Soy Sausage Muffin is no McMuffin

Day 3 of Boot Camp workout is over. I had to grit my teeth a few times and dig a little deeper today just to get through. Let's just say I am grateful that I already work out consistently; some of the people that just started out are sprawled out on the floor by the end of the workout begging Mark to "stop the madness".

So, since he gave us a meal plan, I'm trying to follow it. I am most impressed that I have only had 1 Diet Coke each day, and no sour patch kids/licorice/now & laters. The meal plan is quite generous and you get to eat about every 3 hours. Everything I have made on the menu has had great flavor and is filling. I stuck to the plan this morning and made the sausage muffin that was recommended. It consisted of a soy sausage pattie, a very small amount of mozzarella cheese, and a whole wheat English muffin. I was thinking how much I love those sausage McMuffins at McDonald's... how bad could this be? It was bad. Since Rich announced that he was going to join the gym at Swire (they have a gym right there at work!!), I thought I'd make him a muffin, too. If I were a bettin' girl, I'd say his muffin may be alongside the road somewhere on the way to his office.

Boot Camp, Basketball, and Bad Sportsmanship

Now that Jane Fonda has your attention: I started boot camp this morning. I am very lucky to have been asked by two neighbors to attend this camp with them at their gym. Luckily, no one at boot camp was wearing leg warmers. First off, the trainer weighed and measured us. I will divulge that I was 22% body fat today... we'll see what happens by the end of 2 weeks. We have a meal plan that we are to follow, and nowhere on it do I see pizza or Diet Coke. Then, he proceeded to have us do drills in the gym, lift weights, run laps, shuffle down court and pass off the medicine ball, and many other fun things...some of them were reminiscent of basketball drills from 20 years ago.

It rained here most of the weekend, then started snowing yesterday. We have about 6-7 new inches at our house, and Alta got 28 inches!! I didn't have to work this weekend, so was able to attend Cole's Jr. Jazz basketball game. He and his team played very well, but they lost to an amazing team. Later that evening, we went to his friend's Super League basketball game. Super League requires that the boys try out and it lasts year round. I was appalled to see some of the parent's behavior at the game. One father even got thrown out of the gym. Really nice, considering that these are 5th graders playing. How are our children supposed to learn sportsmanship when the parents can't act like adults?

What does ONE REVOLUTION mean to you?

I had the honor of meeting this gentleman on Sunday. His name is Chris Waddell and he is a paraplegic. On March 13, 2009 he will attempt the first paraplegic summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At 19,340 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

He has a website, one-revolution.com, which tells you all about the upcoming event, as well as about Chris's life and the things he does to raise awareness for those with disabilities. I was struck by his motto on the website:

"One revolution means so many things to me. One revolution of the handcycle, one revolution of the earth, one lifetime, one moment, one chance to make a difference."

So, take the time to look at this website and decide how you want to spend the one revolution that you have... this lifetime.

"The Talk" & Braces

My little boy is growing up. This picture of Cole was taken when we were on a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine in Hood River, Oregon when he was 4 years old. Now at 10 years old, we had his first appointment to disuss the braces he will be getting soon. And, all in the same week, they had their "maturation talk" at school. He was very sweet sitting next to me in the gym, while a video played, then the presenter talked about body changes, hormones, hygiene, and all those words that make boys giggle. He said, "Mom, boys my age don't ever call it a penis". Well, now that that's all cleared up...
He was evidently struck by the presenter's words about daily showers to prevent body odor. He jumped out of bed this morning, and into the shower, armed with his Axe Shower Gel. I'm not ready for this... he's supposed to be 4 and playing with trains. Right?

Remembering Dad (11/2/41- 1/13/02)

It is hard to imagine that it has been 7 years since Dad passed away. I think the beauty in his extended illness came in the form of our family remembering to tell each other, "I love you", and not taking our time together for granted. It was hard to see him go, and so many times I think of him... especially when it is crispy cold outside and the sun is sparkling on the snow.

Cole remembers "Papa" reading to him and playing on the floor with him. Morgan says she wishes she would have known him longer, because she was only 6 months old when he passed away. We read their "Papa" book to them, which Auntie Dana so thoughtfully made for them, and talk about him often. I can still hear his laughter and remember his smell when he came in from the farm---dust and diesel.

For the 60 years he lived, he worked hard, laughed hard, worried too much at times, and stopped at nothing to give us kids and Mom what we needed. Love you Dad.

Visit from the Moore Family!

We had a fantastic time with the Moore family when they came to town. It was a reprieve from the snow for them, as they have several feet of snow in Spokane. We went to the Gonzaga vs. Utah basketball game on New Year's Eve, then came home and shot off fireworks ("fire in the hole!") and banged pots and pans at midnight. We relaxed, laughed, sledded, watched Utah win the Sugar Bowl, took walks in the snow, and just enjoyed their company. We are so grateful for their friendship and can't wait to see them again!

Carriage Ride at Temple Square

On December 30, we headed downtown to take in a movie at the Clark Planetarium IMAX, then took a carriage ride around Temple Square. How beautiful it is there this time of year with all the lights!

The other photos are of the kids as icicle unicorns and trying to ride their new bikes in the snow! At least it was a soft landing!