chance I will discuss it more and also will review the book "A Different Jesus", which I am just about done reading, finally.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
In Iowa
Well, we made it! We had a very (blessedly!) uneventful trip from Indianapolis to Keokuk, where Calvin and I are visiting my grandma. Calvin was a dream traveler today - he slept most of the trip, and when he wasn't sleeping, he was playing contentedly w/toys. We stopped once, for lunch and gas, and then were on our way again.
Everyone here is thrilled to see Calvin. We hung out w/my grandma and my aunt Sarah tonight, relaxing and chatting. Sarah seems very taken with the little guy, and says he is her first "great-something" (he's her great-nephew). He adores her in return, and he was making his happy "growling" noises at her. Both she and grandma think Calvin will be walking in 4-6 weeks. We'll see... I'm not sure I'm ready for this!!
I'm very very tired and Calvin may wake early, so I'm going to sign off, for now.
Everyone here is thrilled to see Calvin. We hung out w/my grandma and my aunt Sarah tonight, relaxing and chatting. Sarah seems very taken with the little guy, and says he is her first "great-something" (he's her great-nephew). He adores her in return, and he was making his happy "growling" noises at her. Both she and grandma think Calvin will be walking in 4-6 weeks. We'll see... I'm not sure I'm ready for this!!
I'm very very tired and Calvin may wake early, so I'm going to sign off, for now.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Busy day ahead
I'm getting ready for a trip to Indiana to visit my friend Laurie. While I'm there, I'm going to rent a car and drive to Iowa to see my grandma, too. I am very excited to see everyone!!! Meanwhile, it's very busy here getting ready. I am cleaning the house a bit so it's not a total pit for Loren while I'm gone. I have to do laundry so we have some clothes to take w/us and so Loren has some to wear while we're gone. I need to stop by AAA and get some maps. I absolutely need to find time to exercise. I have to go to the music store and pick up some music for a couple piano students, and I'm teaching from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm today. Whew. I'd better stop typing and get moving!!!!!!!!!!!
Costa Rica photos
I'm finally getting around to posting some of my mom's best pics from Costa Rica. They're amazing!!!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Progress
This week's progress - another 1 lb lost! Total so far: 46.4 lbs!
People are really starting to notice, and it's great. Fortunately, I am still not satisfied with where I am at, so there's lots of motivation to keep losing weight. I'm about halfway there!
People are really starting to notice, and it's great. Fortunately, I am still not satisfied with where I am at, so there's lots of motivation to keep losing weight. I'm about halfway there!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
"A Different Jesus?"
I'm reading a very interesting book right now, called "A Different Jesus?" by Robert Millet. He is an LDS (Mormon) author who has caused a lot of controversy in the evangelical community by publishing this book with Eerdmans publishing house. Anyway, I decided I had to read it, and I plan to put a review of it on my blog soon (I hope!). It's basically an attempt by Millet to explain LDS Christology for evangelical readers, and he hopes we will discover that the Jesus we believe in is not so different from the LDS Jesus. So far, I am not even close to being convinced of that, but I can say that I have a fuller understanding of LDS Christology. It's certainly a fascinating read, in any case. I will post more details later - I promise! I have lots of little margin notes that are just begging to be blogged, but I really want to finish the whole book first.
Here are some links to some of James White's blogs (warning: they're a tad polemic in tone!) that show the controversy that's going on:
Here are some links to some of James White's blogs (warning: they're a tad polemic in tone!) that show the controversy that's going on:
I'm a slacker, I guess
I was being so good about posting every day to my blog, and now look at what I've done! I haven't posted since July 9th! Is that possible? If I have any faithful readers, I'm sorry... if not, well, then I've only disappointed myself.
To be fair, Calvin has been up to a lot lately. A LOT. In the last week, he has learned to 1) pull himself up to a standing position, 2) open drawers, 3) open cabinets, 4) climb stairs). Let's just say that mommy has to be extra vigilant these days.
To be fair, Calvin has been up to a lot lately. A LOT. In the last week, he has learned to 1) pull himself up to a standing position, 2) open drawers, 3) open cabinets, 4) climb stairs). Let's just say that mommy has to be extra vigilant these days.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
This week's progress report
Almost forgot to blog about my WW meeting today. I lost another 1.6 lbs, bringing the total to 45.4 lb, which makes me feel great! I have only 4.6 lb to go to get my 50 lb magnet, which is really exciting, since that was my next goal. Then I get to set a new goal, probably for my 75 lb magnet. If I continue to lose weight at the rate I've been losing at, I might be at my final goal by New Year's, which would be great. But if not, that's OK, because I'm on the right path now and feeling great. This is truly a program that I can live with AND that Loren can live with, so it's a lifelong journey for me. I'd still like to have a goal to strive for, but if I don't make it by then, I know I will make it eventually. I have had it with the old lifestyle. Yes, the food did things for me - it is an addiction that I will always have to fight. But what it did for me came with a price that I no longer want to pay. The guilt of knowing that I was abusing my body and dishonoring God by so doing became an intolerable burden. The first week that I was on the program, I felt 100% better even though I had not lost any weight yet. I just felt that a huge weight had lifted off of my shoulders, and felt free from the oppression of my addiction. I still feel that freedom, and more than anything, I want to glorify God with my body. So, I continue the hard yet very rewarding journey that I began on February 5th.
Lost in the music
I had the privilege of hearing my former teacher, Steve Thomas, play at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square tonight. He performed Bach's French Suite in G Major, 3 selections from Brahms' Op. 116, and 5 pieces by Chopin. The repertoire was perhaps a little "lighter" in feel & in mood than what I'm accustomed to hearing him play (except for the Brahms), but it was superbly executed. He wears his heart on his sleeve when he plays, allowing the mood, colors, and subtleties of the pieces to come out in full. I found myself more than once getting lost in the music; it brought me to a state where I found myself reflecting on deep things in my own personal life, and I realized I need to take more time to do just that (not easy with a 9-month old, but necessary). Of course, the Brahms was my favorite - I've heard him play it before, but I can never get enough Brahms. All in all, it was just great to get away for an evening and have some time for reflection.
Calvin was pretty tired and fussy tonight, and Loren was such a good sport about taking care of him so that I could attend the concert. We got him to bed too late last night after the Steve Miller Band concert (Calvin was at the babysitter while we attended the concert) and so he's been sort of "off" all day. We need to cultivate some teenage babysitters who will come to OUR house to babysit, so that he can fall asleep in his own bed. The concert was good, except for the extremely obnoxious and drunk fans who danced all over our blanket (we were in lawn seats) and disrupted our personal space. However, once we moved farther back, it was much better. I wish we had started off sitting in the back! For me, the Steve Miller Band was entertainment, but listening to Steve Thomas was real music. Ahhhh....
Calvin was pretty tired and fussy tonight, and Loren was such a good sport about taking care of him so that I could attend the concert. We got him to bed too late last night after the Steve Miller Band concert (Calvin was at the babysitter while we attended the concert) and so he's been sort of "off" all day. We need to cultivate some teenage babysitters who will come to OUR house to babysit, so that he can fall asleep in his own bed. The concert was good, except for the extremely obnoxious and drunk fans who danced all over our blanket (we were in lawn seats) and disrupted our personal space. However, once we moved farther back, it was much better. I wish we had started off sitting in the back! For me, the Steve Miller Band was entertainment, but listening to Steve Thomas was real music. Ahhhh....
Friday, July 08, 2005
Thursday, July 07, 2005
ahhhhhh, sleep!
Calvin is going to sleep earlier now and sleeping longer. He usually goes to bed by 8 or 8:30 and sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. It's really GREAT to not only get a good night's sleep, but also have some free time in the evening to read, do the dishes, catch up on bills, or do whatever. I am also enjoying getting a good night's sleep most nights (except when I stay up too late!).
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
This bike trailer ROCKS!
We got a bike trailer for Calvin in May, because Loren and I both enjoy biking, and could not go together w/o getting a sitter. That had to change - so we got the In-Step Quick n Lite trailer (Pacific Cycle). It totally ROCKS! It holds 2 kids and up to 100 lbs, and also has space to store stuff that the adults want to carry. It's got a rain fly and a window in the back to allow air circulation throughout. It folds and fits in the trunk of the car, and has a small front wheel to allow use as a stroller when you reach your destination. It was on sale for only $109 at Target - what a bargain! We bought an extra coupler so that we can quickly switch back & forth between Loren's bike and my bike. When we ride together, Loren pulls him, and when I ride alone, I can take him. So, tonight we took a ride to our local Baskin-Robbins because I was having a craving for peanut butter & chocolate ice cream (OK, it's 8 points a scoop, but totally worth it!). I did 40 min of aerobics earlier today, and with the bike ride, it added up to the 8 points, so it was guilt-free!!! We all enjoyed the ride and now little Calvin is tucked in his crib. He cried a little, but fell asleep pretty quickly - he's getting pretty good at soothing himself to sleep within 5 min or so, which is fantastic. I think Loren and I are going to enjoy a movie now, while the little one sleeps :)!
Calvin's first blowout... wheeeeee
Calvin had the most scary diaper blowout this afternoon... he was in his crib napping, and I was napping too. When I woke up, he was awake and only a little fussy, but he had brown stuff all down his leg. He was smearing it all over the crib, his toys, his clothes, his hands, his face. Wheeeee that was fun to clean up. I threw him in the tub, and then when he was clean I threw all of the dirty linens and toys in the washing machine. I had to wash the stuff twice to get it all clean. The mess was spectacular, but at least it's over now. I'm just glad it didn't happen in the car, or in an airplane, or somewhere like that.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
We did it!
Lisa and I actually finished the evil workout from hell today. In our weight training class, the instructor (who is really very good!) gave us a very difficult workout last week, and we were unable to finish it. But today, we busted our collective behinds, and we actually finished the WHOLE THING. We were very very very tired at the end, but WE DID IT!
Abode Z Commodes in Costa Rica
A poem my dad wrote about the
Abode Z Commodes in Costa Rica
An Ode in Very Free Verse
Dedicated to the memory of W.C. Whatshisname. (We do that in Loo of admitting the name of anyone else who comes to mind when contemplating this subject.)
The First Place: (Pronounced Ah-la-whale-ah)
The water ran and ran.
Shake the handle, Shake the handle, Shoo!
The Waterfall Place: La Paz (Translated as “peace”, but the stairs were stress!)
Made you want to go…but 712 stairs stood in the way, each way.
Huff the handle, Puff the handle, Poo!
The Second Place: Down by the Oceanside (but monkeys, no whale)
The water wouldn’t flow, fast or slow.
Shake the handle, Shake the handle,Too!
The Soda Place: Served on a Rocky Road
Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to flush!
Find the handle, Find the handle, Nooo!
The Third Place: A Quaker Village in the Clouds
The throne room was SO small, wish I could, wish I might!
Twist for the handle, Turn for the handle, Oooh!
The Cloud Walk: Eight Bridges in the Jungle Canopy
Paper was a second can citizen!
Lid the can, Don’t Can the Lid, Phew!
The Fourth Place: A Quaking Village On a Volcano
The potty burped when the volcano burped!
Rattle the handle, Rattle the handle, Boo!
The Fifth Place: ‘Twas also the first.
Déjà vu all over again.
Shake the handle, Shake the handle, Shoo!
As for the Taps,
Usually there were two, but only one….a conundrum!
Turn the knob, Turn the knob, Phoo!
And that is the glorious ode to our commode.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Calvin is 9 months old!
Above is a picture from Calvin's 9 month old b-day! He played in our new pool with his friend Nayra. Then Nayra and her mommy Valerie stayed to have dinner with us. Calvin fell asleep before the fireworks, but that was OK w/mommy & daddy.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Sippy cups & such
Well, Calvin impressed the heck out of us today - he drank out of his sippy cup all by himself. Wow. He looked around at us, seemingly very pleased with himself and waiting for our approval. Of course we cheered him on. It's so fun watching him discover new things. I really had no idea how great being a parent would be. I never thougth of myself as the maternal type, and mostly was just annoyed with other people's kids before I had my own. Now I am fascinated with them. It's very weird, this change I've undergone.
Now for the "and such". Today I enjoyed a morning walk with the dogs around the local park, and then we were off to church. We visited Mt. Olympus Pres, our old stomping grounds, and it was really great to see some old friends and visit a while, as well as meeting some new people. My friend Dorothy invited me to go on a bike ride with her and her college-age daughter tonight, and Loren said he'd watch the boy, so we made plans. After an enjoyable lunch (I actually got to enjoy the Sunday paper while Calvin played) we went to Target to get a nice Eddie Bauer pullman carry-on that was on sale. We're going on some great trips this summer and this will help out a lot. After a brief detour at Bryan & Sarah's house to drop of some photos for them, we came home and I made a dinner Loren actually DID NOT LIKE. Rare, but it happens. It was Chicken Tandoori Wraps from the Weight Watchers web site, and I liked them OK, but Loren was definitely not into them, so he ended up eating leftover spaghetti from last night. He did the dishes for me (lots of brownie points there!!!!!!!!!!!) and then I got to go for that great bike ride while he put the boy to bed. A very satisfying day, I must say.
On another subject, I'm thinking my parents are getting back from their vacation in Costa Rica tonight. I hope they had a great trip - I'm looking forward to hearing all about it.
This has been totally random, and if you're still reading, you must be really bored or crazy or inordinately fascinated with my ordinary but good day. So, I think I'll stop rambling now and enjoy some ice cream with those activity points I just earned!
Now for the "and such". Today I enjoyed a morning walk with the dogs around the local park, and then we were off to church. We visited Mt. Olympus Pres, our old stomping grounds, and it was really great to see some old friends and visit a while, as well as meeting some new people. My friend Dorothy invited me to go on a bike ride with her and her college-age daughter tonight, and Loren said he'd watch the boy, so we made plans. After an enjoyable lunch (I actually got to enjoy the Sunday paper while Calvin played) we went to Target to get a nice Eddie Bauer pullman carry-on that was on sale. We're going on some great trips this summer and this will help out a lot. After a brief detour at Bryan & Sarah's house to drop of some photos for them, we came home and I made a dinner Loren actually DID NOT LIKE. Rare, but it happens. It was Chicken Tandoori Wraps from the Weight Watchers web site, and I liked them OK, but Loren was definitely not into them, so he ended up eating leftover spaghetti from last night. He did the dishes for me (lots of brownie points there!!!!!!!!!!!) and then I got to go for that great bike ride while he put the boy to bed. A very satisfying day, I must say.
On another subject, I'm thinking my parents are getting back from their vacation in Costa Rica tonight. I hope they had a great trip - I'm looking forward to hearing all about it.
This has been totally random, and if you're still reading, you must be really bored or crazy or inordinately fascinated with my ordinary but good day. So, I think I'll stop rambling now and enjoy some ice cream with those activity points I just earned!
Saturday, July 02, 2005
It's Saturday - progress!!!
On Saturday mornings from 7:30-8:30, you'll find me in a Weight Watchers meeting. Every week, we have weigh-in and I love it, because I get to see how much weight I've lost! So far (since February 5th) I've lost weight every week, from 0.4 to 7 lb! This week I lost 2.0 lb, for a total of 43.8 lb. I'm hoping to lose another 1.2 lb this week so I can get a 5 lb star next week. It seems silly, that a cheapie gold star on my cheapie paper bookmark can mean so much to me, but it really does. That bookmark (5 lb) has 7 stars (35 lb) so far, and I want to make it 8. It's quite motivating, because I get to stand up in front of the group (100+ people) and tell them how much I have lost so far, and they all cheer a LOT. It's great. Food is such an addiction, and I am learning to find new rewarding things to replace it with.
Here is a before pic (click photos to see larger):
A pic taken on our 12th anniversary (June 26th):
Here is a before pic (click photos to see larger):
A pic taken on our 12th anniversary (June 26th):
Friday, July 01, 2005
Weight training
I've been trying out a new form of exercise lately - weight training. I started it because Weight Watchers recommends some resistance exercise as part of a weight-loss regimen. The idea is to keep as much muscle as possible while losing weight, and lose fat instead of muscle. I started the class on May 19th, and was very sore the first week. Then I adjusted and typically was not too terribly sore after a workout (except my abs... the instructor kills us every week!). This week, though, we got a new workout that is just killing me! My friend Lisa (who is taking the class w/me) and I have a superset workout where we switch back & forth doing opposing muscle groups with no rest inbetween. It's killer... and we still have yet to finish a workout! My calves were so sore I was limping along all week. However, I am still excited to keep going because I EXPECT TO SEE RESULTS! I'm hoping by the time I get to my weight loss goal (about 50-55 lbs more to lose) that I will be very toned (read: look good in a little black dress!). Meanwhile, no pain, no gain.
Well, I finally caved...
...and started a blog. I decided that it was time to start putting some of my thoughts out there somewhere. Why? Because I can. Because you are reading this. Because I just wanted to. So, here it is!
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