Georgia on My Mind

I have had a headache all day and I am ready to get the hell outta here. I came in today really happy after an awesome time at the Highpoint ropes course (where I jumped from a forty foot ledge off a tree), and I felt like I could take on anything. I was wrong. Almost immediately my energy was zapped and I was back to where I was on Tuesday.
LUCKILY we are leaving for Atlanta tonight and starting the four day weekend and wedding activities.
Here is where we will be staying: http://www.evergreenresort.com/
Which is right beneath this:

Stone Mountain with the resort in the forefront!

I can't wait to share my photos with you.

Has it been ten years my friend?

Ten years ago I went on THE adventure of a lifetime. My good friend Amy and I went and traveled through Europe for five weeks and learned a little bit about life and ourselves. I was hiking through the woods on Saturday and it dawned on me that it was exactly ten years ago on the 25th that we embarked on this adventure. At the time I don't think I could fathom the enormity of the event. It really is hard to put into words how much it impacted my life.



This is my Amy, friend and travel partner



Our first stop, Amsterdam, Netherlands - where we first met Amstel Light~


Our fourth stop, Sevilla, Spain - our first, and possibly only Bullfight.

Our sixth and favorite spot, Ios, Greece - a vacation within a vacation! Great food, great wine, great dancing, and great people! We spent some time at that beach, too much time, we actually almost didn't make it to our departing flight in Amsterdam. Thank you Amy, for sharing such a defining time in my life.

What I am reading, eating, and watching

A few weeks ago our neighbor was having a garage sale and Adam and I walked over to see what treasures we might find. I found a copy of the book "The Power of One". I had never read the book before, but I watched movie in 7th or 8th grade and loved it, which says a lot because I didn't like much then.

This book is awesome. Luckily I cannot remember much about the movie, so it is keeping my attention and I feel like I am learning something about South African History. Colonization and the effects of decolonization really interest me and have since I started studying Anthropology and American Indian Studies.

Now that I am counting my way to the skinny life, I have been experimenting with a lot of new recipes from weight watchers and it has been really successful. Last night I made flat bread Pizzas. All you need is whole wheat tortillas, pizza sauce (trader Joe's has a fat free type), healthy Canadian bacon (from trader Joe's), green pepper, onion, dried oregano, and part skim mozzarella. Just cook up the green pepper and onion, put the sauce on the tortillas (you could broil them briefly to keep them crisp), then put on onion, pepper, Canadian bacon, oregano, and cheese (less than 1/4 cup per tortilla will keep it low calorie). I just pop it in the oven on 375 for ten minutes and bam....easy and good!

I am now officially addicted to "The Closer" on TNT (Can I get paid for this kind of advertisement, Bill Calen). Kira Sedgewick is such a great actress and I love crime dramas. I suggest giving it a chance this summer while everything else is a rerun.

Well that is what I am up to in my not-so-spare time. In one more week we will be journeying to Atlanta to Karen and Bill's wedding. I can't wait to meet more family and celebrate this precious event.

M.C. New Bike

What a great weekend! Saturday we drove up to Vancouver, B.C. to get Adam's new bike! We decided to document the day. Here are several pictures.

Adam likes to get an early start...

Morning breakfast at Zin in Vancouver on Robson Street.

Arrive at "Different Bikes" in North Vancouver.

The inaugural ride

A Happy man and his new bike!

Then we waited four hours to get back across the border, that was not so fun.

Have You Met the Pups?

My Mavie doodle doo My pumpkin pie, morgs
Soaking up the morning sunInstead of going to the gym tonight we took Morgan and Maverick on a nice walk. They are the best. They always make me smile. I am so glad that we have them. My sister even likes them!

Birthday BBQ

Saturday we had a Birthday BBQ for my best friend Chelsea. It was so much fun. Here you see Chelsea blowing out her birthday "cupcakes". We actually sang to her twice that night.

Adam cooked some great hot dogs and hamburgers. In the picture below Adam and Chelsea's husband Matt have a little "guy time" by the grill.

Another great friend of ours, Cassie, was in town from Montana to visit her new niece. Luckily we were able to spend some quality time with her. Cassie, Chelsea, and I have been fiends since we were in the 7th grade. Cassie is the next friend of mine to be getting married next June. I can't wait to celebrate that special day with her. Cassie and I were locker partners in the 7th grade and college roommates, so we have always been close even though she has often lived far away.
I love this picture of my sister. Joan has a great "silent" laugh. It is the laugh she does when she is laughing so hard no sound comes out of her mouth. It is usually followed by tears of joy from laughing so hard. All and all it was a great time. The evening led us to a cab ride to our neighborhood pub where we engaged in some karaoke and dancing. The next morning Cassie and Adam went on a bike ride while my sister and I explored some new trails by Tiger Mountain. While we were hiking I identified a Maidenhair Fern (pictured below). I was really excited because I had never seen one before and there it was all over the place in this part of Tiger Mountain. The stems are almost black in color and it is just so delicate looking. I often bring my botany book out with me when we go hiking. I love identifying native plants and learning the names of all the beautiful things that grow around me.

Just Say No...to the Friday Donut

The Dean of the Math/Sciences Division always brings in donuts for all the office staff on Fridays. The donuts are so good. They are also filled with calories. Almost 500 for a cake donut with frosting and sprinkles...my favorite!

Well folks, I am here to tell you that today, I said no to the Friday donut. It really is the accomplishment of the week.

I am so glad that it is Friday. I am really looking forward to a great weekend. Today I am going out to lunch with my Mom and then heading home to greet Adam from his overnight trip from San Fran.

I hope you all have the power to say no to your "Friday Donut" whatever it maybe. It feels good to be in control.

Zootunes

Tonight Adam and I are going to Zootunes to see Robert Earl Keen (pictured above). I am so excited. Adam introduced me to him a month or so ago and I love his music. I am also looking forward to hanging out in Seattle and spending time with Adam away from home. We always have the best time. The only hard part will be sticking to my points! BUT, I will do it.

The blind leading the blind

I saw this picture today and I thought it spoke to so many things. Life, Americans, ignorance, faith, leadership, and the list goes on and on. I think it was supposed to be funny.

This picture made me think about when I started questioning "what they tell me". I would say I started after high school, but I think my parents would say puberty! I do know that once I started questioning, I never wanted to stop. This tendency might explain my curiosity and need to learn.

I am opinionated and I usually not afraid to tell people how I feel. This is both a good and a bad quality. I never intend to hurt some one's feelings, but sometimes I do without knowing. One thing I don't think a lot of people know about me is that even though I am opinionated, I love hearing other sides of the argument. I like listening to my brother Bill talk about politics because even though it is completely conservative, his views are backed by fact and history. I also learn things and even though I may never agree with him, I like talking with him because he is so passionate and eager to hear what I have to say too. As long as there is civil discourse, then I am always looking forward to a great conversation.

Girls weekend photos, just a "Plain" weekend

The Girls
River front property Chelsea and I

Weight Watchers, day one

I am a big fat loser (i.e. I am going to lose a lot of fat). I started my new way of life today and it is going pretty well so far. Weight Watchers is pretty cool and the philosophy fits nicely into my life. I went to my first meeting this morning and felt really welcome. I am going to go every Sunday morning.

Today was a great day. This morning after my meeting Adam and I had breakfast and coffee while watching "The Soup", which is a really funny show that recaps the week of celebrity stupidity. Then Adam and I went to the gym together and had a great workout. Tonight I am making a great dinner that we will enjoy together. Today is the first day we have had alone together in a while, and I really enjoyed the day.

Tomorrow starts another fun filled week of work...

I hope you all had excellent weekends.

Hey, I know how to count

I have decided to join weight watchers tomorrow. I am really excited about it too. I am really hoping to lose 30-40 pounds. If I lose that I will be back to where I was before I quit smoking. I think I switched addictions, it went from tobacco to food and it happened really quickly. Although I have stayed active for the last three years, it has not seemed to help me lose weight. I love exercising and being active, but I have now realized it has to extend passed this. I have lost weight before and I know that I can do it again.
Another great thing about it is that my coworker, who I love, Suzanne is also in weight watchers and she is going to be a great supporter. I also have Adam, who is a great help and willing to do whatever to be supportive.
I have always wanted to be a runner and I am going to make a goal to become one by the time I am 30, in order to do that I have to lose weight. I made a goal to quit smoking before I was 28, and I did it. I achieved that goal because of several things; first, I set a date, then I told everyone I knew what my goal was, and finally I had support. I have done all these things now for my weight loss goal. To me the most important step in that process is telling everyone what your goal is and how it will be achieved. I hate to disappoint and once I put my mind to something, it is a done deal. The question is: How many points is that slice of cheese?

If your going to San Francisco....

(Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair), I never knew who that song was by until now. I thought it was the Byrds or something but it is Scott McKenzie. Adam is in San Francisco for a couple days and I am wishing I was with him. I love it there. It is such a great city and I have such great memories of being there with Adam. It is hard to believe that this summer is the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love". Enjoy your week Honey!