Keeping The Game Going- TAG!

A fellow Blogger, A New Poison... tagged me in a fun question and answer game. The rules are:

1). Post these rules.
2). You must post 11 random facts about yourself.
3). Answer the 11 questions the tagger sent you in their post.
4). Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5). Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them.
6). No writing "you are tagged if you are reading this" in the tagging section. Please tag 11 people. (I wonder how I'm going to accomplish this myself since I only have 5 followers and 1 of them started this!!!)

Ok, 11 random facts about me that I haven't mentioned already? Hmmm...

1). I played the flute from 4th until 12th grade. I brought it with me to college and never cracked the case. Can you believe I got the flute back from my sister a couple of years ago, along with the sheet music from high school band, and I could play the dang thing! I can't remember all of the notes by sight, but my hands remembered the songs!! Insane!

2). My husband was my one and only boyfriend. (Ok, stop feeling sorry for me! LOL!). I did start dating him at 19, so it's not THAT pathetic!

3). TMI WARNING!!! I have a birthmark shaped like Long Island above my buttcrack! And I LIVE on Long Island! We've been joking that I should have a star tattooed where my hometown is, like on a map!

4). My brain contains a wealth of useless knowledge. My favorite game show is Cash Cab, where I put all of that trivia to good use from the comfort of my couch. (P.S. Watched 'Who's Still Standing?' last night and got most of the questions right, like who remembers mitosis? Me.)

5). I can watch a movie that I love over and over again, ad infinitum. However, if I had to pick my favorite movie it would probably be 'You've Got Mail.' I love romantic comedies, and this one is set in my favorite place on earth, NYC! I'm such a huge fan that after watching the bonus feature where Nora Ephron maps out all of the filming locations, I took my family to the city and spent the day visiting most of them! We went to the shop, Cafe Lalo, Gray's Papaya for a hot dog, Riverside Park, Verdi Square... I was in HEAVEN!

"Here it is. Cafe Lalo."

6). My family and I like to play the conversation game at the dining room table. It's where you pose questions like "If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" I'd say I could probably eat pizza every day. This game either gets everybody hysterical laughing or in a heated debate!

7). Even though I'm married, I pretty much sleep alone every night. For the first 11 years of our marriage, my husband worked nights as a truck driver for Newsday, our local newspaper. He would wake up around 1am every day for his shift. He would go to bed at around 8pm and I would be downstairs with the kids. When he left, I'd go up to bed. Now that he works days, he'll stay up late playing his baseball game and I'll go to bed early. He winds up on the couch most nights. ;) I just sleep better alone.

8). I'm a morning person now that I have older kids. When they were babies and nursing, I remember being up watching Howard Stern on E! at 1am. Since I have to get my son up and out the door by 6:30am, I'm up at 5:30am. I take care of the dog, clean whatever dishes are in the sink, make my daughter's lunch, waste time on the computer..
.
9). Growing up, we were only allowed to have outside cats. No animals in the house (the 7 of us were enough for my mother!). My husband and I adopted my 1st dog ever, Sally, a black lab mix, in August of 1992, one month after my husband bought the house (we weren't even engaged yet) and was robbed!

10). My first flight ever was my honeymoon, to HAWAII! Talk about a baptism by fire! From the east coast to Oahu, it's 2 flights. After a few days we island hopped to Maui, then Hilo, then back to Oahu to come home. If you're counting, that's 7 flights in total in just 10 days! But the trip was worth every hair-raising minute on each and every flight! Now, flying CAN'T seem like a big deal.

11). I don't know if you know this one or not, but I LOVE New York City! I think my husband may have started it because on my 1st birthday with him he surprised me with a limo to take us in to see 'Cats' and then on my 2nd birthday with him (my 21st) another limo took us to dinner at The Water Club and then a carriage ride through Central Park. That's when he proposed to me! We celebrated with champagne at The Plaza hotel. How could the city NOT be my favorite place after that? All I associate it with is love and romance!! (He's a gem! And he's mine!)

Now here are the questions that were posed to me:

1). What do you want done with your body after you die?
I'm an official organ donor, it says so on my driver's license. I guess after harvesting (LOL!), I'll just be buried.

2). Would you rather receive a practical gift you need or something silly that means something special?

Isn't she a beauty?

I love practical gifts. In fact, this Christmas I finally got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer that I've always wanted AND from my niece Joanna, who picked my name this year out of the hat, I got the Spice Stacker to organize my spice cabinet AND a batter dispenser (for filling cupcake liners with ease) and a cupcake plunger. It hollows out the cupcake so you can stuff it with yummy fillings!

3). How many pets do you have and what kind?
I have one dog named Molly. She's a Boxer/Great Dane mix and is my baby. She just turned 6 and we've had her since she was 6 weeks old. She's a nut and a handful, but I love her so much.

When we could carry her around... now we can ride her!

4). If money weren't an issue, what would you buy?
Well, we've never had a new car, one without issues and in constant need of repair. I'd love to get my husband a beautiful new Dodge Charger or Challenger and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a new Chrysler 300!!! Oh, and some new pocket books. I don't have any "name brand" bags. I like Coach, Dooney & Burke...

5). What is one thing you plan on doing before 2012 is over?
I plan on running my first half-marathon in October. I'm already signed up for the Divas Half-Marathon and it looks like it will be a great time!

6). How did you spend your last birthday?
Well, on 9/13, I turned 40! Two days before my husband planned a surprise party for me at my favorite local Chinese restaurant, which was really sweet. With all of the generous gifts from my family I bought myself a Garmin Forerunner because I loved trying out Runs For Cookies (Katie's) Garmin for 2 weeks. So, I strapped on my Garmin and ran 6 miles on my birthday! I was training for the 10k for 9/17, so I knew I was ready!

7). What are you hoping your next non-scale victory will be?
I definitely want to do well at the half-marathon in October. I think I set my pace for 2:45, but I'd like to come in under that! But that's in October. I am working on my speed, so I'd like to run at 7 mph for 30 consecutive minutes. Maybe when I lose another 12 pounds I'll be in a size 4.

8). What is your favorite healthy snack?
That depends on if healthy means really good for you or just lower in fat and calories. I really like reduced fat Triscuits with a little bit of cheese or Special K Cracker Crisps. I'm just not that into fruit and veggies. I will eat them, but my downfall is sweets. Fiber One brownies are great, Quaker Chewy granola bars, Chocolate Chex cereal... I can go on and on.

9). Do you like crunchy or creamy peanut butter?
I haven't had crunchy in years! My husband hates it because it tears up his delicate white bread. My teeth probably wouldn't appreciate it either anymore! We're strictly a creamy household.

10). Do you wear your shoes inside your house?
Sometimes, if I know I'm going out again, I'll keep them on. Most times I'm in my socks or completely barefoot. I hate hot feet! My feet can usually be found outside the covers, as well! My son is always barefoot. My dad calls him Huck Finn.

11). What kind of car do you drive?
I always get my husband's hand-me-down since I don't drive much at all and he needs the more reliable car to get to his job, so right now I'm in a pea-ish green 1999 Hyundai Sonata. It sounds like a rally car because something needs to be done with the exhaust system (so it'll pass inspection in February) and my driver's side window is stuck down about 3 inches, so I have a ton of packing tape to seal the window shut. It is so ghetto it's not funny. Oh, and there's also a leak in the trunk so I have about 4" of water in the spare tire well. And my husband doesn't understand why I'm embarrassed pulling in and out of the gym parking lot!

Now I have to tag 11 people to keep this game going. I only have 5 followers! So, some of you may be blindsided with a tag. Sorry!
1). Runs For Cookies
2). Fluffy Nurse
3). Journey To The Marathon
4). Finding My Way
5). Losing 100 pounds and...
6). A new poison...
7). Healthy & Sane
8). When One Door Closes
9). Czesia Lives!
10). Fat So Sarah
11). Aww, frick, I don't want to bother anyone else!

Now for the 11 questions you should answer:
1). Do you have any tattoos? Do you regret it/them? (I'm fascinated by tattoos and love the idea of getting one. Recently I saw that people are getting "13.1" and "26.2" tattoos. THAT I think is definitely worth marking your body for!)
2). What is one food that you couldn't live without or could eat every day? (Mine's probably pizza or pasta or chocolate...)
3). What is one of your favorite memories of childhood? (Holidays with my huge family for me! Grandma's strufoli every Christmas, putting up the tree on Christmas Eve while listening to our Alvin and the Chipmunks RECORD!)
4). What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you fulfill your dream? (I wanted to be a doctor. After my first year in college I realized it wasn't for me, so I switched my major to sociology. I loved courses like The Sociology of Addiction and Psychosexual Diversity!)
5). What's the farthest you've been from home? (Hawaii, but I live 2 miles from my childhood home!)
6). Is there something that you love that you'd sort of be embarrassed to admit (Dungeons and Dragons, maybe)? (Our family are HUGE 'Lord of the Rings' movie fans!! Maybe it's Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom that does it for me!)
7). Are you a side/back/stomach sleeper? (I used to be a stomach sleeper. Now I lay on my left side, facing the tv (with a DVD playing!) with a whole bunch of pillows propping me up).
8). Have you ever met anyone famous? Who? (Clifton Davis, the guy from the sitcom 'Amen' was at our high school graduation- turns out his son was graduating. I met Richard Simmons and he sang to me at a local Walmart grand opening. This past summer I got to talk with Ann Curry while watching a broadcast of the Today Show and we also saw Morgan Freeman at Jacques Toress' chocolate shop in SoHo.)
9). Do you have an actor/actress/entertainer that you're infatuated with/fantasize about? (I LOVE me some Justin Timberlake!)
10). What's your least favorite household chore? (LAUNDRY!!! It never ends! Get the dirty clothes to the basement, sort them, wash them, dry them, get them upstairs, put it away...)
11). Do you have a bucket list? If so, what's the one thing you REALLY want to do before...? (I'd really love to get to Europe, especially Italy.)

If you do this, have fun!! Thanks!

Getting Back In The Groove

So, it's supposed to hit somewhere around 50* today here on Long Island, so I figured I'd better get outside and run. I can't remember the last time I ran outside. It was possibly the 10k back in September! I'm always more nervous running outside than on the treadmill. Maybe it's because I do it so seldomly! Anyway, I was all layered up- had on my jogging tank, a long sleeve tech shirt, a t-shirt and a fleece over that so I could keep my iPod and my phone in the pocket. I also had on some mittens and my running capris. I was concerned my legs would be cold, but that never became an issue.

When I pulled into the parking lot at the track, I saw a car I recognized from the gym. It belongs to a man I see there almost every day. When I'm not running on the treadmill, I'm always next to him on the arc trainer. We never say two words to each other, usually because we're wearing earbuds and into the music or tv show we're listening to. I didn't even know he ran! When I got onto the track I gave him a courtesy wave as he ran past me. I warmed up with a .25 mile walk and then got on my way. I was averaging a 9-minute mile the 1st two miles, always half of a lap behind this man. (Isn't it terrible I STILL don't know his name???) So, when I was getting done with mile 4, this man had finished and was walking back to the turnstile. I waved again and he smiled at me and started talking, so I took out my earbuds. He then gave me the biggest compliment I've gotten in such a long time!! He said, "YOU'RE PRETTY FAST FOR A LITTLE GIRL!!" Of course I can't take a compliment, so I then tell him that I started out at like a 14-minute mile and that I've been working on my speed at the gym. What I should have said was "THANK YOU! THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME!" Well, I'll have that opportunity the next time I go to the gym, I guess.

For some reason it was off my +.25 miles. I only ran 6.

That's More Like It!

Decided to see how I'm progressing now that I've really started counting calories again and not eating after dinner, so I got on the scale this morning. (I KNOW I was holding onto some water weight between all of the salty snacks and spirits I had to partake in as well as the sweets because yesterday I released a lot of it! I have one day a month where I seem to spend most of the day in the "facilities." One day, just before Halloween, I was in Target for an hour and used the bathroom 4 TIMES!! A bladder sonogram shows I don't empty my bladder completely!) ANYWAY...

1/4/12

RESULTS!! As Dolvett from Biggest Loser would say... HARD WORK, DETERMINATION!!!

Honesty Is The Best Policy



1/2/12



And this is where I begin 2012. Where was I at when I vowed on 11/23/11 NOT to gain weight this holiday season? To refresh your memory:

11/23/11

I am just disgusted with myself. I did exercise everyday, though. I didn't slack off in that department, which usually does happen this time of year since everything is so hectic. (Couldn't IMAGINE how bad the gain would have been if I hadn't!!) However, the sweets and baked goods got the best of me. I threw out my previous belief that I can have a treat every day and that there's always tomorrow if I want more and ate like I was being sent to the electric chair, almost daily! The damn cheesecake my parents brought on Christmas, the Jack Skellington and Mickey snowmen sugar cookies I made, the Nestle Crunch Crisps leftover from Halloween that didn't make it into the kids' stockings, the Tastefully Simple Nana's Apple Cake, the TS lemon bars, the mini black and whites, the peanut butter kiss cookies, the rainbow cookies... no amount of running or stepping on the arc trainer could combat the calories in these "treats." And I was consciously eating everything, thinking I'm going to hate myself for it. Some of it wasn't even that GOOD! There was really no pleasure in it, just that old mentality creeping back in- "it's a bad food; eat it quickly to get rid of it."

So, now I'm more than 15 pounds away from my goal of being under 140. Exactly 17.8 pounds away from 139. That is just horrible. So now I sit here, writing this blog, thinking of the goals I have for 2012, and getting to 139 pounds is one of them. My second goal of training and competing in my first half-marathon in October will be one of the ways I plan to get myself to my first goal.

Disappointed in myself, but I'm putting that all behind me and looking forward. Only 10 months and 5 days until the Divas Half-Marathon here on Long Island!

THIS JUST IN!!!

I am officially signed up for the half-marathon!!! My bib will say DIVA LINDA on it! This has just given me the boost I needed to get this train out of the station!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! Remember, "nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anybody can start today and make a new ending."

The Nate Berkus Show!!

Hey! Remember when I went to a taping of The Nate Berkus Show back on 12/6? Well the show will be airing on Tuesday, 12/20. Here in NY he's on NBC at 2pm. Go to http://www.thenateshow.com/ to see when it airs in your area, if you want to sit and wait to POSSIBLY see me in the audience. My friends and I were sitting in the "west wing," which is the section to the left of the stage if you're Nate. I'm the one with the gray hair and the light blue argyle sweater, sitting right next to my gf Donna wearing a multi-color argyle sweater!

that's us in the audience!

I Lied

Up 2.2 pounds since "my solemn vow" on November 23rd. That was only three weeks ago. I am perfectly fine during the day. I get up, eat some breakfast, hit the gym for at least an hour, have a normal lunch and dinner, with some rather healthy snacks thrown in. Then, the night comes. Throughout my life I've done most of my overeating at night. Go to bed early, you say? I usually fall asleep early, then wake up to use the bathroom and grab something to eat on the way up to my room. I've got to get my head back on straight. I am still maintaining my weight loss, but I want to stop the thoughtless eating. Trying to make sure this train does not get derailed!

Epic Fail

Trying to run the morning after you donate a pint of blood = EPIC FAIL. Ok, not quite epic, but I STRUGGLED through 3 miles. I ran 9 last Saturday. I think if I would have pushed myself even 1/4 mile more, someone would've been using the smelling salts behind the desk (I'm just assuming they have some!). Bright side? Because the demand for blood is so great this time of year I earned 500 points at the New York Blood Center Donor Advantage program, which equals a $25 gift card! I think I may have found a new way to supplement my piddly income!

But honestly, I've been giving blood since I am 18 years old and I do it because it costs me nothing and it really does help others desperately in need. It doesn't hurt either that there are Lorna Doones on the snack table after donating!

Why I Took That First Step

Unfortunately, Tuesday nights are one of my nights to chauffer the kids to all of their activities. I head to the high school to drop my son off for jazz band rehearsal at 7pm, go back home to bring my daughter to dance for 7:45pm, sit around at the studio for an hour and then when she's done, head back to the h.s. to pick up Charlie (Jr.) at 9pm from jazz band. This past Tuesday my husband stayed home from work so I could go into the city with my girlfriend to see Nate and he could do all of that running around. So, I don't get to see Biggest Loser the night it's on. Luckily, no one ever ruins it for me the next day talking about it on Facebook or whatever. I don't have a DVR, so thank goodness for 'Free on Demand' from my cable company!

This week was my favorite episode of the Biggest Loser season--- THE MARATHON!! It is alwasy SO inspiring to see people who, just a short time earlier, were 50, 75 or even 100 pounds heavier, now racing in a 26.2 mile course. Some of them didn't have the strength or endurance to even WALK a mile when they started their journey, and now they are running! Back in May of 2009, while watching Tara Costa in season 7 run the marathon, my husband asked me a question, and I'll never be able to express how grateful I am to him for asking it. He said "Do you ever think you'd want to do that?" My response was "Yeah. I mean, what an accomplishment that is." It's kinda like a bucket list item, COMPLETING A MARATHON. Then Charlie said that if I ever decided to do a marathon, he would do it with me. That short, innocent conversation was a catalyst that sparked my desire to lose the weight I have been battling ONCE AND FOR ALL. 



At my nephew Adam's wedding, 7/17/09- my before shot



I started my weight-loss journey, finally, on August 17, 2009. I didn't start running until March of 2010, after I had lost some weight and I wasn't THAT afraid of having a heart attack. Charlie would  be my biggest cheerleader. I couldn't even run 1/2 a lap when I started training. To increase the distance I could run, I would keep adding 1/2 a lap. I remember reporting to Charlie what I had accomplished in a workout. I can remember how incredibly far 3/4 of a mile felt, and when I finally ran an entire mile, with Charlie by my side, how emotional achieving that goal made me. When we got back in the car from coming off the track, I looked over at Charlie and asked him if he was proud of me (for having run a mile). He looked right at me, with tears in his eyes, and said "I was proud of you when you started." This is the man I married. Having his support on this rocky road has meant everything to me.

our 1st 5k together- 9/11/10

So when it was time to finally sit down and watch this week's BL episode, I wanted Charlie next to me to watch it too. This season's marathon was the best marathon episode EVER!! I don't know if it's because I now run and I understand the mental strength as well as the physical endurance it takes to run or because I can actually visualize myself running one now, but this marathon had both me AND my husband crying. I will probably go back and watch that episode several times because it is THAT inspiring. I was so sad for Joe when Dr. Huizenga pulled him off the course. He wanted to finish SO badly. I was so happy for Ramon for winning (and that John DIDN'T!) and getting a spot in the final 3. But I don't think anything can compare to the emotion evoked when Coach Mike and then Debbie and Johnny crossed that finish line in the dark. I was so proud of them. They weren't looking to win or set any records, they just wanted to finish. Three people in their 60's finishing a 26.2 mile HORRENDOUS course. For starters, does any marathon put the runners through a sand storm? AND, I didn't see any of them with an iPod for music AND there wasn't ANY scenery to look at to pass the time! I don't know, I guess I would need some distractions to keep me out of my head so much.

I'm not there yet. I could definitely finish a marathon, but I want to run a marathon. I'm more than a third of the way to that goal. I plan on running a half-marathon next year. I'm not sure if I can tackle a marathon as well, but I definitely want to run one in 2013. Charlie hasn't been training with me. He didn't run the 10k I did this year. I'm not sure if he really wants to run a marathon or not now, but that's not going to stop me from setting my goals and achieving them, and I know he'll still be cheering me on.

Could Be Considered a Grand Slam???

On Tuesday, I went to NYC with my girlfriend to The Nate Berkus Show. The weather was so-so, a little drizzly, but unseasonably warm for a December day, which was nice. We got into the city early to enjoy the sights for a little bit before heading over to CBS Studios. We walked past Macy's Herald Square to enjoy the Christmas windows and through Times Square to do some people-watching.



A Macy's window display





After that we stopped for a drink at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. and relaxed. We then took a cab to the studio to stand in line for about an hour before we were coralled inside to wait some more.





We had pretty good seats and LOVED the fact that the studio was decked out for Christmas. Donna and I were hoping that was a good sign for some audience gifts!



Donna and I in the audience

 

Christmas trees in Nate's studio



Christina Ferrare was a guest for several segments of the show. She co-hosted The Home Show and The Home and Family Show on ABC many years ago. She demonstrated several of her favorite easy entertaining tips. I was REALLY hoping for the food processor she used to make her bean dip! No such luck. However, Nate showed off his favorite table settings and there was a beautiful flower arrangement adorning the table. He then gave us all a $75 gift card to Teleflora! YAY! Then, Christina helped bring attention to many dogs that need good adoptive homes. A representative from the ASPCA was there and Nate presented her with a donation from Petco and we all got a $25 gift card as well! Molly will be so happy this Christmas!

After that, there was an expert on frugal fashion finds and she bought 2 women outfits from head-to-toe for under $25 each! One woman had a faux fur coat on that cost $.50!!! Finally, the beauty editor from Self magazine was there to educate us on some beauty hangover tips. She had the entire table covered with beauty products like toothpaste, eye cream, lotions and the Clarisonic Facial Cleaning System. Nate then told the audience we were all going home with a beauty rescue basket! We got the $200 Clarisonic!! YAY  ME! Goodbye fine lines and wrinkles!! Maybe then people will stop assuming I'm a grandma? Doubt it!





OOH! AAH! A prize package valued at $370!!

So, my talk-show swag dry-spell has finally come to an end! Now I have plenty of fun products to pamper myself with after the craziness of the holidays is over with! You think that the high from our goodie bag would have been enough and we would have called it a night, but we decided to hang out, see some more sights and grab dinner. We headed down to Rockefeller Center to see the most famous and beautiful Christmas tree (in my opinion) in all the world. Fifth Avenue is a holiday light spectacular and it makes you feel like a kid again. I really wish my husband and kids were with me to see it. I think we'll be making a trip in together (if I can convince my husband) between Christmas and New Year's. There really is nothing like New York at Christmas-time. I could do it every year. With the hustle and bustle of this season, it's nice to just stop and gaze at the wonder around you; soak it all in and appreciate the simple yet glorious things in our world.



Cartier



Fendi



The most spectacular Christmas tree ever.





 






 









Hopefully a Homerun with Nate Berkus

It seems I am batting .000 when it comes to hitting the jackpot at talk-show tapings. I haven't been to many, which is sorta sad since I live so close to NYC and have the opportunity to view several. Anyway, when you watch these shows and see what some of the audience members are walking away with, you want to scream. Also, it would be nice to see a celebrity thrown in there if there isn't going to be any swag.

Back in '97 I got to go to a taping of Regis and Kathie Lee. OF COURSE it was in February when it's wedding week! We saw some couple get married, (Kathie Lee serenaded them), and no luck getting our number picked by the trivia contestant. STRIKEOUT #1.

Not long after that my sister-in-law and I went to a taping of the Rosie O'Donnell show. It was her first season. I couldn't tell you who was on the show, that's how memorable they were. When it was all said and done, we each caught a Koosh Ball (remember she used to shoot them into the audience?) and got a travel size bottle of Listerine, because that year she was voted "Least Kissable" in a poll done by Scope mouthwash. STRIKEOUT #2.

Fast forward to last year when my husband and I went to the premier season's second day of taping for The Nate Berkus Show. Now, Nate's been around a while. He's frickin' backed by Oprah herself! But, I guess product public relations departments wanted to see if he had any staying power. He did a few segments on picking paint colors and shopping, so you think maybe we'd get a Sherwin Williams gift card or something?!? NADA! STRIKEOUT #3.

I think I'd be pulled from the batting line-up if I truly was playing on a team. But, I may be down, but I'm not out. Tomorrow I'm going BACK to see Nate Berkus with my girlfriend Donna. I have been watching a little bit this season, and I have to say, his audience members have been LUCKY BASTARDS!! One show Guy Fieri co-hosted (LOVE Diners, Drive-ins and Dives!). They walked away with a professional Kitchen-Aid standmixer (I COVET that!), a professional Vitamix blender (it gets so hot you can make soup in it!), gift cards for wine glasses, etc. That prize package was probably worth around $1,500!!

So, my gf thinks that since the taping we're going to is about 2 weeks before Christmas, we might hit it big. I am not holding my breath!! I just love the opportunity to go into the city, even if the forecast is crummy. My husband actually took the day off so I could go and he'll do the shuttling the kids to jazz band and dance for me. It will be a nice "girl's day out." Maybe we'll go see the tree at Rockefeller Center if we're up to it. It's not that fun walking around Manhattan with an umbrella, especially during the holiday season. Can't wait to see how it pans out!

Look How Far I've Come!

1 hour, 31 minutes, 31 seconds-1049 calories burned-- OOH RAH!

There was a time, only a little over a year and a half ago, when I couldn't run more than 1/8th of a mile. Today I ran 9 miles. I ran 8 two weeks ago, so I just took the speed down a tenth of a mile and decided today I would run 9. That voice in my head tried to tell me "You can run 6 today. An hour of running is a good workout. You don't NEED to run 9. That half-marathon you're working towards isn't until October..." She only said that a few times, but I won out. I just listened to my music, watched MTV (the gym got 8 cable channels back for the aerobic equipment, better than nothing!) and plugged away. I definitely do the numbers game, breaking everything up, to see how far I've gone, trying not to concentrate TOO much on how much I have LEFT to go. My favorite part, other than hitting the stop button and jumping onto the rails? Seeing people come and go on my neighboring treadmills as I go at it!

drenched

My Solemn Vow?

Ok, honesty is the best policy, right? I haven't done very well this past week. I ate more than I should, but in my defense, Aunt Flo has come for a visit. I have exercised every day, though, so that helped keep the damage to what it was. My problem is, and always has been, after dinner, wanting something sweet, then salty... I need to go back to my earlier strategy which was not eating after 7 pm. Starting today!

Thanksgiving Pandamonium

I am one of seven children. My parents were good Catholics! The birth order is 1 boy (52 years old), 5 girls (51, 49, 46, 43, 40 (that's me, the baby of the girls)) and 1 boy (35). My brother John was a senior in high school when my brother Ralph was born (they're named after our grandfathers). Needless to say, being that my mom was 41 when he was born, and there was 5 years between us, he was a "surprise!" The 2 boys live 20 minutes away from our parent's home, while the 5 girls all live within 10 minutes. Most Sundays, you'll find 4, 5 or 6 of the 7 kids (with THEIR kids) at our parents house, having rolls and bagels after 11:30am mass. Shockingly, we all get along pretty well, almost all of the time. Let me put it to you this way, we haven't ever NOT talked to one of our siblings. I think most of us are too scared of confrontation, so that's probably why!

This is back in the day! Probably 1990. That's me in front, 2nd from the left, with what my brother refers to as my "Flock of Seagulls" hairdo!

We're a big (mostly) Italian family, with some Puerto Rican thrown in thanks to my Grandpa John, who came from a town outside of San Juan. He lived with us until he passed away in 1980, but I learned zero Spanish from him, :( His "stuffing" recipe is what we have had every single year that I can remember. (I use the word stuffing loosely because other than the fact that it gets stuffed inside the turkeys (we need 2), it bares no resemblance to a traditional stuffing). The recipe has to be 70 years old, at least. Let's just say that this stuffing is an acquired taste, and it's also not too easy on the eyes. I am with my husband almost 21 years and last year was the 1st time he tried it, that's how unappealing it looks.

See what I mean?

So, it has all sorts of chicken innards (Dad has since omitted the liver since we pretty much ALL pick it out), ham, green pepper, onion, green olives, capers, crushed tomatoes, Sofrito and the wet, squished bread that a lot of stuffings use. When you put it all together, magic. It's delicious. When my husband and I went to my friend's wedding in New Orleans, I had gumbo or jambalaya there (it was 11 years ago, you expect me to remember which one? LOL) and it tasted VERY similar to this stuffing. That doesn't surprise me since Creole cooking is a blend of French and Spanish influences.

This stuffing is what we all look forward to on Thanksgiving. My husband is the only in-law that has not been converted. HOWEVER, my mom takes the leftover stuffing and turkey and makes an out-of-this-world turkey soup with it and he LOVES it. He just CAN NOT get over how it looks in its original state. The rule in our family (except my younger brother) is we all are at Thanksgiving. No switching off every other year with your in-laws allowed. My mother-in-law didn't appreciate that too much, but, Christmas Eve was always their holiday and I never veered from that schedule, so she became ok with it.

When we get together for Thanksgiving there's a few less because my brother celebrates with his in-laws. Anyhow, when we celebrate our Christmas, another day agreed upon the week after Christmas (usually 1/1), the grand total, counting my parents, 7 kids, 6 in-laws, 14 grandchildren and my niece's fiance, there's 30 of us. Insane, right? Last night I told my sisters that when our nieces and nephews start having children we're going to have to have a raffle to see who gets to celebrate Thanksgiving (or Christmas) each year. I pictured us all in a room, holding little red tickets, an emcee at the front, calling out the lucky ticket numbers...people going home crying because they'll be home that year. So funny! Or, we can have Thanksgiving together, but different seatings, like they do at restaurants for Mother's Day brunch. Half of us eat at 3pm and the other half at 7pm. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!  

This is the "adult" table, with just some of the noshes. There's a young adult table next to it and then the teen/kids table is in the kitchen. My sister's 1st floor is pretty much converted into a mess hall for the day!

We have such a good time together. I always wanted a big family because I have such incredible memories of growing up in mine. I thought I'd have 6 kids, but once I had my son and daughter, both somewhat difficult pregnancies (weight-related issues), plus realizing how expensive children really are (the cost of living on long Island doesn't help), we decided we were done. However, my kids have grown up with their cousins, so they're almost siblings. The holidays may be chaotic with all of the cooking, the cleaning, the organizing and arranging, (the expense!), but none of us would have it any other way. We're just grateful to be together, all of us, one more year.

Playing Taboo with the crowd. Lots of tears from laughing shed while playing!

My Solemn Vow For the Next 6 Weeks...

I REFUSE to gain any weight this holiday season. I may not LOSE any weight, but I am determined to remain the same weight and make celebrating the new year a truly joyous occasion. Then I can concentrate on losing the last 10 pounds. I have been fluctuating between 147-ish and 153-ish. So, I decided to weigh in today, before the chaos of Thanksgiving, to see just where I want to be January 1st.

Here's where I am at, 11/23/11, 5:30 am.

So, there it is. I've got the exercising down no problem. I love it. I'm at the gym at least an hour a day. It's the glorious desserts that I and other members of the family make this time of year that I seem to have no power over! Like, tonight I'm making my (ok, Nestle's) No Bake Peanut Butter Bars for tomorrow. http://www.meals.com/Recipes/No-Bake-Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Bars.aspx?recipeid=32005 They HAVE to be cut up and put on a tray BEFORE I go to my sister's house... Must remember to chew gum whenever I'm preparing food!!! That seems to be my best line of defense! I'll fill you in next week on whether I was successful or not!

Gratitude...

"Gratitude is not the same as giving thanks. It comes from a deeper place that knows the story could have ended differently, and often does." - Heather Lende

My family has SO much to be grateful for this year. Last Thanksgiving my brother said grace and he asked God to be with all of the doctors, nurses, technicians and aids that were going to be taking care of our mom while she went through her surgery for bladder cancer. She made it through that surgery, where she had a complete hysterectomy and removal of her bladder. That was the first hurdle. Then she began chemotherapy, "just in case." She became so ill, as many chemo patients do, that she really wanted to throw in the towel and take her chances with what might still have been lurking inside her. We all managed to keep her going and got her through her agonizing course of treatment. That was the second hurdle.

Right after finishing her last treatment, Mom was in agony. We got her to the hospital to find out that she had a perforated ulcer and needed emergency surgery, with only a 50-50 chance of coming out of it alive. Thank God she did. She has been doing well ever since. We just continue to pray that her CT scans come back clean. My parents even had colonoscopies this month that turned up nothing. They were told to come back in 5 years, when they are 81. After the prep for this last one, they both said they think they might just take their chances!



Mom, at Relay For Life 2011, the sole reason for our team "Dorothy's Determination"



Now that Mom seems to be on the mend, my dad has been having issues. He's had an irregular heart beat for some time now, but it's gotten worse to where something has to be done. He got through his stress test, so he has no blocked arteries. That means he won't have to endure bypass surgery, thank God. He had a cardiac catheterization and his dr. was able to pinpoint where the irregularity is coming from. Thankfully, it's stemming from only one area. So, on December 15th, he will be going in for an atrial ablation. It's similar to the catheterization, but they go in with electrodes and try to destroy the abnormal heart tissue causing the rhythm disorder. If everything goes well, he'll be home that day.

So, this Thanksgiving, we're still sitting on pins and needles. But we know this year could have turned out SO differently. We'll be grateful to be sitting at the Thanksgiving table once again, all 30 of us, giving thanks to God for all of the many blessings He has bestowed on us this year.

Mom and dad at Mom's 75th birthday party last year.

Tooting My Own Horn

I RAN EIGHT MILES TODAY!!! And I did it in 1:20:54, on the treadmill. (I always feel like I have to put in that disclaimer.) I ran 7 last week, so I needed to add some distance. I'm kinda sorta following Hal Higdon's Half-Marathon plan. I am definitely setting my sights on a half-marathon in October called the Diva's Half-Marathon. They do them all over the country and they look like the biggest party ever! They hand out tiaras and feather boas along the race route, a fireman is at the finish line to hand you a rose and a glass of champange, and the finish medal is AWESOME! If you're interested in finding a Diva event near you, the website is http://www.runlikeadiva.com/. I can't wait now!






The medal has a spot for your picture and it spins!



If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say...

This was always drilled into my head by my mother growing up, and even still to this day! "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." Well, maybe that's a little harsh in this circumstance; maybe it's more "Think before you speak." Twice in one day, I tell you! I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I am PREMATURELY gray. I've looked back at old pictures and I've pin-pointed exactly when I started graying- AFTER my son finished kindergarten and the beginning of homework and school projects! So, I'm gray going on 10 years now. It's hereditary. I was one of the lucky ones- my sister started graying in high school. Thanks Dad!


High School Graduation Day- 1989


Today, it started at the gym. I was on the arc trainer next to my girlfriend from high school, chatting along. Another woman I know from karate, church and the gym comes over, says hello and then asks me if Connie is my daughter! I was shocked. That either means I look very old or Connie just got the compliment of a lifetime! I was a bit offended and told Fran that no, she was my friend and no, I'm not a grandma. She said don't be mad at her, we just look a lot alike. So, couldn't she have asked if Connie was my sister, for God's sake? I hope I wasn't too harsh on her, but it was just an ignorant thing to say. Kinda like when you ask a heavy woman when she's due...(put my foot in my mouth once doing that and I will NEVER do that again!).

So, I leave the gym and go pick up the little one I babysit at pre-k. We head out with the stroller for a walk since it was absolutely gorgeous out for mid-November. We come up to a house where our favorite pug Jack is always waiting for us to greet him. His "mom" and 2 little "brothers" are outside enjoying the weather as well. We had a nice conversation about the kids and pre-school, etc. She then asks me if Kaitlyn is my only grandchild! FREAKING UGH!!! No, no grandchildren for me. My kids are 13 and 15 and I'd probably kill them if they made me a grandmother at this point in time!



Me in NYC enjoying the complimentary fluffy robe!

 So my question is, does gray hair automatically make you old? Looking like a grandma? I used to dye my hair when I didn't have to, when I wanted it auburn or black. Now it's too much upkeep and an added expense I just can't afford. Three of my four sisters dye their hair- two are actually blondes now. They all would look like me if they didn't. My husband doesn't care one way or the other. He's always loved me fat, thin, gray, brunette... Would it bother you enough to dye your hair?

Miss Molly

Is she not gorgeous?

I got to spend a lot of time with my baby yesterday. She sometimes gets a bit overlooked with the hustle and bustle of every day life. But no dog ever seems to be happy with the amount of attention they receive. Molly could never play enough and then when you tell her to go lay down she looks at you like you're the worst person on earth. So then she wants to back her ass up and sit on you. If she could climb into my husband I think she would, kinda like that scene from 'Empire Strikes Back' where Luke gets stuffed into that hairy thing to stay warm.



See what I mean? Oh, but she's really not on the couch because one paw is still on the ground.



 Molly's not a little lap dog. She thinks she is. Her mom is a boxer and her dad was a Great Dane (poor Scooby passed away this year). Belle and Scooby were "brother" and "sister," living under the same roof, and they just couldn't keep 160 pound Scooby away from Belle when it was her special time. So Molly was a product of their "love." We brought her home when she was 6 weeks old. She is now almost 6 years old and weighs 90 pounds. She loves to back up and sit on you, like you don't notice. Before you know it, her paws are in your lap and then her head is on your shoulder.  If only your chest wasn't constricted ('Money Pit' reference) and you could breathe, things would be fine.



Molly's been quite a handful since she came into our lives. She missed her litter mates terribly and cried forever the first few days she was home. Then, when she was not even 2 months old, she pulled the sock off my 4 year old niece's foot and swallowed it. A trip to the vet to get her to throw it up cost us $100. Would you believe exactly 2 weeks later she did it again? This time she found one of my son's socks in the couch. I had attempted to teach her the "drop it!" command. This just made her swallow the sock quicker to then inhale all of the treats on the floor! After another $100 trip to the vet, she lived quite a long time on a leash. She just dragged it everywhere she went and if she was about to do something wrong we could stop her with a step on the leash.




 

She's mellowed out just a bit since getting older. We now leave NO socks laying around and she always has plenty of toys to choose from. Her favorite things? Molly knows the sound of an empty peanut butter jar from a mile away. With her unusually long tongue (seriously, we're talking giving Gene Simmons a run for his money here), she cleans out that jar in a heart beat. She also sits in front of you while you're eating yogurt, drooling, until you give her the empty container to clean out. Molly can shake your hand and give you a high five for a treat. She's incredibly smart and asinine all at the same time.



Last year, she had a cyst on her tail rupture and I swear she was going to hemorrhage. My son woke us up after seeing all of the blood in the hallway. It was a frigging crime scene. She would wag her tail and blood would be splayed on the walls and cabinets like a Jackson Pollock painting. The drive to the vet at 2am was pure fun. There's my husband in the back of the van trying to keep a towel wrapped around her tail, while Molly, terrified of car trips, jumped from seat to seat.

This was just the bloodbath in the kitchen!

Can you sense the humiliation? She's saying "You're gonna put this on Facebook, aren't you?"





 That visit, with the surgery and aftercare, cost us $1,500. She came home with the dreaded cone of shame. Thankfully the cyst wasn't cancerous and she healed well.


 

Of course the bandage fell off after only an hour or two at home!

ANYWAY, yesterday I spent the day giving Molly a bath to rid her of her fleas. It was unseasonably warm, so it wasn't that torturous for her. She's just too big to put in the bathtub and I'm not taking her in the car by myself to get her groomed! I made sure I had plenty of pitchers of warm water on hand to warm her up after the sudsing. Then I had to struggle with her to put on her new flea collar. After that, I had to clean out her "house" (it's a ginormous crate that takes up like 1/4 of my daughter's room), spray it with flea spray, put in new bedding, vacuum the living room and spray it down. Hopefully that's the end of them. If not, it's time to bring out the big guns and the bombs. All in all I think Molly enjoyed her spa day.



Lounging in the sun after her day of beauty.