Quote of the Day: Jack London

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
~Jack London

Mom and I have been  dealing with this all week, and we are going to have to buckle down today to get-er-done. She has been working on the most beautiful gourds, and we are going to create an etsy shop for her (sparrowinthetree.etsy.com) but need to crack the whip on taking pics and doing our visual layouts for her future photos. So we shall go after that inspiration with a club...right now.

A Day in the Desert

We spent today (it was 100+) at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum and Zoo with my mom. It was wonderful.  This is the kind of place that if I lived here it would be worth buying an annual pass to, just to see it in all different seasons. I could write a long-winded commentary, but you can just peruse a few pictures instead.

Momma and baby groundhogs

Harris' Hawk

Saguaro buds. We are a week early for all the stellar blooms, but they are still beautiful.

Grey Fox. I'm pretty sure this little guy wants to come home with us. The kitties won't mind, I'm sure.

Prickly pear in bloom.

The requisite "I'm holding my arm out to take a picture" shot.

Sweet dove nesting atop a saguaro cactus. My favorite shot of the day, as I just happened to look up and see her settling in.



I believe these are called Firework Cacti (or something like that).

As a matter of fact, an ordinary desert supports a much greater variety of plants than does either a forest or a prairie.  ~Ellsworth Huntington

Hanging out in Casa Grande

Joe and I at Old Tucson

Yesterday was a bit of a wash-out. After seeing some lovely home gardens for the annual Garden Tour, I ended up with a nasty nasty nasty headache and spent the rest of the day down-and-out.

I thought this painted wall in one garden was so interesting and coolingly beautiful. I would never have thought to paint the wall blue. Now mom and Bruce are thinking of doing the same.

Blue Garden Wall

 Today we are going to bowl with Mom (aka: Ms. My-League-Team-Came-in-6th-in-State). We shall see if I can break 100 with my game the way the thermometer is!

Mount Rainier from Above

This was the gorgeous view of Mt Rainier peeking her head through the clouds as we headed south to Arizona last evening.

I think Joe might have been sorry that he pointed it out to me, because then I was pretty much leaning from the aisle seat all the way over him to take pictures (while attempting to keep my seatbelt fastened).  It was so beautiful the way the clouds on the mountain lay in the crevasses...looking so soft and smooth that you could just slide right down.

31 Day Challenge: I'm Done!

And my grand total of weight loss for the first round of this diet is (drum roll, please....) 21pounds!

What I need to do is highlight that number with fireworks and a neon sign. Would that be overkill? I think not.

So now the work continues, but I feel like I have had a good start and am on my way.

31 Day Challenge: Day Twenty-Eight

Weight loss so far: 18.5 pounds

As I near the end of my initial 31-day kickoff to my new life, I was contemplating what my next month's goal should look like. Here's what I have come up with. Next month, my focus will be another 10 pounds and a conscious effort to tone up my belly, also known as The Bane of My Existence.  This means a minimum of 15 minute abdominal workouts on the ball every day, and incorporating at least three days of week of either yoga or cardio/abs.

I probably won't blog about this quite so often, as this was really needed to keep me accountable publicly. Its rather funny that no one has commented, but I have received numerous emails. Silence is NOT golden, people!

31 Day Challenge: Day Twenty-Five (I think!)

Total Weight Loss so far: 18 pounds

Wow. That's all I can say about being so close to my initial 20 pound goal. And I think I am going to make it. We get on the plane for Arizona next Wednesday evening, and I am going to make this goal!

Here is an interesting side note to the complete change of diet. My body chemistry is all out of whack. I mean my womanly body chemistry. Is totally whack-a-doodle. Oh well....our clinic doc says it will all sort itself out in a month or two. There are benefits to working in the maternity area...free OB/GYN advice.

31 Day Challenge: Day Twenty-One

Total Weight Loss: 16 pounds

Holy cow....I can see my goal in sight!

Honestly, I haven't been really tempted to cheat. Ate very well this weekend, even with Easter and all the yummy treats waved in front of me. I did make some turkey meatballs to take with me to the family gathering so that I wouldn't feel deprived. Covered them in a marinara/fat-free ricotta sauce. Yum. Then Joe and I went for a nice post-dinner walk that was just the icing on the cake (so to speak). I can see I will have to come up with some sugar-free euphamisms.

Here's an interesting side note: I had a very stressful evening on Saturday. After that I dreamed of food...all of the decadent, sugar-filled, cheese-filled food that I am not going to eat. Woke up famished. So I had an oat-bran gallette with scrambled eggs. So apparently there is something to being a stress-eater.

Quote(s) of the Day: Mario Andretti

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
~Mario Andretti

...and on a completely unrelated note...but it popped into my head...

"I wanna go fast." ~Ricky Bobby

Sorry, couldn't help it.

31 Day Challenge: Day Seventeen

Total Weight Loss: 15 pounds (insert picture of me jumping up and down here!)

How I feel:

Fantabulous
Splenderific
and full of Awesomeness