Day 336 - Revirginizing

This whirlwind of a year has surely taken a toll on my blog, and my energy. It's amazing how the lack of exertion actually makes you feel more sluggish. My lack of exertion hit me hard this morning. Coupled with the adrenaline crash from finally passing the Real Estate State Board on the 28th and signing with a Broker on the 29th (Century 21 Shaw Realty), I can clearly physically feel how unhealthy my body is, and how weak my muscles are, and how drained I am.

Today is December 1st, 2012. I blogged almost every day from January until around April/May when we sold our house. I lost weight. I felt healthy and strong. I had TONS of energy. And then, someone took my Twenty. No, let me rephrase that: I gave away my Twenty.

As a wife and a mother, giving is a natural concept. It's built into my DNA. It's my life source. Maybe that's why this blog fizzled. I wasn't designed to take.

Maybe I should change the name of the Blog to "Giving Back Twenty" - Win Win, right?

I'm going to go put my sneakers on right now and jump on the treadmill, because if I don't do it right at this very minute, I will find something else in this house that "needs" my attention. brb.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

......ten minutes later. Experiencing technical difficulties. Grey's Anatomy Season 9 is not on Netflix and the ABC app is missing the first 2 episodes. I tried reaching someone to borrow their HULU account, but she's in Vegas and it's 8am there. She probably just went to bed. No one said this was easy.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No luck. I settled for picking up at the 3rd episode of Season 9 and tracked two leisurely 15 minute miles. First time on the treadmill since, well, I can't even remember.

One of the characters on Grey's used the term "revirginizing" after regretting her decision to give her virginity away. I can relate to that. I feel like I have given something up to external life forces, who, in return, seized total control of and monopolized my time for the past 6 months. I think today is the day that I "reTwentizize" and forget the past 6 months ever happened. New house, new career. That was yesterday. Today I begin to move forward again. Join me.

Day 292 - Sand Spurs, Sisters and Spiders

I've been struggling the past few days to get through this Real Estate School stuff. Have I not blogged about it yet? I'm so sorry - I've been slacking in the blog department (says, Amanda Kennedy-Turner).

I got back on the treadmill this evening, so let's take a moment to celebrate that fact. YAY Me!!! Lil C didn't have school today. A Thursday...strange, but we made the most of it. It's a good thing, though. Lil C woke up stuffy and he slipped into Daddy's side of the bed when he left for work...smearing germy germs all over Daddy's pillow. We milked it for all it was worth... Snuggled until around 8:30am. (I'll be blogging about Daddy being sick in a week, so stay tuned. THAT will be a good one).

I spent the morning doing my real estate school (40 pages of Real Estate info on "The Fed" - zzzzzzzzzz) while Lil C ate breakfast and then watched some cartoons. My sister surprised me with a visit around 2pm. She had a testing/interview this morning in downtown Tampa and dropped by afterwards to chat. She brought wine. Now, I generally don't have a problem with enjoying a occasional mid-afternoon glass of vino with the hermana, but I was still in my PJ's. THAT was weird. I think that must be how alcoholics feel. It felt so wrong, but so right...all at the same time. I'm still a little weirded out about it. PJ's + wine = something I'm not quite ready to address. Pretend I never said anything.

While I was in my PJ's, Lil C was still in his underwear. Once the big sister left, guilt got the best of me, so I got the boy dressed and we tackled the sand spurs on our front lawn. How do you get rid of sand spurs? You Move. Kidding. I had Lil C spray the plant with weed and grass killer, then I cut off the spurs and put them in a baggie and sealed them up. THEN, we had lunch on the pool patio and knocked a dirt dauber's nest down and when it hit the concrete, about 50 paralyzed spiders came tumbling out. We were amazed. I had NO IDEA those dirt daubers killed spiders. I'm torn. The Spiders kill the bugs, but the daubers kill the spiders. WHO DO I SIDE WITH??? Reminds me of our political system. smh.

Finished up the night with Daddy teaching Lil C how to Tie Dye. This should be a required course in Jr High School. (This would be a perfect place for someone to say, "Just Sayin'" - but I won't. I hate that quote. Duh - we know you're just sayin' - you just said it.)

Moving on. Living, Growing. Struggling. Surviving.

Day 277 - Fork in the Road

We've all been here in one way, shape or form. It can be a scary place...

Intimidating.
Daunting.
Disheartening.

It's no surprise to me. I've seen it on the horizon for the past year, but that doesn't make it any less intimidating. The kids are grown and fairly self-sufficient, and with Charlie's "gentle insistence," I suppose it's time to get back in the money. We have big dreams for our new home and acreage, and we have one starting college next year - an extra paycheck might just make things a little easier around here.

Changing careers again in a big way. I've been putting feelers out for several month now... checking out different industries... even interviewed for my old job a couple of weeks ago. I haven't heard back on that one, and in all honesty, after visiting my old workplace downtown and talking to a few old colleagues, I hope I don't hear back.

When I left the company 10 years ago, the place was buzzing with sales and promotions and energy. However, when I visited a couple of weeks ago, it was like walking through a funeral parlor. Absolutely dreadful. I suppose after sucking all of the life out of its employees, it's now sucking the life out of itself.

Chapter 4 in The Life and Employment of LeighAnn Monaghan will be titled: Real Estate. The last fork in the road I faced was in 1996, choosing between real estate and GTE/Verizon. It's ironic that I find myself back at the same fork in the road...15 years later.

On an unrelated note...remember those 100 crunches and 100 leg lifts from 2 days ago? Holy Cannelloni!!! My core is sore. Must be working.

Signing off to go lace up the old sneakers and start a sweat-fest. I have a muffin top to destroy.

Photo: Pulled it off of Google. It's the digital magic of some unknown artist.

Day 275 - Thank You Melissa Kendall Gray

Want to know what motivated me to do 100 crunches, 100 leg lifts and 45 minutes on the treadmill? Three words: Melissa. Kendall. Gray. She posted some pics of me on Facebook from, like, FOREVER ago. I probably weighed 130lbs - slim and trim - and I'm sure that at the time, I still felt overweight. Sickening, really. Twenty five pounds later, I want to go back in time and smack myself.

I love you, Mel. I miss you tons. I wish you never moved back to Indiana, for my own personal reasons of course. I know that you are better off there with your main squeeze and your immediate family, but I still miss you like crazy.

This one photo in particular struck a nerve. It' of Charlie and Me...he's kissing my cheek with our old Jetski (and Matt) in the background. We used to have tons of fun on those things. I also used to Scuba dive and ride a Harley motorcycle. Maybe it's because I'm approaching the big 4-0. I feel so cliché.

I think it may be time to turn a few of those "used-to's" into "still-do's" :o)

Day 271 - Rotten on the Inside

I love Groupon. I promote their business and they give me money. It's win-win. In fact, if you have a business that needs promoting, just give me money, cash preferably.

The BFF and I snagged Groupon Coupons for Tradewinds Dinner and Casino Cruise that leaves out of John's Pass in St. Pete and sputters out into International Waters (a.k.a. The Gulf of Mexico) so that their patrons can enjoy some "Vegas-Style" gaming.

All I can say is, it wasn't worth the free Groupon dollars, or the gas that I wasted driving out to the coast. Their "dinner" choice was either frozen boxed lasagna with dinner rolls that reminded me of elementary school lunch or meatloaf & mashed potatoes that looked like something you would see in a prison cafeteria.

To top it all off, the bathrooms were not air conditioned and opened up right into the gaming area. This would have been all well and good, except that someone on that boat was clearly rotten on the inside and decided to "make a deposit" and share it with the rest of us. You smelled it every time the door opened up. It affected my game. I wasn't happy. I had to find a spot that was upwind from the bathroom.

I DID, however, get to spend some quality time with my girl J.V. and we met a couple of cool cats who were just as disappointed in the cruise as we were. Enjoyed the adult conversation and learned a thing or two about gaming. One currently owns the nightclub Joyland County Night Club and the other (or both of them - can't remember) owns the patent on the original Jager Bomb Hurricane Shooter glass/cup/whatever it's called, and sells/distributes them out of Sarasota, FL. I'm not big on doing shots. My sisters and true friends know that if you've ever seen me do a shot, you've probably been fooled. I've mastered the fake-a-shot slight of hand. I fake it fast and then dump it before anyone notices.  Shots always seem like a great idea in the moment, then not so much a few moments later. I prefer to sip on a glass of vino.

As for my "Twenty" today, I spent a good hour on the floor stretching my lower back out. Even had Charlie help with a few stretches. If you're a committed follower of this blog, you would know that I pulled my back out last November doing 75lb dead lifts coming off a season of no activity. While my brain was shouting, "You Can Dooooo IT!!!" my body responded with "SMH.....sucker."

I am now a fan of the warm-up. 

It's been almost a year now and my back still hurts about 80% of what it did a year ago. Stretching helps, but only if I do it every single day for a ridiculous amount of time. I remember being young and invincible, listening to "old" women talk about the benefits of stretching daily. Hmmmpft.

Well, I suppose I've finally arrived.  Welcome to Oldville, we've been expecting you!

Day 270 - Too Pretty to Sweat

That day when you realize that you haven't actually "done" your hair in over 2 weeks. I recently just bought hair ties in bulk.

I suppose that should have been my first clue.

I'd say it's a combination of new house stress, car repair stress, kid in her senior year being out of school district stress, making new friends stress and husband wanting you to go back to work stress.

Taking a glimpse into the past: I was invited to go have dinner and drinks last night with a new friend.

Ugh.

That meant I would actually have to "do" my hair and makeup. Talk about a moment of truth. Poor Charlie. I may have actually divorced me by now. Being a stay-at home mom, it's easy to fall into the shower-every-other-day routine.

Fast forward through the torture of trying to make myself presentable: we met at Kokopelli's... apparently it's the only decent place to have dinner in Dade City. I was impressed and I will definitely go back again...met the owner...his name is John - very friendly and welcoming.

The Awakening:
It was the time that I spent on my hair getting ready for my girlfriend date that brought my attention to the fact that I have truly let myself go. Thank goodness I had a pre-scheduled hair appointment today. Normally, I would have asked for a trim and possibly a few foils. Instead, I sat down in the chair and heard these words come out of my mouth: "cut it all off...lots of layers and lots of dramatic contrast." I almost slapped myself. WhAT?????

Thank goodness for my new hair stylist (Kesha @ Bella Tower Spa in Dade City across from Pasco High School). Had she not recognized my obvious moment of insanity, I would probably have Ellen Degeneres hair right now. Not that Ellen has bad hair. I LOVE her hair - but it's skinny chic hair. Wouldn't have the same effect on this big head.

Spent the morning hours in foils, and the afternoon in a Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger KeraTriplex Treatment. Yeah - say THAT 3 times fast. All I can say is my hair feels like silk. They said it should last about 3 months. I'll let you know. Regardless, there is something to be said about having someone make you beautiful. 

I was planning on throwing on the sweats and pumping out a mile or two on the treadmill when I got home, but I didn't want to mess up my pretty new hair. Too pretty to sweat!! Ha! My blog, my rules.

Day 269 - The Weight of the World : Lifted

Holy Toledo. It's over. The stress, the sleepless nights, the worrying, the secret, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, the fear of completely ruining my daughter's life: GONE!

Lifted away in one swift click of the mouse.

It's the reason that I quit blogging. It's the reason I have gained back all of the weight that I lost earlier this year. It's the reason I wouldn't let anyone "check-in" to my home on Facebook or Twitter. It's the reason that I choose live an honest life. I don't handle dishonesty very well. I'm a terrible liar and I don't like having secrets.

Instead of dishing details, all I can say is the School Choice gods were good to me. It's official. She may have to drive a little further to get to school, but it's a good feeling knowing my Band Captain, Mu Alpha Theta officer, National Honor Society, AP & Honor student, top 20% of her class, well rounded beautiful daughter will get to finish out her high school career without having to change schools! 

(don't roll your eyes - you'd brag, too, if she was yours) 

The sky has opened and the sun is shining again...the warm fuzzies are back. Unfortunately, so is my muffin top.

So, with that being said, I hereby declare today a new beginning. Picking up where I left off...45 minutes on the treadmill, 100 kitchen counter push-ups and 50 sit ups. Life is good again.

Day 239 - That's Where I Draw the Line

Day 3 on the treadmill. Things are starting to look better. If you are a reader of my blog, you'd know that I used to watch old episodes of Grey's Anatomy to get me through my workout. Since finally catching up on the entire last 3 seasons, I found myself with a less-than-impressive Netflix collection to choose from. Glad we sold our stock when we did. They dropped from $300 to $60/share in one year. Ugh!

So, I tried watching the pilot episode of One Tree Hill. I remember seeing them in the tabloids in the grocery store check out lines....that means that it HAD to be a good show, right?? (rolling my eyes and shaking my head). That lasted about 20 minutes. I got frustrated and that was the end of my workout. Maybe I was a little winded from taking so much time off, but I blamed it on the show. Whatever. My blog, my rules. 

On a funnier note, Daddy (what I call my awesome husband when he's nice) brought a black leather jacket into my new Mom Cave and hung it on a coat rack. He said it matched and thought I would like it. I thought that was pretty nice so I said "Thank You, that was sweet" and he left. Five seconds later he came back in carrying my black lab and pretended to try to hang her on the same rack... I almost spit my wine out. We had a good laugh. Laughter is key to happiness. If you don't have much in your life, figure out a way to get some!

Day 238 - Space & Time

Everyone needs personal space, but not everyone is lucky enough to have their own personal space. A place where the rules are whatever we make them, the energy is in our complete control and we can do with the space whatever we want to.

So, in addition to reclaiming my "Twenty," I also decided to claim my very own physical space in the new house. It's a room just off the pool deck in the back of the house. There are two sets of french doors that offer a gorgeous sunset every night............. in all of its glory...... as the sun drifts into the tips of the pine trees.......... reflecting its remnants of crimson and orange off the glass-like pool water.

OK - back to reality. Bottom line, I needed my own personal space. Before, I used to get in my car, drive to the clubhouse and go to the gym. The gym was my personal space. Not so glamorous, and not so personal, but it served its purpose. Unfortunately, the only views were that of my sweaty messy self.

Now, after 3-4 days of non-stop sanding, taping, painting, moving, drilling and hanging, I ALMOST have a place to call my own, sans carpet, but that will come next month! Doing a workout on this treadmill with these views might actually be a pleasure...in my new Happy Place.

Day 164+73=237

So, yeah. I'm back.

Sold a house. Homeless for 2 weeks. Bought a house. 2 family vacations. WAY TOO MUCH FAST FOOD. Roadtrip to Tennessee. New A/C. New car. Daughter's driving. Major renovation. Swedish houseguest. 20th Class Reunion (GO EAGLES!!!) 2 kids' birthdays and one heck of a summer.

Drained: Physically. Emotionally. Financially.

How much weight did I gain back, you ask? Oh, you know you were thinking it.

That would be about 12 lbs. Everything that I had taken off before the move. Right back where it was. So, my pants are a little tighter, but I pumped gas for an elderly obese lady today who was struggling to get out of her car. It felt good to help her. It also reminded me that if I don't get this weight off, I could BE her one day.

How am I going to fix this without the cushy clubhouse gym of my old neighborhood?? My old treadmill came home today.  I gave it to my mom years ago, who gave it to my sister, who gave it to a friend, who is moving to Nashville and gave it back to me. I will call him "Perderpeso" - you'll have to figure that one out on your own.

So if you do the math, or google it, today is day 237. That's 3 solid prime numbers that, when placed next to each other in this order, create a composite number. What does this have to do with my blog? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Day 163 - Upside Down and Backwards

Life has been flipped upside down for the Monaghan Clan - in a very good way, and I can't tell you anything about it....at least not now. It's not a HUGE deal...I will share it in time.

All I can say is, I know what it's like for those people who travel all the time and live on the road for months at a time.  It makes it very difficult for me eat right, exercise daily and blog about my daily happenings when I have to withhold information that I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to share.

Things should settle down by this weekend and I should be able to blog every day again...OR~~~~~> if you want to provide ideas for blog posts until I can share the news, it would make life so much better for me. Not blogging is killing me and it weighs on my mind every day that I don't post something.

I think I'm going to go walk 3 miles now to start burning off all the the fast food I've been eating for 2 weeks. Ugh!!! I feel like a chicken nugget.

Vacation next week....7 days of sun-n-surf and awesome family time!!

Photo is of a gator that my brother-in-law caught during alligator hunting season. Creeps me out every time I have to walk by it.

Day 151 - Popcorn = No Babies

Lil C was reading an article over my shoulder a few moments ago. It was a Prevention article titled "7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips"

 
CHARLIE: "Mom - why is microwave popcorn on a list of foods that you're not supposed to eat?"
ME: "Not sure, let me read it to you (I get to the part about causing infertility)
CHARLIE: "What is infertility?"
ME: "Its when you can't have babies anymore."
CHARLIE: " !!WHEW~~ Thank goodness!!!"
ME: "Why is that good?"
CHARLIE: "(rolling his eyes, then awkward pause) Duh. Because I'm a BOY. I don't HAVE babies, so I can eat the popcorn.... -->> He runs out of the room in a huge rush leaving me baffled..."
.
.
SIERRA: " (Yelling to me across the house) MOM - WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T HAVE BABIES IF I EAT POPCORN???"

This is how rumors get started. smh. My life is a comic strip.


Incase you're interested in reading...here is the list and a link to the article.

I'm going to go do 100 pushups with Lil C on the livingroom floor.

1. Canned Tomatoes

2. Corn-Fed Beef

3. Microwave Popcorn

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

5. Farmed Salmon

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

7. Conventional Apples

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/7-foods-should-never-cross-your-lips#ixzz1wOdeTYfK

Day 150 - Loaf-a-pa-looza

I've been on a Loaf-a-pa-looza break for 10 days and gained 5 lbs back. Wonder how THAT happened??? Lots going on in my life that I just can't blog about, and it's killing me...literally.

Going to go sit with my ex-grandmother-in-law tomorrow. She broke a hip and is now recovering in a rehabilitation center...

She's not too happy about not being in her own home, so I'm going to hang out and talk about her great grand daughter (My baby girl) all day long.

Maybe I'll blog more about that tomorrow...and I'm going to try to get my twenty while I'm there. Push-ups and sit-ups maybe??

THANK YOU TO MY READERS

Every so often, I check my blog stats to see who's reading. I am astounded to find that many of my readers are from countries all over the world.

I'm not sure how they are finding my blog, but to see them coming back to read again is the best gift ever!!

I would LOVE to hear feedback from you if you are a daily reader. You can message me directly, (pingleigh@yahoo.com) or post a comment below if you can. I'm always curious to know how my readers found me in the first place.

If someone forwarded my blog to you, please let me know. I would love to send them a personal Thank You!!

Special thanks to my readers from these countries. Without you, I would not blog.

United States
Russia
Serbia
Australia
Germany
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Canada
Ecuador
Poland
Saudia Arabia
France
India
Estonia
Iraq
Singapore
Israel

Day 140 - Second to Last Prom

No time for exercise today. Well, I COULD have, but I just didn't want to. Today was filled with getting Sierra ready for her Prom tonight. I have to give shout out's to Aunt Rhonda for taking Sierra shopping to get her jewelry and shoes, and to Michelle for doing her hair.

She looked like a movie star... It feels like it was just yesterday that she was playing Pretty Pretty Princess with her step dad...and now she looks like a beautiful young woman.
At least once a week, she will crawl up onto my lap and demand my undivided attention. Although it was physically less painful when she was 3 feet tall and 40lbs, it is much more rewarding now.

I hear so many stories about kids and parents relationships falling apart through the teenage years, and I feel blessed that we have never had to go through anything like that.

She's my pride and joy and it makes me a little emotional to think she'll be off to college after next year. She's not going far and I know I will see her often... but I will be outnumbered by the Charlies, and life as we know it will change forever.

Day 139 : The Green Belt

Slipped in a 45 minute speedwalk at the gym this morning, then hammered through my daily routine... Dishes from the night before (This drives my BFF crazy - she can't sleep until her sink is empty), vacuuming, sweeping, running something to Sierra's school that she left at home, grocery shopping, and laundry...

I know we have a busy weekend ahead, so I'm trying to get all of my housework done so we don't have to do it this weekend. Lil C had Karate testing tonight. I'm so proud of him.

He earned his Green belt today. After Green, it's Brown....then Red....then Black. Once he earns his black belt, I want to start taking Karate myself. It's never too late to try something new. It may take a little longer to achieve, but it's something I've always wanted to do...and it may come in handy when Lil C becomes a teenager.

After testing, we enjoyed a quiet family night at home. No movie theaters, no restaurants, no parties...just quality time with the ones I love. Friday nights like this are under-rated.

Days 136 - 138 : It's All a Blur

Life has been a whirlwind and I can't remember much from these three days. There is nothing on my calendar other than Karate practice, and my Facebook posts were as follows:

May 17th:
"Sierra just sent me a text during class (as ironic as that may be) -->She just learned that she's in the top 15% of her class. I don't know how she does it all. She is amazing."

and

"Just busted my last pair of $2 Flip Flops. They gave me the best year of their lives, but I am laying them to rest now. I know that if I spent a little more on the shoes, they might be better quality and last longer, but then I wouldn't get to shop as often. It might be cloudy today, but I'm shoe shopping...I'll glow my own sunshine."


May 16th:
"Early mornings, I do not miss you."

May 15th:"Florida FCAT Crisis?? SMH. Call in to listen to the conference call. I just called and was told it starts in 2 hours."

And this brings me to the Facebook post that might be the reason for my memory loss:

May 15th:
"Best part of my day? Started the day with an unattainable to-do list, then attained it. Worst part of my day? Sierra elbowed me in the forehead...hard. I'll call it a win, overall."

I know I was at the gym at least one of these days...just can't remember which one.

Day 135 - My Secret Stash

Went to the gym this evening and there was a sign on one of the treadmills that read "Out of Order." So, of course I chose to jump on the only other working treadmill. It was my lucky day!!

Halfway through my Grey's Anatomy episode, a couple walked into the gym together and the lady hops up onto the broken treadmill, removes the sign, plugs it it, turns it on and proceeds with her workout. REALLY??? My first thought was that she purposefully put the sign up to ensure availability when she wanted to workout. I had my sunglasses on, but I could see her look up at me every so often. After 10 minutes, she stops the treadmill and puts the sign back on.

Well, you know me. I couldn't let this one slide without asking her about it.

According to her theory, people from the CDD/HOA Management group for our community neighborhood are trying to exchange all of the equipment that is owned for rental equipment. On top of that, the treadmill isn't even broken. Sounds fishy to me... I wonder which CDD Board Member that "broken" one is going to end up in. Maybe he owns the rental company too. I'd make it my mission to find out, but I just don't have the time these days.

That's my conspiracy theory and I'm sticking to it!

On a funny note, my 16 year old daughter just found my secret stash of her baby teeth. Yes, I kept every single one (with the exception of her wisdom teeth - that's where I draw the line). She was pretty grossed out. I keep them right next to my kids' umbilical cord clamps!!

Have a great week folks!!

Day 134 - Mother's Day of Rest

I woke up to an empty house. On Mother's Day? Are you kidding me??

Turns out Daddy dragged both kids to the grocery store early in the morning to get everything he needed to make my favorite breakfast of all: Eggs Benedict. Yum!!!

So, I ate my Eggs Benedict while enjoying my bouquet of flowers from Sierra and sipped my java in my new custom decorated coffee mug from Lil C....and by the way, it's official. I'm the World's Best Mom...well, maybe 2nd only to my mom, who I think is the best mom in the world...EVER. As I get older and have to deal with some of the issues that she had to with my own kids, I just think about all she had to endure with THREE GIRLS, and I am forever in debt to her for giving us everything that she did. Mind, body and soul.

No workout today, but while Daddy took Lil C to a birthday party, Sierra and I headed out to my Mama's house and ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening over there, sipping on wine, playing horse shoes and just enjoying some estrogen company with my mom & two sisters. I am so blessed to have the relationship with my mom and my sisters that I do. Nothing could replace that. I don't say it enough. I would be lost without them.

Photo: Mom & Dad with three girls under the age of 7. My heros.

Day 133 - Solar Heaven

I got my twenty in today, but it didn't seem like a workout at all! Spent the afternoon at the BFF's in her new pool. Initially, we had the pool all to ourselves and just drifted around, sipping our cool drinks, soaking in the summer heat. At one point I had the pool all to myself, so I took advantage and swam 10 hard and fast laps across the length of the pool. I was breathing heavy after the 4th pass. Good stuff. Swimming must burn some serious calories!

Later in the day, when the whole gang came over, we all got in the pool and started walking around in a circle and made a whirlpool/ripcurrent so strong that you could no longer stand still. Legs were BURNING!! Another good workout...especially when we all decided to turn around and reverse the whirlpool. Wholy cow. My legs were like jello when we finished.

Wrapped up the afternoon hanging out in the hot tub in 90 degree weather. We didn't care. It felt awesome, and our legs thanked us!!

Photo: Kids in the hot tub with BUBBLES!!! They had a blast.