We may not have it all together, but together we have it all

Timeline:  Friday, October 21, 2011 at about 3 pm, St. George, Utah.

Since my work load had slowed for the week and I was ready to do something “personally productive”, I decided to head over to Old Navy to see if I could find anything I couldn’t live without. I had already been looking at their website and before I decided to order anything, I had to go see if I was correct in what size I REALLY wore. I decided to take my usual route to the bank ATM and get some $$ for the weekend. I get back on the main road turning onto Red Cliffs Drive towards the store. I get through one light and have a great speed without much competition for my lane, when I see the next light turn yellow (grrrr). I behaved and stopped vs. seeing if I could beat it. I was the first in line. Taking check of my surroundings, I look to my left and see Arby’s and Arctic Circle (tempting!). I then look to my right where the freeway sits just above, about a 50 foot incline to the top. I seriously wondered to myself what would I do if a semi-truck came rolling down that incline right towards me and the other cars at the stop light. I didn’t even imagine I would hear screeching brakes, just the site of a ton of metal coming my way. My immediate answer was, which was obvious to me, that I would hit that gas pedal and speed through the red light to get the heck out of the way of ‘imagined’ runaway semi. That escape plan was interrupted as in reality the light turns green, and I proceed on to my shopping ‘adventure.’ It was about 4 hours later I happened to read a story online, get this, (from all reports) that a semi rolled down that EXACT same incline to the road below just about 3 hours after I had been in that EXACT spot.  Imagine my heart increasing in blood pressure. Thankfully no one was injured, not even the semi driver. Unfortunately for him, he was busted with illegal substances in his possession. Again, thankfully no one was injured because of this accident.

What are the chances of this accident even happening? Just makes you want to go hmmmmmmm.

A ’66 Mustang.  I never had a color preference, it just had to be an original Mustang-generated color.  I do not remember why I ever wanted this specific year.  The ‘old’ Mustangs just have the most beautiful chassis; front, back, side, the whole thing.  I did NOT want a fastback, nope, not gonna have it.  I considered those UGLY!  I want a Cherried-Out ’66 Mustang, convertible is a plus! Ok, I will settle for one that needs a little fixing.

My runner-up choice came into my life when my boss had me move his ’64 1/2 Mustang from one parking spot to another.  I about died and went to heaven.  I felt all tingly inside sitting in that convertible, moving it at 5 mph from one side of the lot to another.  The original ‘steel blue’ color was absolutely gorgeous!  I just wanted to drive home with that car right then and there.  If he ever reads this post, I will deny it!

I originally wrote this on 12/03/2010, but hesitated to post it anywhere.  I was happy to have this great change, but didn’t want to sound boastful or proud, but I AM proud.  I am proud that I accomplished something that I set out to do.  I had no expectations other than losing a few pounds.  I was willing to give it a try, but seriously didn’t give myself credit that I could do it.  It felt great when people would notice my efforts.  I didn’t think I looked different, but I felt different, that’s for sure!  Below is the original context that I wrote and saved on my computer until I came across it while cleaning out files.

I have struggled with minor weight issues for many years. I have given birth to four children, so I can blame them, right? In the last 10 years I have not really cared that I gained a pound here and there. I enjoyed going out to eat. I did not feel the need to exercise on a regular basis. I enjoyed life. When I wanted to lose weight or eat better, I would scour books from the South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers books from a friend, All American Diet… and so forth. I would attempt to change my eating habits, but when I would not see an immediate result, that is when my motivation dwindled. Regular exercise and increased water consumption would have been beneficial to go hand-in-hand with that, go figure! I would get discouraged because I did want to lose weight, but I knew it was my motivation that was at fault. Life’s trials eventually turned to joys in my life.

My honey came into my life in 2006, and he has been a great support in anything I wanted to do. So, at the beginning of 2010, I decided I needed help losing some pounds and I was willing to pay for that help. I needed to be accountable to someone (especially if I was paying for it)!!

On January 11, 2010, I started on my venture to see how I could improve myself. I weighed in at 147 (gasp!) at the doctor’s office … but you know how you always weigh higher on the doctor scales… yeah, uh huh, that’s my story and I am sticking with it. Dr. A and I chatted about my habits, etc., blah, blah, blah…. I was given instructions on what I can do to change. It was not a restricted food change, but I WAS told the only thing I could not have was soda, in any form (i.e., no diet). Oh noooooooooo, really? Okay, if I must. I found it was not as big of a sacrifice that I first thought it was going to be.

My journey has taken me through a pound or two each month. I did gain a pound on one followup visit with the doctor. I began to realize the connection between my snacking behaviors, eating simple foods, exercising, and increasing my water intake (I have never been a big water drinker). Now for the numbers – 11 months later (December 2010), I am very happy to say that I do not miss those 27 pounds I have lost! I feel better, healthier, skinner, and I have more energy! The size 12 pants that were in my closet have been replaced by loose-fitting size 6’s! My percentage of body fat has decreased from 38+% to 29%. Fat pound loss, which the doctor says is more important than percentage, is over 16 pounds!

~Fast forward to current time, April 2011. I have maintained that weight loss and continue with the low percentage of body fat.

I know I have neglected to write anything on my blog. I have an easy way to do so, which I am using now – email message – but I still make the excuse that I have nothing to say. Well, now I do. In my efforts to spice up my Facebook status’, I write a few down or keep some in my memory to use later, but I thought why can’t I write a blog entry about some funny ones that I have come across? Here are some entries that are very noteworthy, and may even be funny!

~ People who wake up completely refreshed from a 20 minute nap really annoy me.

~ When someone I usually only text with decides to call me, I automatically assume that something terrible happened.

~ Sitting in traffic isn’t bad as long as my lane is moving a little faster than the one next to me.

~ When I do something stupid, my first thought is whether it would make a funny story or I should take it to my grave.

~ Facebook should change it from ‘friends’ to ‘people I’ve made eye contact with."

~ ___ thinks I might have pulled something rolling my eyes.

~ ___ thinks that God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind, I will never die.

A recent favorite:

~When I was a kid, I didn’t have an XBox or Wii. I had a bike & a curfew, a.k.a. street lights. I lived outside, not inside. If I didn’t eat what my parents made then I didn’t eat. I didn’t dare tell my parents “no” or talk back. Life wasn’t hard, it was LIFE. And I survived! I drank water out of a hose…and hand sanitizer didn’t exist, but one COULD get your mouth washed out with soap.

Here is one I used recently:

~ ___ asked my mom for money and she said "Does it look like I am made of money?" I said "Well isn’t that what M.O.M stands for?"

The prize winner because I have issues with my phone’s autocorrect with my text efforts:

~Autocorrect can kiss my ask.

The heat of the summer and the warmth of the fall have been taken over by the cold of winter, though it is only November 22nd. My fingers have found it difficult to transcribe the wonderful ramblings of my doctors. We got quite a bit of rain over the weekend too, which is much needed, but makes it rather chilly in the bones. So, as I put on my fingerless gloves, use my heated rice bag, sit on my hands, jog around the house to warm up, I realize I am thankful for electricity and cotton. Electricity to turn on the heater and cotton that most of my clothes are made of. That is what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving time.

This day of remembrance always brings tears to my eyes.

I am happy to be an American and proud to be flying our flag high today.

Why is it so easy to keep up on work deadlines, but OH SO hard to clean the tornado work (i.e. Ramona) creates?  I can’t explain it.  I have the afternoon free of deadlined work and I can’t make myself stay in my office any longer.  If I leave my office, I know I will go plop myself on the couch and make the TV entertain me.  I have plenty to do to stay organized, but my brain says “Why now? There’s no rush.”  Is that procrastination? If so be it, I suffer from it

That photo is a sampling of what my desk looks like on a daily basis.  What you can’t see is the major full inbox of papers, etc. that need attending to, a malfunctioning wireless mouse not connected that needs troubleshooting, hands-free cell phone ear piece, as well as an ACE bandage that I haven’t used in over a week…  Wait! I’ll be back………

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, much better.  The paper inbox is less than half its size, the hands free set it hanging untangled on my bookshelf railing, ACE bandage put in its appropriate place in the hall closet, and medicine and vitamins put in their basket.  I DID, however, discover the letter my friend wrote and sent snail mail to me 7 months ago, back in February (I knew it was in the inbox to find when I needed it) and also found the envelope of pictures I had printed 2 months ago (waiting to be scrapbooked…that’s another procrastination story, as well as a great picture my grandson colored for me (see it? middle of the photo on the white cabinet).  My stress level has decreased… ahhhhhhhh…..

So, what does procrastination mean? I think it is a healthy characteristic that at times will help kick you in gear when you start to think about taking accountability for it. 

Hi, my name is Ramona, and I am a recovering procrastinator.

Don’t worry, the world has not come to an end…. Yes, I am posting, but trying out a new WordPress feature to post to one’s blog via e-mail.

Funky fonts might work, might not.

One of the many things I have read recently about blogging is to be yourself. Really? I don’t like being fake; in fact, detest it. What encourages people to be fake? Do they think other people will like them more? Are they that attention-starved? I feel sorry for them. I like attention, but I use my humor to make people laugh and wait for them to tell me how I made them laugh. That is why Facebook is fun. You can post a status update and wait for the comments. Do I really think that “It’s Sunday” will bring you well-sought-after comments? Probably not. “I feel like getting some work done….so I shall sit here until the feeling passes.” is surely to bring a few ‘LOL’s. I don’t think THAT is being fake. It is being yourself. Now off to the spray tan spa!

Since I am all over the board about this posting, I shall end this test to await its results. If this proves to be successful, watch out for more blogging from me!

It's BLUE again!

We had some issues with our pool chemical levels.  After spending too much money trying to fix it with a counteraction of chemicals, we drained and refilled.  It is so pretty and blue again.  Still in the process of balancing everything, but at least it is swimmable! Just hope the neighbors don’t peek over the fence, I am working on my tan! HA

Not much springy weather around here.  It has either been windy or cool temps, which I am not complaining (seriously Mother Nature, seriously not complaining), but for what seems like ages, through April and May I wondered if we would ever get 7 days of ‘normal’ weather, like 70s or 80s.  I know summer will be here in no time…100s.  Well, it’s happened, as of this Sunday, June 6th, we are forecasted to hit our first 100 temp of the year.  I think the jackets are finally in the closet again.

Still playing in the dirt as in the last post.  Starting a block retaining wall, bringing the front part of the yard up a bit.  Marty is a trooper.  He is working hard at this and I work hard when I can help him.

Work keeps life busy.  I am thankful for the work and enjoy doing my best.

I’m still here.  Just been busy working, which is a good thing.  I am still taking pictures, but not as often as I would hope.  Taking pictures daily turned out to be a chore.  Taking pictures weekly is much more tolerable.  It is hard to post them because I tend to not like to spend time on the computer after I am done with work.  I DO get sidetracked from time to time and peek on Facebook or “window shop” online, but generally it is status quo with work. 

The weather has finally turned for the better.  For awhile we had rain storms every weekend, for what seemed to be a lifetime, but was probably 4 weekends in a row.  We have had so much rain this winter it’s ridiculous.  Hope the mountain snow does not melt too fast.  I know the reservoirs will be full this year.  Our rain totals are still low compared to other parts of the country, but enough already!

Today Marty & I were outside playing in the dirt… not what you think… we are digging out a 50 x 4 foot area of all the rocks, weeds, and old plastic landscape stuff.  It is a long and intensive task, but we are making progress.  We got some new trimmers (set of 3 different types) that were fun to use.  It’s the little things that make me happy, right?  We clipped and pruned and then decided that the sun was going to get too intense on the skin, so we finally resorted inside after 3 hours or so of working outdoors.  More fun still yet to come in the days, weeks, ahead.  It will be nice to finally get our home the way we want it.  It’s fun to have projects and fun to work together.

Sounds like Harley’s boyfriend is outside AGAIN, wanting to play.  He’s a friendly longhaired Chihuahua that lives 3 doors away.  Since the weather has been nice, he is a frequent visitor to our yard.  He walks around or sits on the rock waiting until we let Harley out to play.  It’s like we have another child in the house!

I knew I bit off more than I could chew.  I figured taking a picture a day would be a tolerable goal, but then I had to go (in my head) and think that I could save the picture to the computer daily and upload it somewhere (here or Facebook)… oh noooooooo…… THAT is why I never called it a resolution, just a goal.  It is a far higher goal than I can do in my daily life.  I AM taking pictures about every other day, but they are still on my camera.  I had a friend suggest something similar to taking a picture a week.  I can do that!  Maybe I can take pictures through the week and organize on the weekend.  Is that more to bite off than I can chew? Maybe not.

Work has been good.  My dinosaur of a computer is in serious need of replacement.  Sadly, my current computer is only 5 years old, but in computer years that is elderly!  My IT guy said the meteor is on its way and ready to take out the dinosaur.  The “meteor” should be ready to ship to me tomorrow or the first of next week!!!

This is the reason for my sore obliques…well, maybe not this, but the exercise that uses it.  Thanks to my Wii balance board and Wii Fit, I can do hula hoop maneuvers, looking like a 45-year-old woman trying to look 10 again… it’s not a pretty sight, but it is working for the muscles!

This is a picture of my sister when she was a young girl of 17 or 18. She passed away in February 2006. Today would be her birthday. Happy Birthday Marilyn.

Day 3 – My intention was to take a picture of something else, but as I knelt down on the floor to get a better angle, up comes Harley and got in the view finder. My whole perspective of this shot got changed. This is her usual stance, one front leg being held up.

Harley

I get daily emails from the lovely Betty Crocker and somebody named Kraft, amongst other ‘people’ with recipes to tempt you with.  Found one the other day that seemed easy and yummy.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/slow-cooker-mexican-pork/863e8752-0001-4ce5-8f3e-29dbc331600d

I made it with a package of pork steaks (which I cut up into bite sized pieces), salsa, 1/2 can of green chilies, and a can of small red beans.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Apparently the others like it, but I think I loved it more! lol  Leftovers are just as delicious.

Day 2 – My phone.  Though I do not have internet and e-mail on it, I could not live without it.  It is my address book and it is sometimes used as my calendar (that is if I am organized enough to sync it with my computer, which reminds me……).  It is also the lifeline to those I do not see often.  I text and talk with my kids.  I talk with my mom.  I do business-related work.  I get calls like “Mom, I’m on my way home” and “Honey, you should see that idiot that just passed me on the road.”  🙂 I feel naked without it.

My goal is to take a picture a day this year.  Nothing in particular, just a picture of some thing or some one.  My goal is to take the picture, not necessarily to remember to post it!  I got this idea from a friend on Facebook who did this last year.  Even though I first noticed it mid-January last year, I figured why start then…it wasn’t the first of January…the anal-retentive part of me said I had to wait or it wasn’t a true full year of pictures.

Day 1 – This is my desk.  It is actually a clean desk.  I am all caught up on my work; therefore, my desk is ‘clean’.  Just wait until Monday!

1st post of the new year!!!!

Looking forward to getting back to some of the things I have neglected this past year; scrapbooking and keeping in better contact with my friends and family.

I just ordered 185 pictures to prep me for starting to scrapbook again. That should keep me busy for a while.  This will get me started on Christmas presents for 2010!

These last few months I have not been able to spend a lot of time ‘at play’ online to keep in touch with friends and family (Facebook or e-mail) and also in real life.  Life just seemed to busy with work, and when not working I just wanted to spend time away from the computer and just vegging with Marty & Sami.  Not sure how I will accomplish it, but I plan to make sure I keep better in touch with my friends and family.

Can you believe 2009 has come and gone with me just posting ONE post for the year? Technology changes so quickly, and I am afraid to say any effort at keeping in touch with friends continues to be e-mail and then Facebook.  I want to be more in touch with my friends this year, hopefully keeping up with a blog will help… if not that, at least it will be my comedic release!

Got interrupted with work again.  That is my life.  I work on the computer, try for a break, but then get sidetracked ‘back’ to work.  Motivation is better this year, as I have more responsibilities with work that keep me more focused.

Better continue with work.  I hope my goal at keeping up on this blog will continue through 2010! HAPPY NEW YEAR!