Inner Beauty

Well, I was mostly on track and making good progress until Thanksgiving. It wasn't so much the holiday food as it was the holiday pressure. Hosting guests in my tiny apartment is tough, especially if the guests are tough. Yeeeee! I had a great time with my mom in town. I will be posting photos of fantabulous holiday windows and other New York sights over the next few days. This may be my favorite time of year in the city. The energy, excitement, hustle and bustle. Everyone has a little glimmer.

A trip to the beautiful Mac flagship store on Fifth Avenue and fun with the computers there yielded this distorted beauty. Sometimes I think what I see in my mirror may be just as distorted but in a different way. Of course, this one made me laugh.

Thankful

Thankful for my family. For my friends. For my health. For running water. For funny pets. For balloons. For air travel. For wealth - of so many sorts. Overwhelmed by gratitude. I want it to last.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Epiphinette

It's a small epiphany but an epiphany nonetheless. And for me, an astounding and tingly start...
Baby steps. I walk almost every day now. A quick trip to the gym then a long trip to the park. I try to get a few minutes of intermittent running in there too. My stamina is improving and so is my motivation. Today, for the first time, the tiniest positive thoughts began to arrive on their own. It was amazing, light, surprising, wispy. It was almost euphoric... I can't remember when I ever liked my body. I have spent hours before a mirror, shredding myself, cursing, torturing, analyzing, scrutinizing. Today, I felt the first inkling of what it will be like to LIKE my body. To be proud. I ran on dimply thighs, chubbed out knees, a flapping behind and in the midst, a glimmer. I liked what my dimply thighs could do, what my chubbed out knees and thick ankles could carry. My swollen and achy feet that were taking me where I need to go. I liked my body, not for what it looked like, but for what it can DO. It is powerful. And it can obey. I can focus on my tummy and it can get smaller. I can dedicate time to my arms, and they transform. It isn't instantaneous, of course (uh, by any means) but my body is no longer out of my control. I guess it never really was... but now I have harnessed what it means to KNOW that. And I know it. A blessing.

Forgive me...

It has been so long since my last confession. The main problem is that, unusually, life is so tame right now, that there is nothing really to confess. I am content and mostly calm these days, also unusual for me. It is delightful to feel sort of level. Mornings find me walking in the park every day, up to about 3 miles each time before I get to the gym - sweaty and proud. My tennis is finally starting to improve and I am trying to approach it from a more relaxed place. Fall is beautiful. Even in New York.

For body, I have set little mini goals and it is a fantastic way to tackle this. I am still on track - miraculously. I am so focused on the 10 pound mark by the end of the month and my weekly goals to help me get there that I can't obsess with how daunting the overall project is. What if I can keep this up a few more months!?!?! I am not posting pictures of me for just a little while then you can all have a surprise! (I hope... I mean, well, this is the plan.)

Baby on board!

So I have had these for ages and wanted to post them but they were a surprise for someone who visits the site (who now has them)... some sweet baby blankies.

But liquor is quicker

But not as fast as those marathoners yesterday. HOLY MOLY. It's one of my favorite days to be in the park (I mean, except for all the barfing that goes on...). I got up to go to the gym yesterday and it was closed so I did the second half of the workout for hte whole workout - walk and exercise in the park. I love to run on marathon day because I jog near the runners and listen to the cheering. (And I always feel lifted when I hear Adam's past chants in my head: "fighting for rights in satin tights!) Then I pretend that the cheering is for me (not so much the satin tights part really...) It is always very inspiring and gives me further evidence that I do, in fact, need my own personal and full time cheerleading squad. Yes indeedy. That's just what I needy. I had a blast and with the help of my new invisible shield (provided by my ipod. I mean, if I can't hear them, they can't see me. Rrrright?) I did lots of lunges and some squats. Why worry about the people at the gym when you can have an audience of hundreds in Central Park? But, see, it's okay because I am invisible when I listen to the "Call on me" remix on repeat. Good trick, eh?

On a side note, does sangria really count as liquor? Yeah, I don't think so either. And this picture doesn't really look like sangria but it sho 'nuff did taste good! Mmmmm. The good old days of last week. Yep. This picture looks gross. Like someone tipsy and unfocused took it. Oh well.

Feature story today: good friend got a gift from her new guy. It was a clapper. I LOVE the new guy! Best part: when she laughs loudly, her lights turn off. I have a little something up my sleeve for her too (birthday coming up). Apparently clapper man and I will be competing for ultranerdiest gift. Clap on!

Clap off to Boston this afternoon to see Tracey, faby designer of Stewart's birthday surprise (the stacking rings on Tracey's site), and my old friend Sarah. After a luxurious night at the Ritz, I plan to spend the day at a reinsurance conference tomorrow. CUT the jealousy. It's a public conference. You could have gone too. Puh! The late tomorrow night, Clairie for 5 minutes. Not long enough but better than nothing. Sigh. :)

Workout song of the day (and every day): Call on me.

Candy is dandy

but liquor is quicker (photo for tomorrow's post will feature the visual for the second half of the brilliant Willy Wonka adage).

I could have gone swimming in this! A gummy candy lover's paradise in a market stall. How gross are the sour pacifiers in the bottom/front row!? I am not going to comment further because I am sure you can imagine what I might say. They also look like large uvulas. (I lied. Apparently I was going to comment further. Well then!)

Up early today. The jet lag is working wonders as I headed back to Curves after a several month long hiatus. It is such a great system there and NO mirrors! Amen you curvy geniuses! I have decided to go 6 days a week. Yeah, yeah, I know.

Just keep swimming. Even if it is through pools of gummy goodies!

Lest we forget...

How big an ocean is. Wow. And how beautiful. And how big. And how HUGE. And how big. :) I loved looking at this. Good perspective is really helpful once in a while. I always wonder how there is room for all the whales and this lets me understand - just a little.

Spain was wonderful. The birthday girl was fabulous. We walked tons and laughed even more.

I didn't need a costume for Halloween. I was a zombie. Er, I still am.