Ladybug Studio

Easter Monday…

Another nice weekend! That's two in a row!

I started it off by going to the fitness center right after work and spending 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I was pretty tired by the end of the week, so I kept the intensity on the moderate side. I really didn't want to go at all, but I did want pizza for dinner. This plan really worked out well as I showered immediately after getting home, then was able to lounge and relax guilt free for a while. I often start off with the relaxing and never get around to the workout.

On Saturday morning, Tom and I took our time getting up and then eventually headed out for a bike ride, same route as last weekend. The weather wasn't quite as nice as last Saturday. It was cloudy, a little bit humid and a touch warmer. Though there weren't any garage sales, so that was a plus. Oh, it was windier too. By the end of the ride I was becoming very tired and wondered if I would make it the whole way. But I pushed on, stuck to Tom's draft and was able to complete the distance.

After we had both showered and had lunch, we went to Fox Lake Park for the annual Easter picnic. I had seriously thought about not going at all this year as the picnic is less fun every year. But some friends that we don't see very often were going to be there (Debbie & Carl) as well as a few that we haven't seen in several years (Alan & Lori), and we didn't want to miss out on the visit.

It turned out to be a very nice time. We got there deliberately late so we wouldn't have to deal with bringing a cooler of drinks and food, lawn chairs, sunscreen and the like. Most of our gang was already on the volleyball court so after greeting the "elders", we headed over to join them. I didn't get to play, as my hand isn't ready for sports yet, but Tom did and I stood on the sidelines and cheered everyone on.

We socialized for several hours, enjoying the breeze by the lake. Then we went home so that Tom could shower, then went to Greg and Stacey's house, where many of the group were gathering for pizza. Yes, pizza two nights in a row. Sounds like a dream come true!

Easter morning, Tom and I got up much earlier than we wanted to in order to join Debbie, Carl, Greg, Stacey and Jackie for breakfast at IHOP. We were early enough to beat the crowds, so I guess it was worth it. (Denise - I thought of you while eating my corned beef hash!) (Joy - I thought of you while drinking my chocolate milk!)

The rest of the day was spent doing chores. I finally got around to tagging and organizing my garage sale items. It didn't take as long as I expected, probably because I pretty much tagged everything 25¢. Then I finally worked on the files in the office, pulling and storing the 2008 stuff. Gee, it's only the middle of April. Think I put it off long enough?

A very long time…

I got my earrings back today. So far so good, but it's still too early to tell.

Unfortunately, I have very sensitive earlobes. All my life, I have only been able to wear 14 ct. gold or sterling silver. None of that fun, cheap stuff for me. My earlobes do not like it and they become red, itchy and infected. Most unpleasant.

Well, after a few days of wearing my birthday earrings, I noticed the same symptoms coming on. Surely it couldn't be the new earrings; they're quality white gold, not some inexpensive metal mix. But finally I had to admit defeat. It was definitely the earrings.

I called the store where we purchased them and explained my problem to Laura (manager and Joy's neighbor). She was very upset to hear about the trouble and suggested replacing the white gold posts with yellow gold. Apparently white gold involves other metals, including nickel, which could be causing the sensitivity. If the yellow gold doesn't work either, we'll have to try platinum. But I've worn yellow gold before and I've never had a reaction, so I'm pretty hopeful that I'll be fine.

Oh, and the store did not charge me for the work or the new posts. Nice!

* * *

So I've decided to grow my hair back out. It's going to take twelve long, miserable years, but the short hair just isn't working for me any more. I miss the sassy swing of a ponytail. And being able to wash and go without having to drag out the blow drier. And using a visor when I play tennis. And being able to put on a hat while driving with the top down and not having to worry about what's happening to my style.

Naturally, now that I've made my decision, I'm having a particularly good hair day.

A nice weekend…

The star fruit wasn't for me. Several coworkers had some and loved it, but it had a perfume-like taste that I just couldn't get past. At least I was willing to give it a try.

* * *

We had a really nice weekend and I'm so sorry it's over already. I had fun, spent time with friends, got some exercise, enjoyed a beautiful day, watched a movie, detailed my car's interior, tended to some yard work, shopped at Target and watched some Tivo recordings.

Friday afternoon, Tom and I went to Orange Cycle for their annual spring sale. Tom found lots of things to buy, but all I got was a water bottle. When we were done at the bike shop, we headed to Winter Park Village, where we were meeting Jenn and Mark for dinner at Cheesecake Factory.

We got there a little early, so we wandered around and checked out some of the shops. Since we were still in an athletic frame of mind, we went into the New Balance store and I ended up buying a pair of court shoes that were on clearance. Another reason to be excited about being able to play tennis again in another week or two (or three).

At last we met up with our friends and it was time for dinner! Cheesecake Factory is certainly something to be excited about. Despite their extensive menu, I generally gravitate toward old favorites. Jenn and I both got the Chicken Romano with spaghetti. The ginormous plate held three days worth of food! I ate more than I should have and still took most of it home. The four of us sat for a long time, chatting and having a good time.

Saturday morning I got to try out my new water bottle (while Tom tried out his new water bottle, and jersey, and pedals, and gloves). I jest, but the water bottle was a thing of beauty. It kept my water cold the whole time, and it was easy and comfortable to drink from. Highly recommend!

Anyway, we did our Windover Loop, which is just under 30 miles. It was a beautiful sunny morning, with a slight cool touch to the breeze. Perfect weather for biking. Traffic wasn't too bad, except through Windover subdivision itself. There were a great number of garage sales going on, so we had to be extra alert for bargain hunters. They don't tend to see anything other than yard sale signs.

Since we didn't have pizza on Friday, Tom and I had it on Saturday night instead. Pizza once a week is a must! We watched the movie Australia, which we had bought on Blu-ray several weeks before. It started out sort of odd, but it turned out the be a very enjoyable movie.

Sunday late morning I cleaned the interior of my car, which had gotten embarrassingly dirty. I spent a lot of time on it, though not as much as I tend to spend washing the exterior. It's now dust free, dirt free and smells like leather conditioner. After a brief break in the air conditioning (yes, it continues to work), I headed into the backyard for some palm tree maintenance. The two bushy palms had suffered a bit from the cold and frost a few months ago and needed some attention. I lopped off all of the dried brown fronds  and made at least five trips hauling them to the front yard for pickup on Tuesday.

Whew! Sunday was not exactly a day of rest!

Note: Chris! Great idea! Butter and parmesan cheese on spaghetti squash. Yum!

Food adventures…

Here I bought that star fruit to satisfy this week's nutrition challenge, and yesterday I ended up trying spaghetti squash for the first time. A co-worker brought some in for everyone to taste. I added a touch of butter and some salt and found it to be delicious! I loved the slightly crunchy texture. It was kind of weird, but in a good way. Now I'm anxious to try cooking one myself.

As for the star fruit, it is still intact and untouched. How bad can it be, right? But it's sort of scary looking and I'm not feeling very adventurous. However, I brought it to work today and it will be cut and served at lunch time.

I satisfied this week's home fitness challenge by bicycling yesterday with Tom. It was very windy, but I was determined to tough it out. Turns out it wasn't as bad as I had feared. The wind was sort of blowing every which way, so it wasn't a steady headwind in any direction, for the most. It was worrisome to be floating along at an easy 24 mph though. Not because I was nervous about going so fast, but because I knew that with our out and back route, I would soon be facing into that wind and it was going to be a struggle. And it was. I was lucky to maintain 12 mph for that section on the way back. But it didn't last too long and it really felt good to get back on my road bike. It's been so long, I had to dust it before we headed out.

Too much to do…

We had a mighty rain yesterday afternoon. Tom and I had hoped to get in a bike ride before the weather settled in, but it was pretty obvious that wasn't going to happen. It rained hard for a long time and our yard rejoiced. It's been a bit dry around here lately and Tom hasn't gotten around to checking the sprinkler system. After it hasn't been used in a while, the system gets cranky and pitches a small fit here and there in order to get attention. And before Tom can even do that, we need to get some rust remover solution for the water tank so we don't end up painting our house a lovely shade of orangey red.

There's a lot to do around the yard, honestly. With my hand out of commission for a few weeks, things have quickly gotten out of control. The more I look around, the more I see that needs tending to, the more overwhelmed I feel. I could really use a solid week to just stay home and catch up on everything, inside and out.

To add to my ever growing list of Things To Do, I'm going to participate in Joy's neighborhood garage sale in a couple of weeks. I have been boxing and piling unwanted items on the back porch. I've contributed quite a lot while reorganizing the bedroom closet. Now I have just over two weeks to sort through and tag everything. Definitely the hardest part of having a garage sale. But I now have a little bit of experience having sales and I price items to move. I also put small items together in a sandwich bag. If someone wants one of the items, they are stuck with them all. Good way to get rid of crap!

Wow…

The new AC compressor is working splendidly. The house is nice and cool, just how we like it. Of course, the first one worked splendidly too, for a while. I sure hope we have better luck with this one.

* * *

In the beginning of March, I became involved in a program at the space center: WOW Team Challenge.

WOW stands for Wellness of the World and the five month program encompasses all aspects of health and wellness. I was recruited by my tennis pal Becky, along with two other of her friends. We named ourselves Fab Four and our team color is yellow. (the color was assigned to us)

Each week we will accrue points based on our completion of weekly challenges. These will include participating in exercise sessions at the fitness center and at home, attending nutrition classes, and participating in motivational and incentive programs.

So far, every week we have been challenged to workout at the fitness center 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes and once a week at home for 30 minutes. We attended a nutrition class on portion size last week and this week we are challenged to introduce a new fruit or vegetable into our diet.

While shopping at Publix last night, I purchased a star fruit, since I've never tried it before. I had to do an internet search to see how it should be prepared and eaten. Tom actually seemed interested in the fruit, so I hope I can convince him to taste it with me. Safety in numbers, you know.

It will be interesting to see what other challenges will be presented. I'm certainly spending a lot more time in the gym, I'll tell you. I still prefer doing cardio and attending classes. Although I've been given a personal strength training workout, I just don't wanna!

One of our teammates had surgery on her elbow last week or the week before. Becky and I are a little ticked about it because we don't understand why she wanted to do the program and be on our team when she knew she would be out of commission for a bit. Screwed up our points big time this week. We're thinking about voting her off the island.