GOT MY MOTOR RUNNING.. I FOUND MY ADVENTURE.. HEADED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY....

SO sorry.. having a moment in my mind... awesome rockin perfect road trip... check my flickr site for pictures in the sidebar and also look on my blog link for TWO WHEEL TALES click over there for my post on the trip...

HERE we shall talk about my ehmm.. uhmmm not ideal eating ... it was not very good nor was it particularly in my interest.. I meant well.. but well its done over and I am not a purger...

SO .. Friday night we were anxious to get there.. stopped to stretch.. and stopped at a JACKS Hamburger.. ( whoever thought up the slogan.. YOU'LL COME BACK BACK BACK TO JACKS JACKS JACKS.. has a serious crack addiction.. and I am not just talking the drug.. that person is an asscrack) ...the food.. if you could call it that was horrible... yeah I know .. so Honi... why on earth did you eat it???.. because we were there and I was hungry.. okay.. geezz... thats why .. I ate what was disguised as a hamburger ( I LIKE MINE WITH LETTUCE AND TOMATO , HEINZ 57 AND FRENCH FRIED POTATOS A BI.... oops sorry I listened to my IPOD to much today... (JIMMY BUFFET- CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE) ... seriously I like my hamburgers with lettuce tomato and a little ketchup.. and occasionally mustard.. I dont know what in the hell I ate friday night.. and yes I did indulge in what I thought was french fries.. 4 of them .. then I was scared because I noticed they had some orange powder freak me out scary looking neon stuff on them.. YIKES.... so we left praying we would not get sick... THE next morning.. our hostess Sandi at Angels Landing Bed and Breakfast is a doll she is one of these rare individuals who really understands the value of good health combined with good food.. she made us a spinach and egg dish for breakfast with flax seed and apple muffins on the side.. plus sliced strawberries...that was devine.. no one got sick or felt greasy or smelled yucky Saturday morning... it was a great way to start our day off... We rode... walked around... for a while and decided we were hungry.. BIG MISTAKE.. we ate at an AW place good diet root beer . bad on the bellies food.. I wont even go there suffice to say it was bad.. and it got worse from there.. we went to a street fair.. Steve got a chilly dog.. I had a bite.. we bought pumpkin cookies ( they were about the size of golf ball with a glaze on them) ... I ate 2 and a half... we walked more.. ) then we came back to the B and B.. rested for a while.. and went out to dinner.. we went to one of our favorite places.. ( usually eating the same thing... and its always heavenly).....SHOEBOOTIES.. it was HORRIBLE.. at first.. we thought we were in for a treat... started with a great NEW appetizer fresh mozzerella on top of thick sliced tomato on a crustini cracker drizzled with a little olive oil and garlic and basil.. not a bad start.. I ordered grilled trout... and a salad and baked potato plain... The salad was fine.. I keep my dressing on the side and dip the tines of my fork in it so i can have a little dressing with salad... I took all the crutons and red onion off my salad and ate it... the trout came.. it was TOO SALTY I ate some but could not eat it.. Steve had a steak.. this one was horrible.. dry as a bone... I think we were both too surprised to even call the waiter back plus we were tired having ridden over 200 miles on the bike that day... and doing a lot of walking.. When we got back to the B and B we went on another walk we did do a lot of walking so I should be proud that even with the not too good eating we did exercise... ... then we retired for the night.. dissapointed that our great meal .. was lousy.. and we decided we would not go back there... Breakfast today was a WW meal.. that Sandi made for us .. rasberry hot cakes with light vanilla yogurt on top.. it was devine... she gave us some muffins to take with us to snack on on the road.. and that we did... lunch was subway sandwich.. so we did far better today than the last two days.. Dinner tonight was fresh home made real oatmeal ( 1 cup) with chopped apples, SPLENDA brown sugar and cinnamon and a splash of vanilla and two tablespoons of real butter.. ( REMEMBER THIS IS ABOUT 10 SERVINGS OF OATMEAL so thats not that bad for the butter) ... I make a big amount of Oatmeal and keep it in the fridge for breakfast or dinner during the week.. ( I use a 1 cup measuring cup and dole out the oatmeal that way during the week ) its quick and healthy and very filling... and stays with you a long time... so today we got back on track ... I made a seafood food salad with left over pasta to take to work for lunch tomorrow... so I am set for the next couple of days for lunch as well... I was overall a little disapointed in my eating this weekend... but.. the trip was great.. we did do a lot of walking and a ton of riding and riding in cold or cool weather you tend to have a fairly demanding appetite.. ... don't know why really .. I guess you are burning fuel to keep your body warm.. SO that was the weekend be sure and CHECK out TWO WHEEL TALES In the side bar to read about the trip..
Wish me well
Wish you well too...

BORN TO BE WILD.. and other Friday banter...

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way

Yeah come on I know you are singing it... though I love that song .. Steve and I fall in the cruiser category of motorcyclists... you know the ones.. the older cyclists ( and we are by no means old) who you pass on the highway in your car.. and you wonder.. are they NUTS?? or maybe even.. "I wish i could be doing that" .. so we are not the rough and tumble image of a biker couple that a lot of folks have an image of provided by our very thoughtful media.... people have such a misconception of what a motorcyclist is. In today's world you have a lot of riders that are doctors and lawyers.. and business folks who like to cut loose on the weekend.. You have crotch rockets ( speed bikes) and cruisers( folks who travel on their bikes long distance and also folks who love a good long sunday ride..... and retired folks.. its really an awesome very friendly community of people.. even those bikers .. you might think of as rough... can be some Amazingly awesome folk.. I guess it goes back to that.. you should never judge someone by how they look...

that's a perfect segue into...

MY FRIDAY RANT: IMPERFECTION is perfectly perfect....

FAT PEOPLE... hmmm funny how when you say those two words ...you can say them in a very detached way or in a very ANGRY way... People look at folks like us... they either are not affected or they think .. sheeesh look at that pig.. can't that person control themselves? what on earth does that freak eat to be that big? etc... etc... etc...

Sometimes these same folk feel as if they must remind us that we are large... GOD you are so FAT!.. who let the HOG out! ... you know.. if you would just watch your weight ... and my favorite.. YOU HAVE SUCH A PRETTY FACE... sheesh.. the funniest to me was when a doctor actually said to me once ( a bone doctor) You know you are overweight.. if you just would lose some weight I think it might help.. YA THINK???? sheesh...

HEY you guys... listen up... YOU ARE NOT HELPING ME BY REMINDING ME THAT I AM LARGE, PLUMP, FAT, BIG , CHUNKY, CHUBBY, SQUEEZABLE, TEDDY BEAR, ROTUND, ROUND , OR in general taking up too much space! If you want to help me.. DO NOT JUDGE ME LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN ONLY LOUDER
DO NOT JUDGE ME!!!!

FOR YOU.. yes.. YOU ...are not with out fault..
for you are just as fragile and weak as me..
for you are strong and smart .. so am I ..
for you have most of the same issues has I do...
for you and I are just a like in the most simplest of terms...
we each are HUMAN
...a complex creature filled with all types of anxiety, emotion, love, passion, hate, drama, joy, habits, issues, wonderment, illness, weakness and strength .... and ..
IMPERFECTION ...
imperfection makes us perfect..
perfectly human..
no such thing as perfection...wait.. thats it... THAT IS IT!!!!!!!! that really is it.. that line.. imperfection makes us perfect...
.. the IMPERFECTION IS WHAT IS PERFECT!!!!!!!
I have said that so many times before.... and for some reason.. now I really see it.. ( maybe its the big letters)....
...nothing is perfect but imperfection.. because it is always there... all of the time...in some form..

so please
stop judging me based on what you think I should or should not be...
I am waging my own personal war against myself NO longer... For if I battle myself.. while you bomb me with your words of how not right I am ...
then I have absolutely nothing...
my war is over...
so back off..

We all are in this tug .. this pull.. okay maybe it is a war...still.... with ourselves...
... we sit there and rip ourselves vicously apart because of the battle we wage against over eating... the scale , the clothes.. the mirror...
Each of us have our own arsenils loaded with weapons of mass destruction against ourselves..
words, games, starving ourselves... over feeding ourselves.. forgetting to nourish ourselves in the most basic of ways..
because we too have started to judge ourselves ... but we are HUMAN..... and like I listed above..
Humans are not perfect...
So put your weapons away...
Go look in that mirror... look at yourself...
nod...
accept what you really see...
and move on... the scale.. that little flashy thing with numbers.. its really not weapon of mass destruction.. its simply a tool to help guide you.. a tool that should never be misused.. FOR IT IS VERY POWERFUL.. yeah . you know what i mean.. You.. the one that gets on and off and on and off and on and off.. going to the bathroom.. getting back on... standing their naked in your imperfectly perfect body.. and wondering why you simply can not weigh less today.... use it wisely.. use the scale wisely and weekly... instead of every day... or if you need it every day .. only weigh once a day... use it as a tool.. not a weapon to bash yourself... You are not the sum of your pounds... you are the width and depth of your soul and compassion.. that is the real you...inside that physical you .... the one you see more often than the real you.... Use your tools... ban your weapons...
.. TOOLS...... We destroy with weapons... ( not really protecting anything)..but with tools.. we build... with faith.. we build.. with hope we build... with perseverance we succeed.
So .. as this Friday Rant winds down... I leave you with this simple thought..
Stop judging yourself... put the weapons of judgement away.. and use your tools of success.. you have them.. you really do have them... ( think weapons turned inside out... ) think negative thoughts turned into something positive... Let go of the judgement.. Look the other way when others judge you... and be true to what you want... GETTING HEALTHY .. both physically and mentally... and being strong....
Wish me well..
Wish you well too..
Get your motor runnin
'Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way

FEELING THE EARTH MOVE

OHHHHH I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!! In a couple of days I will be in the Mountains of N.C. Steve and I are taking a road trip and I can not wait... Finishing up laundry tonight so I can help pack the bike and away we go.. I will post a link to my TWO WHEELS TALE blog .. I will be posting there either Sunday or Monday and posting pictures from the trip I am sure.. This will be the first time I have had my new camera with me on a trip to the Mountains... which means we have not had a road trip since last October.. so this is perfect.. YAY... the weather should be.. PERFECT ... another YAY... its going to be fun.. and eating should be PERFECT too.... we are stayng at a great B and B and I will post all about it when I get back.. Our hostess makes wonderful healthy breakfasts too... so we are looking forward to that.. and there is a great restaurant that has wonderful fresh trout and salmon... so another healthy eating place... we probably will have dinner at Cracker Barrel along the way.. and yes even at Cracker Barrel you can make healthy choices... eggs and whole wheat toast is a good option.. and veggies that are not fried are good options too... We will get some good walking and flea market exploring in too.. I just hope we don not see any needful puppies.. thats always my weakness more than chocolate... 2 more days and then vacation for a couple of days.. YAY... then... full force focus for the wedding.. I do have my first session of PT for my neck on Monday .. PT Evaluation... then I have a visit with the pain psychologist next Thursday .. so lets see what happens.. Good news is .. at least I have a plan and feel more confident.. I talked with my cousin last night ... he has had major issues with his neck and back so I really trust his advice... and he said what I am doing is good.. but that as far as injections .. he nor anyone he has known has ever had marked relief from these injections.. and they are far more painful than the doctor's office will share with you... he explained to me a few things that I did not know too. So in the future I have a lot to consider... for the present though... taking a little vacation come Friday.. and then focusing on wedding stuff and continuing good health...
Wish me well
Wish you well too..

A QUESTION OF HEALTH

Before I get started today, I just wanted to thank each of you that emailed or commented on my last post thanks very much... I love those comments..
Hopefully the hair situation will be resolved either by Friday or next week at the soonest..and I am praying that my make up guy will do as he said.. BE THERE.. I am going to call him tomorrow to verify .. and then call him a few days before the wedding to verify again... I simply just do not trust anyone I guess LOL..
Now on to business... A QUESTION OF HEALTH ... Today I went to the Southern Pain Specialists. In hopes of developing a program to help relieve a good bit of my pain... I am starting with some PT for my neck and deep tissue massage and pool work. Then after the wedding should I need more help I will do the facet joint injections here is the link to the center so you can the choices I have. http://southernpain.com/

If I go the route of the injections these involve steriod treatment... and the major risk for me.. is weight gain.. because your appetite is increased.. Okay .. perhaps to most folks this would not be an issue when you balance the pain against the weight ... the side effects are temporary ... water weight gain is possible and increased appetite is a given.... these things.. for me.. right now.. are HUGE RED LIGHTS... I am not ready to go this route... I opted for the PT and also visiting with the pain psychologist to help develope better sleep habits.. My sleeping is always interupted by pain... ... Hopefully these things will help... along with weight loss.. and EXERCISE... I was told that if I have these injections it might put me in a better light to exercise minus the pain... so thats tempting.. but I would rather try and go with out any injections... YES I AM NEEDLE PHOBIC and we all know why... MYLOGRAM. ... I know the situations are different.. never the less I am not wild about needles of ANY size going in my spine any time soon... When I go so my regular doctor... in october for a check up I am going to ask what he thinks about this... as well... I know in my heart I have worked so hard to lose this weight... since January... and then I had that proverbial brick wall in June... still... I want to go the simplest route possible to continue losing weight... I know the folks at SPS must be good.. but I also know I don't want to do the needles not yetl.. just not ready... the idea of immediate relief sounds good even if it is not long term.. however, still the idea of steriods no matter how small a dose.. just bothers me still... and there are no guarentees of course either... ... BY the way I have been in chronic pain for 9 years and 1 month. So it has taken me a while to come to this point... Pain management while not a new field has new treatments and thats the area where these folks specialize in.. finding the nerves that cause the pain.
A QUESTION OF HEALTH incorporates not just my physical health but my emotional well being as well.. Over all I feel good ...minus the pain... I just want to get the next 50 off... thats what I want... ... Pain can be a huge road block... I try to go around it.. I try to go through it... Mostly I just deal with it.. they have said I was managing my pain well at the SPS. I just need to get this toned down a bit so I can forge ahead...
So thats where I am trying to just forge ahead.. ONWARD AND DOWNWARD..

Wish me well
Wish you well too

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

So.. I survived the holidays.. in tact.. in good weight.. yet a little amazed at my most recent eating experience.. We went to my aunt's as I mentioned in a previous post.. it was all my favorite foods.. Stuff I have one a year... I did as I said.. I concentrated on the salad.. I picked actually 4 things I really wanted and had very small servings of each. I was suppose to just do 2 I know.. but I was hungry... I stayed away from the bagels, the cream cheese and lox, I did NOT have the pizza or lasagna.. I stayed away from the tuna salad and other goodies.. I choose a perogie style potato (like a small turn over) a cinamon homemade danish, a savory strudel cheese slice, *not sure what you call it actually its so good...spinach cassarole ( elbow mac spinach and cheese soooo good) had a very small square and a very small spoonful of blueberry blintz cassarole. I also had roasted veggies as well. After dinner I chatted with my cousins and waited and waited to see if I was full.. then I decided I wanted some fruit for Steve and I to share.. I went to the table scooped out some fruit.. and I heard those cookies I love calling my name... I took two.. here is the clencher... I had a small bite of one and threw the whole one and the bitten in one in the garbage right away.. they just did not taste "worth it" too me all of the sudden.. I had no desire for them.. WHAT WAS THAT? what did that mean.. in the "old days" I would have eaten them and not thought twice about it.. but Saturday night they for some reason... seemed more important in my head and less important in my belly... I guess.. it was bizzare for me. .. So I survived it all. Food sometimes still baffles me.. I have to constantly work at making choices... it still never comes easy.. and I still have to plan.. and sometimes accepting that I have to plan my food for the rest of my life.. really seems unfair.. I would love to be a free eater like most people.. but apparently free eating and I dont't do well ... having a plan seems to be my best choice... which I guess in the long run is not a bad thing..

Wedding mini crisis: I found out that the girl who is suppose to be doing my hair for the wedding left the salon where she was at.. it happens to be the same salon one of my aunts goes too.. Apparently she walked in on Friday and gathered her stuff and left.. not saying a word to anyone... I have called her on her cell.. ( did that yesterday) ... left a message and am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt... but if I don't hear from her on Friday .. I have to find someone else to do my hair... I spent 2 hours in her chair coming up with the hairstyle for the wedding... and if she does not want to do it.. that fine with me.. JUST LET ME KNOW is all I care about... i was suppose to meet with her in Oct. for another run through... .. so I figured Friday was fair enough to hear from her... other than that.. things are going well.. wedding plans are chugging right along..
Steve was so awesome this weekend.. he helped me cut my plantable ( seeded paper) paper in squares... for my favors for the reception.. now I am atatching little cards to the squares of paper .. I hav hole punched little hearts in both cards and the paper.. and now am tying them together.. they look so cute.. I will post a picture of the favor soon... That is about the only thing in my wedding thus far that has turned out just like I imagined... sigh....
Oh well....
Wish me well
Wish you well too..

Something we all should see

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB119024238402033039-lMyQjAxMDE3OTIwMTIyNDEyWj.html please click on link and watch video...
more food for thought!

MY OWN KIND OF NORMAL...

I was taking my Friday meandering along the virtual sidewalk of the Internet... perusing some new things... I guess since my blog is mostly focused .. well .. on me... lol.. or on my struggle to get healthier and stronger...I have never really examined the other side of life... Anorexia... a universe so foreign to me.. yet so parallel... I opened some of these ( I will not post links.. all you have to do is google pro anorexia to be astounded at what is out there) sites and was well.. deeply saddened.. so many of these young ladies bragging about starving... so many of these young ladies with a warped perception of how they should be.. how they should look.. how they can control themselves when their world around them is spinning out of control... CONTROL... I know something about that... We who battle our body image.. know that founding tool of our weakness is control.. when we control our eating patterns.. when we control our exercise... when we monitor ourselves... we have a sense of control.. and in that form it is a very good thing.. yet CONTROL can be wickedly evil too... Our sense of self becomes lost... our sense of what is real and what is not become like the image in a fun house mirror.. what is real? we simply can not tell... I say we because those of us.. who wage a war on pounds are similiar in many ways to those who binge and purge and starve and destroy their bodies... they want control too.. they yearn for that control.. they think if they master control over their bodies.. and get down to the lowest weight possible.. then they will finally be NORMAL... so I ask myself.. whats normal? whats CONTROL on these two seperate but similiar universes... We on the Fat Planet ... are working to get thinner and stronger and better so we can live longer healthier lives... Those on the Anorexic Planet... believe they can never be thin enough... so they go to disturbing lengths to achieve what they some how believe is so important... they have developed some sense of CONTROL they believe... We believe similiarly that if we control our calorie intake.. and exercise.. we will lose weight and ... perhaps then the world will spin correctly.. perhaps then we will have finally achieved being NORMAL.... but what is NORMAL..???. I really think there is no normal.. unless you just consider what the status quo is doing as normal.. I really think in the kinks and twists of life.. there is nothing that would truely define NORMAL.. so normal.. would simply be.. what works for the individual.. the comfort place... the place where they achieve the most control... and fit into the mainstream of life... I really do not know... All of my life I have struggled with that... I was never.. status quo normal... not just in weight... but .. I had to deal with undiagnosed ADD, and a Learning Difference ... until I was 16( I HATE the term DISABILITY.... I AM NOT DISABLED) Life for me has always been a fight and struggle... but thats okay... I always knew I was not NORMAL by the mainstream. When everyone would go right.. I would go left.. I just never could quiet get in step... and that is all okay by me... I notice for example when I go to my synagogue that I am not like everyone else my age... I dont have kids.. I am getting married at 45... for the first time... I don't have the school zone issues... the clique issues... I am not part of any clique.. nor am I really part of anything.. I sort of circle around.. and land where I am comfortable.. and that works for me... So maybe I am my own kind of Normal..perhaps that is how I have survived all these years... I am not complaining.. I would not have my compassion or insight had I not lived this life of mine.. so I am grateful for my struggles ... I could have done with out the weight issue... I still wonder what it would have been like to be naturally thin... I still wonder what it would have been like to be a clothes horse... or been in the Mainstream "normal" world.. I do wonder about it... I guess in a way I sort of understand the pro anorexia people... though I think its tremendously sad. At least our battle .. each of our individual wars... should have positive outcome.. no matter how many times we have to fight the good fight... or get tattered and torn and stand back up again... we do it.. we continue and thats good...... those folks over there.. they will be lucky if they see their 40s... 50s and beyond... we improve ourselves.. they for the most part kill themselves... no offense to anyone mind you... its just the way I see it... In my own kind of normal world...

This evening begins the most holiest time of the Jewish year.. Yom Kippur... the day of atonement.. info on Yom Kippur: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur

One of the most major sins a Jewish person can commit is breaking a vow.. either a vow to God or a vow between one person and another... so at this time of year.. is when you ask forgiveness. The day before Yom Kippur you supposedly ask those people you have hurt for forgiveness and On Yom Kippur day that is when you ask God for forgiveness for breaking vows with him.. I hope that makes sense.. it was a pretty simplistic way to say something very complicated .. lol...
So on this day before Yom Kippur I ask for your forgiveness if I have hurt you in any way...

To my Jewish Friends... I wish you an easy fast and yummy break the fast .. and if you working on your healthy eating program.. its okay to have a knish or two.. just sort of be mindful of what you are doing... for myself.. at my cousin's house the menu is pretty much the same each year... SO I have a good idea of what I am going to do... Concentrate on the fresh fruit and salad and pick two things I only get this time of year... then after waiting 20 minutes.. if i am still hungry.. I will allow myself 2 cookies.. ( again a certain type I only get this type of year) Yeah I know I sound totally anal about it.. but better to have a plan then be planless...

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND !!!
Wish me well
Wish you well too

WHEN YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT MAKING EATING CHANGES THINK OF THESE THINGS AS WELL....(hint there is no magic pill)

For those of us who love fad diets... as for myself I long ago abandoned this route... but I did learn valuable lessons..



1- If a program says... eat only from one food group... thats a problem

2- If a program says .. your body does not need fats... thats a problem

3- If a program says... dry skin and hair loss might be a side effect... thats a problem

4- If a program says... you might have dizzy spells... thats a problem

What to think about when considering a Low- Carb High Protein Diet:

Increased risk of kidney disease
Bad breath
Dehydration
Nausea
Increased risk of heart disease
Mood changes
Increased risk of cancer
Poor endurance
Increased bone loss
Digestive problems
May cause gout
Nutritional deficiencies

Avoid all weight loss enhancing drugs..THEY DO NOT WORK EVER.. NEVER .. NO WAY.. you are losing water weight and muscle.. NOT FAT.. NO DRUG CAN REALLY BURN THE FAT off you..most of these drugs contain dangerous combinations.. that can cause seizures.. heart attacks and many other health crisis'

Avoid any diet that says... NO FATS at ALL..
There are healthy fats ( nuts, olive oil etc..) that are good for you... not every fat is a bad fat..
The authentic bottom line my friends..
There’s no magic weight loss potion ...no pill ... There are no magical foods or ways to combine foods that melt away excess body fat. To reduce your weight, you need to make small, achievable changes to your lifestyle. You need to change the way you eat and increase your physical activity.

Quote -from the Better Health
A great newsletter on good eating is Nutrition Action Health http://www.cspinet.org/nah/index.htm

So my friends..
AWAY WE GO .. Onwards and Downwards!!!
Wish me well...
Wish you well too..

Have you ever screamed so loud the room echoed???

Sometimes that is how I feel on the inside.. that I am constantly screaming at myself.. don’t eat that? don’t do that? are you crazy? I get so upset that I am so willing to torment myself over a choice I make.. Eating.. I make the choice to eat… I make the choice to eat healthy… I make the choice to eat not so healthy… yet let some purveyor of some false truth whisper in my ear… ( okay scream at me on my tv) … and I am right there listening to what I need to change about myself.. and if I would only stand on my head 3 times a day.. and eat prunes at every meal .. then I too can lose 99 pounds in 99 minutes… or more in less time ..if I am really good.
I was perusing the internet today and came across many a harsh article about some bizzare weight loss scam called KIMKINS.. full of bad advice… full of misleading information and full of crap. Yet those of us out there.. looking searching… hunting for something to push us along… we are attracted to such rubish like a moth to flame. Why are we easily swayed… why? why can’t we simply believe in the power of ourselves to change our own destiny..? Why do we believe that we are not in control of what we choose to eat.. ? why do we believe that a obvious scam holds all the answers.. when in truth.. the mirror.. ( the deep mirror not the vanity mirror) holds the answers.. we just have to bold enough to really look.. and really see ourselves.. weaknesses and all… brush that aside and have faith in ourselves.. that each of us.. can succeed by eating a nutritionally balanced program.. by exercising as much as we can with in reason.. by praising ourselves for our accomplishments on a consistant basis. That is really what the echoing scream should be. We can do this.. We can do this right.. if we believe and really want this.. want this change in ourselves… we can do this.. by our own might. By our own will and by our own outward effort..not by Kimkins… or slimkins.. or that kins or this kins.. but from deep with in ourselves.. surrounded by those who know the war… and love us regardless.
Wish me well
Wish you well too…

SO DID I HAPPEN TO MENTION WE ENCOUNTERED A RATTLE SNAKE

YEP.. I think I might have forgotten to tell you that.. Saturday when we took a great motorcycle ride.. The weather was perfect the road was perfect... we noticed heading towards us .. a couple trucks had stopped... in our lane we noticed something in the road.. at first we thought it was a puppy... and we were a little worried... as we approached, what we thought was a pup was actually about a 5 foot long rattle snake that had had its tail run over but was very very much alive... Steve edged closer and closer.. and I was .. well I was scared to death. what if that think tried to strike us.. ?? there was a car behind us that decided to pass us on the inside and ride right over the snake.. the least they could have done is killed the thing.. BUT NO !!! it was very much alive.. If you go to my TWO WHEELS TALE BLOG.. (link in sidebar) there are pictures.. What I could not figure out .. there was this man standing in the road about a foot away from the snake..we rounded the snake and I was so glad to be going once again leaving that creature behind us.. it still gives me shivers to think about it..
It has been a good week so far.. quiet which is good... Invitations went out yesterday.. and I pick up my dress in a couple weeks... things are going well.. 2 months from yesterday until the "showtime" so its pretty exciting... Been staying on top of the Thank you notes so that is good too.
Otherwise.. eating is going well.... We have been walking at least 2 times a week... and I am determined to get to the gym next tuesday and thursday. Hopefully we will get some good walking in this weekend.. Still waiting to hear from the pain clinic so hopefully that will happen soon too.
Hope all is well in your world..
Wish me well
Wish you well too...

PUP UPDATE and realizing that in 2 months ... Here comes the Bride..

I called the puppy people last night.. they only had one left... we opted out.. IF it had been the merle one we would have taken here or if it had been one of the tri color black pups... we should have taken one Sunday... so (heavy sigh) ... we are back to puppy hunting again... will keep you posted.... I know I know... wait until after the wedding and then get one.. yeah thats what I tell myself until this green or blue eyes look up at me and a little pink tongue kisses my nose.. or a little soft head snuggles up to me... Speaking of wedding invitations go out today.. wow.. in two months I will be SADIE SADIE THE MARRIED LADY... well.. Honi Honi the married lady but Sadie works better LoL... at least there... would all of my sweet blog buddies hold hands now and say a little prayer.. help Honi lose a few more pounds before the wedding.. Help Honi get off this plataeu she has been on for months.. Honi has maintained great.. no gaining.. but she really wants to head in the right direction now... she lost 30 pounds with virtually no exercise... help her to exercise safetly and with out injury... oh and help her not eat too much food at the wedding.. and help her not strangle someone before the wedding day BECAUSE NO BODY LISTENS!!!!!! ( sorry had a bridezilla attack) ... sigh....(moment of silence).. okay.. thanks so much guys for the little prayer...
Wish me well
Wish you well too..

HAVE I GOT A STORY FOR YOU!!!

Just look at these precious puppies.. yes... we are thinking about adding a new baby to the house... that would be number 3.. not sure if we will do it or not.. we went to the flea market in Atalla yesterday and did a lot of walking so that is good... eating was good too... and puppy love is rampant... not sure what we are going to do.. here is a peak at the pups!



Wish me well



Wish you well too...

A CUTE VIDEO FEATURING COOKIE AND BAZZIE

This happened a week or so ago.. gotta love those doggies...

Borrowed this idea : 43 THINGS

I heard about this website http://www.43things.com/ and I liked the idea so much I decided to sort of borrow it... okay I decided to steal it... Here is a list of the 43 things I would like to do in my lifetime in no particular order :

MY 43 THINGS

1. Lose weight ( hmm that makes sense)
2. Become comfortable in healthier self that enjoys exercise
3. Sing in public again ( I have not sung in public since my Dad died 6 years ago)
4. Write a book
5. Write more poetry
6. Learn to knit ( I have always wanted to do that but not sure if I have the patience)
7. Learn more recipes
8. Get more organized
9. Get one car of my dreams regardless of expense (.. anybody know a good lottery I can win??? )
10. Tour the country via motorcycle
11. Go to Israel
12. Go to parts of Europe and visit Holocaust museums
13. Become independently wealthy ( again.. anybody know any good lottery I can win?? )
14. Spend more time with Family
15. Spend more time with Friends
16. Get married ( am pretty close to doing that one)
17. Plant more than just tomatos next year
18. Be less quick to judge
19. Exhibit more patience with my mother.
20. Be more understanding
21. Tell people I appreciate them more often.
22. Completely read a book
23. Strive for Happiness
24. Strive to be positive
25. Listen to music more
26. Play games more
27. Be around children more
28. Go to more concerts
29. See more Broadway plays.. (have not seen one since 1999) last time I was in NYC
30. Take all the old family VHS tapes and put them on DVDs
31. Go back to the Mtns of N. Georgia, and Tenn ( we should be doing that soon I hope)
32. Stay in closer contact with my nieces and sisters
33. Try not to be too cycnical
34. Once I reach goal keep all my weight off
35. Drink water and learn to love it
36. Volunteer
37. Help other to achieve lifestyle goals, more specifically to lose weight and maintain weight loss.
38. To be strong
39. Watch more sunsets and less TV
40. Watch more sunrises
41. Work with children again
42. Be understanding
43. Be a good wife.

SO FAR , SO GOOD

Well, Wednesday night did not go bad at all.. I concentrated on the salad, and then I picked 2 things in the buffet my aunt set up that I really enjoyed... I had some sweet potato cassarole and 2 sweet and sour meat balls, ohhh and the one thing I did not count on that I had.. my aunt makes great matzoh ball soup... YUM YUM.. I did have a small bowl of that too.. Yesterday at lunch. I again concentrated on the salad.. I did have a little to much of the challah ( bread) and I had corn pudding, squash, a taste of Kashi with bowtie pasta .. a taste of jello , a tiny fried chicken wing. 1 egg roll ( small) and 1 mini hotdog in a pastry wrap. ( she had appetizers) again I over did it on the challah .. and I had a bite of dessert this chocolate mousse (non dairy) (they keep Kosher) creation that is sooo good. I had some fresh fruit and crackers later in the evening . My eating was not horrible.. a little carb heavy but not to bad.. We went to Sams yesterday after everything just to walk around ( it was raining out) ...so I at least got some good walking in.. and no sample food tasting lol... It should be a fairly quiet weekend... all we have going on is the tasting sunday at the country club.. I think we might try to ride a little this weekend too if the weather is nice.. It has been raining pretty hard here since last night... We did not pull the garbage bins up the driveway ( yesterday was garbage day) when we got home yesterday and consequently one of them was in the middle of the street this morning and the other one had gotten washed down the end of the block.. I had to pull that back to the driveway and the pull both the bins up the hill before I left... This morning I went to get gas in the car before work.. I filled up.. and I was at this very bad intersection.. i could have gone the long way back to the office but I thought nope I am just going to take the chance I can cross over ... well.. as I was thinking about all of this.. there was a Cadillac SUV in front of me.. a nice truck driver let him pull across one of the lanes.. well apparently the guy in the next lane next to the truck was not so nice.. he was in an SUV.. and he just kept going.. the Cadi and the Black SUV collidided.. I covered my eyes just as impact happened and opened my eyes to see the guy in the black SUV backing off the Cadi... so I went the other direction and ended up going the longer way . my office is on the same side of the road as the gas station but crossing over the intersection when traffic is heavy and trying to make a left is next to impossible... so I went the long way back to the office... I felt bad for those guys... when I pulled into my office.. I could see the two wrecked vehicles.. did not see the police yet... I was so thankful that no one was hurt.. and that was not ME.. which it very well could have been had that Cadi not been in front of me to get out of the gas station. ...
Otherwise its a rainy yucky day outside... and very quiet here...
Well enough rambing....
Have a super weekend!!..
Wish me well ... Wish you well too..

HOLIDAY CHOICES- The KEY is in the PLANNING...

Tonight I go to my aunt's for a heavenly dinner.. so I ask myself.. what do I do .. whats the strategy .. what do I eat...? do I treat today as a normal eating.. (YES I have so far) and then treat dinner as a normal dinner... what special foods will I want there.???.. that I don't get any other time of year...Truthfully, I better prepared for Yom Kippur break the Fast at another Aunt's.. I know exactly what I am going to have.. ( the menu is pretty much the same each year) and what I will skip.. but tonight and tomorrow for lunch after services.. I am in a bit of a quandary.. I think I will concentrate on the salad tonite.. and then pick two things that I really want and have a little of each.. there will be fresh HOT Challah bread.. ( egg bread that is wonderful and made with raisins for the new year a sweet new year) I will have some of that both tonight and tomorrow.. I will keep my meal eithier small on the big plate or see if i can use a salad plate for dinner ... thats all I have worked out.

If I don't plan for it still... I MESS UP ROYALLY... I should be okay with the desserts.. both today and tomorrow.. they usually have never bothered me...

Next Saturday is Yom Kippur.. we fast from sunset fri. night to Sun set on Saturday.. sometimes I make it .. sometimes I don't... We have a fabulous dairy meal... egg dishes savory cheese danishes .. blintz cassarole and all sorts of once a year goodies..... I have planned that meal to the tee already.. I can see the table in my head and I know what to do.. again concentrate on the salad.. picking 2 of my favorites .. and I will have 2 of these wonderful cookies.. that I love.. now should the meal be different .. then I have a problem.. but year after year its always the same.. so that is a VERY GOOD THING... Okay do I sound terribly anal..??? yes. I know I do.. but to me the key is in the planning..
L'shanah Tovah ( Happy new Year)
Wish me well
Wish you well too..

CRASH BAM BOOM!!!

You know.. technology and I have had a love hate relationship for years.. So this morning.. around 5 30 a.m. I decided to check my wedding website and add some info.. MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN something has happened to it.. apparently the server is SUBB... so my site is here one second gone the next.. I decided to just do a Wedding blog instead.. you are more than welcome to visit it.. Its going to take a while to build.. as this website took a couple weeks.. damn fool thing.. I guess thats what I get when its free... I must say .. Blogger is fairly dependable and you usually know when it will be down... http://honiandsteve.blogspot.com/ there is the link if you want to take a peak..
Otherwise all is well.. I had a great work out session last night.. I walked and did the sitdown stair stepper thing.. ( I have no idea what the official name of that machine is.. and neither does anyone else ) One of the trainers helped me develop some gentler versions of sit ups on the balance ball.. and also how to do some squats with out hurting my knees... using the ball against the wall and leaning against it.. then slowly while pushing back against the ball doing very shallow squats.. I probably never will be able to do deep ones.. knees and back probably won't like that.,. however it was pretty rockin' doing this ball squat thing. and I could feel it.. I never new I had real quads.. and I also located my abs.. so that was pretty neat... working on the exercise thing... and getting a handle on it too...
Going to work on the wedding blog...
Wish me well
Wish you well too

OH MY GOODNESS

AAWW shucks... Kellie nominated me for this award... Nice Matters.. and now I have the sweet task of nominating 7 other bloggers and giving them this award too.. soooo here goes...

First I would give this to everyone on my blog list.. I love you guys and you have helped me achieve far more than I could have had I been going this journey alone.. thank you so very much...

I nominate the following in no particular order :

• 1 This woman rocks...http://buddhagirlsworld.blogspot.com/ not only are her posts hysterical but she is a phenominal person.. funny, sweet, truthful and she has really been such a super new friend in this blogsphere.

• 2 Here is a another sweetie http://dreamtobethin.blogspot.com/ I love catching up on her blog and just think she is as sweet as the day is long..

• 3 I love my grumpy chair dieter... I love reading this blog and I love when she comments on my blog.. always helpful and supportive http://thegrumpychairdieter.blogspot.com/

• 4 Another favorite blog of mine http://icecreammama.wordpress.com/ first I just loved her name.. ICECREAM MAMA... then I loved her blog.. and I love when she leaves her sweet comments for me as well... an absolutely terrific person.

• 5 Sweet Kellie .. for making me one of her seven nominations.. go visit her.. I love when she comments on my blog.. and She is so sweet.. her posts are wonderful and she has a beautiful little girl too ... http://myrambles.wordpress.com/

• 6 Eve We have been friends for.. well.. lets just say this.. for a VERY LONG TIME... she recently joined the blogger world. and her posts are great.. especially if you are a knitting or a kitty fan.. http://southbork.blogspot.com/

• 7 I love this blog and occassionally I post on this blog too.. Lady Rose is part of my great support network of my wonderful blogging buddies... always ready to lend a motivating word or cheer you on .. check this out...http://shrinkingladies.wordpress.com/

• One bonus blog I have to add is my friend Too Fat to Fly.. she rocks.. I love visiting her blog.. she always leaves me such great comments http://toofattofly.blogspot.com/http://toofattofly.blogspot.com/

AND SO IT GOES....

Sorry for the lack of more inspirational title for this post... it has been an happy yet sad ....weekend... I had my first fitting for my wedding dress yesterday.. that went as expected... I have a few pictures so if you want to see them let me know.. I might post them in my slide show too.. I have not decided yet... I was a little concerned about the dress being to low cut... but I think its okay....
I had gotten some very sad news prior to the dress fitting.. it really caught me by surprise.. lost a very sweet older friend. She was in her 70s .. and had been dealing with heart disease for many many years.. for her to survive as long as she did was in and of itself a miracle. Yet her passing is such a shock not only to me.. who grew up always calling her aunt and alway having her in my life as a blessing; her passing affects our community as well.. she was very well loved and respected and a very very active and vibrant person. Over the years she had to slow down but she was always no further than a phone call away.. she died in her sleep sometime yesterday morning.. her husband over 50 years had left to go the Gym.. he called her later that morning.. she never answered the phone... he knew.. by the time he got back home something was wrong...Somewhere in our hearts and minds we prepare ourselves when we know the news will not be good.. just as I knew when the EMT called me on Novemeber 9th 2001 at 3;15 pm that my dad was gone.. .. I felt it in my heart.. When mom told me that this wonderful woman had passed yesterday.. I was so stricken with sadness.. yet I did find comfort in the fact that she had had such a good life... and was such a woman of valor. I will miss her.. and I feel so deeply for the family.. a light softly dimmed and dissapeared yesterday.. and so it goes...

On to lighter news..
Yes.. I am actually going to the gym today.. no applause please.. I know you are impressed LOL... I just have this craving.. ( oh my God did I say craving ) to exercise...so I am going to walk on the track and ride the bike at the club.. I might even swim should the mood strike... ..
Eating is going well.. though I must admit I am not logging my food like I should.. things are going well in that arena too.. and I have to confess I like the fact that I want to exercise.. and I like the fact that I truely know that moving actually does help me feel better.. so perhaps this might not be so much about losing weight as it is about feeling less pain.. and lord knows I could deal with that.
Wish me well .. wish you well too...

ALMOST FINISHED

Sigh... almost finished with my gussying up.. hope you like it... I think it looks better... YAY
Tommorw is my first fitting for my dress...so that will be cool
I also had a great experience at the bike shop... I found a ladies jacket in a XL that actually fit me.. I was really thrilled about that... Steve is going to keep an eye out for something similiar for later down the road.. but it sure is nice to fit in a ladies cut jacket...
Wish me well wish you well too..

REBUILDING MY LITTLE UNIVERSE HERE

Well the Jewish new year Rosh Hashanah is quickly approaching.. and with the thoughts of that in my head...our holiest of holidays coming back to back.. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ( day of atonement) I have decided to do some things.. .. First I am going to apologize... if in any way I have hurt.. any ones feelings by any statements or actions I have said or done I humbly ask for your forgiveness.. secondly I have decided to recreate this blog.. Over the next little bit I am going to add music.. add new features.. add new skins and I am still considering changing the name.. although I have had several folks who think I should leave the name alone.. . Yes this blog will still be about getting healthy and losing weight.. but I also want to bring in other topics.. .. not sure what exactly.. but I know I want to go in that direction.. I will still keep everyone updated on my weight loss progress too.. so the fundamentals will still be there.. just going to gussy things up a bit..
Have a delightful weekend..
Wish me well
Wish you well too..

COMMITMENT

What is it about that word that excites us one minute and frightens us the next..?? I am not talking about commitment between two people .. I am talking about commitment to self... We get motivated to lose weight.. we get motivated to track food.. we get motivated to improve ourselves.. and then.. give us a little time and the winds of change stop.. there is a slow hum that just starts.. and everything is the same.. no movement in the scale.. no loosening of the clothes.. just the same hum... and then it get kind of comfortable.. but it is still uncomfortable in your head because you know you still have such a long journey to go... and then you wonder.. if this is it.. is it going to stop here? and then you remember that it is about commitment to self.. and recommiting every day until something happens.. until the ground shakes.. and movement starts again... what is it about Commitment?

IT'S AN UPDO!!

Once again I yielded.. seems the best thing to do with my hair is an updo... click on Flickr in the side bar and u can see my hair.. we worked over 3 hours taking it down trying to leave it down.. fluffing it up.. unfluffing.. rewetting it.. and doing all kinds of twisty things so by the end of the morning it was pretty much not willing to cooperate anymore... hence just doing an updo of curls..anything else we did either gave me big hair.. (and I hate big hair) or it looked like I had a growth growing out of the back of my head... long story short.. the curls will be slicked back into a high ponytail.. then sections of curls will be wrapped around the pony tail and then cascading towards my face.. in ringlets.. the tiara sits well and this one does not pinch my skull to hell and crapnation..and I will have the veil underneath the ponytail.. looks good I think...and that is a good thing... so the hairstyle is set.. YAY. and we will have 2 more dress rehearsals with it to make sure we can do it in a short amount of time... ..
The scale for another week has stayed the same.. yeah yeah i know.. no weight gain.. thats good.. blah blah blah... well I am going to exercise this week again and see if I can mix it up a bit.. to get some poundage to disapate from my body... wish me well on that one...
Otherwise it was a quiet weekend..
This morning was hysterical and i was going to share a video with you but for some reason the camera was not a willing participant only half the video got shot the rest was audio... Baz the black lab decided to disect the slamming monkey toy that squeals when you slam it on the ground... he dismantled the sound from it last week... and this morning he created a snow storm on the deck... it was funny.. I video taped part of it... and took some pictures that I will post on Flickr for you too see... might even post a couple here.. the funniest part was that cookie was sitting at the door staring into the kitchen with her golden eyes looking up at me saying.. look momma I am innocent.. i did not do this.. and bazzie was laying there having a snow festival with the monkey... and then he looked at me.. as if to say.. Hey mom .. look what I did.. I killed the monkey .. lol.. I love my kids...
Wish me well
Wish you well too...