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It's not that I don't love my oasis, because I do. It's still my favorite place to pause, putting everything else on the back burner. Whether I'm sitting in a lounge chair or lounging in the pool, sipping water, wine or gin, whether I'm bent over a troublesome set of grass roots buried deep beneath the soil and mulch of a flower bed, or whether I'm dining at the bar (outdoor kitchen), this is our own slice of paradise. A staycation getaway always waiting for me, just outside my back door. In fact, I can see the western edge from where I sit now, at my writing desk.

Rather than gardens with plants that need tending, my aspirations of writer-dom require me to focus on platform and presence and networks that need attention in order to bloom and grow. Damn. However, this blog will not necessarily die on the vine (as alluded to in this post), but, perhaps instead, this will be my secret garden. A respite for all of the thoughts and images that whirl and shake, eager to be released on the unsuspecting world.

Before and After: a room make over

Before: For the last few years this room has been a catch-all for kid toys. A lot of emotion was kept hidden behind the closed door and the in the dresser drawers. When daughter #2 moved out we painted the black and red walls a nice neutral color and gave the room a fresh start. Then daughter #1 and our grandson stayed a while. When they left, well...let's just say "it was hard." So the room has been a place for the occasional visitor but not much more than that.

With the pressure of a pending visit from a Faith Alive team, I felt compelled to do something about the room.

After: The visitors will be here Friday. I'm reframing the circus pictures (shown leaning against the wall in the first "before" photo) but I'm holding out for Hobby Lobby's half-price sale of their frames. Somebody should tell me it's worth the $50 to finish the room by Friday. Until then, this is how it's looking:
New sheers ($62). New lamps (set of 3 = $70). New "used" bedside table ($25).

I'm going to put a bigger plant in front of the window (above).

And maybe a chair or something in front of the plug (above).

Art will definitely help. That and a mirror. And maybe a floor vase with some feather grass or some such.

Although I'm not finished, at least I don't mind have company!

Before and After: a room make over

Before, this room has been a catch-all for kid toys. A lot of emotion was kept hidden behind the closed door and the in the dresser drawers. When daughter #2 moved out we painted the black and red walls a nice neutral color and gave the room a fresh start. Then daughter #1 and our grandson stayed a while. When they left, well...let's just say "it was hard." So the room has been a place for the occasional visitor but not much more than that.

With the pressure of a pending visit from a Faith Alive team, I felt compelled to do something about the room.

The visitors will be here Friday. I'm reframing the circus pictures but I'm holding out for Hobby Lobby's half-price sale of their frames. Somebody should tell me it's worth the $50 to finish the room by Friday. Until then, this is how it's looking.


I'm going to put a bigger plant in front of the window (above).

And maybe a chair or something in front of the plug (above).

Art will definitely help. That and a mirror. And maybe a floor vase with some feather grass or some such.

Although I'm not finished, at least I don't mind have company!

In Pursuit of Balance and escape from the 10 pound yoyo

In the 6 weeks since my last post (the post where I mentioned my need for balance in my life), I've absolutely failed at finding balance. But I've succeeded in my efforts to swing the pendulum. The trick now will be to land in place where I *can* find balance.

My vacation injury in mid-September benched me from most forms of exercise and I had to absolutely cease and desist from my daily P90X workouts. In October I got back off my duff and started a daily regimen of crunches and push-ups (not a lot, mind you, but something). Then in November, I actually put on my running shoes and put a mile-plus in, despite the fact that it was dark and cold out. Then I proceeded to spend the next week coughing and sniffling, which may or may not have been a result of the run.

On November 20th I celebrated my birthday by getting up at the crack of dawn and running in my 3rd 5K. This was the second time I'd run since my injury. Also, pretty much the 2nd real workout.

And I've gone for all of one run since then. So that's 3 runs in the month of November. After the daily discipline of P90X, I think "balance" should mean several work-outs per week (not per month). Somewhere along the way I quit the 5 minutes of crunches and pushups so really, those 3 runs are just about it.

It's not like I wasn't busy. You can read here to find out how I spent my time last month. But football games, eating out, Thanksgiving feasts, etc. combined with the lack of aerobics have taken their toll and I'm sad to see that I've regained ALL of the weight I'd lost since shaking off my couch-potato ways. In my battle with the bulge the enemy has regained a lot of territory.

If you know me, you know I'm no quitter. I may have addictive tendencies (ahem) to say the least, and I may have a propensity to take things to the extreme (ahem) but I'm going to try to work those to my favor and commit myself to defining (and maintaining) boundaries that provide balance in my life. Balance between working, writing, working out, playing piano, reading...I can do this. I know I can. I shall be extreme in my determination to not let any one area dominate my life.

Cheers!

9 weeks of P90X + 3 weeks of inactivity = square one

For those who've never tried it, the P90X commitment is not to be taken lightly. The workouts take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half (if you're doing the "Ab Ripper" workout after weights). The routine varies between weights and aerobics, yoga, stretching and kenpo (my favorite). There is daily variation and weekly variation and the whole program is nothing short of intense.

My last post was 6 days in to the 90 day commitment. I started right after the 4th of July weekend.

A month after I started my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a beautiful ceremony/reception. Preparation for that consumed plenty of time and energy. Around that time my beloved husband gave me a new used piano, which introduced a new discipline of 30-minutes-a-day of piano practice into my already busy routine.

In mid-August I spent a week in Taiwan on a business trip. In mid-September my husband and I spent a week in Hawaii on our "honeymoon" vacation. On the last afternoon of our vacation I slipped on a lava rock and sliced open my toe, requiring 6 stitches and a hiatus from my workout routine. I couldn't risk pulling the wound open. Although I'd diligently maintained my workout discipline throughout all of the demands of life, work and travel I suddenly found myself "grounded."

That was September 23rd, the end of my first week of inactivity (vacation). The slice on the bottom of my foot restricted my walking to a slow limping pace, which further slowed me down. Yes, maybe there were some things I could still do but I'd lost my momentum. It's amazing how quickly things unwind. This week I started with some baby steps - push-ups on my knees (so I don't flex my torn toe), crunches, a few wall squats. It's depressing to realize how quickly the flab returned. And I look back and realize how much time flew by while I was busybusybusy with exercise, piano, reading, etc. But not writing.

So, no "after" photos yet of the great beachbody the P90X routine is supposed to yield. I'm not sure how I'll tally the time devoted given the on-again off-again nature of this effort. I'm not sure I want to go back to the 7-day-a-week regimen. I definitely do NOT want to give up completely on the exercise. Maybe there's a happy medium because one thing I DO want is to find time to write again.

When I get back on my feet (or rather the balls of my toes) I will be seeking balance, and not just through yoga training.

Before, Really Before and Really, Really Before

Maybe it was quitting smoking (June 10, 2004) or maybe it was my hysterectomy (May, 2007?I think) but somehow weight began to creep up on me in a big way.

Here are photos from December, 2008:

I realized something had to change so I renewed my relationship with Richard Simmons. For a year, I worked out 3-4 times per week. By the end of the year I was doubling my workout, which pushed the aerobics up to almost 30 minutes. But really, the results were not so remarkable.

Here I am in December, 2009:
I had to buy larger pants for the trip to China. None of my clothes fit.

For Christmas I gave myself a Wii Fit Plus and began working out daily. I introduced yoga, strength training and of course, aerobics. I definitely enjoyed the Wii as a fun way to get off my booty and get moving. But...the results were not remarkable. Here I am in March, 2010:
Now, I'm taking it to the next level. If you've been following this blog you know I graduated to running and ran my first marathon in June. Running has been great, but it's hard on my joints. A friend convinced me to try the P90X. Here are my "before" photos from earlier this week:

Admittedly, I had to rotate the photos, which (I swear) makes me look more squat than I am. But hey! These are "before" photos, so what the heck. I can say that the jeans I was wearing in March are now way too big for me.

Here I am in all of my honest, soul-bearing glory. I'll post another set of photos of myself in 84 more days..."after".

Peace,

My first 5k is behind me

Here we are (Saturday June 19), having just finished Vern's No Frills 5k. My hubby surprised me by running most of the way. He finished about a minute ahead of Sherie (my coach and friend) and me.

I'm proud of my results, finishing 5k in about 38 1/2 minutes. We ran a pretty steady race for the first 2 miles. We ran most of the last mile (one short little walk). I said "Oh my goodness!" about 50 times and Sherie reassured me every time that I could do it. For the last stretch she coached me as though I were swimming. I raced as a swimmer from the age of 6 to 16 so it was very effective to talk to me in terms of 50m laps in an individual medley.

This marks a major milestone and is a reflection of tremendous progress since investing in the Wii Fit Plus back in December.

We have a winner!

My Darling Hubby and I are going to participate in a 5K! Vern's No Frills 5K in Georgetown. He's walking. I'm running (and walking). He says he will keep up with me. Humph. We'll see.

We'll be joined by friends. I'm really looking forward to this!!! The "race" starts at 8am. Given the current weather, it will probably be hot and muggy already by then.

My current best rate is 4.5 mph. OK, folks. Look out! I'm in training.

"5K" anyone?

If someone had told me at the first of the year that I'd be considering running in a 5K before the year was half over I'd have said "5K"? Or something equally witty because seriously, it would have been beyond reason to even imagine such a thing. Now I'm not only imagining it, I'm actively researching my options and looking for the lucky winner of my first 5K entry. Runtex offers quite a variety and that's only a start.

Last summer I swam laps (our pool is a 33' lap lane), dreaming of the day I might participate in a Danskin relay (swimming, of course). I often joked that I wasn't a triathlete, I was a uni-athlete. I don't run and I don't bike. But it turns out I do run and I can certainly ride a bike. So maybe after I finish my first 5K I'll look into my options for a triathlon.

It turns out, Austin is filled with fitness-fiends. I'm just one of a crowd. And I'm really looking forward to experiencing this milestone. I've come a long way, baby.

Stalling

Half-formed plots. Glimpses of characters. Random dialogue. Opening sentences or paragraphs. My hands are busy in the garden, my back is breaking under the strain, my mind is wandering, flirting with ideas, picking them up and considering them like river rocks. On the surface, smooth and dull, but occasionally revealing buried pieces with sharp edges that sparkle in the sun.

Later, sitting at the keyboard, staring at the monitor...stalling.