Today's thought...Restoring my faith in Santa Claus.

I heard probably one of the most touching stories in my life yesterday and brings a tear to my eye every time I think about it. My friend Green Monkey, (I've talked about her several times before) and I were talking about Christmas morning. She was talking about she found a "secret" letter to Santa from her sister. It said simply that if she didn't get a sock monkey for Christmas, she would stop believing in Santa.

Being so touched by the letter, she stayed up all night Christmas Eve, and made a sock monkey from scratch, and wrote a letter from Santa, telling her little sister to never stop believing. It was a true testament of the spirit of Christmas and made me so blessed and proud to know her. I still get a little weepy eyed when I think about it and when I tell others about it. She was so set on making sure that her little sister kept the childhood magic alive for even just one more year. That amazed me. So thank you Green Monkey. For restoring my own faith in Santa Claus! You have one of the biggest hearts of anybody I know. Keep being you girl!

Today's thought...Saying good-bye to an integral part of us.

We had to say good-bye to the Hundred Dollar Wonder Car today. There was a lot of fun, a lot of love and a lot of us wrapped up in that car. It wasn't just a car. It was a part of us. It made me cry to see it go. And believe me, I've already had the people tell me I'm stupid for letting it get to me, but dammit, it's sad!

The ole man and I have had that car damn near the entire 10 years we've been married! It's been through a rear-ending, hitting a deer, going off into a ditch and breaking an axle, several headlight/taillight changes, a transmission overhaul and one of the wheels falling completely off when a bearing went out. It went through Hershey (our first dog), our wedding (when at the time coincidentally my brother in law MR2 owned it), several trips to Florida, one to Atlanta and several times to East Tennessee (and no one could believe the car actually made it as far and as long as it did without breaking down and leaving us stranded, and it never did.)

There were times when my husband would actually race other cars going down the interstate to the point that one day, I had a car come up beside me and try to race me, but backed off once they realized it was me driving and not my husband. The Hundred Dollar Wonder Car was known well through out town as a racer, and we'd never touched the engine. We could push it up to at least 120 mph (not that we ever did that), and the damn thing would NOT top out. There was no top end in the engine. The only time we ever got beat racing (I mean, riding down the road at the same rate of speed as the other car), well anyway, we were running (REALLY FASTLY) down the road and all of a sudden this red car that was running beside us (equally fast) just took off down the road and left us eating dust (figuratively speaking). That guy had NOS.

It was with us when we bought our first house, and when we lost our Hershey to pancreatic cancer. I loved that car. You know how someone can be driving this piece of shit car that is rusting out from under them and no air conditioning, and you look at them and they look like they are driving around in a Rolls Royce? Yeah, that was me in the Hundred Dollar Wonder Car. You had to open the drivers side door from the inside, you had to start the car with a flat head screw driver, and sometimes the trunk pop button worked, sometimes it didn't I loved that damn car. I looked like I was driving in a Ferrari because I FELT like I was driving in a Ferrari! Didn't matter what anyone said, that was my car and I loved it! And my husband felt the same way about it when he drove it.

It was my dream to eventually turn the thing into a 10 second car. Yes, that's right. I was going to turn a Ford Tempo into a 10 second car. Alas, we had to part and say good-bye. And yes, I cried. It was a stupid car, that was a huge part of our lives as a couple and was hard to part with. For years I argued that I wouldn't ever get rid of it, but in the end, needing to eat overcame the need to make a race car. We'll get there one day, and hell who knows, maybe I'll have my Ten Second Tempo, but until that time, I have awesome memories of the one that graced our lives. To you, Hundred Dollar Wonder Car. You will be forever etched into our memories as one of, if not our all time favorite car!

Today's thought...Wedding Day memoirs.

I was watching a commercial for a show coming out called I DoOver. Where this woman takes weddings that have gone completely awry and redoes them for the bride and groom. And it made me laugh and think about my wedding. I'll never forget our wedding day, because the things that went wrong weren't serious, but they were all what you would call good luck if it happens...in old wives tales anyway. So, I figured I'd share my story.

First off, my husband and I had talked about getting married and how we wanted to do it way before, and I told him my dream was a little wedding, outside, on horseback. Of course, the first night we talked about it was the first time he proposed. LoL! But that's another story in and of itself. So the night before the wedding, my grandparents are here from out of state, my husband is at home in our apartment and no one is here but me. So I call my sister. She has a new cop boyfriend so I have no idea if she's going to make it or not. Well, she makes it, thanks in large part to the cop boyfriend, who is now her husband of 9 years with three amazing kids. And we have a very quiet bachelorette party which consisted of talking all night long, and dining on mac and cheese and hot dogs. (Best quiet party ever!)

The next morning, I get up and my mom and I go to a small country store, so I can get a pair of black jeans, (Yeah, got married in black jeans, purple top and black cowboy hat), she takes me to the local hobby shop so I can get some tulle for the veil (to go over the cowboy hat, which looked AMAZING by the way) and we stopped at grocery store and got our wedding cake (which TASTED just as amazing as my hat looked!). Yes, my wedding, from start to finish including license, cost $100! I'm so proud of me! And here's where it gets fun.

Brides maids start arriving, it's almost noon and the groom is not here to set up yet. He was supposed to be there by nine. Enter wives tale number one. If the groom is late, it's good luck. In the midst of all of this, I'm getting my horse ready, braiding flowers into her main and tail. Finally the husband shows up and it's time for me to get myself ready. Since he's essentially ready himself. Folks start arriving, I see him and freak out because I've seen the groom (even though that wives tale is about the groom not seeing the bride), and we get the horse saddled up and everyone gets into place.

Time for the wedding is quickly approaching and it hits me like a blow to the gut, the preacher isn't there. The preacher's late! I mean really? If the groom is late it's good luck right? So he finally shows up, half an hour late. That must mean it's REALLY good luck right? So then, everyone's there, it's time, daddy walks in the house, we walk out to the front yard and he walks me down the aisle (on horse back). The wedding gets under way. It was beautiful! It was truly amazing. Everyone was there and it went perfect. Everyone was cleared out and gone by 4:30 and then it was time for dinner. My parents took us out for celebration before we left for our honeymoon.

Enter wives tale number two. When it rains on your wedding day, it's good luck. Well let me tell you, just before we left for dinner, after everyone was gone, it came and damn down pour like you wouldn't believe, that lasted for all of fifteen minutes, and then was clear bluebird skies. So, sign from God that it was meant to last, or mere coincidence? I'll let you decide, but I'll tell you, before you decide, we've been married for almost ten years now. Just putting it out there.

Today's thought...sick, sick, and then sick again!

Okay so let me tell you what good has happened in the last two weeks. It'll be easier than trying to explain what HASN'T happened. Because I have managed to procure myself another, and yes, I mean another, sinus infection. It's like really? Anyway my two exciting things about the last couple of weeks, surround Iris Johansen (Only my most favorite author, outside of myself of course). First, the third book in the Eve, Quinn, Bonnie trilogy came out. Finished it in a day and a half. Cried my eyeballs out. It was so great!

Second, Lifetime adapted one of her Eve Duncan books into a movie. The Killing Game. Okay now let me just say I've heard and seen a lot of disappointed reviews on this and I have to say in my opinion - IT WAS A FABULOUS MOVIE! YOU'RE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION WHEN IT'S A GOOD ONE! LoL! Okay no it's not that bad really. I just think people don't understand what goes into making a book a movie. Things have to be changed, things have to be left out and the first time isn't going to be perfect! I don't know a single book that has been adapted that's gone exactly with the book! Ever! Especially when you are taking a 300+ page book and condensing it into an hour and a half long movie.

This one was great! I think they did an amazing job following the story line and I think they did a great job matching the characters. They weren't perfect, but I really liked the chemistry between them and it gave me a visual that I loved! I thought it was so good and I really hope they come out with more. I can't say enough about it. I admittedly, have watched it 3 times, have it on my DVR and will watch it several more times I'm sure! LoL!

Well, other than that I've been back and forth to the doctors more times than I care to count and I'm pretty sure that my doctor is going to suggest taking my tonsils before the end of the year. Yay me huh? Hey, it'll give me more time to read from my Johansen library! :)

Today's thought...Race day!!!!

Okay so yeah, embarrassingly, I haven't blogged about Sunday until now, but you know...whatever! I've had more pressing blogs! LoL! Okay Sunday was the most destructive race day since I've been Autocrossing! By far! First off, the track was extremely technical. And don't get me wrong, I'm all about a technical track. As I've said myself and I quote: "A technical track is good for the Autocrossers soul!" and I stand by it. No matter how rough my stress has been or no matter what's been going on, a technical track will help me clear my head faster than almost anything.

Well this track was a little...too technical. And there was 1 element that made it so. The stop box was probably twenty-five feet from the end timing lights. Now when you're pulling that last stretch through the slaloms, you're going thirty-five, forty miles an hour. Twenty five feet is a get through the timing gate then slam on your brakes so you can stop before the stop box. If you've never Autocrossed before, then you can't understand, but when you're driving that fast, twenty-five feet is NOT a lot of time before you start running over cones and get the track time disqualified. Well Frog and I were driving the Miata. And the way it works is he drives, then we get back in line and I drive. It works out because there are more than just us that drive the same car. We just have different numbers, and our bar-codes with our numbers are on our helmet or windshield of the car. So when we pull up to the starting line, they scan it, which tells the timing trailer who is at the starting line, then once you cross the timing lights, your lap begins.

Well Frog takes his turn around the track, we pull up, stop for a second, get ready to swap out when all of a sudden we hear squealing tires. We look up in time to see a white Corvette, spinning out of control, going into the ditch there at the track, then bouncing off the culvert in the bottom of it. And I mean this car bit the ditch HARD! Turns out as a result of this, they move the stop box another thirty feet down the track and the Corvette was totalled from the damage done to it.

Then we move on to later in the day. Second heat of the day, Frogs third run and we get red flagged on the track. Now in most cases, when you're red flagged, it's because the other car out on the track with you has had damage or something along those lines and unless it's your fault for having a faulty car or a body part hung out the window or something like that, you get a rerun. Well, it was damaged alright. The suspension and axle broke, the drivers side front wheel came off of the car completely, rolled up under the car and by the time he got it stopped, the tired was stuck, under the back bumper, lifting the back end of the car completely off the ground. Now, this is a Nissan 240 SX and I know the wheels were at least seventeen inch racing tires. Turns out that one was totalled too. It completely buckled the unibody and did insurmountable damage.

Needless to say, for the last day at that track for this season, it was definitely memorable and outside of all the carnage on the track, it was a great day! I won a nice canvas lawn chair that probably has SCCA insignia on it, I don't know, I haven't looked, but Frog won a hat, and then we went to Culvers. Mmmmmm. I love Culvers.

Todays thought...Coming to terms with my past.

I've been talking to a long time friend of mine today. And it's been an interesting conversation that has really got me to thinking about the meaning of true friendship. Then I looked a little bit further into what our friendship specifically has become and how we've become so close.

Now,, I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason. And that doesn't mean that I don't set there and pray going "Really God? What on earth were you thinking when you said 'you can handle this'?" And for a long time I questioned and was angry with my past. My first husband was abusive in any and every possible way a man could abuse a woman. Mentally, sexually, emotionally, physically, you name it, he was. And for a long time I struggled with why's and what for's.

And then I met this spry girl, one time, who was more like a little sister to me than a friend. And at first, it was simply a supportive word and giving advice when needed. But then she started going through some of the same things I did. She was in an abusive relationship and she would call and vent and I would talk to her and we would get through it, together. Then one night, it clicked. It all made sense to me. Years of abuse, knowing how it progressed, watching myself through my eyes and wondering what I had done wrong to deserve it, all came down to this.

To this one spry little person. My experiences made a difference because I knew what she was going through. I knew how she felt every time he hit her, or every time he yelled and called her names. And believe me, going through that is hard enough, going through it alone thinking that there is no one else in the world that is going through what you're going through, is a whole different story. I wish I'd had someone who had been through it that I could cling to when I was going through it, but I didn't. And suddenly, it didn't matter. None of it mattered. Everything that I'd been through, every bruise, every tear, every time I hurt, everything, was to prepare me for this.

It was all, for this. All for her. So I could help keep her from going through what I went through for as long as I did. It was so I could give her inner strength and belief in herself enough that she was able to do what she needed to do, so she could leave. And when she did, I was so proud of her, and felt the biggest feeling of relief, and I knew in that moment, that everything I'd gone through in the four years I was married to him, was worth it. Every time he begged for another chance, every time he tried to punish me for doing something that he didn't like, every time he yelled because I talked to my mom on the phone, it was all worth it. Because I believe in my heart, that if I hadn't been through all of that, I would never have been able to tell her, "I know that people tell you this all the time, but believe me when I tell you, I know what you're going through. And I can help you."

I still struggle with my past sometimes. Still look at what happened and wonder why. Then I think about her, and I remember, it was because she was destined to come into my life, if for no other reason than for me to help her through a hard time in her life. And I'm so blessed to have been able to do that. It helped me in more ways than I can say to be able to help her, and our friendship has done nothing but gotten stronger. Proof that sometimes, even a flower can grow from the ash of a fire.

Todays thought...Great story!!!

Okay so a fabulous person I know, asked me recently what I thought about gay people. Here was my answer. "Sexual preference has never made a difference to me. It's like I told my cousin when he told me, 'If you don't care that I'm straight, then why should I care that you're not?'"

Well, that reminded me of a story. Now you need to understand, my cousin Frog and I are very close. We tell each other damn near everything and he's more of a brother to me than a cousin. Now, we race and work on cars together. We rebuilt a 1987 Pontiac Fiero from the ground up, and then we raced it. Well we now race a Miata, but that's regardless of the point. Our goal is to one day make it to Targa Newfoundland. Way up in North Canada. Yes, Targa is the ultimate goal. It's a 1 week rally race against the elements and 500+ other cars, to be the first across the finish line. You circle the island, and that's the race. We've talked a lot about this, he drives, I navigate. Now you have to understand, navigating a rally race is extremely important, because I'd be the one with the map, telling him he's got a sharp right shortly, or a sharp left coming up in half a mile, or even an S curve coming up. Have I completely lost you yet? Okay it's a huge thing to be a navigator.

So Frog sits me down and says "Okay, I have something very important to talk to you about. And I don't know how you're going to take it." So I freak. My first thought is "Oh God he doesn't want me to navigate Targa now." No, he says "I'm gay." Man, can I tell you what a relief it was! I let out this breath and was almost tearfully happy. He looked at me like I was on crack. To which I promptly replied "Oh thank gosh that's all! What a relief!" to which he gave me another odd look. So I further explain "I thought you were gonna tell me you didn't want me to be the navigator at Targa."

Now was I blind sided by the news? Yeah. I totally didn't see it coming. Did it matter? Hell no! He's my cousin and I love him. No matter what. I mean really? How can I be mad at him for liking the same thing I do? Really? Come on!

Just sayin!

Todays thought....the best coaster ever!!!

Okay last weekend, for the babies b'day, her uncle took all of us to Six Flags over Ga. We were blessed to be a part of an amazing group called Theme Park Review. Being able to be a part of this group gave us exclusive ride time, which means we had exclusive access to rides in the park 1 1/2 hours before the park opened, and for 1 1/2 hours after the park closed, including breakfast and lunch, and a beer and wine party before our night time exclusive time.

It was so damn much fun! In the morning we rode the Dahlonega Mines Ride, then we went to the Georgia Cyclone (AWESOME WOODEN COASTER). Then we trailed to the other side of the park, and we rode the new Dare Devil Dive (TWICE) and then we went to Batman. As of that time, it was 10 and the park was opening. So no biggie, we kinda putted around, rode a little indoor monster ride that scared the snot out of the baby (Now mind you, the big fluffy funny looking creatures scared the crap out of her in the ride. The ominous, evil, mean and ugly looking creatures she laughed at and blew kisses at.) Then we did a little bit of shopping, rode the Wheelie, went to lunch where we got to meet the President of Six Flags and got to ask her really awesome questions about the park, and did a back stage tour which was ALL UP HILL!!!!! and then we went to the hotel to take a nap for a couple of hours. SO NEEDED.

After our nap, we came back to the park (by the way, the hotel was walking distance from the front entrance and I had the BEST view from my hotel room of Goliath and the Georgia Scorcher.) and we ate dinner, and had enough time for the cousin and I to hit the Georgia Scorcher before beer and wine time. Beer and wine time was AWESOME, the pavilion was right there in front of the Ninja so we had some amazing views and they had some games afterward and we got goody bags filled with awesome Six Flags memorabilia and funs.

Then came our after the park closes exclusive ride time. The first ride we hit was the Great American Scream Machine. It was the best wooden coaster I've been on. I couldn't believe how awesome it was! Then we hit Superman. If you've never been on that ride, lemme tell ya, it can mess you up! It was fun, but honestly, as of that moment, Batman was still my favorite ride. So, then we rode a kiddie coaster (damn if I can think of the name of it right now.) but it was fun, then we rode the Dare Devil Dive one more time before heading to Goliath. 200 ft high, top speed 70 mph, the first drop is 170 ft down, the second 174 ft down, the third 129 ft, then it spirals into a double helix, fourth drop is 118 ft, fifth drop 79 ft, sixth drop 56 ft and the final drop is 48 ft before coasting into the station.

My cousin and I rode that coaster 4 times in a row! And I could have done it more if I wasn't such a stickler about not doing it by myself. But in the end, we went back to the hotel and crashed hard! It was so damn much fun! Major shout out to Robb Alvey who runs the Theme Park Review, and a MAJOR shout out to the staff of Six Flags over Ga. Without them we wouldn't have been able to do it and it was so amazingly fun!

Side note my little girl turned two. I can't believe she's getting so big. It's bitter sweet. She's acting so big now and mocks everything we do! 2 going on 20.

Today's thought, the honour of friendship.

Okay have you ever had that one person that was your friend that was there for you through a lot, even if just over the phone? I have a person, on the other end of the phone. Now lets start with a back story. As most of you know, I go to a Renaissance fair every year, and one year, a few years ago, I met this spry young girl, that I just absolutely fell in love with. She was this little person that just wanted so much to live life and get all there was to get out of life. And I say little because she was younger than I am. 18, but none the less, younger.

Before we left, I got her email and I went right home and told my husband about how much of an inspiration she was to me. Well, we talked by email, Myspace, Facebook, you name it, we did it. And let me tell you, over the years, she has had one thing after another after another happen to her and let me tell you, as much as I love her, if it weren't for bad luck, she wouldn't have any luck at all.

But you know what never changed? No matter what happened to her, she called me. I cannot tell you how amazing that makes me feel. When she asked for my opinion on something she usually took my advice, and when she wanted something else, if I could give it to her, I did. I think about her often, and I know that no matter what happens, she will let me know somehow. Even if she doesn't have a phone, she will find a way. Lord help me if I ever change my number.

I think of her often and as I said earlier, feel honoured that she considers me trust worthy, and a friend. I cherish our friendship and her and am so thankful for that Ren Fair. We haven't seen each other since that one day, and Lord knows we've tried, but in all the times we haven't seen each other, we've talked regularly and it's as if nothing has changed. Proof, that a friendship, a true friendship, can be built over nothing more than communication. I consider her just as much a true friend as I do others, that I've seen and talk to every day. And I know, that when we finally do meet up one day (hopefully soon), it will be as if we've seen each other on a regular basis, and never missed a time. So to you, Green Monkey, I love ya girl. You're an amazing person and I'm so glad we met! Keep calling when you need me, I'm not going anywhere.

Well, today was race day. So much fun! The cousin and I are racing a Mazda Miata now. Well when we got our work order today we were working the track first, running our first heat second. Well this is only the second time running the Miata so I mean...he just bought it. It's a 1990 and in great shape. But, it's not without it's own issues. Like the tires need to be replaced, he just replaced the rack and pinion and we need to redo the shocks. Plus whatever we don't know. Which is what happened today.

Here I am, running my third and final run of my first heat and something pops. Suddenly I have a whole butt load of horse power! Something tinks and it sounds like bolts and screws are banging around the engine compartment. Wasn't a damn thing I could do about it so I said forget it and kept running. Coincidentally, my fastest lap time, taking out 1 cone and pulling into home. The cuz sees something hanging. So I pull in, we pop the hood and what's hanging?

None other than the Water Pump Timing Belt. Oh yeah. Fun stuff there. NOT! It couldn't be the power steering/air conditioner belt, no no no. It has to be the water pump/alternator belt, that has to be replaced. And it's Sunday and we are out in the parking lot of a race track that is miles away from anywhere close. Thankfully I knew some peoples that lived close and I was able to have one of them bring me a belt, then to fix.

Well needless to say, after missing our second heat of the day, and me missing my second track assignment, borrowing a hydraulic jack from the regional ... overseer I guess you could call him ... taking a whole bunch of parts off, putting the belt on and putting everything back together, we finally headed home. Man what a day! So much fun!!! :)

Today's thought...Designs by Silk

So a really good friend of mine told me the other day that my hair was several colors, and she didn't like it at all. Well to my delight, her son has a degree in cosmetology and she brought him over to my house to even out my tone and give me high-lights and cut my hair. She surprised me with it and I tell you, I love it!

He did so good with my hair! I love the color, I love the cut, I love it all and my hair is so SOFT! Anyway, he's opening up his own place soon and when he makes it huge and goes to Hollywood and works on all the famous peoples hair, I can tell people around here that I was one of his first very customers! :)

Wow! Talk about neglecting my page! Whew! No excuses, just haven't been on here to do it. To steal a page from my cousins book, this blog isn't gonna be about much of anything. Just everything put together.

My daughter is growing like a weed every day and the husband's been put on light duty at work from a shoulder injury. Man he's so ready to be back in the field. LoL! I have to admit I'm LOVING him being home by 4 every night except for his physical therapy. Thankfully his shoulder is doing a lot better and he's hoping that the doctor will release him to the field again. He's so ready bless his heart.

Oh my gosh my two favourite movies out right now are How to Train Your Dragon and Despicable Me. Those are definitely my quoters at the moment. Favourite quote from Despicable Me, *"Pretty Please?" ~ "The physical appearance of the please, makes no difference. The answer is still no. Go to sleep."* I love that movie so much! There are a lot more lines I quote, but that one is the #1 for now. LoL!

Oh okay and get this! Okay so I left my sunglasses in the truck the other day not thinking about it. My husband brought them in the other day and what about my lenses melted to the dashboard! Well they're PUGS and dude I'm telling you they are the best sunglasses I have ever had. So I had to email them about warranty work the other day. I'm so upset! I can't believe they melted. And I mean it was the lenses that melted! It was HOT in my truck lemme tell ya!

Oh on the note of my daughter, she's almost 20 lbs now. Yeah, still a tiny fart. I'll be happy if she reaches 20 lbs by 2yrs old. Man I tell ya. Well I guess that's about all for my random thoughts blog. Slacked on tennis but only for the last week. I feel so awesome and its been helping a lot. Goal for now, 180 lbs by September. Not too long. LoL! Until later!

Alright folks, time for me to get off my butt and start actually blogging about my progress! I've lost 8 lbs and still playing Wii Tennis! Lots of water, not as much carbs (Just haven't wanted the high starch stuff I've been craving in the past) and it's all helping to add to my weight loss! Well that and I'm sure my sinus infection is helping with the eating thing some. Yup! Need to lose weight? Get sick! LoL! No don't seriously. I am not sure if I've lost anything in the last couple days that I've been sick so I haven't exercised.

Hey! I don't wanna hear it! You exercise when you're dead on your feet! Psht! Boy I'm feeling it too! I don't like not having the energy to play tennis. I still want to! But you should see how crazy I look when I'm standing there getting ready just staring at the television because I have neither the balls nor the energy to actually click the A button and select what type of match I want to play. Man oh man, I'm a sight to behold lemme just tell ya. But that's okay, because as soon as the antibiotics kick in, I'll be much more better. Oh yeah, I said much more better! Whatchoo gonna do about it? LoL! That's what I thought!

Man I'm feeling sassy today! In a good way! Oh side note, okay so I was watching Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory today right? Hey! It's one of my favorite movies! The original with Gene Wilder! The good one! :) Anyway moving on, I saw a commercial for this Harry Potter Chess Set that you can buy. Now, the pieces do these things where they sorta come apart and fall over and such and there's a little wand that I'm assuming works off a magnet. Okay so you call and order this thing. With your first shipment (Yes, I said first), you get a temporary board, some temporary pieces so you can play right away, then you get 2 of the actual chess pieces. Now all of this is $9.95 with free shipping. So then every few weeks, they send you 2 more chess pieces, for 15 times, until you have all 32 pieces and I guess a real board. Each shipment comes with a Harry Potter Chess Manual so that "When you get your chess board and all the pieces, you'll be ready to play like a pro." Now, they then tell you that every few weeks when they send you the remaining 15 shipments, it's $14.95 + $5.95 shipping! So, what does this all come down to? That for $350 and a years worth of waiting, you too can have a Harry Potter Chess Board! Wow.

Okay so I'm telling a story about getting the snot scared out of me today. While that doesn't directly affect my exercising and weight loss, I guess in a twisted way you could say it did. And here's what I mean, when you get scared your heart pumps faster which gets the blood flowing and gives you a good rush. Okay so here's what happened.

I'm in my laundry room digging for something in the clothes when all of a sudden this HUGE spider jumps out of no where and attacks me! And of course, by attacking me, I mean it crawled up the wall. And this was a Wolf Spider. And it was the size of a silver dollar with its legs out and everything. To me, that's HUGE. And yes, I get that in the grand scheme of things, it could have been a lot bigger, but spiders scare me almost as much as clowns do. I know! I'll chase tornado's, but I can't kill a spider. I'm the epitome of "The Woman Song".

So, being the chicken that I am, I made sure I ran up stairs and grabbed the biggest shoe I've got and ran back down stairs and I SMOOSHED IT! Oh yeah! I did it. I killed a humongous spider! Me! OMG it was so freaky! Gives me the creepy freakies! Blech!

Okay, that's all for today. Oh but I did step on my friends scale today and found I was 6 lbs off of my original weight, and maybe even more so if I've lost anything in the last week, but hey, ya know, still gotta start somewhere! :) C'est La Vie

Okay so I have TOTALLY slept on this whole blogging thing. I haven't slept on the exercising thing, but I've slipped about blogging about it. SO, what have I found with the last few days in this endeavour is that something must be working, because I've been getting up and have been ready to get up at around 8:30 instead of 11 each morning. I've been drinking a lot more water, and it seems the more I drink, the more I want. Which is good I guess. They say you should take your weight in pounds, divide that by half, and that is the amount of water in ounces you should drink every day, and I am no where near 96 oz yet. LoL! But I'm getting there. I'm drinking more than I was. I'm actually hungry in the mornings now which is a lot different than normal, and I can tell you I've wanted healthier things to eat too. Just been craving it! Which normally I crave carbs. So, I must be doing something right! Well, until tomorrow and I can tell you also, I haven't been as sore playing tennis the next morning. Yay me!

Side note: Free advertising alert! Okay so my iPod died not too long ago. So my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Of course iPod was my first response, but then I thought about the fact that I HATE relying on iTunes which is a Windows based program and I run Linux! Yes that's right, LINUX!!! So my mom suggested a Sandisk Sansa Clip. Which works with Rhythmbox. The equivalent to iTunes in Linux. And it's as easy as plug and play. So, I got a 4G Clip which also holds a 4G Micro SD card that you can turn it into an 8G. So, on that note, I HAVE to talk it up. My battery charge lasts FOREVER! I love this thing! It holds ALL of my books, and I STILL have room for my music. And when I say the battery charge lasts forever, I mean I charge it once every 4 weeks, and I play it at least 2 hours a day almost every day! I LOVE my Clip! Love it! So my free advertisement today, Sansa. If you want an MP3 that works and lasts, get a clip! ~ Thanks mama! Love you!

Well I've managed to get off course with the blogging, but not the exercise. While admittedly I didn't exercise yesterday, I made up for it today. I race autocross. Basically you drive around a course of cones in an obstacle course. Well, you have to work the track in the between stages when you're not racing. I was outside and I walked and ran and blocked myself from the driving wind for 8 hours and man, I loved every minute of it. But boy am I gonna be sore tomorrow! LoL! Well, this is gonna be a short blog tonight, I'm very tired. I'll be lucky if I make it much past 8 tonight. LoL! Until later!

Day 2 - I drank the same amount of water today as I did yesterday, BUT I did eat breakfast this morning. That should say something. And I did my Wii Tennis today. Do I feel any thinner? Hah! Yeah right! Did I expect to? Um...no. Not really. But the more important question is, do I hurt today. Ah yes. That question will get an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up!

My whole right side is KILLING ME! So, in my brain, I thought... "Okay self. Create another Mii, only this time, make it left handed for the tennis." So I did. What did I learn from this? I SUCK! I cannot play left handed. Oh I still tried. And will I do half a set right and half a set left so I don't look like that guy from Lady in the Water that only pumps up one side of his body? You better believe it!

I will say that this is the first time that I've ever wanted water DURING any type of work out, so I say yay. Thank goodness for my Pur water filter. (See how I did that just there? Free advertising for Pur. You like that don't you? It's okay, you don't have to admit it. I know.)

Side note: There's an AT&T commercial out that I just absolutely love. It's the one where they guy starts dancing in the train station then he gets the text "Flash Mob moved to 12:30". Okay I think of my cousin every time I see that. He's participated in a couple of flash mobs and it sounds like so much fun to do one time. Okay that's all for my free advertising. Until tomorrow!

So, my blog is going to turn into a weight loss expedition for a bit. My husband and I were talking and if I'm going to get the car I want, I need to be able to fit in it. And at current, it can't happen. So, I'm going to start this and log my progress. My plan is to start eating breakfast in the morning for starters, drink more water and starting out, 30 minutes of Wii Tennis.

So this is me, June 1. I do NOT put pictures of myself on the internet anywhere so sorry folks. You'll have to take me as I write. I'm 5'2", 198 and in size 20 jeans. I was a size 3 prior to my husband and I getting married but I do not want to get that small again. I wasn't healthy at all. But if I can get back into a 10, I will be really happy. I'm hoping that by writing this down I'll be motivated to keep doing it.

I'm not stupid enough to believe this will be a quick fix and that this will be anything but hard and that I'll have to be consistent. It will definitely be a lifestyle change and hopefully by July 1, I will weigh less. :)

Thus starts my endeavour!

Todays thought...Hah! Where to start! Gonna get political here so you democratic idiots can just stop reading now! So, where to start? Never before have I ever known or heard of a president being more disrespectful to this country. Case in point, Mrs. Obama made a comment after the election that never before that moment had she been proud of this country. Really? Lets look at that. She wasn't proud of Rosa Parks? What about Martin Luther King Jr? George Washington Carver? I mean come on! Really? I'm proud of them and what they've done for this country! I mean really?

Then, lets take the president after Bin Laden. Okay, the man hadn't been to either Ground Zero OR Fort Campbell Ky since he'd been campaigning in '08. SO, lets slap America in the face and tell them that now that "he" made the order and killed the man, and visit Ground Zero and Ft. Campbell. Never mind the fact that Ground Zero alone, you haven't been there for a single anniversary or anything. So then, lets parade around both places giving your appropriate thanks.

Then, we won't even discuss disaster response times on certain things, that's a whole different rant. But more recently, and I mean as in the last 24 hours, lets really disrespect America. Lets lay it on thick. Lets invite a man, who composed a rap that glorified a cop killer, to the white house, during Police Memorial Week. Not to mention the rap he composed about the assassination of President Bush. Let's not forget that one there! But right now, the cop one pisses me off just a little bit more. I have friends who are cops and my brother-in-law used to be a cop. It's a hard life and it's their blood on the line every day and night to protect us! So lets disrespect the country even more by inviting the man to perform at the White House during their celebration week.

Slap after slap after slap! Why does America sit there and continue to support him? I just don't get it. Maybe it's because I"m such a conservative that I see that as blatant disrespect for our country and our citizens.

Okay to those of you who know me, you know that I am a total, and I mean TOTAL geek. So tonight I'm in my kitchen, and I just get this urge to write something that I haven't done in a while. So I sat down, using a familiar format, and created:

The Linux Prayer
Our computer father
Who art in systems,
Linux be thy name
Thy OS come, Thy will be done
In Windows as is in Ubuntu,
Give us this day, our daily OMG
And save us from Malware
As we pray for non Ubuntu users
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from Windows
For Linux is the OS, the language and the base,
Amen.

Okay, that's all I have for today! Later!!!

So, today's thought is kinda an awe moment. Okay back story, I got baptized yesterday! It was really a rebatism more than a baptism, but still, the results are the same! I feel so good right now! Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like writing again, it's been a while since I've been in the mood for that. And it feels good. I mean, I've written some editorial pieces I guess you could call them, but I mean down and dirt, 10 pages of my book that I'm working on writing. It's amazing that this incredible burden is gone. I feel like I'm looking at things in a different light suddenly. Such leading to this blog.

I was doing the dishes this morning and I looked up and noticed the roses on the window sill that my husband had gotten me the other night. And it made me smile. I had to pull them down and smell them, then put them back up. It made me think about the concept of bringing flowers to a lady, and how it does make them feel. A lady always likes to get flowers. That's something I never had until I met my husband now. My daddy of course would bring me the occasional flower, but I picked them for my mama more than anything else while I was growing up. Not that it was a bad thing, I couldn't appreciate the gesture of a flower when they are a teenager. I mean really? What teenager does? But ever since my husband and I met almost 9 years ago, he's brought me flowers randomly, the whole time. Roses, daisies, pansies (He knows they are my favorite), carnations...The list goes on and on. We could get into an argument over something, he'll bring me a flower. I could be having just like a terrible day, he'll bring me a flower. He's feeling mushy, he'll bring me a flower. There doesn't have to be a reason at all, and he'll bring me a flower.

And flowers, they don't last long. Few days if you're lucky. But every time I go upstairs, and see my roses, which I pass by and look at 30 times a day, I can't help but smile. Because I know, that my husband loves me. And not only does he love me, he cherishes me. To all the men out there that may read this blog, cherish your ladies. It really lets them know you care.

Todays thought...Types of car people.

Okay so my daughter gets a hold of the remote, in turn changing the channel. She turns it to the Speed Network. Okay now anyone who knows me, or reads my blog for that matter, knows that I am a self proclaimed grease monkey. My cousin can vouch for me. If I can get my hands dirty and oily, I'm all about being under a car. Anyway, getting back to the point. SO ... on Speed Network, they are showing an old car auction. Now I love watching stuff like this. Fascinates me to know just how much people will pay for an oldie. But then something hits me, while I'm watching and looking at what people are giving for these cars. It has nothing to do with the look of the car for me. Like okay, your old Ford pick-up trucks, I absolutely love them. The look is simple, the lines are clean, and they are just all around good looking vehicles in my opinion. But as I'm watching, I realize...I am an under the hood kinda girl!

I look at a nice car, or I'll go to a rod run and look at all these classic cars and my first question is inevitably, "What's under the hood?" Because I really want to know! Do you have a 350 Big Block in there? Are you running on a V6, a straight six or a four banger? What kind of air filter are you running? How do your spark plug wires look and what type of plugs are you using? And in rare cases, someone will actually be running an 8 cylinder, in which case it's a whole new barrage of questions, but you know? That's what it is for me. What's under the hood, and inside the car. Are you running with an auto transmission or a manual? Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I stand by the thought that you can't really get the feel of a car unless it's a manual.

Anyway, I just had to share! I know it's not my typical topic, but I had to put it out there. Like my hierarchy of geekdom that I blogged about recently, there are three types of car people. Those who like the looks of the outside, those who like what's on the inside, and those who can appreciate both. For me, admittedly as much as a car person as I am, it's all about what's inside baby. My Tempo (A.K.A. "The Hundred Dollar Wonder Car"}, is the perfect example of that theory. Outside, it looks like crap! The paint is peeling, the car has cancer and there are more dents and dings in the panels than should be allowed on any vehicle on the road. But damn if I don't LOVE that car! And when it was drivable (Needs a new rear axle and radiator), I was damn proud to drive that car, and anyone driving around me or with me could see it! It didn't have working locks because the passenger door wouldn't unlock without a lot of work if it did get locked, the windows didn't roll down half the time and you had to use a screw driver to start the thing because the key broke off into the ignition long ago. But that thing had a high end that just would NOT top out! Take off was terrible, but if you could get a rolling start and were in around third gear, it was unstoppable. The speedometer only went up to eighty, and I can't tell you how many times my husband and I had it pegged way above, and it never stopped! I was originally gonna make that my project car and my intent was to make it a ten second car (Do a quarter mile in ten seconds), but with a new baby and me not working, reality is that I need to just give up that dream for a while. LoL! But not forever. I will have my ten second Tempo one of these days! Pretty or not, it's gonna have a lot to offer, under the hood!