Sunday, December 28, 2008

New Workout Routine

After doing the evaluation on the Wii and then one 15 minute workout, I have inconveniently discovered how completely out of shape I am. My calves are killing me and I can really fell the pushups I did. I'm trying to decide if I should take off today or do another 15 minutes with the workout coach. I know it will get better as I get stronger and that the first couple weeks are the hardest.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Photos from the Six O ride







Here are some photos from the Six O CTR. I'm buying several of these b/c I like them so much. The photographer is Jim Edmondson and the website is

Optical Harmonics

Love Cleaning house? Not so much

We are in the midst of our annual rearrange and cleaning today. Every year we try to figure out how to better use our 1400 square feet to best use the house to it's max potential. This year, the room I had set aside as a music room/massage room is getting made over into Peter's man cave. He is going to take his models and his hobby materials in there which will make less clutter in the office that we spend the most time in. It will mean I don't have a room to give massages in, but I think I have done 2 all year at the house, as I really prefer to do housecalls. So, we are shifting, cleaning and moving stuff around. The end result will be good, but right now we've kicked up a lot of dust.

On the positive front, we heard from a restaurant worker at a place closeby (across the street from the new stadium) that the stadium people had been in to buy up their place. They have already bought one restaurant and torn it down, and another has been purchased. The word was they want to take out the whole section. Boy, I hope so...my biggest fear is that the stadium and parking lot will be in our backyard. The first block only has 2 occupied houses. We are just waiting for them to move onto us.

Friday, December 26, 2008

New wii Workout

Peter got me the Wii Fitness coach and we set up our fitness profile. Mine, was pitiful...well, actually, it said I was in pretty good shape, aside from being overweight. So newly armed with a goal of 175 and 15 minutes 5 times per week I guess I'm starting to whittle away at this thing.

Maggie has been having trouble with her heel and I may be getting her some insoles for her shoes soon. What a drag for a kid to have trouble with their feet.

Marley and me

Maggie and I went to see Marley and me today and it was great. Of course, it had a sad ending, but it was a cute movie up to that point. I saw in the opening credits that Kathleen Turner was in it and didn't realize what her part was until it was over. I never would have recognized her from the Kathleen Turner of the 80's. Sigh...I guess we all get older.

The movie was especially poignant because Willie, our old dachshund, is coming to his end. He is 14.5 years old and has begun to have trouble climbing up the little bed stairs we bought for him in the summer. He fell off the other night while climbing up. He has trouble remembering where he is supposed to go to the bathroom and he has developed a funny lump, that I am afraid is a tumor on his back. I have an appointment to take him to the vet tomorrow (if they can work me in) but the lump has grown in the last week from being barely noticeable through palpation to being fully visible. I'm just so sad at the thought of losing him, but also know that eventually all pets are left behind and I'm prepared to take care of him properly.

Tonight we have created fitness profiles in our new Wii fit game. It's called Wii Personal coach and it has developed a fitness program for each of us based on our profile. It has me starting with 15 minutes 5 times per week. I will do that, but I am also going to start adding some classes at the Y with Maggie as well as going into work out. Frankly, I just have to increase my exercise time. I'm obviously only capable of controlling my eating just so far, so I have to work out more. I am just so tired of being large. I don't want to go another year this size, even if it means that I give up foods I love and have to exercise (which I don't love so much) I'm going to be doing a 50 on Liberty in a year or two...but not at this weight.

Day after Christmas

I got to sleep late again today. That was so nice! I will have to cut it out next week though. I have so much to do while we're not working. I have stuff to clean and I want to not be whipped when I have to go back to work.

I am oddly not missing work...well, I would miss the money, but I'm not missing going out each day. I'm trying to change my Monday schedule b/c Shawn's schedule has changed and there isn't anyone to get Maggie each Monday afternoon. I would like to still do an afternoon group, but if I went in later and did an early afternoon group I could still pick up Maggie from school and they would have the group. My work is so opposed to change though...I'm not sure I can talk them into it. Of course, picking up my daughter is so much more important than 4 hours at the nursing home. Yes, I could probably find someone to pick her up, take her to the Y, etc. And, if I have to, I will, but I'm a little frustrated by the lack of communication when I have made such an important request. Oh well, it's the holidays, so I guess no one checks their emails.

Maggie and I are going to see Marley and Me in a little while, and we hope to go ride this afternoon if it's not raining. Then I will hope to come home this evening and finish sewing Peter's chef's pants.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

A Wonderful Christmas



This has been a great holiday. We started our Christmas late this am. We had gone to church at midnight so we didn't get to bed till really late, hence no early morning for us. We looked in our stockings, which contained items my mom sent us (Santa Grandma) and my dad sent us a few things. I started playing with Maggie's flip video camera and recorded most of our present opening, however, when I unloaded the videos to the computer, I evidently forgot to save them properly, so all our tributes to Santa Grandma got lost. sigh. Peter did take a lot of photos, so I will have them later and I will video Maggie trying on all the cool clothes she was sent.

My best gift today was the video here of Peter riding with me and Maggie! We had such a great time. Then we ate Chinese food. Then we came home and Maggie played with her new Wii game, Wii cheer, and we watched her. I also got a Wii game called Wii Fitness Coach, that will make me a workout to do each day. Since I am trying so hard to get more movement into every day, it's one more part to my arsenal. Now we're watching White Christmas, which is something I have done almost every year since I was 12. While watching White Christmas I looked around on Itunes to see if I could buy the soundtrack to it because I love the songs so much, but it evidently was never released due to the contracts of the stars at the time. You can get a CD which has some of the original artists singing the songs from the movie, but it's not an actual soundtrack album. This was disappointing, but at least now I will quit looking for it.

I had it easy this year for shopping. We made the conscious decision earlier this fall not to buy (or receive) a bunch of presents, so our holiday has been a lot more mellow than usual. There has been no frantic shopping, which I have really enjoyed. I did decided to sew a few items for Peter and Maggie...mostly that didn't get finished but through the whole process I managed not to get worked up about it. As a result, Peter got his cool chef's hat, but not his pants, though they are in progress and the chances are pretty good he'll get them soon. Maggie was going to get a purse made out of brightly colored fat quarters, but that didn't happen either. And I was going to make Maggie a shirt, but no such luck. Lucky for me, I have a very understanding family, and for the most part, they would rather I not flip out trying to get so much stuff done.

We had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve with Shawn and Alexa at his house. He made a standing rib roast which was very good, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes and I made 7 layer salad. Peter made Creme Brulee for dessert...all tasty stuff. Then we went to church, Shawn included, and Peter and I played music for the preludes section of the service, 30 minutes before the service began. Pastor Cathy evidently really enjoyed our music and has asked us to play something for Epiphany sunday in a couple weeks. So, we will have to get practicing.

Tomorrow, maggie and I are are going to see Marley and Me at the Movie Tavern and I will trim the horses's feet if it's not raining all day. I'm taking Fiera to my friend Teresa's house for a couple months to get her weaned and give her more room to run, and I need to do her feet before I leave her there. Liberty's feet area also pretty long, but I'm hoping after I ride him at Teresa's I can rasp them a little and not have to work at it so hard...also since it's supposed to rain, it will soften everyone up. I will need to buy a new knife and rasp soon. The rasp is getting old and the knife was never all that good. Then Sunday Maggie and I will head over to Teresa's to spend the night and ride. I have to work on Tuesday this week, but that's the only day. If the weather will hold, I hope to ride to the park at some point in the next week.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

I never seem to find time...

To blog these days. I feel inspired to write at odd times but not when I sit down at the computer to write. The weather has been yucky so I don't have anything horsey to post about.

My horse has decided to run away from me whenever I bring out a halter. He thinks it's great fun. Me, not so much. I think we are getting along well enough. He just seems to have fun running.

So that I don't let this become old news I will post now. More to come when life calms down.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Family Christmas

We went to dinner with Peter's parents tonight. They are in town visiting for Christmas, and Stacy, my sister in law thought it would be fun if we went out and did something together instead of just hanging out in the house. It was great fun and the food was fabulous. We went to the Gaylord Texan riverwalk Cafe which was a bistro buffet style and it was really, really good. It was expensive, but tasty. We also looked around at the lights and Peter took a lot of photos. I ate too much, so I'm sitting up waiting for my food to digest before laying down for the night. After dinner, because the Gaylord was so crazy busy, we went to Starbucks to open presents. My MIL made most gorgeous quilt. I will post a photo. It matches Maggie's room perfectly. It turned out so nice. and Peter's dad made her a box to keep all her ribbons and photos in of her horse adventures with Dixie.

I got a great leatherman tool coupled with a sharp knife which will really come in handy and a polar fleece horse throw. Peter got a really neat quilt his mom made him as well.

I had a longer post started, but didn't finish about the CTR (and it's been a long time since I've had time to post) I didn't get to post about this, but last weekend Maggie and I went to the CTR and she got 1st on her horse and I got 2nd on mine. I also placed 2nd in horsemanship and she placed fourth in horsemanship as well. I'm taking Maggie to a bunch of rides this year...she might even win the division on this horse.