Blog Mania!

I feel like I've just been included in a new club! Since I started looking at my dear friend Kari's blog, a whole new world has emerged from a secret place. I had no idea everyone was doing this and it is so fun to see everyone's hard work. They are so cute! So, this is a tribute to all my new "blog buddies" that are sharing their families and lives with the world, one post at a time! I love them! Thanks for letting me join. I love you all. Happy Thursday!

The Biggest Loser??

So, is everyone as frustrated as I am about this year's Biggest Loser Competition? I am so not loving how cutthroat they are! It seems like they have completely lost sight of the fact that they are trying to lose weight and gain a new lease on life and they are more interested in the money. It makes me mad to see them blow such an incredible opportunity like this. I am lucky to work with a trainer twice a week and it is hard work when you have a life going on at the same time. They get personalized training everyday and a kitchen stocked with food and personalized menu plans and all they have to focus on is their training. They don't seem to realize how fortunate they are to not have the distractions the rest of us at home have. It is so frustrating. That is why I watch the show to begin with, is to stay motivated by seeing people change their lives! Not so much this season. The Pink Team did not deserve to go home. They actually worked really hard. I guess even when you weigh 400 lbs. you can get distracted by money. Sad. I think if you aren't in it for your health-- I'd like to see them in a few years when they've gained it all back. That's my 2 cents.

Snow Yucky...BLEH!!

Can you freakin' believe this winter? Enough already! We get it, the whole snow thing, but COME ON! I cannot believe after the horrendous summer we had, that El Nino or La Nina or what the crap ever we are in is dumping all this snow! Here it is a holiday weekend and BOOM! Snow. Again. YUCK!! I've had it! I don't know how we are supposed to live in this state with hot summers, cold winters and about 3 weeks (total) of spring and summer--unmedicated! It is hell. This snow storm has put me in the worst mood. I can't even stand myself. That's pretty bad. So, here I sit on a holiday weekend, home, during a writer's strike. Does it get any better? Maybe if I had a fork in my eye. But, the good news is, my gym is just down the road so I won't miss my workout. WHEW~that was a close one. Halle-frickin-lujah!

A New Conspiracy Theory!

So, I was innocently watching the Food Network Friday and pretty much drooling over the various goodies being created, when suddenly I realized they were all calling their dishes "Comfort Foods"! So...what is so comforting about food? Ok, so there is the edible deliciousness, granted. But, why is there such an attachment to this "comfort" angle? Then, BING! Light bulb!! This is why America has become the fattest nation on the planet! We all need COMFORT and the Food Network says it is in meatloaf, cakes, cookies, pies, and mashed potatoes. What the? So, here's what I'm thinking...everyone needs to be more aware of their friends, family members and neighbors. When you see someone who has a stressed out look on their face and they are making a b-line for McDonald's or Marie Calendars or another restaurant--give them a huge hug and say, "It's OK Buddy, everything will look brighter tomorrow!" Or hand them an apple and say, "Where did it say a cheeseburger a day keeps the doctor away?" and SMILE a great big smile!! We can do this people, we can cure obesity in America, one banana cream pie at a time! Now, I know you are thinking I have truly lost it, but give this theory a chance. You never know who you could save a trip to the gym with a little love and understanding. I wish I had figured this out about 40 orders of cheese fries ago. I am going to have to move permanently into the gym to work all of them off! So, I say to all of you, if you see me out and about and I look like I am searching for any form of comfort in a paper wrapper--hug away! You will be doing a great service to your fellow man (wo-man).

Graditude Instead of Attitude

I have to say, that God sometimes needs a sledgehammer to wake me up from my pity parties. As you know I have been in sort of a "whoa-is-me" state of mind and I am quite ashamed of this behavior. My eyes have recently been thrust open as of late and I have come to realize that my problems pale in comparison to other people in my life. So, with this epiphany, I am re-focusing my energy on all the things I am truly grateful for.

1. My health--even with the abuse I have bestowed on this poor body, I am truly blessed with the "it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' " vessel.

2. My friends--I am sorry if anyone disagrees, but my friends are the absolute finest anywhere and I truly don't know what my life would be without them!

3. My family--my family, with all their quirks and aggravations, are truly the funniest people on the planet and we are an extremely loyal bunch! I am glad they have my back!

4. My job--I have a fabulous job, where I get to make people feel beautiful. It doesn't get any better than that. I work with lovely people and our salon has become another home where clients feel like friends and family.

5. My nephews--I know I already recognized family, but there is no one, I repeat NO ONE in the world I love and treasure more than these two little guys! They can do no wrong and I am so lucky and proud of my boys and I pray that they have an inkling of my feelings for them. OY VEY I could just hug the stuffing out of my love bugs!

These are just a few of the MANY many things I am grateful for. I need to remember them a little more often, instead of silly little things that seem to rock my world. This is dedicated to my dear friend Jules, who I adore. I love you and you have my heart...always. You are in my prayers.

Just When You Think....

So, Sunday was bad. Really bad. Woke up sad and frustrated. Just a bad week all together. I went to the gym and...dun dun dun...I'd gained weight! 2 freakin' pounds and I had worked out 6 of the 7 days and had eaten well. What the....? So, my trainer looks at me with love and concern and says, "well, maybe you've hit a plateau." Already?? Again I say, What the....?? Then, she decides to work on stabilization which I call "humiliation", where you work on balance and agility. I have neither, apparently. And in a room full of hot people, not really a confidence building exercise, to say the least. Anyhoo, I got through it without crying, barely, and finished my workout and left. Now, my trainer is the sweetest person I've ever met and I love her dearly. She is so motivating and comforting and I am paying her to torture, I mean train me, and she is doing a great job. But, I don't think she had any idea what a fragile, complicated, freak I am and the silliest thing can set me off, as most of my friends and family know-sadly. So, I left the gym and sobbed all the way home. I was done. Why try this hard and gain weight? I can do that will t.v. and cheese fries. I cried for an hour. Truly ridiculous, I know, but I think it needed to be done. (If nothing else, maybe I dropped a few ounces of water-kidding) I came home and what positive, life affirming, good decision did I make? I had an ice cream sundae. Genius, I realize. BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS! If you were curious. I spent most of the afternoon in bed feeling sorry for myself and rehearsing how I was going to quit my personal training. My Mom didn't quite know what to do with me, so she just let me be.

Now, the reason I am sharing this humiliating behavior, is because the most amazing thing happened. Once I starting really thinking about the situation and stopped feeling sorry for myself, the solution came to me. My life had become chaos. I was focused on the weight instead of why I was really doing this-to change my life. I got out of bed, washed my face and tried to figure out where I went wrong. In the meantime, I cleaned my closet, my room, my car and did my laundry. I organized my purse-I was a woman on a mission! I felt so much better-empowered really! I talked to my sister Kate who is into nutrition and she helped me figure out that I wasn't eating the right foods together and she was going to help me figure out a new food plan that wasn't so boring. I was seeing the light! But the best thing that happened, was the next day, when I woke up and there was a note from my Mom. It made me tear up for a totally different reason. It said,

"Be proud of what you are doing Crissy--you look great! There are HIs and lows and the fates are there in the lows to lure you back to old ways. Don't succumb. I'm so proud of you and know you can do it. Keep your eye on your goal--it will be sooo worth it! Have a good day. Love, Mom."

Does it get any better then a note from your Mom? I love her. I tread on.

I Dislike Working Out Immensely!

YUCK! Seriously, if I had known how hard working out was EVERY DAY, I would have seriously reconsidered all the cheese fries! Well, maybe. They are magically delicious. I can't do this everyday crap. I NEED, I repeat because I want this to be crystal clear--I NEED lazy days! It is part of my DNA. It is the very center of my core. I hate discipline and ethical behavior. I loathe doing the right things for the right reasons when it comes to the size of my tush! UGH!

OK, I am having a bad day. I admit it. I don't want to workout everyday and eat nothing but nuts and berries. I feel like a rabid squirrel who is living in the forest rummaging for food. (And those of you who know me best know I detest the out of doors even in a metaphor, so it is pretty desperate times.) I knew the pit of diet despair was coming, but I was hoping just once the endorphins from exercise would save me from it. Still waiting. I've been home for an hour from the gym. Nope. Nothing. I still dream of cheese fries. I had someone at the salon tell me yesterday that eventually I would crave veggies and cheese fries would make me sick, because of all the fat. To this I say.............WHATEVER! The day I crave veggies, HAH! But, I feel better. I got all the anguish out and I tread on. Tonight I will appreciate the process and take the higher more noble ground. I will happily anticipate tomorrow when I see my trainer and she will train the crap out of me and smile as she exclaims, "Just 5 more, mind over muscle!" Just kill me now. But, the good news is tomorrow is another day....to eat veggies and workout. Yee haw.

Elephants

I have a nephew who is just about the funniest little guy on the planet! I call him Bubba. He is one of those kids that can knock you on your butt with a comment. He has absolutely no filter what so ever! Like for instance, we were at my Dad's funeral and the graveside service had just ended and he waltzes over to the casket and is so adorable and says, "Goodbye Grandpa...we're gonna miss you." So cute right? Then, he looks around at all of us and exclaims, "So we gonna bury it or what?" See what I mean? Total tension breaker! So, yesterday he gets into my sister's van and as he's buckling up, says, "Mom, do we still have elephants at the zoo?" She answers, "Yes we do, but they are put away for the winter. Why?" Bubba: "Well, I wanted to go see them because I gotta do a repowt on mammoths." (he has the most adorable little lisp) Mom: You could look them up in a book or on-line to do your report, at home." Bubba: "Uh, Mom....DUH! Elephants are Woolly Mammoths evoved!" Well, there you have it. Out of the mouths of babes! Remember when we thought we knew everything?? You gotta love em'.

I Love My Friends!!!`

I love my friends! I really do. I truly believe God gave me friends, to keep me sane on this earth. Whenever I am in the "Pit of Despair" over something big or small, one of my dear pals will ride in on his or her white stallion and save me. I am so grateful. It took me a long time to figure out what a true friend is. I was always searching for one "best friend" who would complete me. Who would be the person on earth that would totally get me. What I discovered is, I need all of my friends. Each one gives me something I need to be whole. I know I sound like a greeting card right now, but in this blog I care enough to share the very best, so bear with me as I finish this soliloquy. This is dedicated to everyone of my "core" group of friends and I pray that I have expressed to each and every one of you how I feel about you. If I haven't I will be soon. I love you & treasure my friendships with you all. Big, small, short, tall, funny, serious, sweet and sassy, you make me feel loved in a world that continually tries to kick you when you are down. Thank you for helping me want to stay a member of the human race! XXX OOO.

Some Days You Just Gotta....SMILE.

What a day yesterday. It was a roller coaster of.....I don't know exactly what to call it. I started my day cleaning out my "cupboard of crap". Everyone has one. It is the "catch-all" cupboard that you place all the items you don't know where else to put them and then shove the door closed, so they don't fall out. I try to clean it out during the month of January, so I don't end up on one of those shows like "Clean House", where you have to pole vault into your living room, because you can no linger see your carpet and Niecy Nash is holding up one of your beloved chatchkies and wants you to sell it at the yard sale, and rolling her eyes. But I digress. So, I was cleaning out my "c-o-c" lets call it, and my baby sister shows up to help my Mom clean out her "b-o-c" otherwise known as her "basement of crap". (Apparently when you age, a cupboard just doesn't suffice.)

She comes down the stairs and tells me she has had an epiphany and has figured out she has 3 sisters who love her and she would like to spend more time with the people who love her and have a better quality of life. It was really sweet and we had a moment. Then, off she goes to the "b-o-c". I kept cleaning my "c-o-c" when I suddenly realized I was going to be late for the gym. UGH~ when does that become fun? I changed my clothes and ran out of the door into the Arctic tundra. It was a freaken' WHITE OUT! (Not kidding) But, I am a woman on a mission, so I tread on. I get to the gym and low and behold, it is a surprise weigh in day. YEAH!! I hate weigh in days. I am never prepared. But, I lost 6 lbs. WHEW HEW!! Never saw that coming. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I get to go on a lovely machine straight out of the dark ages, called a "Hack Squat" machine. She tells me to hop on it and asks me if I remember how to use it. Now, I know I have a short term memory problem, but I am pretty sure I've never used this machine before in my life. So, I tell her I don't remember, because I don't want to look like a moron, and she gives me a little "refresher". I get in it and she releases the pins, and I start sinking to the ground. I just started laughing so hard, because I was getting a visual of myself and she had to rescue me. But, we figured out the problem and I finally did it correctly. After my torture session, I mean workout, she put me on the floor to stretch me out. Oh my holy crap! I asked her as she was doing things to my legs I'm quite sure weren't natural if she was doing this in case I ever joined the circus. She laughed and announced my hip flexor was really tight and I said it was probably was tight because I was never supposed to be able to kiss my knee while on my back! Anyhoo, it was a very interesting day. I can't wait until I can feel my legs again. I tread on.

Merry New Year!

Went and saw Sweeney Todd yesterday. Ummm......Yuck? Amazing performances, but totally gross! Johnny Depp, hot as always and he can sing! I love him, but I think I won't ever look at ground meat quite the same again! And, that was really one of the few ways I could still eat it in the first place. I'm screwed. Anyhoo, I got to go with my friend Amy, though. I love her!! She is me only skinnier and taller and blond. OK, so that sounds totally different, but she is so like me it is funny! We had a blast and she is teaching me how to use the Nintendo DS. I don't care if I'm not a kid, it is freakin' fun! LOVE IT! Totally takes me back to being a kid again and playing atari. I loved atari. Why did playstation have to re-make Pitfall and make it so hard! That was my favorite game~I am so old! Whatever. I lost 56 lbs. to date for the year. Yeah Team! I just have to stay focused. October is not too far away and I want to be HOT for my cruise! Yeah Baby!! Stay tuned.