One short day from now I will have Rose, Tobe, and Suzanne in my car and we will be headed to Tahoe.  There will likely be squealing and laughing and all sorts of frivolity.  I can't wait.  These women have become important people in my life.

Are there going to be pictures? You bet your sweet bippy there are.  Are we going to post them?  Well, the ones that are fit for public consumption will make it to the site.

So how is it possible that four women from different parts of the U.S. are getting together for a chick fest?  Well, first off, we have amazing husbands who can stand to let us go for a long weekend.  Secondly, we are lucky as heck to have been able to form friendships through this web site...and then even more fortunate to have been able to visit each other.  I went to them first, and now they are all coming to me!  It's fantastic. 

Another reason I am so eager to meet with the gals is that I have been lax on program of late.  I got back into going to the gym, got closer to program again, and took an honest look at what I am doing wrong - because I am making some very conscious mistakes.  It's going to be good to have some women to talk to to help me sort through some of my issues (and theirs).  I miss my mom so much and I think that these friendships have somehow filled that space.

You know what else?  I am really looking forward to going without any obligations.  I love my husband and son and dog with every fiber of my being, but you know, I need a break.  I need not to be doing something for someone for a bit.  I know these next 5 days of respite will energize me for the holidays.  Maybe it's what I need to get back on track and find my mojo. 

Well, I doubt I will do much blogging until next Monday night, so here's hoping you all have a great weekend!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Gee, I had a great Halloween!  Our party was fantastic - lots of dancing and silliness.  The fog machine worked amazingly well - it fogged up the "graveyard" and then the fog wafted across the room looking very eerie.  We didn't serve alcohol (teenagers present) and there was food everywhere...but here is something I remembered...where there is dancing and food I am only interested in dancing!  I danced the entire time.  It was such fun! 

I put pictures up on my page, but I am attaching the one of HusBo and me as Cruella and DeMon DeVil.  We had a blast.  I made the costumes.

So, now there are three more days until my pals get here from all over the country for our mountain trip.  THREE MORE DAYS!  I highly recommend that you meet some of the people you get to know on this site - they are wild and wonderful.

Happy November, Everyone!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

HALLOWEEN!  It's coming!  Only one more day!  Wahoo!  Everything is ready.  My fingernails are black.  My wigs are out - I won't choose the hairstyle until tomorrow.  I can't wait!

And on another note SIX MORE DAYS TO TAHOE!

Too excited to write more...

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Oh, and boo!

I am so excited about Halloween.  Everything is ready, so I have been able to concentrate on getting back to exercise.  Went to the gym again this morning...each day I am incrementally increasing my workout intensity, but am keeping my time there to an hour or less.  That way I get in a good solid workout and still have time for everything else in the day.  Today I increased the incline on the treadmill (to 3).  Tomorrow I will increase the speed by 1/10th of a mile (to 4.4 mph).  Little by little I will get my exercise mojo back and get to see results again.

Each day I have been posting a number.  Today that number is SEVEN.  In seven days I will be spending a long weekend with my friends, Rose, Tobe, and Suzanne.  We met through this NS site, have visited in Chicago and Portland, but now are convening at Lake Tahoe.  Life is so awesome because you never know how you are going to meet incredible, life-changing people.

Have a groovy day, people!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Well, this morning, I got up earlier than usual, jumped into exercise gear, woke up our son, made his breakfast and mine, made his lunch, did his make-up...WHAT?  Did our son's make-up?  Well, heck yeah!  It's Spirit Week and he went as Gene Simmons from KISS.  (Picture attached.)

I think going back to the gym yesterday made my brain work better today - and I went again today, so maybe tomorrow will be great, too!  Yesterday I accomplished a million little things and today I have done the same.  Had a tree branch removed, got all of the table settings ready for the party on Saturday, wrote a resume for someone, and this afternoon I will paint my tree - which is now looking pretty creepy!

Going to the gym felt really good.  Glad I'm back at it.

EIGHT.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Finally, I made it back to the gym this morning. 

First, I drove SonBo to school for Spirit Week Class Switch Day - he's a Senior so he went as a Nerdy Freshman.  I nearly fell on the floor laughing this morning.  Our son is a techie - he wears black...every day.  His hair is short and cute, he wears glasses, he wears boots with steel toes in case he has to move heavy stuff.  However, this morning, he came out of his room in khakis (which he rolled up to be floods), with a tucked in polo shirt (school logo), computer case, class schedule complete with allergies and phobias list attached to his neck, a bright orange whistle with a light on it, taped glasses on a neck string, and a special note written to the principal from his mommy.  VERY funny.  So I drove him to school and dropped him off at the quad.  Then I took myself straight to the gym for a much needed workout.  I feel better.

I forgot how great getting in the daily workout (before anything else) feels.  Now off to greet the day!

NINE.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Well, you might have read that I decided not to go with HusBo and his mom to Carmel yesterday because I didn't want to increase my stress over Halloween and all of the remaining details.  Well, boy did I make the right choice!  They were gone 12 hours - I guarantee you I would have been out of my mind with stress!  Instead, I finished HusBo's costume, started the tree, finished the headstones, finished the laundry, went for a walk...so much accomplished and no stress!  Oh, and I went shopping, bought some jeans, running shirts for HusBo, a shirt for SonBo, lots of glue (to make the tree), office supplies, and I went to check out a house for sale in the neighborhood...which resulted in a full-on real estate search for cool houses in Berkeley.  Gee, reflecting on yesterday I sure got a lot done!

Today I will finish my tree and tomorrow I will go to the gym, Costco, and anywhere else I need to go to finish the Halloween stuff!  I promise there will be photos.  Now I am off to make a tree!

Have a great day.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

TEN...

Sometimes I create my own stress.  In high school and college I would work on term papers from the time they were assigned...I carried 3x5 cards in my bag and, each time I came across a necessary and interesting fact, I'd write it down and throw it back in the bag - no order, just in.  If I came up with a good transitional phrase, into the bag it went.  But on on the night before the paper was due (and this was in the days of typewriters - and I didn't really type well then) would I place all of the cards on my bedroom floor and put the paper together like a puzzle.  Granted, that kind of pressure worked for me - my brain works better with pressure - but as I have gotten older with more important responsibilities to others, I have thought through some of the self-created stress patterns and tried to mitigate them.

So, stress factor = Halloween party.  We decided to throw this party a year ago.  I rented the facility a year ago.  I bought out one store's 75% off after Halloween sale for candle holders and tablecloths, etc.  I picked up odd items through the year.  I saved every NS cardboard box for building a Halloween set. 

Today I am here:  two costumes completely finished, one 3/4 finished - a bit of sewing left to do.  The amplifier needs to come out of the attic.  The cardboard trees need to be cut, painted and assembled.  I need to make standing backs for the tombstones.  All of the lights, tablecloths, utensils, candy baskets, and other decorations need to be unwrapped and prepped to set out in the fastest manner possible.

One other stress factor avoided:  my MIL (whom I love) wants us to go on a visit to Carmel tomorrow - the trip down and back with what she has planned when we are there would take probably 8 hours.  If I did it, I would lose an entire day of prep time - I just can't do it without feeling incredibly stressed out.  So, I have said I cannot go, but HusBo will go with her.  It will be nice for her to spend some time with him without us, anyway.

Just knowing I have an entire day to accomplish the last of the tasks makes me feel calm and happy.  Ahh.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

If you are just starting your weight loss journey, I want you to think to the future...if you have been on this journey for a bit, I want you to ponder the past.

Think about your "lazy" behaviors...things like asking the kids to get things for you in another room...leaving things in a pile so you will only have to make one trip up the stairs...leaving the big chores for someone else - maybe even hiring someone to do something you could do yourself.  Getting someone else to walk the dog.  Just think about your behaviors for a moment...

Now, imagine you do not practice those anymore.  Think about taking your dish into the kitchen when you are finished.  Think about pulling the weeds yourself or sweeping the stoop.  Think about making several trips up and down the stairs to bring in the groceries - one bag at a time - instead of asking for help.  Think about looking forward to a fun walk in the fresh air with your pet - or by yourself or with a friend or loved one.  Think about not feeling exhausted after these activities!

These are things that changed for me and countless others.  I recognized that I was asking my son or husband to get things for me...after about a week on NS I realized I needed to stop making them fetch - and get off my lazy butt to do things myself.  You know what else happens when you do things yourself?  YOU BURN CALORIES.  That's right.  Those extra little tasks burn loads of extra calories in the day. 

Start with just one thing.  Right before you ask a family member or co-worker to do something for you...stop.  Think about it as the first step toward your goal of health and fitness.  Do it yourself.  You can.  And you'll be happy you did.

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Yesterday I mentioned that I served my family flax seed pasta for dinner.  Flax seed is high in omega-3 fatty acids.  It is really good for you.  Plus it makes your body work like a clock (and not in a nutritooty way).  Anyway, I bought it at Trader Joe's.  But when I went to get more today, there wasn't any!  I really hate it when Trader Joe's stops stocking products with no notice.  We bought penne and rotelle flax seed pasta there very recently.

So, if you are interested in flax seed pasta, I strongly urge you to write to your Trader Joe's and ask that they bring it back.  Do it for me...we need it!

Oh, we also eat Uncle Sam's cereal - higher in calories because of the flax seed, but it's like (forgive me) "Colon Blow."  Remember that cereal commercial from Saturday Night Live with Phil Hartman?  I still laugh when I see it.

OK.  Enough questionable humor for one night!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon

Sorry I got to the party so late, kids!  Had to go inspect the venue for our Halloween party this morning with HusBo.  We needed to check for lighting and outlets, etc.  It's a big deal to outline the decorations which all need to go up in an hour and come down in half that!  We'll do it, though, have no doubt!  After that we decided to go to the zoo on a date.  We had lunch (split a tuna sandwich and each had a side salad with dressing on the side), then we walked all over the zoo.  Our zoo has done so many renovations that it is beautiful and great for everyone.  If an animal is in captivity, Knowland Zoo is a good place for it.

After the zoo we came home and I did some exciting laundry.  Then grocery shopping and then dinner.  I cooked for the men - HusBo needs to increase his calories now and we are back to adding low glycemic carbs to his evening meals (tinght was flax seed pasta); I ate NS.  I am doing my very best to stay 100%.  For some weird reason my body isn't cooperating, but I know it will.  Just. Stick. To. Plan.  (Can you hear William Shatner? LOL!)

I got a ton of work in this afternoon, so tomorrow's activities are locked in...I must get out for a long walk in the afternoon.  I am also putting the finishing touches on HusBo's costume.  I feel so accomplished!  All that's left are the cardboard trees to make.  I'll do that this weekend.

If I finish everything this weekend I can get back to the gym!  Yay!

Oh, and by the time you read this TSR, TWO WEEKS!

Peace and joy ~ Shannon