The Posse

My sister, Barb, called one day and asked if she and my sister, Carol, could come by for a visit sometime before my birthday. (In case you aren't aware, I have 5 sisters and a brother. That's right, five sisters, and I'm the baby.) We settled on Thursday, 2 days before my birthday. I had the distinct impression they were up to something that I needed to be a little nervous about. My other sisters Kaye, Claire and Judy did nothing to calm my nerves. They dropped a few hints that they had something up their sleeves. Nobody really spilled the beans, but they did have me a little concerned that they were going to come makeover some part of my life. "Oh my, they're going to lay down the law," I thought. I wondered if they were going to show up with garden tools and put me to work in my yard, or get me to committ to a mini triathlon (one of Carol's current passions). Worse yet, I wondered if they were showing up to tie me down and dye my hair. One sister(Carol) has been wanting to cover my gray for some time now(maybe she thinks that if I, her younger sister, looks old it makes her look old). Sorry, but I have a dread of gray roots and of being a little old lady with black hair. Both of which are just wrong. Besides, just like I told Sarah when she lost her hair from chemo, "Wear if proudly, Girl, you earned it!" I'll keep my gray , thankyouverymuch. :)

Well, they did show up and they looked as though they were nearly as nervous as I was. They were loaded down with gifts and a mighty tasty bundt cake. They had invited "the neighbors" (my neice, Andrea, and her 2 adorable little boys.......you'll be hearing more about them) to join us for the party. Barb surprised me with a "Magic Bullet" and protein powder.

I've been putting it to good use and all I can say for now is, "Mmmmmmmm!" Carol gave me a fun new apron and some "Vitamin I".

By this point I was feeling a little like an outlaw in an ambush and thinking, "Definitely the mini tri. Ugh!" And, "How in tarnation am I going to get out of this?" And then, to my pleasant surprise, they gifted me with a $100 certificate to Sports Authority.

And if I used it by Mother's Day I would get and additional $25. This I could handle. Now all I had to do is decide how to spend the money. Carol suggested good running shoes, but I actually have a pair whether I look like I do or not. I just love my Teva's so much more. Now some people might be offended by gifts like this. They might take away the message, "You're a wreck. Now do something about it." But the message I got was, "You're a wreck and we know what you've been through. It's time you got to take care of yourself." You see, these amazing sister's of mine and my brother, Ted(he's amazing too), have been by my side through thick and thin these past couple of years. I can't begin to list all the things they've done for me, and how much their support has meant. They've rallied their little posse to right whatever problems they could. Whenever they saw a need, they were there without being asked. They couldn't fix everything, but they sure made it all MUCH, MUCH easier than it could have been. And now that I've set out to overhaul myself, they're right back here encouraging me along my way. It may take some mighty big guns to whip me into shape, but I know they have 'em and they're not afraid to use 'em.

The Birther's Day Loot

If your wondering how to make a haul on your birthday, I have a few pointers for you. First of all, it helps to make sure that your birthday falls on or near another gift getting holiday. My scenario is ideal because the holiday my birthday falls near (and sometimes on) is the one where moms do all the getting. I happen to be one and I have a husband and four kids all feeling obligated to give me something. It also helps to time the event soon after you've survived a significant ordeal. In my case, it was seeing my daughter, Sarah, through her 28 months of chemotherapy. Although it was primarily her battle, it did involve the entire family. And lastly and most importantly, start talking about some self-improvement project(especially one that you obviously need) a few weeks before the big day. It was innocent hint dropping on my part, but if I'd known it was going to pay off so well, I'd have done it intentionally. :) Had I started telling folks that I was ready to get my house organized, they would likely have shown up in droves to present me with all sorts of bins and totes and cleaning supplies. Instead, I told them that I was ready to focus on getting fit and healthy. Apparently they thought it was a good idea too. They came scrambling to my aid. And they gave me some pretty great stuff to get me in gear for my big venture. It's all helping, and I am in gear. I haven't quite managed to meet my goal in hours, but I have started. Last week I spent five hours exercising and four hours of "me" time. I do believe I am at least headed in the right direction and that this is going to work. I lost a few pounds last week and spent some time playing in my flower beds. Check in later for more details on my new stuff and how it's helping. Meanwhile, enjoy my sweet new playlist that Bridgette made for me. ;)

Ahhhhhhh!

No time to blog. Must exercise.

Fist Things First or.....First Things Finally

So I turned 48 today. Yeah, I know, ugh! The problem 48 is that it's more 50ish than it is 40ish. The only sensible thing to do is to subtract a few years, right? So I've decided to give myself a gift this year. It's not that I haven't been know to give myself gifts on my birthday before, but this year's gift is going to be significantly more substantial than the customary new T-shirt from Wal-Mart or six pack of pansies for my yard. This one might actually be a bit of a sacrifice for my family, but it's what I want and I'm going to have it. I'll bet you're wondering just exactly what "IT" is. Right? Drum roll, please..............I'm giving myself 365 hours of exercise and 365 hours to finish up and start all those projects I've been wanting to do for all these years. That's right, folks, 2 glorious hours every day just for me. You're probably wondering just how on Earth I think I'm going to pull this off. The answer is, "I'm not sure." But here's what I'm thinking.......I just finished seeing my 14-year-old daughter, Sarah, through 28 months of some pretty grueling chemotherapy. Now that she's done, we are ready to focus on getting her healthy and rehabilitated. So why not work on me too while we're at it? The next few weeks will be the hardest. Until school is out, I still have alot more running around to do. Between driving her and her sister, Heather, to and from Seminary, school, work, and physical therapy appointments, it's not uncommon for me to spend 3-6 hours running errands every day. As soon as school is out, most of that will come to an end. Woohoo! So if I make it through the next few weeks, it should be smooth sailing from there. Now for the record, I know that there will be days that I can't manage to fit 2 hours in, but my goal is to average two hours a day. Some of you might be thinking that I'm setting myself up for failure by setting such a lofty goal, hence the blog. I work best under pressure. :) Nothing puts on the pressure like the scrutinizing eyes of folks you don't want to dissapoint. Right? I may just have to give up a little Facebooking and Castle. Sorry Facebook friends. I do still love you and I'm not going cold turkey. Besides, we're reviving the "How Many Miles?" group. I refuse to give up "Big Fat Loser" as we like to call it at our house. It's inspirational and come to think of it, maybe I can keep Castle as long as I'm pedaling my exercise bike or working out on my new elliptical machine my husband, Mark, gave me for my birthday. There are many more details yet to come. So stay tuned and witness my overhaul. Why not just have a makeover, you ask? Because a makeover would merely scratch the surface and there is a much more accomplished, healthier, thinner inner me itching to get out.

Now here's the hard part.......posting a before pic.