Sister Saturday

Note:  I never intended this to be a weight loss blog, but since I'm working so hard at losing weight it's no surprise that I have to write about it.  If you're getting sick of reading about my struggle, I'm sorry.

Nebalee is super fit, to the point that she and her husband ran a half-marathon last weekend, which I find absolutely insane.  We've been trying to figure out how to work out together, but I. don't. run.  And she doesn't lift, not that Gymnastics Boy has me lifting anyway.

Now that she's done training for the half-marathon, we decided we'd work out on Saturdays.  She's not a member of the club I am, so it's got to be something we can do at one of our houses.  I've spent the last week running through exercises that Gymnastics Boy has thrown my way, trying to come up with a circuit for us to do.

Most of the exercises I want to do centered around my favorite piece of equipment, the Bosu Ball.  I've mentioned it in the past, but when I was talking to Mom, she was having a hard time picturing it, so here's what it looks like...

It's an amazing way to work on your core.  When Gymnastics Boy started me on it, I could barely stand upright for more than a few seconds, never mind doing any sort of movement on it.  Now, we rarely work with it in the upright position.  Nope, we use it platform up...

It's a lot trickier, but I can't wait to get my own Bosu and take it to the range.  I want to stand on it, platform up, and shoot from it.

However, a Bosu is kind of out of my budget right now, so Nebalee and I chased all over town today looking for something we could use for stability.  One of the other pieces of equipment that Gymnastics Boy has me use is a foam roller.

There are a ton of things we can do with this silly roller, so I picked it up, fondled the Bosu at the store and headed home to torture my sister.  Isn't that what big sisters do?

As I've said, she's super fit and, well, I'm far from being super fit. I'm more like beginner fit.  Gymnastics Boy has been working me hard, but I'm still a long way from being in any semblance of "fit".  I chose some of my most hated exercises and away we went.

We started with a "pyramid" of sorts; 5 burpies (with a push-up), 1 squat with a dumbell, followed by 5 crunches.  The next round was 4 burpies, 2 squats, and 4 crunches and so on.  The only time I've done that pyramid, about a month and a half ago, it took me nine minutes to complete it.  I didn't check the time, but we did it in a whole lot less time this go 'round.

We followed it up with a plank, our hands on the foam roller, which ups the ante a lot.  While in the plank position, we alternated slooooowwwwlllyyy lowering our knees to the ground for 30 seconds.

Then it was up on the foam roller, standing on it, doing squats with dumbells for fifteen reps.  That's one that I really enjoy.  Not so much the squats, but the ability to balance on a foam roll and do the squats without falling off.

We finished off the circuit with my favorite push-ups.  Normally, I despise them, but since they're the same push-ups that Demi Moore did in the water in GI Jane right before she shaved her head, they make me feel super powerful.  Instead of doing them in water, Nebalee and I did them with our feet on a chair, about 18 - 20" above the ground.  Nebalee said something about "downward dog" to "up dog", but since I don't do yoga, I have no idea what the heck she's talking about.  Besides, "downward dog" doesn't sound nearly as cool as "the GI Jane" push-ups.

We completed the circuit twice, in about thirty minutes.  Not bad our first time out.  Even though the work out wasn't as long as what Gymnastics Boy would have had me do, it was still effective.  Nebalee was a little sad that she's lost so much upper body strength, but that will come back quickly.  I was thrilled that I was able to keep up with her.

Now I've just got to figure out new and inventive ways to torture Nebalee next Saturday... *evil laugh*

As a bonus, just because GI Jane makes me happy, enjoy this little clip...

A Whole Lotta Fun

Or, one of my ideas of fun.

Our family refers to the drive up to the Lodge as "going up the hill" (not to be confused with "going out on the mountain", which means going for a ride).  I'm not sure where that came from, but for the more than thirteen years our parents have owned the Lodge, it's always been "going up the hill".  The phrase is deceptive as there is a 3,145 foot gain in elevation from Lyons to Allenspark in a mere 17 miles (or 16 depending on which road sign you're reading).  Now, Mrs Mom and Mr Mrs Mom have been with me during one of my more sedate runs up the hill, but the fact is I *love* driving the canyon.  Even in my old Honda Accords (there have been a lot of them), we made good time running up the hill.  I've had sports cars pull out of my way when I'm running the canyon.

Ripley does a great job of going up and down the hill and has done an even better job now that she's got her strut tower brace.  RCC videotaped our run up the hill on Saturday as one of his entries to the monthly video contest held by SoulHamsters.  Since I had such a good time driving it, I thought I'd share it with you.  From Hall Ranch, just outside of Lyons, to Allenspark our average speed was 65mph (around the curves), with our low being 55 when I mis-timed a downshift and lost momentum and our high being just over 70.

Just Because It's Not Monday

Dear Noah,
We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.
Sincerely,
Unicorns

Dear Twilight fans,
Please realize that because vampires are dead and have no blood pumping through them, they can never get an erection.
Enjoy fantasizing about that.
Sincerely,
Logic



Dear Icebergs,
Sorry to hear about the global warming. Karma's a .. .

Sincerely,
The Titanic


Dear J.K. Rowling,
Your books are entirely unrealistic.. I mean, a ginger kid with two friends?

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Dear America,
You produced Miley Cyrus. Bieber is your punishment.

Sincerely,
Canada

Dear Yahoo,
I've never heard anyone say, "I don't know, let's Yahoo! it..." just saying...
Sincerely,
Google


Dear 2010,
So I hear the best rapper is white and the president is black? WTF happened?!

Sincerely,
1985


Dear Windshield Wipers,
Can't touch this.

Sincerely,
That Little Triangle

Dear Rose,
There was definitely room on that Door for the both of us.

Sincerely,
Jack
P.S. You let go

Dear girls who have been dumped,
There are plenty of fish in the sea... Just kidding! They're all dead.
Sincerely,
BP


Dear Saturn,
I liked it, so I put a ring on it.
Sincerely,
God


Dear Fox News,
So far, no news about foxes.
Sincerely,
Unimpressed


Dear Michael Jackson,
You really should have became a Catholic Priest. The pay isn't great, but the benefits....
Sincerely,
The Pope

Dear Nickleback,
That's enough.
Sincerely,
The World


Dear Skin-Colored Band Aids,
Please make one for every skin color.

Sincerely,
Black people


Dear Scissors,
I feel your pain.....no one wants to run with me either.

Sincerely,
Sarah Palin


Dear Osama Bin Laden,
Marco....

Sincerely,
United States


Dear World of Warcraft,
Thank you for ensuring my son's virginity.

Sincerely,
Parents Everywhere


Dear Batman,
What was your power again?
Sincerely,
Superman


Dear Customers,
Yes, we ARE making fun of you in Vietnamese.
Sincerely,
Nail Salon Ladies


Dear Global Warming,
You're the best imaginary friend ever!
Sincerely,
Al Gore


Dear Ugly People,
You're welcome.
Sincerely,
Alcohol


Dear Mr. Gump
WTF are you talking about? There's a little diagram on the lid that tells you EXACTLY what you're gonna get....
Sincerely,
Jenny


Dear Katy Perry,
I liked the kiss too.
Sincerely,
Justin Beiber


Dear Martin Luther King Jr.
I have a dream within a dream within a dream within another dream.... What now?

Sincerely,
Leonardo Di Caprio


Dear World,
Please stop freaking out about 2012. Our calendars ends there because some Spanish d-bags invaded our country and we got a little busy ok?
Sincerely,
The Mayans


Dear Snooki,
GET BACK TO WORK!

Sincerely,
Willy Wonka


Dear White People,
Don't you just hate immigrants?
Sincerely,
Native Americans


Dear iPhone,
Please stop spellchecking all of my rude words into nice words. You piece of shut.
Sincerely,
Every iPhone User


Dear Giant Spider on the Wall,
Please die. Please die. Please die. Please die. CRAP! Where did you go?
Sincerely,
Terrified


Dear Trash,
At least you get picked up...
Sincerely,
The Girls of Jersey Shore


Dear Man,
It's cute, but can you pick up peanuts with it?
Sincerely,
Elephant


Dear Dr. Phil,
Look man, there's only room for one fake doctor in this world and I was here first.
Sincerely,
Dr. Pepper

Ripley Gets More Presents

The surprises just keep coming in from RCC.

First was the absolutely kick-ass 3rd brake light...

Then, a week later, a custom-made gear shift boot...

And then, yesterday while I was at the 9HealthFair, he installed an SSD Strut Tower Brace...

Now, you may or may not know that I'm kind of a car girl.  Not a true gear-head, though I married one.  More of the breed of car girl that truly enjoys driving - really driving - and understands basic mechanical stuff.  I've always had an appreciation for classic American Muscle (totally Mom's fault, BTW).  And by appreciation, I mean they make me all hot and bothered.  What I would give for an old school GTO. *sigh*

Anyway, Ripley is not even close to being American Muscle.  Heck, she's not even close to being Korean Muscle (is there such a thing?).  But she is a blast to drive and I've been known to run the canyon to the Lodge at, oh, I don't know, thirty over or so.  While I enjoy the hell out of running the canyon, Monster has complained more than once about the amount of body roll on the curves.  Apparently, going up the canyon at 70 mph or so around the curves isn't as much fun for my passengers as it is for me.

The SSD Strut Tower Brace has tightened up the steering and significantly reduced the sway.  Ripley hugs those curves now like she was made for it.  As much as I loved running the canyon before, I can't believe how much more I enjoy it now.  In fact, I had such a good time test-running the curves around Horsetooth that RCC and I made an impromtu trip to the Lodge last night.

I'm still on a driver's high from the run up and down the canyon.

I've Got 30 Seconds... (totally random drivel)

I really should be working, but I'm cross-eyed from grading homework and my brain is fried thinking about everything that I have to do for the 9HealthFair.  So, I'm taking a blog break.  Isn't that logical?  Have a ton of stuff to do, really not enough time to do it, yet I'm sitting here on Blogger while my students are working away at their assignments, generating yet even more homework for me to grade.

I know you all have done the same thing at some point *grin*.

Tomorrow's Ashinator's senior prom.  Tomorrow is also the Health Fair, which will take up a good part of the day.  Then I have to take Monster to the Lodge to work and try to rush back down to meet the other jillion parents to do pictures.  I want a time turner like Hermione has.

So...this prom of Ashinators.  She and CJ broke up a couple of weeks ago.  She managed to snag another date with a "friend".  No problem, I went to my senior prom with a friend, too.  Only, she and CJ are spending every spare second together.  There was a week after the break up that they stayed in their separate corners, but for the last week and a half, they've been together non-stop.  Did I mention CJ also has another date for the prom?  Yep, a "friend" of his.

My problem is that Ash and CJ were together for so long, and I'm not being too terribly biased here, they were the "hottest" (best looking) couple in the school.  Their final break up made many boys and girls happy.  If I was a guy, I'd agree to go to prom with Ash as a "friend", but thinking all the while I might have a shot at her.  Same with CJ's date.  I suspect Friday night is going to be full of drama.

I've told them both that they should do the kind thing - set up their dates with each other and go to prom as originally planned.  It's going to be miserable for their poor dates when they realize that CJ and Ash really did mean "friends".

I don't get it.  I suppose I never will, but they seem to be happy with this sort of break up.  I've asked Ash why they haven't just gotten back together already.  She doesn't have an answer.  Hmmm.

*****
Good news on the working out front - I've lost three-plus inches from my waist and an inch from my hips.

Monday's workout sucked ass.  I had no energy and drew on reserves I didn't know I had.  Sadly, I felt like it was a waste of both my time and the little bastard's Gymnastics Boy's.  I've decided it's not nice to call my trainer "the little bastard", so he will henceforth be known as Gymnastics Boy.  He's a former member of the US Junior National team.  Know what that means?  He has experienced lots of training torture and is now being paid to torture me.

Last night's workout?  Effing rocked!  I totally recovered from my Monday slump and nailed last night's.  Can't wait to see more inches come off. (And they'd better come off!)

*****
Did anyone see Top Shot this week?  They apparently had the shooters shooting from unstable platforms.  When I saw the previews, the first thing I thought was that I'd ROCK that station thanks to all of the Bosu work that the little ba.. Gymnastics Boy has me doing.

I want to be on Top Shot.  Well, I did.  Want to, that is.  After seeing the high school drama going on and realizing that it is now "Top Bunk Buddy" instead of being performance based, I don't want to have anything to do with it.

But I'll still watch it, let's not get crazy here.

*****
Mom's been released by her surgeon to ride again, which is pretty darn cool.  It's why she went through all of the pain of bilateral hip replacements and it'll be good to see her ride pain-free.

Now I wonder if we'll be able to keep up with her...

The *Real* Story Behind The Ashinator

Some of you may have read this post about my daughter setting back the women's movement 50 years with her statement to my mom and Bill.

Number 1 - She told Bill not to say a word about it, so what did he do?  Immediately blogged about it!  Way to go, Bill!  You get extra blogger points for that one.

Number 2 - Some important information was left out.  Important, such as...she was "baking" cookies by taking Mom's pre-made frozen cookie balls out of the freezer and putting them on the cookie sheet to put in the oven.  There was no domestic bliss going on there.  We're talking about the girl who finds frying up a hamburger patty too much work and she'd rather not eat.  Her children are going to starve, just sayin'.

After I got the whole story, I felt so much better.  I was beginning to worry that Ash was sick or something - baking is not her favorite thing to do.

But she still can't change her own oil - neither can her father - so she's obviously a genetic mix between the two of us.

RCC Wins Husband of the Year!

I knew RockCrawlinChef was up to something, but I had no idea what it was.  He's been cagey for the last couple of days, but I had no idea why.

Tonight, he wandered outside for a few minutes and then told me to come out to see what he was working on.

I was perplexed when he told me to stand about five feet behind Ripley.  He reached in the car and put his hand on the brake pedal.  This is what I saw...

Is that the coolest brake light ever?  It's even better than personalized plates (and costs a whole heap less!).

He found out about them here at SoulHamsters.com in their 3rd brake light decals.  Cool, huh?

Way To Go, Graceful.

You know all that balance work that the little bastard makes me do each week?

Well, it's NOT helping!

I took a personal day today so I could get Estes' pedicure done.  Sent an email out to work letting them know I was taking a personal day and then promptly fell down the stairs.

What the...?

Yep, you read that right.  I took a personal day and then fell down the stairs, not fell down the stairs so I had to take a personal day.  Really?

I think it would have hurt less if I'd gone ass over tea kettle, but noooooooo my foot slipped out from under me and I landed flat on my arse and bounced down a million stairs, dropping my laptop in the process.  Laptop's okay.  My back is not.  I felt the impact move up my back to right between my shoulder blades.  I displaced a vertebrae in my upper back after Digger was born by landing wrong on a shoulder roll.  On occasion, it slips out.  Today, it had help slipping out.  Sucked.

However, I was on my way to go see Estes, so I threw down a handful of ibuprofen and went on my merry way.  Who needs to be able to breathe?  Not I.

The drive sucked.

The cold sucked.

Seeing Estes sucked less.

Getting some Estes loves made my day better.

At least until the ibuprofen wore off :)