Start Counting and Get Moving in 2009

This year rather than a New Year resolution that I will not adhere to I decided to give myself a motto or new way of daily living.

Over the past 7 years of living in Houston I have done something that is uncharacteristic of me. I have become very sedentary which is not good at my age or stage in life. I could give several excuses for my behavior such as....

1. No sidewalks or walking trails in our neighborhood
2. Quit going to the gym because all the high school kids sit on the machines and talk on their cell phones
3. No bike paths in our neighborhood...bike had a flat anyway. :)

I could go on with excuses but the fact is I have gotten lazy! With that laziness I have put on quite a few unwanted pounds which seems to make me lazier.

So at the start of this year I decided to make a change for the better.

The website www.everydayhealth.com is a great help to me in being true to myself. I am accountable only to myself for my calorie intake and my activity output.

So far it is not a burden because it is not some crazy kind of diet plus no meetings or "public" weigh ins. I am eating the same as before but it is making me aware of what and how much I am putting in my mouth. I seem to have quit eating out of boredom just because I know I will have to track it and I want to be truthful to myself.

I am actually enjoying tracking where my calories come from and feel very guilty if I don't track some kind of activity for the day.

I also read a quick cardio tid-bit for tv addicts and couch potatoes that I am going to try on the days I can't or just don't want to go biking or walking. While watching tv, do jumping jacks during the commercial breaks. Jumping jacks are a great quick cardio and if you think about it for every hour show there is at least 15-20 minutes of commercial breaks. The family will think I'm crazy but just maybe they will join in.

My motto for the year is Start Counting and Get Moving in 2009. Wish me success!

Christmas 2008

We spent Christmas in League City .

This is the first year we weren't in Amarillo to spend Christmas Eve at my parents and Christmas Day at Craig's mom's house.

Kimberly and Mark drove from Austin to spend Christmas Eve and have Christmas Day breakfast with us before returning to Austin to spend Christmas Day with the Granthams. Josh moved here from Lubbock so it was very convenient for him.

To the kids joy Santa actually found our house!

My mom flew in from Amarillo to celebrate with us.

Josh's dogs even enjoyed Christmas.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow

Ok, so Mother Nature is having a BIG laugh.

Tonight, it is snowing in League City.

It won't be here by morning but for now it is beautiful.

Who would have thought we would get snow living 15 miles from Galveston Island?

It's CRAZY!!

The Winds of Change are Rolling In

In the coming week Craig and I will have a change in our home. We will be getting a "roommate". Joshua is coming home to live while he does a 6 month internship in Houston.

Craig and I are very excited to have one of our kids back for a while. We know things will not be the same as when he was younger. Kimberly tried living with us for a while after college and only made it 10 days before she found a job in Austin; Mark and true love are to blame for her quick exit. She did give it a valiant try.

Josh will have adjustments. He has after all lived away for 4 years of college and has become a very independent young man. He has also told us he will refer to us as his roommates so he doesn't have to tell people he is living with his parents. :) I think he was kidding...sort of.

Craig and I will have to adjust too since it has been 4 years of an empty nest and we can't wait.

Did I fail to mention...Raider and Cooder will be living here too? Time to scoop the poop.

Thanks to Kim

Kimberly tagged me for a Fabulous Five. As she explained you post your top 5 "addictions" then tag 5 others to do the same.

I will have to say these probably aren't so much addictions as they are obsessions.

1. The love of my life Craig. After 28 years of marriage and 4 years of dating I can honestly say I fall deeper in love with this man every day. He supports me in all that I do, holds me when I need a hug, lets me cry is I need to, makes me laugh, he can be serious or silly and so much fun. He is my best friend.

2. My kids; Joshua, Kimberly and Mark. Yes, Mark is included because he became a son the day he married Kimberly. I am always proud of their accomplishments. They all work/play hard, have a great sense of humor and I love how they all humor me. :) They all 3 are graduates of Texas Tech University; Wreck 'm Tech!


3. Warm Weather!!! I don't mind a day or two of cold but after moving to Houston I seem to always want warm weather. I like a few "crisp" fall mornings and a nice spring thunderstorm or two. I honestly don't mind the hot humid days of summer.

4. The Amazing Race and Dancing with the Stars. These are my 2 favorite tv shows. I try never to miss a show.


5. Thai Food...especially Chicken Pad Thai and Tom Yum soup. I got hooked on pad thai when we lived in Amarillo. The first place I had it was in a little dive on Amarillo Boulevard and eventually found My Thai. Craig and I have found an excellent Thai restaurant near our home in League City. It is the Thai Cottage.


As instructed I will "tag" 5 people...actually 4 since I don't have blog buddies. Three of these don't currently have blogs but they do read my blog occationaly so I'm hoping this will encourage them to start their own blog. The 3 with no blog are Tori Bonner, Trissa Thomas (girls, it is an excellent way to keep everyone updated on the kids) and Laurie Davis. The 4th is Kim's friend Katie who just had a baby boy. Katie needs to post photos of Cohen.

Have Grammar Rules Changes?

First of all I know I'm not the best writer in the world. I have proof from all the writing labs I frequented during Freshman Composition. It seems as though I have trouble with redundancy; Imagine me repeating myself, but I regress.

Lately I have noticed a certain pattern in some of the blogs I have stumbled upon. I am having a problem with the usage of personal pronouns in a compound subject.

Many years ago I was taught by my 6th grade Grammar teacher Mrs. Scoggins, the proper way to decide if one should use I or me, he or him, she or her, me or my (you get the picture) in a compound subject; "separate" the subject in to two sentences. Whichever is the correct pronoun for a simple subject sentence is the correct pronoun in a compound subject sentence.

For example in the sentence, Family is very important to Craig and I/me, the correct answer is me. Simple break it down in to 2 sentences; Family is very important to Craig...Family is very important to me. The concept is very simple and the rule applies to all personal pronouns.

Something about reading the sentence "Jackie took lots of pictures of John and I" tweaks me. I mean really...does it sound right to say "Jackie took lots of pictures of I", of course not. The same applies to "Her and I enjoyed a day at the spa". The correct pronoun is she.

While this rant might seem a little ridiculous, I just thought I would share my aggravation. After all, boredom is a terrible thing to waste.

Oh and by the way, if the rules have changed in the last 40 years please let me know and I will print a retraction.:)

The League City Polar Bear club

We officially have a pool.

Construction was complete prior to our Cozumel trip but the pool had to "cure" for a week before we were allowed in the water. This worked out perfectly since we were on vacation for the week.

Now the problem is the water is a COLD 72 degrees. We have bought solar rings to help bring up the temperature. Hopefully in a week or two the temperature will be more comfortable.

No worries...we are donning our wet suits to brave the water.