SPINNING AND SPIRALING DOWNWARD

I made it to spin this morning on time. I chose a bike near the back because the people in the front are just so intense. A few more people filtered in after me but the class was only about half full. This didn't really seem to be a problem until the class started. The problem was that there was no one in front of me which for all intents and purposes meant I was the front row. Uh oh! I'm new to this spinning thing. I don't need to have the instructor having a beeline view of my posture, huffing and puffing, lack of proper form and the extra breaks necessary to keep me from having a stroke. I kept praying that more people would come as the class progressed. Where were the Barbies? Where were the athletes?

I did the best I could but to be honest, my best was not so good today. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't get up early enough to have breakfast or even coffee. Maybe it's because morning is not really when I'm at my peak performance. I'm much more energized in the afternoon. Maybe it just wasn't my day. But whatever it was, spin kicked my butt today.

As usual, the room was dark and the disco ball was spinning. My shoes, headband and sportsbra were glowing from the black light. This made it easy for me to spot myself in the mirror and observe my lack of good posture. Robin, the instructor, played lame (in my opinion) 80s music today. Is there anyone (besides Robin, apparently) who likes this stuff! Oh, gosh, I'm starting to sound like an old woman!

Now, Robin is an amazing specimen of a woman and normally her energy and stamina is enough to motivate me to work myself into a spinning frenzy. Today… not so much. I worked hard though, believe me. Once again, we peddled ourselves silly all while punching, reaching, climbing, rowing and then peddling one leg at a time. But today, I found myself mocking Robin in my head. At one point, she said something about getting ready to jump. I'm thinking, "Jump! There's no jumping in spinning!" (said in my head like the line in A League of Their Own). And dang if she didn't hear me because we didn't ever do anything that resembled jumping. This scared me because now I'm thinking Robin has super powers and can hear what I'm thinking. And my thoughts were not all that kind. I was cranky, unmotivated and just plain rebellious. Another problem was that as I mentioned earlier, she could see me clearly. So while she may not have been talking directly to me, it sure seemed like it. She kept saying things like, "Pull your stomach in.", " Straighten your posture.", " Move, move, MOVE!" and "Faster, faster!"

So now, I'm worried that with her apparent super powers she can hear my mental replies to her commands. I'm thinking things like, "Listen, here, skinny b*tch!" and "I AM moving, are you blind!" and "Maybe if you didn't have this lala music to a crappy beat, I might be more inclined to pump it up a little more".

The class concluded, I thanked Robin for a great class (because I'm polite like that) and walked out feeling a bit defeated.

I think I'm PMSing.

And to add insult to injury, I walked into MHS's office upon my return home and he said, "Man, you don't look good." Thanks, JackASS.

DECISION 2008 – HELP!

Daddy always said never to discuss politics or religion. "It's a good way to lose friends." That being said, here we go……

As our presidential election draws nearer, I am becoming more frustrated every day. I am not a political thinker. (A fact that will become more evident as you read further) As an American citizen, I appreciate the privilege and feel it my duty to cast my vote come November 4^th. I have tried to do my homework but with each article I read, interview I watch, commercial I see, I am becoming more and more confused. I liken it somewhat to coming into the middle of a movie with a very complex plot. I feel like I just can't catch up. I'm missing half the story.

After careful consideration of all my options, I registered as a Democrat at the age of 18 because well….uh…..my parents were Democrats. However, I am not a loyal party member. I have always voted for the individual I felt would do the best job. (Sorry, Daddy) That decision has never been harder for me than it is in this presidential election.

Some random thoughts on the decision at hand:

• I have no problem with an African-American president. If it's the right person, I wouldn't care if he or she had green skin with purple nose hairs. (It would be hard to take him or her seriously but wouldn't they look great in high-def?)
  
• I have no problem with a woman president. I do however feel that it is an insult to the intelligence of American women to assume that we will vote for the McCain/Palin ticket simply because there is a woman on it.
  
• I watched both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Based on their speeches, I would vote for all of them. Senator McCain doesn't have the charisma of his running mate or either party on the opposition but still I heard his message and liked what I heard. The problem is that I don't believe any of it. I'm not saying they don't have good intentions. I just think that once in office, it becomes much harder to follow through on the promises made.
  
• I think that when the parties spin their version of the "truth" and the media bites, we are left distracted, dazed and confused.
  
• It bugs me when I hear people, friends even, say they will vote for one or the other based on one issue. I have Christian friends that will vote Republican only because of the pro-life position. Don't get me wrong, I AM a Christian and I am pro-life (personally) but we will leave that discussion for another day. My point here is how much of the president's job is centered on that stance? Does that mean I would be good presidential material? Now isn't that a scary thought!
  
• I have other friends who will vote Republican because they are gun freaks enthusiasts. And here's where I'm at risk for losing friends on both sides. I believe we have a right to bear arms and MHS and I are regulars at the gun range. Never mind that in order to "bear my arms", in an emergency, I would have to find my cell, look up the safe combination, ask the "perp" (learned that on TV) to wait just a minute, open said safe, load the magazine into the gun and then …. Ready, aim……better run, Mr. Bad Guy. If you are said bad guy, this section was written for the purpose of entertainment only and in reality my "piece" is ready and with me at all times. And now I've lost half of you.
  
• On the other hand, I believe that it was really too easy for us to obtain our guns. I have to assume if it was easy for us, it's easy for anyone including Mr. Bad Guy which is why you can't turn on the news without hearing about a drive-by shooting, robbery or some other sinister and devastating tragedy. So, clearly we need more restrictions. And there goes the other half.
  

Anyone still there? Anyone? Oh, there you are. Confused, just like me? Well, read on and maybe together, we can create world peace, conquer the world figure this out.

• The Obama camp is all about change. Well, I'm all for that. I definitely don't want four or Heaven forbid, eight more years of the same. The question for me is; will things really change? And if so, will they be the right changes?
  
• The Republicans want us to believe that John McCain is a better choice because of his military service and the fact that he was a prisoner of war. While I have great respect for his service to our country and the sacrifices he made for us; does that alone make him the best choice for president?
  
• I have to say that I admire Sarah Palin for even entertaining the idea of being the VP. She is undoubtedly a better woman than me. She is just a few years younger than me, has a brand new baby and is running for office. I am quite certain that if I had a baby today, I would lay it down somewhere and forget where I put it. I am in awe. And I salute you, Sarah! (oops, make that Governor Palin!)
  

When D1 was 13, she told me that, "The problem with you, Mom, is that you want all the skies in your world to be blue all the time. Life just isn't like that." Well, isn't she just a little SMART MOUTH! So what if I'm a bit of a Pollyanna. I say, GOOD FOR ME! What the hell is wrong with that!

I want what I think everyone wants. Here are just a few of the blue skies I would like to see in my world:

• Affordable healthcare
  
• Outsourcing jobs to other countries stopped, incentives for industry to stay in this country thereby creating/keeping jobs here.
  
• A college education available to every student that is willing to work for it.
  
• Help the needy in a way that doesn't perpetuate the problem.
  
• A strong military with good, strong leadership. (If this blog doesn't die today, I might just elaborate one day)
  
• Economic RECOVERY (Well, duh)
  

I could go on but I think that I've probably said enough already to alienate most if not all of the readers of this blog. The blogosphere is full of posts with very definite opinions. So, I figure this is as good a place as any to get some much needed answers to my ever-growing list of questions. So, readers: I'm on the fence. Tell me why I should vote for your guy. Feel free to tear me down (gulp) or build me up (I can dream, can't I?) Or are you as confused as I am?

Go ahead. Make my day!

HOLDING MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE

A week or so ago, I walked into the local supermarket and witnessed a little boy hopping onto the scales. He was very excited as he told his father, "Look, Daddy, I'm 40 pounds!" All I could think was "Oh my gawd! I have to lose a four year old!" Well, I'm pleased to say that after a change in diet and exercise, I now only have to lose a three year old.

It was about six weeks ago that I started this blog. I was mortified motivated by the proclamation of my physician that I was indeed no longer a spring chicken. After I recovered from the shock of that statement, I sat myself down and made a list of goals and then posted them on the internet for all the world to see, thinking that maybe this might help to keep me on track. So in the spirit of accountability, it's time to see just how far I've come.

The original goals listed were as follows:

• Lose weight or grow taller – no luck on the growing taller but as of this morning, I have lost a total of 13lbs. (more than 25% of my weight loss goal)
  
• Improve my fitness level – I've taken up spinning classes and I'm still trying to make it back to iron bodies. I find that while I have been working out at the gym independently for over 2 years, a drill sergeant instructor motivates me to work harder and challenge myself.
  
• Lower my blood pressure – Turns out that the blood-pressure reading was most likely a false high brought on by the utter excitement (NOT) and anticipation of my lower-body inspection.
  
• Eat a healthy diet and practice portion control – I started the South Beach Diet, (loosely) I stay in phase I because I never seem to make it thru the two weeks without cheating. If I wasn't losing weight, I would tighten up my restrictions but I prefer to be strict most of the time and have fun on the weekends. Almost daily, I visit Kalyn's Kitchen for recipe ideas.
  
• Lose weight (I thought it might help to list this one twice - Sometimes I need a reminder, it's that mental pause thing.
  
• Blog all about it – obviously.
  
• Define myself as "at that age when……I am energetic, fit, healthy and lovin' life! – I may not be there yet but definitely working in the right direction! Step by step, I'm gettin' there.
  

I've learned a few things along this journey too:

• Readers have told me that I inspire them with my little successes and determination.
  
• I don't need chocolate as much as I thought I did. (At least most of the time)
  
• Friendship is not about geography.
  
• I can still be a foodie and make healthy, delicious dishes for my family.
  
• When I go on a diet, MHS loses weight!
  
• I really need to invest in a better, more supportive sports bra if I plan to continue to spin. You want your legs to go at the speed of light but not your uh, well, you know. It's not pretty. Recommendations, anyone?
  
• The support and encouragement of friends and family is key to your success. So, friends, care to join me on this quest for fitness? It's more fun with buddies!
  

I MISS THE COWS

The state road that leads to our rural community is a scenic route. On the north side of the highway is a lushly landscaped golf course. The south side has an even more elaborate landscape that surrounds a gated country club community. It's really a sight to behold. But for all its glory, I miss the cows.

You see, when we first moved to this area, the view on our ride to and from home included cows on each side of the road. Sometimes the cows would be visible on one side of the road and over a small hill on the other side where you couldn't see them. It always seemed that if you could see cows on one side, they were missing from the other side. At one point, I had D1 and D2 convinced they were the same cows and they crossed the road while they were at school. They believed me until they tried to share this theory with friends. (That little devil in me keeps me from getting that mother of the year award every time.)

There was a really great sign at the beginning of the cow pasture. It was hand-painted and written in red. The sign read, "If you're gonna cross this field, you better be able to do it in 9.9 seconds because the bull can do it in 10." I loved that sign. No matter how many times I saw it, it always made me smile. A clear case of you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl. We've lived in South Florida for almost 28 years. It is a thriving metropolitan area. Two country kids from Indiana thought they found their little piece of country heaven when we found this neighborhood. But day by day and bit by bit it is disappearing. The roads are getting wider. The stores are getting bigger. Some call it progress. I say PROGRESS, SCHMOGRESS! I miss the cows.

So Grateful Sunday

I am blessed. Truly. And today I would like to take the time to count my blessings. I've declared today SO GRATEFUL SUNDAY. It might appear next week or I might forget all about it. But today I am counting my blessings.

Of course no blessing count would be complete without acknowledging my biggest and most cherished blessings: My Harley Stud, Daughters #1 and #2, my parents, my siblings, My Daisy, my inlaws (all of them), Mayzie and Pixie, my very large extended family and of course last but not least my friends. Those are a given.

While I am always grateful for the afore-mentioned blessings that make my life complete, today I am counting the simple joys in my life that add a little kick and make it interesting. (at least to me)

1. The sound of my coffee maker. It has a built in grinder and sounds like a 747 is landing in the kitchen. I love it.
   
2. The smell of fresh mown grass.
   
3. My convertible. This is the best time of year for a top-down drive. (At least when there is not a hurricane brewing out there)
   
4. The inlet. One of my favorite places to go. MHS knows if he wants to make me happy, he can take me there and all the stress just falls away into the water as I watch the boats come in and go out, count crabs on the rocks, and peer into the fisherman's buckets to see their catch of the day.
   
5. My ipod. Oh, the places it can take me when I completely zone out and tune in.
   
6. Blogging and the new friends it has given me.
   
7. Cooking for friends and family. It's usually good too. But even when it's not, we always have a good time.
   
8. My neighbors' nanny goats. They make me smile.
   
9. Nanny Goats in Panties. She makes me laugh. Even though sometimes I have no idea what she is talking about. (Yeah, I did it. I ended a sentence in a preposition. I'm a rebel like that sometimes. But I'm Hoosier-born. It's in my blood)
   
10. FSU football and the 2-0 stats we have so far this season. GO NOLES!
    

    
    

What are the blessings for which you are grateful today?

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

I would like to thank Thistle, whose post prompted me to create "So Grateful Sunday".