Thursday, March 20, 2008

I'm back.

It's been almost a year since I last posted anything. My children are doing much better, but then they're young and full of amazing energy!

Since then Winston and I have both reached an amazing milestone. We're both officially geizers now at the ripe old age of 60.

My children gave me a wonderful present for my birthday. They all came home and had a surprise party for me. It was so great to see them all and be treated like I was special. Thanks, guys!

It's official. Kim and Jen and I are going to the US Open this August. I wish Lindsay could come to, but it's just not her time in life. Lindsay, I will go again with you in 10 years, so start saving now!

Kim started us on a walking program so we'll be ready to walk the streets on New York, and Jen has started a walk/run program. I got out the old Weight Watchers stuff and started again. I would like to wear my favorite size in New York, and I have just a few months to work on my goal.

I love my family!

Friday, March 2, 2007

100 Things About Me (Actually 33 So Far)

1. I'm quite reluctant to try this exercise. I'm a little afraid to reveal too much about myself. It makes me feel vulnerable.

2. I'm passionate about tennis. I can play for hours or watch for even longer. My family gets nervous when a major tennis tournament is coming up on television, because they know I'll be useless until it's over.

3. One of my lifetime goals is to go to the U.S. Open and watch a championship match in person. That was almost to happen this very year, but it all fell through. Maybe next year.

4. When someone asks me to imagine myself in the perfect place doing just exactly what I want to do, I often picture myself on a tennis court playing a really good game.

4. I love to piece quilts, but I'm better at starting quilting projects than I am at finishing them. I have over 30 partially-finished quilts, and I'd like to start more.

5. I enjoy reading, especially fiction, but I really enjoy listening to audiobooks, because I'm a little psycho about multi-tasking. I always feel better when I'm doing more than one thing at a time.

6. My favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird.

7. My best girlfriends are my daughters. I love to do things with them.

8. Even though I love being with my children and grandchildren, I'm also enjoying our "empty nest." I've begun to treasure my alone time.

9. It's hard for me to sit still and do nothing. I relax better if my hands are busy.

10. I'm a morning person. I have tons of energy in the morning, and it gets harder and harder for me to stay energetic as the day progresses. In my perfect world, I would probably go to sleep before 9:00, but it makes me feel like a social outcast, so I try to stay up later and sleep later, just to fit in with the rest of my family.

11. I love to be warm, and summer is my favorite time of the year. In the winter, I like to curl up and bask in the sunshine coming through a south window.

12. I need lots of light, and I tend to get lethargic and feel cold after the sun goes down (no matter the time or the temperature).

13. I didn't start running until my daughters forced me to train for a marathon after I was 50 years old. Now I'm 59, and I still run. In fact, I've grown to actually enjoy the feeling of a good run. I still run 6-9 miles per week, and my daughters don't do it any more. They got me hooked and then just left me hanging out there to fend for myself.

14. I'm a maniac with a timer. It's motivational for me to give myself a certain amount of time to do something, then see if it can be done.

15. I'm also a counter. I like to do things like "Pick up 15 things from the kitchen counter."

16. I've been known to torture my children with #14 and #15.

17. I've been amazed at how my daughters also do #14 and #15 all by themselves.

18. I'm a new Rotary Club member, and I kinda like hanging out with all the old businessmen of Blanding. I enjoy being one of only a few women and watch the men squirm when I do or say something not very masculine. Last week I read them the board book "Read to Your Bunny." I had the pictures on a PowerPoint and read the words to all of them.

19. I worry almost constantly about my weight. In fact, my feelings of self-worth are all wrapped up in what the scale says. Deep down in my heart of hearts, I think I'll be a better person, happier, and more fulfilled, if I'm skinny. I just can't seem to get skinny.

20. I'm a baby boomer in many ways. For one thing, I want to stay young forever. I'm going into old age kicking and screaming.

21. I'm a registered Republican, and ashamed of it. I had to change my registration to vote in the last election in Blanding. I'll fix it, though. Don't worry.

22. I taught for almost 20 years, but I don't miss my students. I always thought I'd teach until retirement, but now that I'm out of the classroom, I'm really happy about it.

23. I really enjoy hiking with Winston, but I don't always want it to be about archaeology. Sometimes I just want it to be about the scenery or the fresh air or the blue sky. This really isn't a complaint, but sometimes I feel guilty when I could care less about potsherds.

24. My family tells me that I blow my nose more than anyone else in the world. But it feels so good, especially when I use flannel scraps.

25. I prefer to bathe rather than shower. I love a good hot soak, especially when it's cold outside.
26. I'm addicted to NPR, especially in the morning. I'm not sure I could function without it. That's how I find out what's going on in the world. If I heard it on NPR, I believe it's true.

27. I hate small-town gossip, but sometimes my ears really prick up when I know some is being shared in the next room. Guilty, guilty!

28. It's easy to make me feel guilty. In fact, I give myself credit for way too much influence.

29. I'd like to think of myself as someone who likes to garden and grow things, because I believe "earthy" people are somehow more grounded. When it comes right down to it, though, I don't really enjoy it much.

30. I guess I'd rather buy my fresh produce at a g0od farmer's market than plant it, water it, weed it, water it, weed it, water it, weed it, water it, harvest it.

31. I don't really like to cook, either. When it comes to the kitchen, the less time I spend there, the better.

32. I really enjoy working with textiles. I enjoy sewing, hemstitching, crocheting, quilting, and making things for the house. When I have free time, I often spend it sewing.

33.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

I've Been Gagged and Dragged Into Blogspot


Despite all the little "inner promptings" I've received over the last month, I let peer pressure get the best of me. Here I am in Bloggsville.