Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Weatherwise anyway. Still cloudy and cool days. Even cooler nights. We're pleased as punch not to have to have the air conditioner on, but here we are on the downslide of July, getting close to having to return to school, and the weather has not allowed us to get to the pool on a regular basis. This morning, I decided I'm tired of being cold. I want to wear shorts and sleeveless shirts, but the breeze is too cool for even this. Right now I'm in sweats to try and stay warm. Hopefully August will bring warmer days. The cool nights can stay as they are great sleeping weather. The cool weather is great for working out. Being in the garage can be unbearable at times because of no air circulation. With the cool weather, I can walk/jog on the treadmill for a long time without getting overheated. I'm logging some serious miles, helping my little ladybug along her journey to 500 miles. I should have over 100 miles for the month, which is a good start for me. I do need to pick it...

This summer doesn't seem much like summer. Lots of clouds, lots of rain, lots of dreary days. The sun hasn't crushed us like in past summers, and I'm kind of happy about not using the air conditioner nearly as much, but it would be really nice to see the sun, be able to go to the pool with the kids, and just snooze on the lounge chair while basking in the warmth. This morning the sky is clear. I'm wondering how long it'll be before the clouds roll in. Plus, we didn't take our annual summer vacation. Job worries. The hubby doesn't know yet if his job will continue. He's tense. I'm tense. Things will certainly change around here if he finds himself laid off. We've played a lot the last couple of year, which has been really fun, but we'll have to pull on the reins quite a bit if we find out the job is eliminated. We can make it on my salary, but we'll not be able to play like we used to. I'm okay with that. I've been saying all along...

But now I don't. I started running in June to try and move some of these extra pounds that are refusing to budge. I'm up to two measly miles, but that's two more than I used to do, so I figure two's not so bad. I'm contemplating running a 5K which means I'll have to be able to run at least 3 miles nonstop. Thankfully, I found a great website called Couch to 5K that offers weekly workouts to help one get off the couch and into 5K shape. While I just found the site this week, thanks to the wonderful site called My Fitness Pal , I'm around Week 4 in training, so that's what I'll be working on this week. Last night I walked/jogged a total of 6 miles, finishing all sweaty and tired. I love being sweaty and tired, though. Makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Six miles is the farthest I've ever gone in one workout. Now I'm thinking maybe a longer walk/jog on the weekend, maybe eight or nine miles. I can map out my route before I go, u...

A week ago I stumbled upon a website called MyFitnessPal. I've been wanting to record everything I eat each day to see just how many calories I'm consuming, and I thought there should be something available online to help me out. Lo and behold, I found MFP. Love it. Absolutely love it. After the first week of keeping track of what I eat as well as the exercise I'm putting in each day, I lost 1.6 pounds. I'm now in week two, and my husband can tell I'm still losing even though I won't get on the scale until Friday. I can tell, too. My clothes fit better than ever, and I'm not afraid to look at myself in the mirror anymore. I had gotten to the point where I wouldn't look at myself naked in the mirror; I just hated how I looked. Now I stand there and examine myself from different angles, liking what I see. I started this weight loss venture in December, right after Christmas, right after seeing a picture of me where it was sooooooo obvious that I'd gain...

Yesterday, I was a PBB, a Parent Behaving Badly. I'm not proud of it, and having behaved so poorly haunted me all day, tormented me as I tried to fall asleep last night. I finally just had to tell myself I was never, ever going to behave like that again, no matter how frustrated I became. This is what being a parent of a basketball player has come to, and if it means I can't attend the games, I guess I'll just have to stay home and get the low-down from the kids afterwards. I played basketball from fourth grade through high school. I was pretty good. For the last few years, I've coached a 4th/5th grade boys team. I know the game fairly well. When I see really bad reffing, I get so frustrated and sometimes say things I shouldn't say. That's what happened yesterday. At one point, while the offending ref was looking right at me, I mouthed, "You suck." He knew exactly what I said and smiled. Not too long after that, another parent sitting in another part o...