Dieting Saboteurs!

It's amazing that people want to offer you tid-bits of help when they think you need to lose weight (which, shocker of shockers, I do). You finally jump in with both feet and take steps to make specific LIFE CHANGING eating habits (which includes bringing your own packed HEALTHY lunches to work) and those same tid-bit helpers want to offer you crap to eat!
"Here, I brought a plate of brownies. Try one, Tina, you'll love it."
"Thanks, but no thanks." *Smile*
"No, really, you'll love it! Just try a bite" Brownie (or whatever treat) comes at my face.
I don't want to say (but probably should say): "I'm on a diet, Saboteur! Back off or meet your maker today!"

I end up saying, "No, I'm fine. Thanks, anyway." *Smile* *nod* (to assure them I mean business)

This kind of back and forth conversation usually leads into more of a confrontation than I want it to be, though. Inevitably, I end up being reminded of the time we all went to Lake Powell.

Ah, Lake Powell. God's Country. Makes me smile.

I was a 15 year old hottie (and would love to look like I did then). All gazillion of my cousins and aunts and uncles decided it would be such fun to rent two houseboats and cram ourselves on them and float about for a week. And as a 15 year old, guess what? IT WAS A BLAST! I loved the whole week and still love the memory of it all!

So among the many duties when renting a houseboat is cleaning out the poop tanks. I mean, there's only so much room in there. You pull anchor and drive the boat until you get to a dock that includes the hose that hooks up and sucks that crap out - literally.

Well that was this day. My dad and Richard were on poop duty and the hose they connected to the house boat, didn't quite connect properly. It took the two of them holding the hose in place in order for the sucking to happen. BUT little bitty poopage would squirt out through the broken seal and before long the hands of Richard and my dad were covered in sewage speckles. And the hands didn't want to be alone, so their shirts and faces and neck and hair got little free-flying squirts from time to time. Now imagine it! You can't wipe it off, because your hands are covered and making a sort of seal...removing your hands removes that so-called seal and more squirt action occurs. So are we on the same page, here?

It's a HOT summer day - and at Lake Powell, hot days are real scorchers. So those of us who weren't on poop duty went and shopped in the little "store" and talked amongst ourselves and purchased ice cream cones. Yummers! What a relief from the heat of the day. My mom and my aunt Sherry (Gene's ex-wife), being the kind hearted thoughtful moms that they are, bought an ice cream cone for each Richard and my Dad.

So, Richard and my dad are still holding the poop hose in place and cursing under their breath but are afraid to out right yell the obsenities for the obvious reason: if the poop is flying anywhere near their mouth, they're liable to get some of it in there with those cursings and obsenities. So they keep it to a mumbling grumble. My sweet aunt Sherry says, "here, Jay, we got you an ice cream cone."

Now my dad can lack a little tact at times, but I gotta say, I empathize with this situation.

He tells Aunt Sherry, "Not right now." Now does he really have to explain why taking the cone at THIS instant isn't a good idea?

He chooses not to explain.

"Well, here, we got it for you." She hands the cone in his direction.
"Not right now." grumble grumble....squirtage still flying.
"But it's for you," cone still out there for the taking.

Now my mom still gets angry about the sequence of events that followed that offer. Me, I always LMAO! It was funny! It's still funny after all these years! It makes me laugh just thinking about it!

My dad, in all his tactful glory, takes the cone and tosses it carelessly into the lake behind him. I can't remember if he even said, "thank you" or some other facetious comment. He places his hand back to continue the poop suckage.

I don't remember all that took place immediately following that action, but I think of it every time someone offers me some food I DON'T WANT. Whether or not I'm on a diet is beside the point.

Dude, I don't want your brownie...the end. Seriously, I don't care how good a cook you or your wife is, I don't want it. I always think, should I just take it and throw it in the garbage or should I stand my ground with courteous no thank you's. I usually say, "Coworker (place a name here), thank you, but I am not going to have one, okay? But I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Please don't keep pressuring me, okay?"

But I always feel I'm such a jerk, like their feelings are hurt for life. For the record, though, I don't take whatever they are offering just to make them feel better - frankly, it's not a good enough reason. Does that make me a bad person?

Anyway, so there's my dieting woes for the day. I cry: Saboteurs! BUT, and herein lies the biggest BUT, I move forward UNDETERRED!

Collin's Baptism

Saturday Collin was baptised and confirmed at his stake center. When he turned eight I thought, "He's so young to be getting baptised" (I know it's the standard age in the church, and I was baptised at eight) but I thought and felt it, none the less.

I worked my graveyard shift on Friday night and got off work at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday all to leave the house at 7:30 to pick Mom up and drive to Kamas. It was a beautiful morning. I love seeing hot air balloons and seeing them that morning brought back wonderful memories of those early morning drives to the lake.

When we got to the chapel, Collin looked so proud. He beamed with excitement and I realized, he's the right age and this is the right time for him to be baptised. His baptism was typical, in the talks, songs and amounts of people, but it was very nice. I shed a tear or two when he went into the water. Richard looked so honored and proud and I was proud to be his sister. I found that my previous apprehension about Collin's age kind of just dissappeared. He's a good kid and I love him and I'm proud of him.

After the baptism and confirmation, we headed back to the house for lunch. On the way, Elise, Mom, Eric and I stopped to get pictures with a horse near Richard and Cyn's house.

We had a very nice time and enjoyed eachother's company.

My Sims Legacy Blog

I was introduced to the Sims by my wonderful and amazing husband before we were married. It was the original game he introduced me to. I never had been a big video game player - what with no TV until I was 12 years old and certainly no video gaming system EVER, I never really got into that scene. I fell in love with the Sims the first time I saw them.

Apparently I fit the mold of Sims players - but that doesn't stop me. It's just fun to mess with the Simmies and see how their lives unfold.

Not long after the Sims2 was released, the Legacy Challange was created. The idea is to take a Sims family 10 generations and follow specifically laid out rules to get points. At the end of the 10 generations, you add up your points. There are a lot of variations to the Legacy Challenge which I hope to take on eventually.

I decided to start a legacy of my own. I've started it twice before - this one is my third one (due to computer problems I had to quit the other ones).

I've started a new blog to document the progess. It's my meager attempt to do so, anyway.
http://mysimmies.blogspot.com/
As with any story, please start at the beginning.

Half Way Marker

Last year Sandy suggested I start using photography as one of my many creative outlets. She started by giving me a camera she was no longer using and I jumped right on in. I have loved finding beauty in every day things. I've noticed that I see every sunrise and every sunset with a different eye than before. I love it! It's easier to manage than my previous outlets: card making, quilting, drawing, sewing.

One of the projects I took on was the 365 day picture of yourself - in other words: take a picture of yourself everyday for one full year. It has been so interesting to do. I started on Halloween 2007. Originally I thought (and hoped) I would get all into losing weight and this could be a way to document that. I immediately fell through on that but kept going with the pictures.

Yesterday completed the HALF way marker for this project, so I've been reflecting on the past six months.

The first thing I learned doing this project is to like myself even without the thin face or perfect symmetry. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to put out some three-chinned picture of myself, but I feel like I'm more comfortable in my own skin.

This journey began right after my parents split up. This has been a fun (and sometimes tedious) process to take a picture each day. I find that it's been an interesting spiritual journey, and a journey of self acceptance - Both are things I did not expect.
NOW in the next 6 months I AM working the the slimming down and hope to see progess. I would love to look HOT on Halloween 2008 wearing some Catwoman-esk costume.

4/30/08 - Day 183















See more of my 365days Pictures

This Week Summarized

Well it's always a fun spring when the weather is so up in the air. This was one of those weeks...we had wonderful weather as well as snowy (kill my tulips) weather.

On Tuesday, I purchased my tickets to California. I'm going for April's graduation at the end of May (a month away - and the count down IS ON!). We will be camping on Catalina Island where I will join others in a "three hour tour" which includes snorkeling and kayaking.

Due to this trip to California, I've decided to go on a diet. I know! I hate the word but it's a must. I don't like to announce it, usually, because I'm not a big fan of the "helpers" that feel they can tell me, "you shouldn't eat that." or: "are you sure you want to eat that?" or: "you should try such-and-such, it's low in fat and so good." uh-huh, sure it is. Listen, I'll eat my damned stale crackers and cottage cheese and don't you worry about it!
In the end, I'll be watching my caloric intake - and the idea is to watch it shrink daily not just watch it do it's normal thing.

And now, a word about allergies. This has been a rough allergy season. My eyes have declared war on my head and usually the eyes win the battles. Due to my daily eye swelling routine, I decided to make an appointment with an eye doctor. I'm using a lot of various eye drops (some prescription and some over the counter). I usually end up having to get an ice pack and numb the eye before I put on a wet wash cloth and try NOT to stabber-walkie by eyeball with a fork. Well, ever since I made that eye appointment (which is for this coming Monday), my eyes have retreated! WTF!? No itching, swelling or general knowledge that they are even present - except that I can see, of course. Why does the body do that? Make and appointment for the doctor and suddenly you are cured! It's a MIRACLE!

Last thing I want to throw in the ring is this: Did you know this? John McCain has spent less days in the senate on voting days than any other senator with one exception: some senator who had a brain hemorrage!
And did you know this? All three major candidates balked on and on about a specific vote that was coming up being the most critical vote of the year. It was a vote regarding Telecom Immunity. When the time came to vote, not one of the three was there to make that "critical vote."
I'm thinking, you get paid a lot in your job as senator. We, the tax payers pay for you to do your job. I think the senators should be able to prove they can do the job they have before they hope to become President of the United States of America. Hell, I'd be fired if I missed that many critical days at work.

Done - off the soap box for now.