Focusing on the Positive

After my last hopeful happy post, the universe has decided that it is a bird and I am a statue. This has not been my week. And now this morning, after a mostly sleepless night, I woke up to Ann Coulter. Now, politically speaking, I am really pretty easy going. I see both sides a lot of times and don’t get overly worked up about a lot of things, however, SHE drives me insane. I know she goes to the extreme to get press and to sell books, but UGH!

Instead of going into other whiney details though (and trust me, I had a long list of them), I am going to focus on the positive which is that my new bike shoes are going to be delivered today! Which means my bike is going to go to the shop to get tuned up, get its new pedals on, and have all of the new cleats and adaptors put on that make this whole set up work. Hopefully they can get it all done so I can take it out this weekend.

I have my first race this weekend too. It is just a little two mile run but it is a nice way to start out the year. I am not expecting any great feats since I have had a yucky cold for the last week and have basically been a bum, but I am still looking forward to going. And I bet I still have a better time per mile from my last race! That is one of the nice things about being super slow; it is always easy to improve!

New Year!

I kept thinking I would get around to writing something meaningful about the end of the year and the beginning of the new one. Since nothing brilliant and inspiring has come to mind I thought I should list some of the things I accomplished last year and then go on to goals for next year.

Accomplishments:
1.Starting a blog and actually keeping with it. This was not my first blogging attempt. There were many others that were abandoned very quickly. This one stuck!

2.I finished my first sprint triathlon! I honestly thought the whole time that it would be something I thought about, discussed with some people, and then back out of right before. Actually, I thought that I would back out all the way up to standing on the edge of the pool waiting to go it.

3.Rode my fastest time ever biking 100K. I had to be done by a certain time to get to another event and apparently that was enough motivation for me to really put the pedal to the….well pedal.

4.I was happier. This should have been #1 but I just realized it. Sure, there were ups and downs but as I look back over the year, it really was great. I did several of the things I set out to do, I had fun doing everything, and overall was just happy. Yeah, the economy sucks, but it will all be ok in the long run. My job is good, my friends are great, and I am very blessed.


Ok, I am sure there were several more things that I accomplished, but you get the picture. Now for goals:

1.Continuing running and swimming to get faster and be more confident.

2.Do all of the local sprint triathlons and consider the local half.

3.Be a better friend. I love all of my friends but I am guilty of putting them off to do other things because I know that they will forgive me if I blow them off. I am going to try to realize that they are as important as gym time and horse time and make an extra effort to balance better.

4.Continue on with that happiness thing. I think that works well for me.

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Years! I am looking forward to reading about everyone’s accomplishments this year! I am going to leave you with a portion of an email I got this morning about stress that really made me stop and think.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?'
Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20oz.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.'

'If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.'

'In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.'

'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. '

'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.'

'Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested.

Life is short. Enjoy !'

Personal Saddle Warmer

So even though I am not riding my bicycles very much right due to the cold, it is very sweet of the demon kitty to keep the seats warm for me in case I do decide to brave the cold! This is one of her favorite places to sleep and hang out and I think it is funny to walk in and see her stretched between the two bicycle seats!

Happy Merry Everyday

Ok, this is to all of the people who chastise me for saying Happy Holidays. I am sorry, but while I do celebrate Christmas, there are plenty of people out there that don't, but do have other events that are equally important to them. I have never had someone who celebrates Hanukkah stop and correct me and say, "No, it is not Happy Holidays, it is Happy Hanukkah!".

Am I wrong or isn't this supposed to be the season of love and peace? Not to mention the fact that I consider New Years a holiday too so don't I have the right to wish someone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's at one time? Do I have to specify which holiday I would like to wish them happiness for?? Maybe I am being too liberal or trying to be too PC but I am really tired of being chewed out when trying to wish someone well! I do think that we need to focus more on family and friends and the overall reason for the season instead of the consumer driven things that surround us, but surely there is a better way to handle it!

Anyways, no matter what you celebrate, or if you don't celebrate at all, I hope everyone is able to experience a little joy in their lives this season. Don't worry, to all of those who continue to correct me for what holiday greeting I use, I will still smile and wish them the best. Happy Merry Everyday!

Things I Have Done

Thinks I have done are in BOLD. Feel free to copy and post!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (as much as a man can)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

One Stroke at a Time

Sorry for the lack of blogs lately, however there has been less time to report with and even less activity to report on! The one thing I have managed to get in is my swimming lessons and I really feel like those are really making a difference. Tonight was a tough night because we did a lot more actual swimming than just working on strokes.

It was tough realizing that when it comes to swimming, I am totally in craptastic shape. It was hard not to get bitter as after a few hundred yards the coach told me I was dragging my arms like I was tired. Now, she is a totally sweet girl and said this with full innocence and luckily I was too busy gasping to make some biting comment back. Instead of getting frustrated though, it just makes me more determined to schedule in more time to get in the pool. I did learn to do flip turns which will while that seems routine to most people, is a total blast for me to do. It makes me want to get to the end of the pool just so I can do one! Simple minds are always easily amused.

Another thing that is making a huge difference in the pool for me is the new goggles I got. My old ones leaked and fogged up so I never wanted to wear them. After doing some research, I ordered the Speedo Vanquish goggles and not only do they not leak at all, but I have not had them fog either. It amazes me how such a small change can make my swimming so much more enjoyable!

I have also been working on what races I plan to do next year. Right now the list is very long with everything I want to do, but I am sure it will get shortened considerable after reality sets in!

Livestrong-Join Team Fatty TODAY

In case you have not seen it, please visit here and consider joining or donating! If you sign up today, there is a $15 discount! I joined and am going to be doing the Austin ride next October. If I was really clever, I would post my confirmation, but I have tried and can't seem to make it work so you will just have to take my word on it. Anyways, if you can, ride or run! If you can do so in Austin, that would be even cooler because then you could meet up with me!

In other news, our family run went so well, we are thinking of trying for a Christmas event! We had 14 come out for the run....8 two-legged and 6 four-legged.