Fall and Friends...

Fall has always been a time of year when everything seems to slow down to a mellow pace....not this year. I don't know why exactly, but this Fall season is already gone and I hardly got a chance to breathe in the aroma. The leaves have all fallen, the grass has stopped growing (almost), and Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone.

Keely as a "Princess" for Halloween.........she has managed to get many hours of good use out of this costume. Definitely got our money's worth!

We had a nice family get together this year for Thanksgiving. Great food and a time to laugh with loved ones and friends.

Christmas is just around the corner, my most favorite Season of all...

Summer's Gone....

I'm feeling a little incredulous! Where did the summer go? It seems like summer didn't really start for me until August....THEN I got into the swing of things. This summer was pretty quiet...travel-wise. We had a couple short jaunts here and there, a tiny bit of golfing...lots of trips to the gym...:)

My countdown is for our trip to Hawaii in January....just a little over 100 days...and counting down!! 10 days on the Island of Maui is sounding better and better.... just trying to get this bod in bikini shape!! Keely has got me beat already...ha.

Keely certainly found time to get out and enjoy summer....it's amazing to watch her, she's growing up right before our eyes.

My mindset now is turning towards Autumn...truly my favorite time of year. Finish getting the yard prepped for winter, clean a few flower beds, and trim a few bushes back. The 3 large maples in the backyard will be dropping their tons of golden leaves before I know it. I'll have to try and get a nice photo of the perfect leaf...:)

6 Week Challenge!!

So...

I'm currently in a 3 week clean eating challenge and a 6 week fitness challenge with a group of people.

The 3 week Clean Eating challenge is just that....a real challenge! Here's a sample of my eating each day:

Protein, protein, and more protien. You need to have 1.5 grams daily for every pound you weigh. Chicken, fish, occasionally lean beef. Good carbs which are complex carbs....whole grains like oats and brown rice (stay away from anything that has refined sugar and white flour...bad for you).

Breakfast:
1/2 cup Old fashioned Oats mixed with a little natural peanut butter, fat free cottage cheese and fat free Stoneyfield vanilla yogurt.

Midmorning: Protein Shake

Lunch: Tuna on low carb pita bread

MidAfternoon: Protein Shake

Dinner: Salad with chicken

Last meal: either protein shake, or tuna, anything protein

I will also add in a few almonds and some type of oil, probably flaxseed oil...and of course taking my daily vitamin supplements.

Now...the 6 week Baby Got Back challenge will be a mixture of weights (especially focusing on the backside: Tri's, Back, Glutes and Ham's). I will be weight training 3-4 days per week and doing low intensity cardio 6 days a week. The cardio will be specifically on the treadmill, eliptical and cycling for an hour each day. Amazingly, the low intensity is very challenging to me....because when I start cardio my first intinct is to flat out move! This is a whole new mind-set for me and I am constantly having to remind myself to go at a slower pace to meet the heart rate requirements.

Anyway....wish me luck. After 6 weeks I hope to report back with some good results...or if you're at the Barnes wedding, you can see for yourself ;)

The Great Cat Round-Up!!!

I took myself down memory lane awhile back….

My Mom owned a horse boarding facility for many, many years. The barns are still in the family and since her passing are being managed by my brother. Mom’s passion was definitely horses – to the point that she almost had an obsession about them. Sometimes it was hard to drag her away from the barns because she very rarely wanted to let anyone else take care of her ‘babies’. She would many times reminisce about her youthful days working at a racetrack in southern California, mucking out stalls and periodically getting to ride one of the horses.

One of the drawbacks of owning a barn and acreage are the stray animals that wander in from time to time. Mom’s property is not too far out of town so it is very accessible to people who no longer want their pets. It always amazed me when people grew weary of their pets they would see a barn and think “Oh look that appears to be great home for you”, and the next morning when we would walk outside we would be greeted by a sad little face just wanting a home and some love. Over and over Mom would find new homes for these little drifters, call animal control or they would disappear after a day or so. The animals that stuck around the most were the stray cats. The cats LOVED the barns and would make themselves at home in the loft. Usually this was a good thing because it kept the mice/rat population down to an acceptable level. One year we had a couple of female cats show up and lo and behold they were both pregnant!! The cat population exploded very rapidly!! Within a year or so Mom had more than two dozen cats running around, some tame and some NOT so tame. It was beginning to get completely out of hand. One of the horse boarders, who happened to also volunteer for an animal rescue operation, brought out some cages and live traps. Over the next few days we made good progress catching a dozen of the cats, transporting them to the rescue shelter where they were evaluated for heath, their ability to be placed with a family …etc. As the days went by we had to get more creative with our capture techniques, as we were getting down to the wilder side of the crowd! This is where it began to get exciting…

I had one little female picked out who seemed to be fairly friendly but would not allow me to pick her up….so…the genius in me came up with a plan. I donned a winter parka, put on some heavy duty gloves, set up the cage with the door wide open and forged on with my plan…. Pet the nice little kitty until she was comfortable with the gloves, then grab the back of her neck nice and tight so she would freeze up, because that’s what cat’s do, right? WRONG….she froze up for all of 30 seconds…then her survival factor kicked in and over-rode the freeze factor!! Her head began to slowly swivel around like some demon-possessed medusa and I knew I was in trouble. I was making my way rapidly towards the cage but realized I wasn’t going to make it before she made contact with my exposed wrist. Why didn’t I let go you ask? Beats the heck out of me…remember that wasn’t part of my original plan!! Eventually I did let go, but instead of running away she latched onto my leg and began to sink her teeth into my knee…NOW we’re into the survival of the fittest!! I grabbed her tail….and she begins to curl back up towards me…I start swinging slowly around in a circle using the force to keep her away from me. In the mean time, my audience had increased by two-fold….laughing hysterically, I might add!! I tried to line her up with the cage opening after a couple more revolutions; I then let her go and hoped for the best. Alas, I missed by a mile. She disappeared for a couple days but we eventually caught her in one of the live traps. I highly doubt that poor kitty would ever be a good candidate for a family to adopt because of the trauma I inflicted on her. A cat wrangler…I am not, and I now have two perfectly matched fang scars on my leg to remember this event by.

Weekend Getaway....

A few months ago I had made reservations for a weekend getaway...27th anniversary. This all came about when in down-time-chatting mode at work someone had mentioned that Belknap Hotsprings was a nice place to go. How this came up in the conversation is that I was wanting to have several jaunts this year to places close to home....embrace what Oregon has to offer.

So...off we go....an hour down the road I realized I had forgotten my camera...DRAT!! Well...that's not exactly what I said but you get the picture..:) Oregon sunshine, better known as RAIN, was with us for the whole 3 hours of our drive....GREAT. We found our way there without a hitch, enjoying the scenery along the McKenzie River. The usual day-dreaming took place when we noticed how many properties were For Sale, even in the steady rain it was easy to see what a beautiful valley this was. (located 1 hour east of Eugene)

Belknap Hotsprings isn't a really large establishment, very quaint. They've been around since 1928 with a few minor changes here and there. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, other than the pictures I had seen from their website..... Poor Randy had a bit of a shock when he realized there was no telephone, no TV, no internet.....ha, ha....I was loving it!! So what's the first thing we did after eating and checking into our room....take a nap! The first evening was a glorious 2 hours of hanging out in the hotsprings, with a cool night mist and listening to the river rush by....very nice.

The next morning we ventured out for a quick breakfast and to take a nice little hike. Still drizzling a bit, but a few blue patches beginning to show. They've created some nice walking paths and hidden gardens which we took full advantage of. There were few people out and about so we had it all to ourselves, for the most part. This is where I was so disappointed to not have my digital camera with me....FLOWERS everywhere. Any pictures you see posted here are from Google Images...but the place looks exactly like this!

We decided to take a 45 minute drive into Sisters for a late lunch. Thoroughly enjoyed dining at one of the local mexican restuarants. Very tasty salsa...yum. Sisters is a quaint little vacation town...for all you Canadians it's like a miniture Banff. Great shops, quilting, art gallery, local arts...The Antler Shop...ha.., bookstores, some very good dining and a couple ice cream shops...which we of course sampled...:)

Back at the lodge it was a carbon copy of the evening before...nap....hotsprings....but the night was clear and star-filled. I really need to get me a hotsprings!! Maybe if I win the lottery?

Sunday was a GLORIOUS day....we were up early,breakfast and out the door....we could hear golf calling our names at the Tokatee. A more beautiful course there just couldn't be!! Snow capped mountains, birds, flowers and wildlife....and a halfway decent golf game for me! I haven't picked up a club in almost 2 years but you wouldn't have known it by the score...I did pretty good.

Sometimes it's a good thing to just get away for a couple days....kind of re-energizes the batteries.

Siblings....

I posted this on another persons blog, but as I read it I felt I really needed to post it on my own blog.....here's to you my brother and sisters......

My life growing up was maybe a little off-kilter. My brother is 4 years older than me, while my younger sisters are 11 and 12 years younger than me. While I was a middle child, I grew up more as an only child for many years. My best friends were my pets (horses, cats, dogs, sheep, goats..etc) due to living in a very rural setting in my early years. Can we say ‘someone’ had a very vivid imagination?!

My brother and I, as kids, had our moments of camaraderie, but they were fleeting. I have to admit he was a great older brother and was very protective of me…..and bossy. You have to admit, who wants a runty little tag-a-long sister when you’re playing with all your buddies, but when I wrapped that kite string around my arm he was there to get it off before my arm turned purple! He was the one who told me to buck up when I was 12 and broke my leg on the ski slope….I think he was more afraid of it being broken than I was! Ron was the one who ‘tried’ to teach me how to dance and knew how my hair looked the best on me. I went for many years not having him in my life because he was lost in his own world. One of the last fights we had was when I was 15 and whatever the fight was about I remember taking a great big swing at him AND connecting…thank-you my brother for not reciprocating!! In more recent years it has been a real pleasure to reconnect with my brother and getting to know him again. Amazingly, we have an awful lot in common.

My sisters were much later coming into my life…I was a tween-ager when they were born 15 months apart. It was pretty cool at first to have these two mischievous babies running around, but in the life of a teenager it became a real pain once the advantages of a live-in babysitter became apparent. Shana and Casey were barely into school for a few years by the time I married and moved 1000 miles away. Who knew they would come and live with Randy and I for a couple of years…but they did, and that is when I truly got to know my sisters as people, rather than just a couple of pesky little runts. We’ve had many laughs that a sister…6-months pregnant…. still had the chutzpah to chase them down in the snow and rub their faces in it or chase them up the stairs when they thought it was okay to lip off. They moved back home when my first child was born and it would be another few more years before I would connect with them again. Now as they have grown into adulthood and have had children of their own, it has become easier to have common ground and experiences with them. Our family gatherings have become so much fun…more than I could have hoped for.

As we get older I think we’ve come to value having our families more and more. We are all so different….but family.

authorblog: Weekend Wandering

Forgive and Forget....

I think this is something I've done all my life. I have a hard time holding a grudge and life is too short to let those sort of emotions rule you.

Forgiving is easy....just allow yourself to do that...and let it go. For your own well-being.

Forgetting is hard....maybe the word should be "learn". Knowledge of why something happened is a powerful tool.


authorblog: Weekend Wandering

Flowers -- Part Deux

After a little prodding from Jim...:)

Beautiful Columbines

I went out on this beautiful afternoon...when the sun was behind a cloud and tried out a few shots of my beautiful flowers. Not too sure if these are the caliber of the other professional pics but I think they're kind of pretty.

Multiple Daisy's

(I love the depth of this photo, how the flowers appear to be floating and how they are all facing different directions)

I can't remember the name of these..maybe Snowball-something

Yellow Lily - notice the water drops

Purple Lupine

Deep Pink Daisy's

Pink Lily

Flowers...

For those who know me well.....I love flowers.

What a wonderful weekend I've had. The weather was absolutely perfect and I was able to spend all day outside playing in my yard. Keely and I went to the local garden center and spent about an hour deciding what flowers we were going to buy and plant in the flower beds. I enjoyed a little one-on-one time with my Little Bug...she's a real pleasure and is at the age where she is fascinated by everything around her...so inquisitive.

I finally decided this year I was going to incorporate more perennials into my yard. Year after year I have planted annuals and have been sad when they are permanently done in the fall. I've slowly been adding a few perennials each year. This year I decided to go almost exclusively with them. It was hard to select which little beauties to go with but I finally narrowed it down to Columbines, Lupines, a variety of Daisies, and several Lilys. My favorites are the Columbines because they have such a delicate look about them....very pretty.

I have the larger flowering bushes such as.... Honeysuckles, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas. This year I wanted to focus on the smaller flowers. Early every spring I wait with anticipation for my Crocus to emerge, usually in late February. NOW I will have lots of flowers to look forward too..:)

It's Graduation Day!!

“Though we all shall try, we may never meet again
(never meet again, never meet again)
School is almost over. Graduations near
Though we try to hide it, we all shed a tear
Happy days are over. School is near its end
Though we all shall try, we may never meet again
As the school year ends, we will surely try
Try to face our friends. Try to say good-bye
Happy days are over. School is near it's end
Though we all shall try, we may never meet again
What will happen now is not for us to say
We will each go on, our own and separate way
As the years go by, Time will have it's say
But we will all remember graduation gay
When we stop to look back, we will surely say
The best day of our lives was graduation day
graduation, graduation
graduation, graduation
Graduation Day !!!!!!!!” by William Stark Whiteman

Today was a wonderful day, a day I will never forget. The emotions one wouldn’t think would be there…were.

I was sitting in a seat between two young women I’ve never met, but we had an instant connection because we were there for the same reason! We sang the school song together; we prayed together, clapped together and laughed together.

Finally, we each made our individual journey across the stage when hearing our names called. A warm smile and handshake awaited us, and the blue folder that held our diplomas. As I walked off the stage I was congratulated and welcomed by the head of the Alumni committee. Further down the isle I was embraced by one of my instructors. “Hey Mom!” My kids jumped out of nowhere and started snapping pictures!!

The following reception was a kaleidoscope of family and friends, punch and cookies, and goodbyes to people I’ll probably never see again. Our family continued on to the Olive Garden to enjoy one another’s company and close out the celebration of this momentous event.

I have great memories of my high school graduation, but with age comes wisdom of how important education really is. This was a graduation day I’ll not forget very soon.

News From Around MY World.

Let's see....

Erin just graduated from Ashmead/Everest College as a Licensed Massage Therapist. She will be taking all the Oregon/Washington and National tests very soon. We are so proud of her...she did it!! She's very excited to be done with school too.

Keely just turned 2 years old March 8th...what a cute little bug. She's learning to count and is turning into a little jabberbox...I'm not always sure what she's saying though...ha.
School....finally..I'm no longer double up on classes! I've been doubled up since Thanksgiving. With working full time and going to school ...let's just say I was getting a little frazzled. I'm definitely in the home stretch. The only 5-week classes I have left are; Business Law, Operations Management and Business Policies....plus as 2-weekend Intro to Fine Arts!! My graduation date is Saturday, May 10th at the New Hope Community Church....woo hoo.. My final class runs into mid-July....I'm okay with that...the end is definitely near...:)

I'm still hitting the gym as hard as I can in my "spare" time. Just hit a new high on the sitting leg press.....final set (8-10 reps) ......315 lbs...not bad..eh? I know I need to boost the cardio higher and have started that too. Softball season starts in about a month and I'm working on getting my running up to an acceptable level (torn achilles is healed...just a weak leg)

We've had our first day of Spring...and even a little sunshine to go with...I am SO ready for some warm weather. Take care and have a great Easter weekend.

Tag.....You're it!!

Thanks to Kelsie I've been forced to come out of my hole and socialize...:) Thanks Kelsie!

I don't know if the time stamp shows up on this thing but if it does you'll notice, it's like 4 0'clock in the morning....what's up with that!?

Hmmm.......seven things you may not know about me...

1. I've read the whole set of Anne of Green Gables ....I loved them and may have to do it again.

2. I love to sew but my sewing machine broke##%^#!!

3. I can tie a cherry stem into a knot inside my mouth.....;)

4. I'm seriously addicted to jigsaw puzzles.

5. I would love to travel.

6. I'm a hopeless romantic.

7. I grew up on a farm and am well versed in the ability to milk a cow or a nanny goat.

There's SO much more.......but you'll have to tag me again to find out.....bwahhahahaahaa!

(Are there touch backs on this game?....because I don't know many who are on blogspot)

Weight.......WAIT....

My lastest endeavor is basically circuit training. I start at the end of a long line of machines and work my way through them all……then I start over again. I usually do 3 sets with 12-15 reps in each set. It takes me about an hour or so and I’ve worked up a pretty good sweat when I’m done! The upper body is coming along…but is definitely my weak area. The pull down Lat I’m up to 65 lbs..and I’ve just reached 75 lbs for the pullover. My triceps suck!! I can’t seem to get beyond 35 lbs….and that’s both arms working together…:( I’m finally at 45 lbs (on a good day) for the front butterfly.

For the lower half….on the sitting leg press I’m up to 195 lbs. Hip adductor/abductor…90 lbs pressing out….140 lbs pressing in. I don’t know what the name of the machine is …….but it’s the one where you’re laying on your stomach and curling your legs up…50 lbs.

Miscellaneous other machines for abs…

I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with these machines, but have tried to not get too complacent. I continue to raise the weight by 5 or 10 lbs….about once a week. What I’m wondering is……

Should I continue to keep raising the pounds …or at some point should I increase the sets?

I have no problem climbing on just about any machine…but I’ve seriously avoided lifting the free weights….why is that? I’ve watched enough people do them that I’m quite knowledgeable on their uses, but I can’t seem to get up the courage to venture over to that part of the gym.
Totally pathetic…..I know.

So...I forced myself to that end of the gym this evening when it seemed pretty quiet in that area..and guess what...it wasn't so bad. I'm limiting myself to just a few things for now, so I can get comfortable with a simple routine. All I can say is.....there is a huge difference between the machines and the free weights! I'm definitely a little sorer. Guess I'll be hanging out in that area a little more in the future.

SWOT.......not swat...

What does it mean?

Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

It's interesting as I go through school how much of what I'm learning can be applied to my everyday life. In my business classes this is an analysis that can help a business understand its organization and productivity, and formulate strategy to improve its mission.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is to use those strengths to the best of our ability rather than to just coast along. Admit what our weaknesses are and face them. How many of us have numerous opportunities present themselves weekly or even daily? Do we reach out and grasp them or lazily watch them pass by.... and threats...do we allow them to cow-tow us into quaking balls of fear or do we confront the fear, take the challenge and conquer.

Take this a step further....Strengths and Weaknesses are an internal matter. This is the struggle within us. Take a moment and analyze yourself.

Opportunities and Threats are external forces. Sometimes we have control over these issues...sometimes we don't....BUT if we remain wallflowers....you'll never know what could have been.

I challenge you to take a SWOT analysis of your life....it may be the best thing you've ever done.

Resolutions......

Happy New Year!

Don't we all have good intentions of:

turning over a new leaf
losing weight and getting fit
bettering ourselves scholastically
traveling
cleaning out the clutter in our lives

Well.....have I made any of these decisions for this year?

Actually.....most of them. The last couple of years have been a bit of a struggle...mentally and emotionally. I'm ready to turn over that new leaf and focus on being positive.

I've done fairly well at losing weight and maintaining that loss, but it's now time to go after that final stubborn weight that keeps hanging on.....my goal....by summer there will be a lot less of me!!

Scholastically....the light at the end of the tunnel is coming up much faster than I could have ever imagined. It's amazing to me that I've already been in school a full year...only a few more months to go.

Travel....around the world in 80 days would be SO much fun, but I'll have to settle for a few little weekend jaunts. I've decided to sit down with my family and make a few plans. We'll write them on the calendar and stick to them. Little trips to the ocean, mountains, high desert...and maybe some hiking. We live in such a beautiful area of the northwest and we need to get out and enjoy it.

Finally...CLUTTER.....we've all got it......and I DON'T want it. With all the kids moving back home this past spring, my house became a disaster...again. I can hardly wait for warm weather...this house is going to go through an extreme makeover....:)