NOT FAIR

It really doesn't seem fair to leave Vegas in sunshine, and 110 degrees weather and come home to work, rain and 63 degrees. However, that is exactly what happened. I am running around inside in a sweatshirt, tshirt and jeans. The windows are all closed up and its raining, has been most of the day. This is truly the pitts for my last day of vacation.

We had a great week. Starting with good news at the doctors last Monday. All is good as far as my test results were concerned. I have to do another blood test again next year and then back again to UPMC, however all is good for now. Great news!

Then we left for vegas and had a great week with my kids. It did rain one afternoon for a while and was kind of funny to see. WE had just started out of our hotel to go to a different casino and ended up back inside due to the rain. Then on Saturday, when we were at Janies, it got windy, dark and started to thunder so we had to get out of her pool. Figures I guess.

We had a great time however. It was good to see the kids and Janie. Michelle and Bo's house is wonderful and it has a lot of potential, it is really not as little as she thinks it is. I truly think they have more space there than we did in our old house. I hope they get that ceiling painted soon and find someone who can do it for them.

I was offered the job at the Y and am hoping it works out for me to take it part time. I need to call them tomorrow and see what we can work out for hours for me. I am really hoping this works out, would love to try my hand as fitness instructor and to be able to learn alot from them. I need to see what hours though and hope we can fit it in around the store. As far as exercise goes there wasn't much this past week and Cher beat me for steps a few days I think. However, she really hasn't posted them all yet so am waiting to see.

It was sure good to see Mike last Sunday. I cannot believe that they were actually here for the day. He started the chemo again this week and I hope it is going okay for him. I had not seen him in about 6 years and he sure looks good. I am so glad that mom and Cher both got to come up to see him, I know how much it meant to him to have them here.

AUGUST 4, 2001

6 years ago today Michelle and Bo got married. wow, is that ever hard to believe. The time has gone so fast. Now they are proud home owners in Vegas, of all places. Gives me someplace nice to go and visit. LOL, we will be on our way there soon!

I think this was the last time we had our family all together in one place at one time. Mikes family, or most of them had come out for it, and it was sure nice to see all of them. My little girl all grown up, but still my little doll baby. How happy everyone is here. How handsome Bo looks in his uniform. Bet he doesn't miss that at all though.

Wishing you both many many more HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE

Wow! 27 years ago today. It is so hard to believe that many years have gone by since the day my daughter was born. I remember my mom and dad stopping at the hospital, they had been in Ohio for a few days. Michelle didn't have a name for a few days either. She was born by c section so we had to stay a bit longer than normal and we couldn't decide what to name her. She was almost a Janelle, that was a name my grandma had suggested for Howie if he would have been a girl. I really liked that name but in the end went with Michelle after her dad.

Michelle was just a little thing and the nurses would make me wake her up to eat..they needed her to gain weight before she could come home. then her first checkup the doctor said she was a bit overweight...

Michelle hated to sleep, I remember asking the doctor if there wasn't something we could give her to help her sleep. the first year of her life I was like a walking zombie.

I love you dolly, hope you have an absolutely wonderful birthday and remember the package and the check are in the mail...See you soon!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MOM AND DAD

Wow! 54 years ago today they were married. I need to find out where. I do know that Aunt Jo and Uncle Sonny stood up for them and do believe mom told me that they went to Aunt Jo's mom's and dad's afterwards. Don't quote me there, I could be wrong.

Congrats mom and dad! That is quite an accomplishment! I love you both!

SPARKPEOPLE AGAIN

I received this article from Sparkpeople.com this morning and found it very appropriate. As most of you know, my mom, sister, daughter and myself all wear pedometers and track our steps daily on walkertracker.com It was interesting to me to read this article this morning so I am sharing it with you. It is taken from a mailer that went out to sparkpeople users.

Add Steps to Subtract Pounds Researchers from the University of Tennessee asked overweight women to clip on pedometers to track their steps. They divided these women into two groups. One group was told to aim for 10,000 steps a day (the common recommendation considered to be "active"), while the second group was told simply to walk briskly for 30 minutes, most days of the week (a common--but minimum--fitness recommendation). The study found that the step counters averaged over 10,000 steps daily, while the minute counters averaged between 8,270 to 9,505 steps on the days the DID meet their 30-minute goals, and merely 5,597 steps on the days they didn't exercise for 30 minutes. The researchers conclude that setting your goals in steps (rather than minutes) may be the best way to increase your overall activity. Action Sparked: If you're having a hard time getting into a regular fitness routine, using a pedometer may help motivate you. It's a simple way to track your progress, and you can easily continue to beat your past records (even if only by 5, 10, or 100 steps). Tracking your steps is another way to gauge your activity level--especially for the average deskbound worker. (People with active jobs, such as servers, may exceed 10,000 steps at work alone, but should still plan structured fitness activities.) Exercise Extra: Walking less than 5,000 steps daily is considered sedentary, 5,000 to 9,999 is considered low to somewhat active, and 10,000 steps or more is active.

I think this is a great place to insert a picture of my sister from The Relay for Life, this picture had to have been taken about 4 or 5 am and I don't think she knows I have it. LOL She walked over 30,000 steps this day, and she beat me.

almost two miles

Went out for a nice walk/jog tonight after work. Up and down hills and felt great. Almost made it two miles, was upset to get home and see pedometer register 1.94 miles in 36 minutes. I'm not real sure what time I am trying to beat, but its got to be better than that! LOL! The fact that this was up and down hill is good, but I want to be better. My hear trate monitor showed an average of 119 so that was right where it needed to be. I am really getting into this health stuff and am debating about taking an on line course for fitness instructor. I know that I would really enjoy it but would it be worthwhile? Who knows? Maybe not to anyone else but me. This trip took me up 255 to the Y, then down 555, up Apple, Teaberry, Blackberry, Strawberry and home going back up 555 and onto 255. Quite a good walk and thoroughly enjoyed it until I saw the darn pedometer. Just a few more steps and would have been at 2 miles. Thought about going further even but just didn't. On a bright note, I wore my Pavement Pounding Posse tshirt, which works real well for workouts. Speaking of the Team, here is another relay picture. LOL These three really went the distance for the relay. All three stayed the entire 24 hours. Ann and her family were great and let us use their camper and set up the campsite. Scott wouldn't let me quit even at 4 am when i really just wanted to close my eyes for those few minutes (or hours)..somehow he kept going and kept me going too. I think if he had quit laughing for a few minutes he'd have been asleep though. Cher, what can I say about my sister except that she is always there for me and for everyone else around her to. Love ya sis!

STILL RECUPERATING

Not a bad picture for being taken with my cell phone. I think its the only one I'm in and darn it we didn't have the cowboy hats on. this is just getting started with the set up. Shows what fun we are having though. Cass emailed tonight and wanted pictures from any of us that had any, so I sent her bunches. Don't know why she wanted them and don't know if i had any that she wanted but I sent them on anyways. I am still recuperating and looking forward to being off tomorrow.

Think I am going to call my doctors in Pitts and see if they have the blood work results back yet, would really like to know that everything is okay.

Guess its going to be an early night again here, I am still trying to catch up on the missed sleep this weekend.

Next year??

Relay. What an absolutely awesome experience. We are already talking next year. Alot of the team members mentioned it there. You are sure to see pictures the next few days. I must say we did fantastic! think we all had fun, most of us didn't sleep much at all and we covered a lot of ground. Cher and I had some fun competition going on with the pedometers and I am not sure where she ended, but I had 32570. Of course, she is going to tell you I cheated. I didn't, just had a different 24 hours than her...my clock was an hour behind..LOL Here is our campsite, which was absolutely the best one there.

This is the start of setup. You can see the guitars, cactus, or cacti as some prefer to call them and Betty, our co captain, who was in charge of decorating. Love those cactus Scott! Thank you for finding them and allowing us the use of them!

RELAY IS HERE

For the past 6 months we have worked towards this one day. Now its here and we are all excited. The campsite looks great, we have the use of Ann's camper and the guys have it up and tarped off. We didn't decorate last night, looked like rain could move in, we'll have time to do that this morning. Set up is from 8 to 11 and there will be a few of us there. Cher will be here around 7 so that we can be there in time. I have got boxes and bags sitting all around this den, we wanted to make sure we had coffee, munchies and of course warm clothes, extra shoes and don't forget my cap gun! the theme is the Wild Wild West and we have cowboy hats!

The big camera is going with me and pictures will be forthcoming. Mike is in Vegas with the kids for this weekend. It will be nice to think of them all there together while I am out doing this. I'm going to see if I can find a few "walking" songs for the ipod...walking on sunshine, these boots are made for walking...LOL

Enjoy the day everyone!

FINAL DAYS

It's almost here! After 6 months of planning, fund raising and working towards our goal The Relay for Life is this coming Saturday at 8 am until Sunday 8am. 24 hours because cancer doesn't sleep and neither do we. we are getting excited. The decorating committee will be setting up tomorrow night at 6 pm. It consists of Betty, Ann, her husband Kevin, Cher and Jeff and possibly Scott. I work till 8 pm and then will be going over. Let's pray the weather holds.

WE have earned $1988, the Mengle foundation donated $897.50 to us and today I received an on line donation of $35. For a total of $2920.50. We are not done. Laura is cooking lunch tomorrow. $3.00 a plate to go to relay, Cher has money to turn in, we still have candy bar money out and still selling chances at relay.

I am hoping to get pictures, pictures and more pictures. What am I going to do with my time when this is done?

Nike

Love these shoes! My first ever good pair of sneakers! 53 years old and finally bought a pair of Nikes! I love them! Just got back from a real nice walk up and down hills around the neighborhood. 2 miles, well actually the pedometer registered only 1.96 so lets be honest here.

I also found a new fitness website today that I am checking out. It is ironjournal.com and I have registered there and updated my first workout with them. I'm off and I'm heading outside.

did go get the blood work done this morning that I needed for the doctors next month and that went well, its over with anyway. Now we just wait for results. Have a great day everyone! I'm outta here. the fish are calling!

Congrats Howie

Well, he did it..I am not surprised that Howie passed the physical for the police department at all. He seemed very determined and is fully capable of doing whatever he sets his mind to. I sure am proud of him. These kids just never fail to amaze me, what wonderful kids i do have. I guess in all reality they are not really kids..he is 35 years old and I think that is what surprises me the most. He was never really into sports or activities and now at his age to do this is just that much more impressive. Way to go Howie!

I am debating about going for my blood work tomorrow. The cat scan came back fine, yippee. I have three blood tests to get done and then that will be it for doctors until August when I go back to UPMC to see the endocrinologist. I have time to wait but it sounds kind of good to have it over with. Will see how the morning goes and decide from there.

Doctors Crap

Well, I am slowly getting through all of this doctors crap. Yesterday I went for the cat scan early in the morning. Nice to have them do it on a sunday. No one there, no waiting, just in and out. Funny these new machines are awesome. Didn't have to even put a robe on, just scan through the clothing. I did have to take the pedometer off though..LOL! We had taken one picture when I realised it was still on.! He was just coming in to ask me what the heck that was when I remembered and said hey! I better take this pedometer off! LOL Well, thats over and done with and should have the results back to the doctor sometime tomorrow.

Alot of the blood work for UPMC still needs done and I am trying to decide if I want to do that this week or wait a bit yet. If I go this week then everything is over and done with, otherwise its still hanging, but the trip to UPMC is still about a month away so there is time.

Relay is this weekend...what a relief to have that over and I am really looking forward to the time at the park and just being there to relax, walk and enjoy our hard work. Decorating committee is going over Friday night. I hope we all have a great time, there is still money to be turned in, signs to finish etc. last meeting is this Thursday at the park and I hope I can go. One of the girls at work quit and she was covering for me on thursday. Darn.

FAVORITES TODAY

A day off. 3 new Fancy Butterfly Koi for the pond. Sitting by the pond reading "The Secret" a new book on the best seller lists, about the principal of you are what you believe, you attract what you think about. Easy reading and enjoyable, very motivational and I believe a must read for my family! Green tea, iced. and Cardio..lots and lots of cardio 3 miles watp, a walk up and down hills around the neighborhood, 5 miles on the stationary bike from the deck, 17 minutes on that eliptical. song "u and Ur hand" by Pink on the ipod!

Notes from 2005: 18 days I had been at UPMC two years ago.Really am praying that the surgery can be soon and I can go home. They had to take me off the iv's today because of fluid in my lungs and took me for more xrays. Was having an emotional day.Patty came down and spent this entire day with me They increaded the pheonoxybenzamine today.

today was a much better day than two years ago. However, the weather that year was much warmer! Check out the new pond picture