Saturday, September 29, 2008

Did you know I have my HAM radio license? Several years ago they needed more HAM radio operators for the emergency team at church. I knew hubby would love it so somehow I got roped into doing it with him. Then Josh thought it was cool so he got his license too. They both got really into it. Me, not so much. I had other things to do.... like stamp.

Well now hubby is on the road. Last time they had a drill, I had plans so Josh did it by himself. This time Josh and I were supposed to do it together, which means Josh would do it all and I would just supervise. That plan disintegrated when the huge storm of September was predicted a couple of weeks ago. The one that was supposed to cause severe flooding. The one that caused the local BSA council to postpone the Mountain Man Rendezvous. Of course it barely rained.

I didn't actually realize it was a problem until 5 days before the mapping drill. Suddenly I made the connection. I was going to have to do the whole thing by myself!

Josh and I loaded everything into the car during the week and took it with us to Road Show practice. He showed me how to set up the ladder and gave me a quick refresher on the radio. I was all set.

I got to the church and unloaded the ladder.

I duct taped the jpole to the ladder, raised it up and zip-tied it to the gate. Ha! And Josh said it would be heavy. Apparently he did not know my hidden strength. (Thank goodness there wasn't much wind.)

Here's my radio and the cable.

I was pretty nervous at first, but I caught on right away. I was ready. I wasn't listed on the exercise. (Gee, I wonder why? I think they had given up on my participation a long time ago. I guess they didn't get the memo about Rick being on the other side of the country though.) They called Rick's call sign. I answered, gave my call sign and explained I was filling in. They heard my call sign. They knew it was me, but apparently they couldn't hear much more. They didn't hear my 10 count.... They said maybe my battery was low, maybe my PL wasn't set right...

PL? What's PL? It should be programmed in.... And that's when it went all downhill....

I finished the first set and wrote everything down. As soon as it was over I was bound and determined to get it right before we moved on to the next repeater. I started pushing buttons on the radio to try and check the settings.

Next thing I know I can't get back to the programmed settings. Finally I call Rick only to find out that he doesn't know how to use Josh's radio well enough to help over the phone. Somehow I manually get to the repeater just in time to hear the guy right before me. Whew....

My turn - and once again, they can't hear me....

So I cried. Yep. I sat there and cried for like 10 seconds. I was so frustrated and I felt completely stupid. Then I pulled myself together and figured the radio out. I got back to the pre-programmed channels and waited, and waited, and waited. Yep, I got back after the drill was over.

I felt like such a dork as I took down the antenna and packed everything back up.

As soon as Josh got home I explained the whole thing again.

My PL was set right.

and the second drill?

Josh said "You can't hit the mara repeater from the building. They've known that for a long time."

Turns out I did everything right... well except for the fact that while I was "lost" in radio land, I ummmm somehow got into program mode and ummmmm adjusted a couple of things. Ooops...

The full fledged emergency drill is in a few weeks. I guess I better get a radio lesson between now and then so I can feel a little more confident.

Biggest Loser Friday - Week 4

Just call me "turtle." I'm losing this weight, but it's very, very slowly. I was down .4 this week. In all honesty, I did not give it 100% effort. I haven't been writing everything down and far more of my points were spent on low nutrition foods. I waited until weigh-in day to start eating more fruits and veggies. Good news is that I was actually craving some fresh food and I didn't spend the week eating candy and ice cream.... oh wait... I did sneak a few m&m bingo markers......

Last night Josh helped me move the recumbent bike from the back of the porch. Poor bike was covered in dust. I'm sure it was feeling very neglected. I've kind of ignored it ever since I discovered the elliptical. My sore feet and my crazy schedule (no time for the gym) have forced me to return to the bike.

I intended to dust it off and bring it back in the house. I figured I'd ride while watching tv. But the weather was so nice last night that I decided to leave it on the porch and ride out there. It was wonderful. I did a quick 15 minutes and when I was done I felt good and I had no new aches and pains. I may be able to start increasing my workouts after all!

And lest you think I only talk to the animals while walking in the morning, I made a new friend while I was out there. A beautiful white cat just had to come see what I was up to. He came up and let me pet him and then proceeded to watch me while I rode. Hmmmm....who sent the spy?

Morning Walk

I tried to go back to sleep this morning. I was in the car. I had my pillow and my blanket and Laura wasn't there. I sat there for about 10 minutes before I decided that I really wasn't that tired. I was just being lazy, so I got out of the car and started walking. I forgot my ipod on the first lap around the parking lot so I got to listen the rooster wake up. Since I firmly believe that I can talk to all animals, whether or not they are within earshot, I kind of mocked him and said "Ha, I was up before you were." Sad thing is I'll probably stay up later than he will too. Lucky Rooster!

The moon has been big and gorgeous the last couple of days.... Today I finally decided to take a quick picture. The picture doesn't even begin to do it justice. I think I waited too long to go get my camera out of the car.

On the other side of the building the sun was coming up and turning the clouds red.

I'm really glad I got out of the car. The air was crisp and cool. The views were beautiful. And I earned 2 activity points :-)

Bingo, Workshop and Playful Petals

Whew...it was a weekend of stamping fun.

Bingo -

The Bingo party turned out so well and we had a great time. I'm seriously thinking about adding more Friday night crops/workshops. It was a fun group with lots of new faces!

(No, Laura's not raising her hand to ask a question...she got Bingo!!)

Workshop -
Saturday I helped Gail with her National Stamping Day workshop. She had stations all set up for make n takes and several consultants participated. It was fun to see her customers that I've known for years and to meet all her new customers. She's got a great group of people that come to her workshops.



Fall Colors and Playful Petals
I did a quick little demo with a variety of stamping/coloring techniques for my demo at the Bingo party and Gail's Workshop. I showed coloring with chalks, coloring with the waterbrush, using our cool markers (which I've falllen in love with all over again!), dry embossing with stamps, and a cute little box/bag.


Since I demo'd it so many times I had quite a few little flowers hanging around. I used up all the leftover pieces and made a ton of 3x3 cards...but then I was on a roll.... so I kept on stamping. I pulled out one of my favorite new sets "Playful Petals" and the gorgeous fall colors... Autumn Terracotta, Honey and Barn Red..... and that did it... now I'm back to "dreaming" about stamping and creating.

Biggest Loser Friday - Week 3

Sorry this update is a day late. The last 48 hours have been busy, busy, busy... but I thought I'd better give a quick little update before too much time passes...

I lost 1.8 pounds this week.
Woo Hoo!

I probably should've lost more, but I struggled a little bit more than usual. It's amazing how much of this journey is "mental." I was kind of frustrated and annoyed with last week and it just kind of slowed me down a bit. I didn't pig out or overeat, but I didn't eat as many good foods and I didn't exercise quite as much.

But that's all behind me and I'm back in the game...mentally and physically... so let's hope for another good loss next week.

Only 3.8 pounds to go to make it to my next mini goal - 20 pounds...

Stay tuned... I've been stamping!! I have stuff to share. For now, I need to go type the church bulletin and get some sleep.

Guess What I Did?

Woo Hoo! I was a stamping fool today! I put together two boards for my Bingo party Friday and I created all of my cards for our stamp of the month swap. (I tried to drop out of the swap for lack of time, but they "needed" me...hahaha)

I am feeling the stamping love again.

Whew....

So glad to get re-motivated.

Stay tuned for more fun. (I also scanned in a bunch of old cards and put them in my webshots album.)

Biggest Loser Friday - week 2

Ok, so I had no idea how soon my little "biggest loser Friday" posts would bite me in the butt. I really should think things through better before I commit.

I was having a great week! I mean the best week I've had since starting this journey. Some of my clothes are literally starting to fall off of me. It took me a while to figure out why I kept tripping on my pants the other day. Did the hem fall out? Did I wear different shoes? What the heck? Hmmm.... I had to laugh when I finally realized it was because they were too big. How did I not notice that I had several extra inches in the waist band?

And as if that wasn't enough fun, I watched the scale creep down all week long. Every day it was lower and lower. I was looking at a 3 pound weight loss.

I walked into my ww meeting on cloud 9. I was excited to step on that scale...... hahaha.....

Here's my little ww story.

Me: "I forgot to put my new pass in my purse, but here's my old one."
Him: "Well, you'll have to make sure you bring the right one next time."

(Wow, that was a bit harsh. You should've heard his tone!)

Me: "Well when you scan it in, doesn't it tell you I'm up to date?"
Him: "Of course it does."

(Hmm...then what's the problem dude??? You are being a jerk. I forgot my card one time and printed one on the computer. The lady who helped me even printed a little sticker for me to keep in case I ever forget again. She was nice and helpful and courteous.... and this guy is being a jerk....whatever.... I lost like 3 pounds this week. I'm getting a star... this guy can just take his crappy attitude someplace else....)

Him: "well you went up a little again."
Me: "Excuse me?"
Him: "you went up .2"
Me: "Sheesh... I must've ate something crazy today to gain 3 pounds in one day."
Him - blank stare

Then the idiot had the audacity to write on my little book "must show mp" next to the space for next week.

What the heck? What is the deal with the monthly pass. And how dare him say I went up "again." I have NEVER gained before.

Of course I handled it all very maturely. I finished up. I gathered my stuff. I took my name badge off my shirt and I walked out the door. I was pissed!!!!!

I think I was more mad about being treated like a little child than anything else. The stupid weigh-in was just icing on the cake. I figured it was just their dumb scale. Jokes on me though. I really did gain 3 pounds in ONE day. I guess my body decided it was going to hang on to some extra water just in time to screw me up for my weigh in! Sucks to be me.

Even though I was mad. I did not drown myself in cookies or chocolate. I wasn't even tempted. I just ate my normal meal and moved on. I have a week to decide which of the following two options I'd like to follow

1) Stand in line and if he calls me up - refuse to be weighed by him
2) Stand in line and hope to be weighed by him. I should definately have a big loss next week. I almost hope he weighs me and then chastises me for losing too much... ohhhh....then it will be ON.

I stayed within my points all week and here's my workouts...

Friday - Elliptical 30 min.
Saturday - Elliptical 30 min.
Sunday - Rest day
Monday - walk 30 minutes, 10 min. doing squats and stretches
Tuesday - walk 40 min.
Wednesday - walk 40 min, 30 min swim
Thursday - walk 40 min.

Got Shoes?

I'm feeling like a new woman today! I have flat feet. I'm not talking semi-fallen arches. I'm talking flat duck feet. Ever since I was a little kid, I have been jealous of all the cute footprints everyone else left when they got out of the pool. Not only do flat feet leave ugly fat prints on the ground, but they are extremely painful. I cannot tell you how many times my mom told me I sounded like an old lady because I was always complaining about my feet hurting.

We tried everything. I wore Dr. Scholls shoes because they were supposed to exercise your feet. They gave me foot cramps. I can pick up quarters and small objects with my toes (supposed to strengthen your arches). I've worn shoes with high arches and shoes with no arches. I've tried learning to stand in mountain pose when standing in line (does help to some extent.) But really nothing helps.

So when you take flat feet, overweight, add some walking and a day in some really cute little oxfords you get heel pain. That was a couple of months ago. The shoes were comfy. It was the end of the day before I figured out the damage.

Since then I have taken ibuprofen. I've done the stretches. I've tried not to go barefoot. . I have an ice pack in the freezer at work so I can ice my foot under my desk. It kept getting almost better, then it would flare up again. Finally I realized my new running shoes were part of the problem so I went back to my trusty Nikes.

Yesterday I hobbled over to a coworkers desk and she kind of gave me a funny look. I said "You can always tell when I've had a good long walk in the morning because I can't walk the rest of the day."

Then we had a great conversation which ended with me taking possession of a new pair of shoes. These poor shoes were handed around. Someone bought the wrong size, passed them on and then they were passed to me and they fit me perfectly! I was a little leery. The arches were a bit high. If I was shopping I wouldn't have bought them... but let me tell you.... they are absolute heaven!

Who would've thought a girl could be so happy over a pair of shoes?

Now maybe I won't be so tired and sore every night that I'll be able to stamp. Did I say stamp? Hmmmmm.....

Biggest Loser Friday

Now that I decided to do Biggest Loser Fridays, I'm contemplating making up special categories forthe rest of the week too. If posting my weight loss progress each week will keep me accountable, then maybe I should have "show and tell Monday" for all of my completed weekend projects. Hmmm..... Tuesday Tips....Wednesday Whines...haha... just kidding.

Ok, on to Biggest Loser Friday.....

Pounds Lost - 14.6 (dang, I knew I would be close to 15) 1.4 pounds this week

Workouts:
Saturday - 30 min. Elliptical, Steam Room
Sunday - Swimming
Monday - Walk around Lake with Laura
Tuesday - 40 minute walk
Wednesday - 40 minute walk
Thursday - YBB (Yoga Booty Ballet) 15 min. - ran out of time

Last night when I called hubby with my current weight loss he said "well, I'm planning to go for a walk as soon as it gets two degrees cooler." Apparently he's feeling a bit competitive. Bring it on honey! I'm planning to be down 20 pounds by the time you get home.

The Biggest Loser - Challenge

I love The Biggest Loser! I won't even apologize for it. (Believe me there are other reality shows that even I can't believe I watch!!) I get so excited to see people challenge themselves and learn what they can do. Watching the show motivates me.

Sooo...since I love Biggest Loser.... and I'm currently on a losing streak... (I'm hoping to reach 15 pounds lost at weigh-in tonight.).... I thought I'd combine my two loves and see if anyone wants to join me.

I'm going to institute - Biggest Loser Fridays here on my blog. Every friday I'll post how the week went, how many days I exercised, my thursday weigh-in results and anything else LOSER oriented. You can join in the fun in the comments section by posting your weekly stats or direct us to a post on your blog.

So come on and let's see... Who is the Biggest LOSER?

So much for dating the posts

Ok so the last post was really from Friday August 31, 2007, even though it says Tuesday September 4, 2007.

I wrote it last week, but had to attach the pictures before I posted it. Blogger has this little place where you can click "post options." I put the right date in. Imagine my surprise when it didn't display it. So much for back-dating some posts to get things caught up. I guess I'll do a quick little update post here.

The weekend was HOT! Not just HOT, but miserable HOT. Have I mentioned that we don't have a/c? Have I mentioned that we usually use a swamp cooler? The only time a swamp cooler doesn't work is when it's too humid....hmmm....me thinks the rain we got on Friday might be a clue as to how humid it was.

I had planned to spend the long holiday weekend cleaning and stamping. My house is a disaster and I need to take control!! Instead of cleaning and stamping, we spent the weekend devising ways to stay cool.

Saturday - We headed to the mall along with the rest of East County and went to the movies. We finally saw the latest Harry Potter movie. I loved it, but I really loved the nice cool movie theater!

Sunday - Church was packed! Even the overflow was full. I guess heat and holidays bring out those who normally would rather stay home :-) I'm not complaining! I love seeing the chapel that full.

After church we went to Candaces and enjoyed the pool and the a/c!! The plan was to stamp, but I just couldn't focus. Even with the a/c on the scrapbook room was a little warm...why not swim instead?

Monday - Ok it's time to focus! I must clean my house!!! After meeting Laura for a walk around the lake at 6:30am, I came home and decided I was going to clean until I just couldn't take it anymore. I got quite a bit done and then hopped in a nice cold shower and then headed off to the a/c at Supercuts for a haircut.

The kids from church had planned to get together, but it started to sound like the plans were going to fall through so we headed to the mall for another movie. As soon as we got there the phone rang and the party was on. I dropped Josh and a couple other boys off at the party and headed back home....to the heat infested house....

I was just a little happy when one of the girls called my cell phone and said I needed to come to the party. Sometimes I just love those girls!!! It's nice to know they enjoy having me around....and there was a/c. :-P

Be Careful What You Wish For

Ok, so I missed the big rain "event" last Sunday, but there was no missing the rain today.

I rushed home from work so I could change clothes, pick up Josh and run him over to cross-country practice. I sat down for a few minutes to try and avoid putting on my gym clothes and all of the sudden it started POURING. At first we thought it would be one of those quick cloud bursts, but it kept coming and coming. The wind whipped up and everything was blowing around. It was crazy!

It finally slowed down a bit so we ventured out. Here are some pictures Josh took during the storm and on our way to practice.

You can see the rain coming down in the top of this picture....

African Safari? Nope, this is a picture from our porch. I'm not sure, but I think he took this when the rain slowed down...

And here are the wet roads.....

This is the only one he retouched. I love how he made everything black and white, but kept the color in the flag.