Mission Accomplished

The last day of NaBloPoMo. The task was a bit daunting at first. I was afraid I would forget to post (didn't), draw a blank (did), or resent the commitment (sometimes). Daily posting quickly became a habit. The majority of the time I drafted up the next day's post the night before then in the morning did a little editing and published it.
What I really enjoyed was reading the blogs from the NaBloPo participants. I believe 5 of my regular blogging friends participated. I felt I got you know you better. In the process, I met a few new blogging buddies, too.

I'm on the couch now glad it's Friday. We're heading back to Boone tomorrow for the second round of the playoffs. If we win, then it's the semi-finals. If we don't, the season is over :-( That will be really sad but our whole family has had a great time. With cooler weather and an earlier kickooff time, we scaled back on our tailgating. No grilling tomorrow, more of a brunch thing. I took the easy route and hit Costco today. The menu: turkey and swiss pinwheel wraps, mini cinnamon rolls, variety of muffins, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, soft drinks, beer, and Bloody Marys (which I hate by the way, beer for me!)

They Get Me

Yesterday was a tough day. Sometimes I feel these "people" are the only ones who understand me. Maybe there's a reason I prefer to sit in an office and crunch numbers rather than work around a bunch of other folks.

More Favs

We get Wired magazine. This month it sent out a supplement call Movies Rock which had an article called "50 Greatest Soundtracks Ever". I was glad to see a few of my favorites made the list:
#42 #32 #26 #8

#1

Pretty in Pink is my absolute favorite soundtrack. I listened to it all the time my senior year in college. A few others of mention: #10 The Big Chill, #15 Animal House, #33 8 Mile, and #37 Top Gun. FYI Elvis' Viva Las Vegas was #50.

Here Are A Few of My Favorite Things

Versions of this subject have been done before by several bloggers but here is a list of things I either enjoy outright or enjoy because they are making my life easier:

Expensive Things:

• my laptop. I've gotten lazy and do most of my computing while on the couch
• my Dyson vacuum cleaner. I always had inexpensive vacuum cleaners. When my son was diagnosed with asthma and allergies I took the plunge and bought a Dyson. It has surely made my life easier trying to keep the house clean for him and given my daughter loves to make crafts and we have a cat again.
• season tickets to ASU football. Up until this year, we had bought individual tickets based on the games we thought we would attend. By 2006, we were going to almost every game. Either way it is a pricey commitment but with 2 children 4 1/2 years apart, boy and girl with totally different personalities, it is priceless to find something we all enjoy. By going more often, I've met some great people, been reunited with others after many years, and with season tickets we are assigned the same parking space and seats in the stands. I've had fun getting to know the other Mountaineers who tailgate and sit around us at the home games.
• Bare Escentuals/Bare Minerals make-up. Last winter I met my friend for a shopping trip at South Park Mall in Charlotte NC. I stopped in the Bare Escentuals store and got a makeover. Immediately I fell in love with the ease of application, natural feel and look. I bought almost everything they used on me which included brushes and make-up. The cost was about $125 but it lasts a long time. I've only had to replenish one item. You can get by with spending less. There is not a store in my town. Their products was be bought on the website, Sephora and a lot are listed on ebay.
  

Inexpensive or free things:

• flickr - If you take any pictures at all, I'd encourage you to sign up for flickr if you have not already. It's a great site for storing and organizing your photos. You can set up friends as contacts. Contacts can comment on your pictures and you can do the same.
  
• Netflix - I love the ease of this site for having a constant supplies of dvds. I not only watch movies but catch up on past seasons of t.v. shows.
  
• Yahoo! calendar - I hated my PDA and kept misplacing my paper calendar. Yahoo! calendar solved these issues. It's web based so I can access it anywhere. I sometimes use it to have text reminders sent to my cell phone for events I think I will forget.
• ABC.com - I rarely watch shows when they air and we don't have dvr. For that reason, Netflix has been so handy. Now I can watch Grey's Anatomy and a few others online whenever I want. NBC has instant viewing too but theirs is a pain in the butt. I will watch The Office but at times NBC.com will lock up my computer. Plus they show more commercials than ABC.com and even worse it's the same ones over and over.
• It's too soon to tell about this one but I just heard about it on the Clark Howard radio show. This site is Catalog Choice. It's a free site where you can sign up and decide which catalogs you wish not be delivered to you. They are funded by enviromental groups and foundations to cut down on paper waste. I know with me there are some catalogs I really love to browse but most are junk and don't interest me. I signed up and look forward to seeing the results.
• Mozilla Firefox browser. I use it all the time on my computer. I've personalized it and love it. There are a few secure websites I have to use for work which only support Internet Explorer :(
  

Do you have any favorites you would like to share?

Grey's Anatomy - Dissected

Did anyone see the last episode of Grey's Anatomy aired on Thanksgiving evening? Gross! No secret we knew what would happen. It was a matter of when. I'm not too thrilled with this season. I seem to be watching it more out of obligation than enjoying it. Here is my take on the cast of characters:
Meredith Grey - I'm tired of your whining. I hope Derek decides to date the nurse. Derek & Richard - you guys are a brain surgeon and chief of surgery. Why are you living in the woods in campers? Mark Sloan - they need to do more with your character than have you make smart ass remarks all episode. Erica Hahn - are you human? George & Izzy - no chemistry? Duh, I could have told you that. Cristina - you are kinda blah without Burke in the picture. Alex - once a bad boy, always a bad boy. What makes you tick? Miranda - I'm glad to see you got the promotion you deserve though it will probably cost you your marriage. Callie - they need to do something with your character now that you have been demoted and are single. Lexie - I am envious of your beautiful complexion.
If you missed the last episode, it can be viewed on abc.com

I Don't Want To

I don't really want to blog today but I am because of NaBloPo. I didn't do much today. I mostly stayed in, did stuff around the house, cooked some for the upcoming week. I posted here and here about my husband's must have items. These are two more:

Baby It Was Cold Outside

but Appalachian State University still managed to win the first round of the playoffs in the last seconds over James Madison University 28-27.

A Whole Lot of Turkey

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We did. Now I've decided to be a vegetarian for a while. Well maybe through the weekend. After we ate (thank goodness not before) our whole family sits down and watches t.v. The program of choice: Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel. Timely enough, the host Mike Rowe was on a turkey farm. It was really disgusting though my husband said for a turkey farm that one was in pretty good shape. How he knows this fact, I'm clueless.


Latest forecast for football game Saturday in Boone NC:
Partly cloudy skies. High 42F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. List - longer underwear, hats, scarves, gloves, hand and foot warmers.

I'm All About Christmas

I'm determined to totally immerse myself into the Christmas spirit and enjoy every minute of it. Okay I'm being sarcastic. My daughter and I took advantage of the 70 degree temperatures yesterday and hit the stores before the big crowds show up Friday. We made a little dent in our list. She found it very important we buy Chloe gifts. I've done my share of online shopping, too. Let me go make sweet potato casserole - my contribution for Thanksgiving dinner.


Forecast for Saturday's football game in Boone NC:
Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the low 30s. Brrr!

I Won't Lie To You ...

I hate Christmastime. I don't mind the shopping but have a strong dislike for red and green and everything else Christmas. Last year I was in a funk so apparent I became known as Mrs. Scrooge at the office. I didn't always feel this way. I have great childhood memories of Christmas and on into early adulthood. Several years ago I got really depressed probably around the beginning of summer. It was so out of the blue. My life had been going well. I didn't have any problems. I was able to function at a minimal level but most tasks felt overwhelming. I couldn't concentrate. I lied about things I had planned so I could go home to sleep. At the time I can't say I felt depressed. Honestly, I didn't feel anything. I probably should have gone to the doctor but dreaded having the depression label put on me. Fortunately, I guess, I worked my way out of it or so I thought. Looking back, I haven't ever quite been the same. Getting back to the holidays ... My husband is understanding. He isn't a big Christmas person himself. I tried talking to my mom. She said I was letting my children down. Gee, that made me feel better like I wasn't carry enough guilt around. For a mother and wife out here in the 'burbs, my lack of interest in holiday decorating, baking, and crafts is magnified. I'm a suburban freak. Given the fact I live with slobs and I have a strong distaste for clutter, adding a bunch of holiday decorations on top of all the crap we already have doesn't help things. Did I mention this was the busiest time for me at work all year? I'm really trying to be optimistic for this upcoming season. I've talked to my husband. I'm going to delegate more. I've started shopping though that has never been an issue. Thanks to our cat Chloe with her love of climbing, rearranging every thing in the house, seeking out fragile items, and an amazing 5 foot vertical jump, I think most decorations will be limited. I'll keep you updated. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am thankful for all I have.

Sunday Flu

Sunday I basically slept the whole day. I'm not kidding. I woke up earlier but didn't get out of bed until close to 9. I had a few productive hours in my pajamas. I did my blog post, uploaded ASU game day pictures to flickr, vacuumed, and straightened up around the house. At noon, I showered and dressed. By 1 pm, I was laying down on the bed with my blanket I got from Mexico 5 years ago covering me up. I call it "Cabo". I wasn't always asleep but I stayed in bed until 7 pm. I didn't feel bad just tired. The weird thing is my family didn't really question my behavior. They pretty much ignored me. My cat Chloe loved it. She slept with me most of the afternoon. I'm blaming the whole thing on the flu shot I got Thursday. Truthfully I think the timing is off. I believe I would have felt bad Friday or Saturday but the flu shot sounds better than any other excuse I can come up with.

M-A-R-I-E

Nancy from Marie Millard tagged me for this meme. This tag involves taking your middle name and coming up with something that is relevant to you for each letter. Interesting that Nancy and I both have the same middle name as well as my daughter. My daughter and I are named for my grandmother who turned 99 last month.

M - Mountaineers. Anyone who knows me knows I love the ASU Mountaineers. That's an easy one.
A - Accountant. For better or worse, you get a label in some professions.
R - Relationships. I don't have a ton of friends but my closest friends are people who have been in my life a long time. Next month is our 20th wedding anniversary and most of my friends I met during college.
I - Impatient. I really have to work on my patience.
E -Explore. I love to travel.

I'm not going to tag anyone but feel free to give this meme a try. Here are pictures of the pasta bridge my son completed yesterday for science.

Sunday Wrap Up

Appalachian won. We will know more about playoffs this afternoon. The weather was much better than last week. It was chilly by the end of the game but overall pretty pleasant. We didn't stay outside as long tailgating and I had more beer this time. That may have helped. Here is a shot out the window of the drive up right as we are approaching the mountains. They get steeper as we get closer to Boone. On the way to the game, it's a 2 hour trip. It's much shorter going home because I'm always asleep.

Kevin Richardson broke the school's rushing record previously held by John Settle. John was there back in the "old days" with me. I won't mention names but I know a guy who sent Kevin's mother flowers anonymously after App won the national championship last year.

I have a lot of cleaning around the house. My son is working on building a pasta bridge for science. I believe my daughter is going to attempt baking a peach cobbler tonight. Have a good week.

Saturday Plans

Daughter did more baking again under my supervision - oatmeal chocolate chip bars. We're headed to Boone in a little while for the last regular season game.
I think I kept my word and didn't mention football until Thursday. Appalachian plays UT-Chattanooga. Based on UT-C's record, we should win. Sunday we will know about the playoff schedule. There is a big rivalry being played today - Michigan vs. Ohio State. I've joked with Beth about it but I am sincere in hoping Michigan wins. Going to Michigan's stadium a.k.a. The Big House was quite the experience. It is college football at the highest level in many ways. Again GO BLUE!
Here is a picture of us (minus daughter who didn't make the trip) in The Big House.

A Glimpse into My World

I had blog blankness today so I took my camera to work. Exciting stuff. This is typical of how my desk looks while I'm in the office. I clear it off and put everything away before I leave each day. Isn't the dark paneling pretty... ugly? There are a lot of wires and cables under my desk. It doesn't look very safe.

I just noticed my file cabinet has a football theme.


On a different note, I may not say it often but I think WTF a whole lot. I was in Target today and amazed at all the holiday toy shopping going on. But then again, it is November 16th - practically Christmas. I'm not trying to be mean but it seems the people who appear to have the least are loading up with the most toys. And what gives with parents having shopping carts filled with toys and their kids along side with them? How are they explaining that?
P.S. GO BLUE!

What the ... I'm Shocked

I'm not naive. I realize the world is far from perfect. However I guess I spend a lot of time in my little insulated, some times isolated suburban bubble. Every once in a while I get a reality check. Last week I was in the waiting area, working on my laptop, while my car was being service. An older gentleman came. We struck up a conversation. He was a missionary visiting the states briefly to check in with the churches who are supporting his work. Unfortunately I didn't find out the organization or if it was backed by a specific denomination. We talked a little about his work, my work as a business manager of a church, and a couple I know getting ready to take on a mission assignment. After I mentioned a few more things, he suddenly became very uninterested in our conversation and somewhat rudely got up to make a few phone calls. It was weird. A few minutes later it hit me what happened. His attitude changed after I mentioned my boss, an Episcopal priest, was a female and my pastor at an United Methodist church was a female as well. It reminded me of another conversation I had with a female UMC minister. She said there were churches of other denominations within her community that would not allow her to conduct or assist with any services including preaching in the pulpit, marrying couples or participating in funeral services within their sanctuary. It's not the purpose of this entry to single out churches. As mentioned, the churches where I work and worship have women in leadership roles.
There are other "what the (blank)" examples like when I was at a party this summer and out of the blue a pretty seemingly sophisticated women told a joke using the N word. It was so out of nowhere and nothing about it was funny. I was speechless and walked away. Then there was my former coworker with 6 children. He couldn't afford to send all of them to college. He decided to send only his sons since they had to support their future families. His thoughts were the girls should get married and stay at home to raise children anyway. Why educate them? My point is that I still experience a shock factor some times by people's attitudes now in the 21st century.

I Know the Feeling

Chloe has captured my mood.

More Must Have Items

I changed my template slightly but still stayed faithful to the Mountaineer colors.
In my previous entry I posted about my husband's habit of going out and buying must have items. Here are two more. I have no idea about the one on the left. I looked up and it was on my mantle. I was told it had been there for days. The Coal Man on the right does have a little history. He is a coal miner made out of what else ... coal. He was bought from a thrift store (imagine that) in Spruce Pine, NC. The store burned down this summer as a result of arson. He is actually only about 6 inches tall but I took him outside for a photo op. The light was better. There will be more must haves to post about (sigh).

Running Out of Time

It's become apparent I will not be running in the Gobbler 5k on Thanksgiving morning with my son. I have not been able to train enough to get my endurance back to that distance. I feel bad about it because we don't do a whole lot together. Honestly I waited too late to start with the Couch to 5k program. I had enough time if it I was in a perfect world. Last week I was so busy that I did not run. Now I'm not feeling well. I am congested.
I joked about lacking domestic skills but I do manage to get by. Sunday my daughter found a recipe and really wanted to make blueberry cobbler. Since I wasn't feeling my best, I let her prepare it and I supervised.

Am I Too Old For This?

The Appalachian Mountaineers won over Western Carolina 79-35. It was cold but I've been to colder games. Now I feel like I've been hit by a truck. My sinuses are congested. My head aches. Sitting in the cold caused my back muscles too tightened up. Will I be back there next Saturday? Yes.
I don't have any pictures because I left my SD card in my computer. Let me go lounge around in my pajamas a little longer, heck maybe most of the day! For those non Mountaineer readers, I promise ASU football free posts the rest of the week. Well maybe through Thursday.

Football Mountaineer Style

Today is our first cold weather game of the season. Hopefully App will continuing winning, therefore stay in the playoffs. It will only get colder. My daughter and I needed to restock our gear: gloves, 180 ear muffs, long underwear, and wool socks. Predicted temperate at kickoff is 44 and will feel like 37.
We have dueling crockpots here. The larger one is for tailgating chili. The smaller one was last night's soup.









GO MOUNTAINEERS!

P.S. Thanks to Sunshine for presenting me this award

Gotta Have It

My husband likes to buy "items" when he is traveling whether it be in NC or out of the country. As a non-pack rat, this habit goes against every fiber of my being. Here is his latest find from our trip to Mexico - a beer holster:
Has he every used it? No.
Do I think he will ever use it? No.
Does he drink Corona? No, but he had to buy it. I'll post more must-have-items through out the month.

The Ability To Juggle

If you look at my sidebar over to the right, my workout log is blank, nothing, zero. It's because I'm not a juggler. I have no sense of balance. Last week I did pretty well exercising but we kept running out of food. Dinners were chaotic thrown together make do meals. The house was a mess. This week I've made an effort to cook, grocery shop (food shop as my NY roommate called it), and do at least a wee bit of housework each day. The trade off - I'm too damn tired to exercise and have no time!

Crush On You Part 3

Crush #3 - Bono (born Paul Hewson). I know at least one of my blogging friends does not care for U2. I can respect that but I went through a lot in my late teens and early 20's with the music of U2 as my constant companion. U2 is another band which benefited from MTV though they did not have the glam look like Duran Duran. Way back in the spring of 1983 U2 came to NC. They were one of the opening acts at a music festival in the stadium at UNC-Chapel Hill. They weren't widely known but they were starting to get a lot of air play on MTV. My friend Mary and I were already big fans. I remember the Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day videos. In both, the band was on horseback in the snow. Bono was waiving the white flag. The day of the concert it was pouring. U2 didn't care. We all got drenched. Bono was climbing on the scaffolding and making his way out into the crowd. He had his white flag It was so intense and in your face. If people weren't fans when the band started, they certainly were when they finished. In fact, most people left after U2. I can't even recall who the headlining band was. Here is a picture I found (not mine) of Bono in 1983: No news that U2's popularity continued to rise through the 80's. I had 2 chances to see them again but it didn't work out. The Joshua Tree album was released in 1987. It would be in my top 5 desert island c.d.'s. In 1988 the band made a feature film called Rattle and Hum about their Joshua Tree tour. The critics hated it but of course I loved it. I made my husband go with me twice to see it. By then Bono had outgrown the mullet and had a ponytail and cowboy hat. The look worked for him at the time. Finally in 1992 I got to see U2 again. What a difference 9 years made since my last concert. They were playing in sold out arenas. I was married and pregnant with child #1. We saw them at the old RFK stadium in D.C. We were on these wooden bleachers. The place was shaking like crazy. I was sure I was going to have a miscarriage. A few years later, I had one more opportunity to catch the band in Atlanta but my child got really sick at the last minute. I can't say I listen to U2 a lot anymore. I still equate some of their songs with painful experiences in my life. I won't get into all of that. I like them but it's not fun music to me. Bono is about a month older than John Taylor. I don't find him appealing anymore. I do respect how he's led his life and handled fortune and fame. He has been married to Ali Hewson since 1982 (before he was famous) and they have 4 children.

Crush on You Part 2

Crush #2 John Taylor of Duran Duran. Like Sting, John is a bassist but this crush was more
about the man than the music.
Last year I posted about the big influence of early MTV on pop culture. Duran Duran was made for MTV likewise MTV made Duran Duran. Honestly without videos and the fact they looked good in them, I don't think the band would have been as big as they were. I can still picture the guys hanging on the sailboat singing Rio and the woman creature with make-up chasing them through the jungle in Hungry Like the Wolf. At the time, I thought John was drop dead gorgeous. I listened to their music but wasn't a huge fan like I was of The Police and Crush #3's band. I never saw Duran Duran perform. It was more about the videos. Remember this was in the old days before the Internet. We caught our celebrity glimpses on t.v. and in magazines. I had a big poster of John in my room. I admit I'm a little fuzzy on the timing of these crushes. 2 highlights were all 3 crushes were in the "Do They Know It's Christmas" video as well as the Live Aid concert. Can you guess Crush #3?
Duran Duran was made up of the lead singer Simon LeBon (Nina's crush), John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes. The Taylors were not related. Roger left the band while it was still going strong. John and Andy did The Power Station. Simon and Nick did something. A few years ago the band reunited with all 5 of the original members. I read they will be performing again this time without Andy. There was this headline: "DURAN DURAN FORCED TO RESCHEDULE FIRST SHOW IN TWO YEARS AMIDST FEARS OF FAN CHAOS IN CENTRAL LONDON". John is still looking pretty good for a man of 47. His wife is a millionaire in her own right. She is co-founder/owner of Juicy Couture. He has a daughter from a previous marriage. The sweet life.

Crush on You Part 1

In my last post, the subject of celebrity crushes was mentioned. It got me thinking. All of my major celebrity crushes have been on musicians with accents. For the sake of NaBloMoPo, I'm going to write about my 3 big crushes over the next 3 days.

Crush #1 - Sting.

I realize this is really going to date me. When I first heard the early Police albums (Regatta de Blanc, Outlandos D'Amour, Ghost in the Machine) pre Synchronicity, it blew me away. Looking back the songs were not as wild and punk as they seemed at the time but it certainly was a breath of fresh air from the Van Halen my boyfriend was blasting from his car stereo. I wanted to be the student Sting was lusting after in the song "Don't Stand So Close". I don't remember all the details of the duration of this crush but it must have gone from high school into college. I do recall pictures of Sting on my bulletin board in one of my dorm rooms. My friends and I finally got to see The Police on their Syncronicity tour. By then the crush was over. The song "Every Breath You Take" was the theme song for the 3 of us who had experienced the heartbreak of summer love. Despite camping out for our tickets, our seats were so far away. Sting wore this colorful rag jacket during that tour and it was just a bright blur.

Mix It

There is a scene in the show The Office where Jim and Andy (in their late 20's maybe) are in a car. Jim asks Andy if he has any cd's. Andy says "Yes, my girlfriend just made one for me". Unknown to both of them, the girlfriend is in high school. Maybe making a cd mix is kinda high schoolish. I don't burn them often but there is something nice about getting the right mix to meet your mood. I download music most of the time but it can't replace popping in a personalized cd (or a cassette tape back in the day). Here is my latest mix of old and new:

• Family Affair - Mary J Bilge
• Walk This Way - Run DMC
• Stronger - Kanye West
• Doo Wop - Lauryn Hill
• Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A lot
• Bust A Move - Young MC
• Sexy Back Justin Timberlake
• Rapper's Delight - The Sugar Hill Gang
• This Is the Way We Roll - MC Hammer
• Crank That - Soulja Boy Tellem
• Yeah - Usher, L'il Jon, and Ludacris
• 2 Legit 2 Quit - MC Hammer
  
• The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground
• Good Life - Kanye West

What songs would you put on your cd?

Overcoming Obstatcles

Our son's football team won last night in overtime. He was the starting defensive end for the team. It's been a very interesting season. Some of you might remember his school will not be finished until January. They are housed on 2 different campuses doing a "school within a school" approach at 2 different existing high schools. The football team had to overcome several obstacles. At the beginning of the summer practices, the coaches were new. The head coach was from another state. They didn't know the players, who would be best at what positions, who should start, etc. Many of the kids didn't know each other. After school started, each afternoon the players were bused from their 2 locations to a middle school for practice. They had mobile locker rooms. There was no stadium. Home games were played a 4 different stadiums including 1 venue which was in a neighboring town. Again, despite all the inconveniences, the team finished 8-2. Not bad. It goes to show that kids are pretty resilient and what can be accomplished when you look at the big picture.

What Gives?

Older people and technology. Bless their hearts. It will be me one day. I was speaking with a 70 year old gentleman a few days ago. He had just replaced his cell phone with a newer model. He was singing the praises of the man who worked in the cell phone store. Then he asked me how to store numbers. I questioned why the cell phone man didn't show him. His reply "He didn't know how". Well that doesn't strike me as great customer service but since a lot of older people are intimidated by technology I guess they are more understanding when others are in the same boat. I tried to explain the cell company might have been able to link his old phone and his new one at the time of purchase to transfer data. He ignored that all together.
A second example. I was asked by an older lady about digital cameras. I suggested a model but she said "no" because it had a rechargeable battery. She had heard with those types you ended up needing a 2nd rechargeable battery as a spare. They were expensive. I replied I got by fine with one. Considering she averages 5 pictures a week (generous estimate) and no extended trips, I told her I really thought a rechargeable battery would be okay. I saw her a few months later. She showed me the camera she had purchased. It used regular batteries. She got ready to take a picture but guess what? The batteries needed replacing. She didn't seem to mind. She kept a spare set with her.

Fitness Check-Up

NaBloPoMo here we go. If I wasn't participating, I'd be sick of hearing about it.
I got on the scale yesterday and was pleasantly surprised I did not gain any weight after our Mexico trip. I didn't think I had eaten too much but it's not in my normal routine to drink continuously all day and have tequila shots. In fact back in the real world, I rarely drink during the week. I get up at 5:30 each morning (necessity not choice) and if I have a beer or glass of wine in the evening, I am asleep on the couch before my kids go to bed. That's a good image for them, isn't it? On the weekends, I'll have a beer or two especially if we are tailgating or wine every once in a while. I'm more of a beer girl. For the most part, I avoid mixed drinks. Not much good has ever come out of me having them. Getting back to the trip, I did work out pretty hard 2 mornings thanks to my friend Michelle. If I have not agreed in advance to meet her, I probably wouldn't have gone. Our hotel did have a beautiful fitness facility overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Today my son told me he definitely wanted to run together in the Gobbler 5k Thanksgiving morning. I don't know if I'm up to it. So far the most I've run since starting back is 2.25 miles and that's running with walking breaks. I still have a few weeks to go. I've been doing the Couch to 5k plan. I accelerated it a little since I've run before however stamina has been a problem of mine in the 2 years I've been running off and on. I joke doing a 5k for me is like a marathon for others.