Wii!! I'm having fun!

Three years ago, I decided I was tired of being overweight and out of breath. I was further motivated by the fact that both my sons were getting married in the fall of that year and I was not about to be fatter than their step-mother in the photos. Following 6 months of Weight Watchers points counting and exercising to Walk Away the Pounds dvds, I dropped from a size 16 to a size 10/12 and I looked good! And I felt good! I kept up the good routine for another year but then I got sick for a week, wasn't able to work out and things went downhill from there. I'm still in a size 12 but I've put back on about 15 pounds. My knees and hips hurt again and it's just time to do something before things get any further out of control. I bought a new Leslie Sansone dvd but it just wasn't the same motivation as the first time around. Then I started hearing from people at work about Wii Fit. One guy and his wife were playing Wii Sports nightly and he had dropped 11 pounds in a month. So I did some research and decided this might just be the motivation I need.
Last weekend I bought a Wii console with Wii Sports and was immediately hooked. My oldest son, at the ripe old age of 30, says it's too juvenile,(he's into the war games, grand theft auto, etc.) but I find the little Mii characters totally charming. Because it's such a hot item right now, I had to order the Wii Fit Bundle and yesterday it arrived. I couldn't wait to see what it was all about. I've only had time to sample a small amount of the amazingly fun fitness activities offered but I'm already convinced this is just what I was needing to get me active again.
I've never quite been able to get into the game thing like my children. They all have X Boxes and game libraries, the whole nine yards. But now, I'm beginning to see the fascination (and the addiction)! I may even look into some other games for the system just for fun. In the meantime, I'll be practicing bowling, tennis, balance games, yoga and I will lose at least 10 of those 15 pounds! Now I just need to be careful that I'm not so sore I can't bead!

It's Springtime In My Basement

I've always liked winter but the older I get the shorter I like winter to be. We've actually been lucky this year and not had a lot of ice or snow, although we will probably rue the lack of moisture later . We have had the usual amount of cold temperatures, however. It's the cold that wears me down as I age. My joints stiffen up and no amount of arthritis pain medication allows me to move as quickly as I would like. I'm just plain tired of the cold and ready for spring temperatures.

Today I hibernated to my basement, turned on my little radiator heater, and decided to create some springtime of my own. Yesterday, I picked up some lovely bright pastel polymer clay and I was itching to make something. During the night, as I tossed and turned trying to get my stiff shoulders and hips comfortable, an idea came to me. You might say, it blossomed in my mind. The pendants and earrings you see pictured are the result of my nocturnal musings.

The pendant with the flower was my first idea and my first attempt at doing anything sculptured with the clay. The pendant with the cane inlay was an idea that I'd wanted to try for some time but just wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to go about it. The earrings were just inspired by the pendants and by playing with my fast-growing collection of clay tools. I had so much fun creating these and the colors really lifted my mood. Now I just need to put them together with some beadweaving!

My Whale Tale

The January-February EBW challenge theme is Tropical Holiday. Melody of salamanderhouse made a cuff featuring whale tails http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20422737 that is just wonderful. I commented on it in our forum posts and told her I had had an up close and personal experience once with a whale. She posted back that she would like to hear the story. So I thought, why not just blog it. Here it is, Melody, you asked for it. :)

Actually, it was probably one of those "you had to be there" kind of moments, but it has stuck with me for years and I will probably never forget it. In the early 90's, back in my "golden family years" we took a vacation to Oregon. This was pre-divorce, kids were all still in school, life was normal. You know. We stayed in Lincoln City, Oregon, in a motel right on the beach. It was wonderful. One day we drove along the coast to Depot Bay and I think it was on the way back that we pulled into this spot along the highway where you could look out over the ocean. It kind of jutted out and there were coves on either side. We were all just goofing around, watching the waves, my ex was videotaping the kids, usual vacation antics. My youngest son was sitting on a fence post looking out over the ocean when all of a sudden I heard him yell, "Whales! Look, whales!!" I'll never forget the excitement and awe in his 11 year old voice. We all ran to look, and sure enough we saw the water spouts and the tails as they went back under. I think there were just two. We watched for a long time, trying to get a good picture and then we realized that one of them had swum right into the cove alongside the pull-off. She came to the surface and it was like she was checking us out. I could plainly see the barnacles crusting her head and as she rolled to go back under I was staring right into her eye and she was staring back at me. I have never felt so close to nature and the Creator before or since. For those who have the opportunity to view whales all the time, this may seem like no big deal. But for a land lubber from Kansas who was seeing an ocean and all things of the ocean for the first time it was a once in a lifetime experience. I have since visited the Atlantic Ocean, been to Sea World in Florida, visited the Gulf at Galveston and sailed alongside dolphins in Galveston Bay, but nothing compares to that split-second communion between me and that gray whale off the coast of Oregon.

So there it is, my whale tale.