I WILL, WILL, PROTECT THIS HOUSE!

Well, most people that know me know that I love physical fitness and I spend a ton of my time at the gym. I may not be the most trim person in the world...but I sure keep working at it! Anyway, last night I watched a video for Under Armour Women which features Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsey Vonn working out and some of the workout moves were a little extreme...but very motivating!

I realize Lindsey is a professional athlete and most of us will never reach the level of physical fitness that she has; however, somewhere in the depths of our universe...we all wonder if on some small scale we can reach a level...that our bodies have never reached before!!! This video not only motivated me to work harder to accomplish this but to also check our Under Armour for women. I went straight to their website! Whoever in the Marketing Department of this company created these ads is a genius! In reality it was most likely a team of people; nonetheless, they are to be applauded!

Below is a link to watch the video. I even posted the video on my Facebook as well as my Twitter, I was so impressed. You can check out the video on Under Armour's Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=148294495193152

I strongly encourage you to check out Under Armour apparel at http://www.underarmour.com. I did...lots of cool items to purchase in my future! I will...I will....I will...protect this house!

The Miracle called "Skype"

I grew up in a very small town in southeastern Kentucky. My life was simple and I am grateful for that. Check out the picture of a small portion of my beautiful family.

During my childhood, and yes this ages me, there were no cell phones, no computers in school or at home, no internet, no Facebook, no Twitter and certainly no iPods. We did have a game where you could play ping-pong on the television...but I don't even remember the name of the game.

My favorite part of my childhood was the fact that I grew up really knowing my family. On my Dad's side of the family all of my aunts and uncles and cousins lived next door. We went to the same school and for the most part played together most days. My Grandmother lived among us as well...and this was great to say the least!!! When I reflect back on this I have such fond memories of running in and out of her house, especially during the summer, and on top of that she was a fantastic cook!!!

My Mom's side of the family was a little more scattered but many of them, including me and my siblings, would meet at my Mom's Mothers on Sunday, we called her "Mamaw Dorton," for dinner. Nothing better than Sunday family dinners and Mamaw Dorton's cooking!

However, in today's world it seems like families are becoming more and more spread out. I moved away from my hometown 20 years ago. That was difficult for me in the beginning but as time passed I found ways to deal with the absence of family. Now my son has followed suit and left the nest...only his new home is a couple of thousand miles away...in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He has blessed me with a beautiful granddaughter and I am expecting my second one in February. Thanks Matty! Of course I have to include a picture....check it out.

Learning to make the most of life and family, while not experiencing the next door family has been and continues to be a challenge for me. I try to do all that I can to stay in touch, especially with my little princess granddaughter, but this has not been easy. But thank goodness times are progressing and there are miracles among us!

My recent technique for staying in touch is Skype. I absolutely love it! I Skype with Brooklyn a couple of times a week for a few minutes. Brooklyn, even at 2 years old, knows what Skype is. For those out there who may not know about Skype...you should know that it is absolutely free and when downloaded onto your computer allows you to speak with someone, as well as, see them visually on the computer. You can get your free download at http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home. Completely free!

As Brooklyn has grown and gotten to the point that she speaks clearly Skype has become more and more fun. Recently we had a great conversation about her toes. She kept saying Grandma, Grandma look at my toes. Of course the high chair tray was in her way and she said Dad move the tray, move the tray. She then proceeded to remove her shoes and socks to show me her nicely painted toe nails...they were purple! She told me about her Aunt Emily painting her toes. This was great for me to be able to hear her story about her toe painting experience.

There have been many other such times along the way with Brooklyn and Skype. She blows me kisses, makes funny faces, giggles, sometimes cries, makes a mess and cleans between her toes...sometimes all during one Skype conversation! Below is a picture of Brooklyn in her high chair talking to me on Skype...check out the cute smile! I took this photo utilizing Skype during one of our conversations.

For anyone out there who longs for their family give Skype a try! It is definitely worth it! You may miss out on the physical touches of your loved ones...but you can stay in touch and be part of their life. Nothing warms your heart more than to turn on the computer, utilize Skype and hear a sweet voice say, "Hi Grandma." :-) Life is good!

A Gym Rat??? For Real?

I love going to the gym to work out. Even on days when I feel tired and overly stressed I can quickly be made to feel better when I think of the gym. It brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

Sometimes I have to stop and ask myself...why such an obsession? Is it because my family was very involved in sports as a child? Or maybe because it relieves stress? Perhaps because it makes me feel so happy??

Or because I don't want to grow old and not be able to do things I enjoy because of my fitness level? All of these questions could be true somewhere in the depths of my mind...but I think the simple answer is it feels good and right for me. Perhaps gyms aren't for everyone.

During a week's time I take three urban iron classes (body pump), a spin class (going to add a second next week), a yoga class and a mat pilates class. I also do 2 short runs and one long run...so as you can see, I spend a lot of time at the gym. The cool thing is....I never resent any of my time there.

While in my classes or during a run it is fun to look around just to see who is there, people watch if you will. I love the fact that people of all ages attend the gym. I see people from 14 or 15 years old to 80 years old. One elderly lady attends two of my urban iron classes a week, and she is at least 70. She is quite the weight lifter! I also see people of different races, different gender, different sizes, different hair colors, different fitness levels, different heights, different body shapes....and I like to think that each of them has their very own personal reason for being there.

In my urban iron class, which meets at 5:45 am. we have actually become a big weight lifting family. We rarely have new people...the same group shows up most of the time. It is a very big class...ranging in attendance from 30 to 45 people. The instructor is awesome and she makes us feel good about what we are doing and nicely corrects our form and small ignorances along the way. It is fun to show up and see what everyone else has been doing during the week. Even though I don't spend time with these folks outside the gym they still seem important to me...just like the gym is important to me.

I guess in reality I have officially become a gym rat...or that's what the folks at the gym refer to those who attend the gym often...like myself. I guess I have a new title...to add to the long list. At least it is a positive one!

For those who don't attend a gym...come on down and join me at Bellevue Urban Active! You won't be sorry!

I joined Urban Active after I graduated from college in December. They were having a special and I decided to take the leap and just do it. It was the best decision I have made in a very long time, I feel good about myself and my forever increasing fitness level!

Are you Kidding Me?

I decided this year to watch Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). I really like Chad Johnson of the Bengals, enjoy his sense of humor and thought he was a great addition to the show. I follow Chad on Twitter and there are times when I find myself laughing hysterically. For instance, when he went shopping the day after Thanksgiving at Target and found Snuggy's for $5.00. He posted a picture of himself posing in the Snuggy on Twitter. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Chad does a great job of marketing himself! Anyway, I decided to follow Chad through this dancing crazines. He is doing a great job in my personal opinion. He is certainly getting my vote each week...and that of my family! Go Chad!

I watched last night's episode and was quite dismayed that Kate Gosselin remained on the show one more week! What a joke...and I mean that literally. If you haven't seen her dance just check it out on YouTube...you will get your daily dose of laughter. Now, I am by no means a dancer but I feel comfortable in saying that I could do a better job than Kate has done on this show. The judges consistently tell her she is not a performer...and it is very obvious that she is not. Aren't you a nurse Kate?

Nonetheless, I became so upset last night when she was not voted off...that I decided to stop watching the show. Anyone in their right mind knows that Kate is the worst dancer to ever be on Dancing with the Stars. I believe the show is fixed, setup, staged....are they keeping her because they think she will bring better ratings? I also started a campaign in my office today to stop viewing the show and take a who cares attitude. So far I have recruited several people. Just stop voting, stop participating, watch something else! Don't give Kate any more press...just stop. So that is my goal of the day.

I wrote this today...and will say nothing else about it...but just ban the show!

Just Sayin'.....

Well, it has been a while since I posted. Since that time much has changed in my life. I graduated from Northern Kentucky University in December 2009 with a degree in Business Administration! YAHOO!!! It was a great day that included all of my children, my beautiful little granddaughter and some of my most loved friends and family!!! Check out the photo above!

Since graduation I have spent some time relaxing, no class at night...I LOVE IT! My evening time has been returned to me. One might ask with all that free time what are you doing? Well, I am not the type to sit idly by...I don't enjoy being idle at all! Therefore, I have chosen to pursue things that I do enjoy, for the first time literally in years!!!

One of my first loves is physical activity. Over the last 7 years I have been a power walker and I have taken some yoga classes, which I also enjoy. However, I did this with a crazy school and work schedule leaving me little time to really pursue all the physical activity I would enjoy.

In January I joined Urban Active in Bellevue, Kentucky. Urban Active is located on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River overlooking the City of Cincinnati. They offer classes such as yoga, kick-boxing, weight lifting (utilizing barbells), zumba, pilates, etc. I had a hard time deciding which classes I wanted to attend so I attended most of them at least once to get a feel for what I wanted to do. I have chosen to do an hour of yoga a week, an hour of Pilates and two hours of weight lifting...plus I run 2 short runs/walks a week (1.4 miles) and I do 2 long runs/walks (about 3 miles). My goal is this year (sometime between end of May and first of August) to run a 5K. If I keep pushing myself...I just might make it!

I do recommend Urban Active for all those individuals looking for a gym. Hopefully, you will not become addicted like I have. Check it out at
http://www.urbanactive.com/trainerfinder/websites/60092/home/index.html

I also recommend for those individuals looking to run a 5K the Couch Potato to 5K running method. You can check it out at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml It is working for me!

I am also pursuing other employment...specifically employment with greater benefits and income! I am looking particularly in the medical field pursuing account management or a sales rep position. Wish me luck! I have been employed in sales for over 3 years now and have had a lot of success.

Life is starting to look up for me...just sayin'......

Star Trek

The above photo, if you haven't figurued it out, features the Old Kirk and Spock from the original Star Trek series as well as the new Kirk and Spock from the latest Star Trek movie. Having pointed that out, I have to say I never thought I would be doing a blog on Star Trek. Over the years I don't think I sat through an entire episode of Star Trek. Actually, I had never seen one of the Star Trek movies. I just really had no interest...unil May of this year. Thinking about it...Star Trek was filmed in the 60's, at the least the original Star Trek, and I was born in the 60's...this could be part of the problem.

This past May a new Star Trek movie, a reboot as it has been referred to, was released starring "Chris Pine" as Captain Kirk and "Zachary Qunito" as Spock. I was told by a close friend that I had to see the movie...that is was fantastic. Of course, this friend was a major Star Trek fan so I wondered if her opinion was somewhat prejudice. Nonetheless, I took the time to see the movie and she was right. The new Star Trek movie was the best movie I have seen all year! It was funny, it was exciting, it was action packed...and the new cast was amazing...not to mention beutiful! Please know that this in no way takes away from "William Shatner (The Shat as I like to call him)" or "Leonard Nimoy!"

Zachary Quinto, who played the young Spock in the movie also plays Sylar in Heroes...for those of you who enjoy Sci-Fi. He does a nice job on that show as well. Most of the cast was unknowns for the most...well maybe not completely unknown but by no means superstars.

Once I watched the movie...somthing happened to me. I became a Trekkie or Trekkor...I am not good with the Trek terminology. Anyway, I have seen all of the original movies and the original series. What's up with that? This is definitely not my style.

Anyway, if you haven't seen the movie...it will arrive in stores in the middle of November via DVD. Rent it, buy it...but just make sure you see it! It will be the best two hours of movie time you have had in a long time! Just a pitch to purchase the DVD!

This is for you Zach!

Top Ten Things Kate Gosselin Can Do To Make Money

Well, I haven't posted a blog in almost a year. This is due mainly to my very hectic lifestyle, work 40 hours a week and 12 hours of college classes. But I'll graduate in 75 days so life should get easier. Anyway, this leaves me very little time to post a blog. However, having said that I have been very upset of recent regarding the dissolution of the marriage of Kate and Jon Gosselin. I enjoyed their show for the most part, with the exception of the last year to year and a half. While I didn't really enjoy Kate & Jon that much I did enjoy watching the children. It was fun to watch them interact with each other and to experience life with them...to a certain extent. But the events of recent have been sad to watch.

Every morning before I go to work I turn on the Today Show as I prepare for work. I do this mainly because it catches me up on daily events. This morning the Today Show chose to have Kate Gosselin on the show. She cried and told the world about her lack of funds saying she only had about $1,000 in her checking account and had a purse full of bills to pay. She also said Jon had taken most of the funds out of their joint account and she never thought she would find herself in this position again...penniless. While I do have compassion for Kate and her situation I do want to say that I have had enough! To watch two adults air their dirty laundry on national television is cruel and unusual punishment for the world...and to their children.

In order to survive the cruel and unusual punishment I decided to make myself laugh. I created a list of ten things Kate Gosselin could do to earn money. Please know these are only meant to make people laugh. It worked for me.

I do wish Jon & Kate the best...and hope they will take some time away from national tv to solve their issues...and let their children have a normal life.

Nonetheless, here are the "Top Ten Things Kate Gosselin Can Do to Earn Money."

1. Go on Dancing with the Stars, they feature a lot of has beens!
2. Go back to being a Nurse and actually worry about others for a while.
3. Go to work for David Letterman…I hear he enjoys women.
4. Go to Washington and become an advocate for an agency to protect exploited children.
5. Go on unemployment.
6. Become a before and after model for plastic surgery.
7. Make a blog to whine about your life, Jon and lack of funds and charge people to read it.
8. Create a psychic network for divorced women.
9. Go live with the Duggars, they are lacking in drama.
10. Become a financial planner.