Today is…

… my 3 year work-iversary! I just wanted to show off the pretty flowers my boss had sent to me =o) And seeing how it's me, you should know that it'll be a whole bunch of mini pics, hehe

Blog Hop: Albert

Gripping antenna
seeing the whizzing by sights
Albert flies all day

Power Pellets

I was suddenly transported through time last week. One bite into a fresh from the vine grape and I was gone.

I was 8 years old in the backyard of the house I grew up in. Its early fall and you can smell that crisp air every time you breathe deeply, almost tasting it. The sun is high in the sky with white fluffy clouds. It's a perfect early fall day. The grass is still green and the trees are starting to turn colors. The apples on the tree are just starting to ripen, making promises of yummy pies to come. I can still hear the sounds of lawn mowers trimming grass one last time until spring, kids playing in their yards... My mom would be in the house, maybe cooking dinner or tidying up the house, or just watching us. She would spend several minutes at a time looking out of our large window that overlooked the yard. And what did she watch? The most talented football players she had ever seen! Or we thought we were, anyway...

You see, my dad and I were one team and my brothers the other. I learned to throw a football that way. Pickup football games with my family. Some of my fondest memories... Dad hiking me the ball and us trying to run it past my 12 and 14 year old brothers. The sounds of the football sailing through the air and into someones hands (or the ground!) There was no talking, no conversation, just the sounds of laughter during the very serious game going on between the four of us. And every now and then we'd fall and sometimes we'd start to tire and when we did, my dad would say, "You need a power pellet to give you some energy! It will make you feel great!" And that's when we would turn from our game and run to the grape vine...

Those power pellets always did the trick...

Product Review

The E-TBT total Body Trainer (aka the Evil Machine of Death)

Looks harmless, right?

Well, let me just remind you of a few thoughts: You can't judge a book by its cover. Looks can be deceiving. Things are not always as they appear. Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing. Are you getting my drift? I'm sure you are…

If you're a reader of my blog or know me personally, you know by now that I am a member at the MAC (Murfreesboro Athletic Club). I'm happy there and particularly enjoy the cardio theatre, a room with 4 tiered levels of cardio equipment and a movie screen that plays a movie for 24 hours at a time. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, my good friend R-Jo joined the MAC as well and we've been going together pretty much every day since (which has been absolutely fabulous!). Well, one day I just wasn't feeling the treadmill. I tend to get tired of walking nowhere. So I looked around at all of the cardio equipment and see this thing that looks kind of like an elliptical and I think to myself, "why not, I should at least try it out."

That was the best and worst decision I've made in a while. The best because, well, it's a really good workout… I can feel the difference in my body in a little more than a week. The worst because… well… I feel like I'm dying by the time I'm done. And when I don't feel like I'm dying?? I bump it to the next level so I'm dying all over again. It all has to do with the amount of resistance you set. There are three settings (beginner, intermediate, expert) and each has 20 levels. So far, I'm just about to bump up to beginner level 7 and I can't imagine the pain of expert level 20.

All this to say… I secretly love the Evil Machine of Death. Because, "that which does not kill you only makes you stronger", and that's what I'm going for.

Blood Donating

If you happened to stumble upon my blog today, please go and read my awesome co-worker Holli's blog post. My dad always donated blood and I am getting back into the habit of regular blood donation (in my previous Illinois life I did it pretty regularly)... I don't know my dad's exact reason for giving so regularly (like clockwork!) but I knew that it was something he felt strongly about and he passed the habit to me.

Now, after reading Holli's blog, I have a conviction, too, and the story of someone I know... not just statistics...