Combining the Good and the Gooder

I've blogged before about my struggle with body image. Well, I'm actually working hard on that problem and currently am in a pretty decent place. I'm excited about that. What's interesting is the phenomenon that has brought about the change in my physique.

For the last three months I have been being a "good girl" **most of the time** with regard to intake. My sweet, sweet Hubby Guy also allowed me to purchase an elliptical machine. I made a home for it in my basement in a spot where there's plenty of natural light. Hubby Guy even painted that corner of the basement to make it feel happy and clean. The basement walls were kinda bland and dirty looking before. The elliptical has a really cool sound system. I can just plug my ipod into it and it cranks out my tunes nice and loud. For the first couple of weeks I jammed and elliptified myself. It was awesome. I even found a really awesome new classical composer and elliptified to classical music.

Well.... the change of seasons ** and good classical music** always makes me want to read lots of books . On the first warm day I reported to the hammock on the back porch **my assigned seat** to start a book. I eventually lost light and I wasn't ready to stop reading. It was then that I had the most genious idea EVER! I've been a bit obsessed with getting in my workout, etc. I decided it would be an ok idea to go down to the elliptical and elliptify and read at the same time. I figured why not combine something good (exercise) with something gooder (reading). SO... I've been reading and elliptifying for about 2 hours a day. The other day I did almost three. ** crazy, I know** The truth is that I would be reading anyway. Why not do both at the same time?

I'm Just Evil I Think....

SO yesterday we went to Charlottesville to get our youngest (in the words of my hubby guy) " A check-up from the neck up". We went to a well known child psychologist who specializes in the care of foster and adoptive children. He uses a very different approach to intervention. His evaluation process involves the child and the parents.

SO I had to subject myself to the meddlesome questions of he and his team. I gotta tell you, it was THE WIERDEST thing. I did not enjoy it. BUT... I had great fun watching the interviewer try not to act shocked when I shared stories from my childhood. He asked. I was truthful. I didn't see any point in lying to the man. At one point I decided that I must just be evil. I took too much pleasure in shocking the guy. It was SO easy to do given the questions he asked.

The good news of the day is that the preliminary results of the eval show that according to him she is very healthy given her past. He also is of the opinion that her recent acting out is a function of particular stressors. He was really excited and is certain that intervention will be most helpful is solving the behavior problems that she is having and that she will not be a prisoner of her impulses forever.

So, Yay!  Once all this intervention stuff gets rolling I can have friends again that also have children.

WOW!!! I've been a slacker..

     Well, really I haven't been a slacker. I've just been busy with gymnastics season. That runs from November until mid-February...now. We should be done this saturday unless the planets align and someone makes the state championships. Part of me would love that very much, but the rest of me misses having a life and just wants the season to be over. One of my buddies walked into church yesterday and saw me and said "I shouldn't say it, I know, but we should get together." Gymnastics really puts a hit on my available girly time.

     Another reason why I've been a slacker is because life has been rather heavy. I haven't said much about our adoption in a long time. I don't know how I compare to others that have adopted but I tend to share only the pretty and sweet parts of life with adopted kids. As with most things there is a flip side. I can honestly say I've cried longer and harder in the last 3 months than maybe in my entire life. The truth of the situation is that God knows and is in control. The negative of the situation is that I am human and what we are walking through is harder than anything I've ever walked through. The strength required is Divine strength. It's comforting knowing that God has our family in His hands. It's hard, though, to suppress the human side that wants to handle it myself (as if that were possible). We are being proactive but I feel somewhat helpless. There aren't words to adequately describe the darkness I feel we're battling. I feel angry and sad and it hasn't left me with much levity lately.

I Used To Wonder...

 I've watched countless old people shuffle from place to place. I always wondered why they don't just pick up their feet. Shuffling one's feet is dangerous and it isn't how we're meant to walk.

I turned 38 a few weeks ago. Are you wondering what in the world that has to do with shuffley old people? Well, I'll just tell ya.

My body hurts. When I turned 35 I could tell a difference. 38 has been life altering. I've been pert'near (if you don't know what that means consult a redneck) crippled since it got cold outside. My joints ache all the time.

Well.....just to make my new year fun and exciting, I slipped going down the stairs in my home yesterday afternoon and have injured my shoulder. Just what I needed.

This morning I'm feeling some solidarity between me and the aged counterparts I've studied all these years. I've decided that perhaps shuffling really is safer. 

"One Day"

I wish I had some pictures to post here. A beautiful thing happened. 

I don't know about you, but for years I have been moving with myself from house to house several boxes of  "Christmas stuff that I will use one day". Well.....it's one day! A couple weekends ago my sweet Hubby Guy brought up from the basement all the boxes of "stuff". I went through it and have displayed most of it. What I decided not to display I put in the Goodwill pile. 

Also, I have been married almost 6 years. For the first time this year we have a full sized Christmas tree. When we've put one up the last few years it's been a three foot "Charlie Brown tree". You  know the one. It bends in half when you put an ornament on it.

Anyway.... it feels nice.

It occurred to me just now that all of my "one day" things have happened:
"One day" I would graduate from college. Check.
"One day" I would get married. Check.
"One day" I would have children. Check.
"One day" I would live in a mansion. Check.  (It's all the mansion I've ever needed.)
"One day" I would use all that stuff in the boxes I've been dragging from house to house. Check.

I guess I need to start dreaming again :)

The Post On Posting

Recently I was in the car with a friend. She was driving. She was wondering out loud about where to turn to get to place we were headed. She sounded like she had it figured out so I didn't offer any additional words. She started laughing at me because I didn't chime in. I found that odd.

Sometimes I just don't have anything to say.

I try not to be a COMPLETE blog slacker. I enjoy the practice if for no other reason than to entertain myself. I was looking over my former posts. I decided that, more often than not, the titles are better than the posts themselves. That's very sad.

Anyway... I was looking for inspiration. I LOVE the blogs I follow. I enjoy reading people's musings.

I'm just at a loss. I have nothing to say. Hopefully soon something postable will occur. :(

I Don't Know About You...

I don't know about you but I COULD NOT leave the store without this particular baked item. He called to me and my oldest as we walked past him in the grocery store. We both turned around at the same time to grab him. It was divinely ordained that he was to serve as the birthday cake for the youngest. She turned 8 yesterday.

He served valiantly.... and I'm told he was yummy. The kids split him.