Britney Spears

Okay, so I totally think she is a Fruit Loop, but I have to admit I am insanely jealous of her. I wish I could go dance all day and have someone cook for me and run me around all day so I could look super hot in my videos! Honestly, I liked Joel McHale's version of Womanizer on The Soup better, but she really does look hot in her new video. When she gained some weight I never thought she looked that bad, but some superficial people might disagree. But, now that she is back with a new single, she looks better than ever, in my opinion.

If you ever need a little incentive to get a great body, watch "Slave for You", " My Prerogative", "Womanizer" and "Stronger". Seriously, the girl is ripped in ways I could only dream about. Maybe not muscle rip, but good body rip! And you know she likes her some Taco Hell!

So I guess we say goodbye to the crazy, British accent Britney and say hello to an older, maybe better version of Brit! Ya! All hail crazy blonde girl!

Wanted: NO Running Partner

• Must always bail out on me, but calls after I have reached the running destination.


• Must show up hurt and unable to run, but comes for moral support and a cold water.


• Must want to sleep in on Saturdays and put off running until later.


• Must make plans to do a charity run and then wait until I have signed up to withdrawal their promise.

I always read those articles about how having a work out buddy makes you more accountable for your workouts. Well, I must pick some pretty bad work out partners, because I tend to be the only one who shows up a lot of times. But, truth be told, that is ok with me. I am around people all day, I go home and people are there, people are on tv, people are on the radio. What do I do when I don't want to be around people?



Answer: work out. People tend to bail a lot. I have found that I like working out by myself. Now, the occasional company is nice, but I don't want to start making plans and arranging schedules. I have realized that I can throw on my headphones and head out for an hour or so on my own.



I can clear my mind of everything. It is just me and the pavement. Pounding, pounding, pounding.



Sometimes I like to listen to my music loud, these are days I am feeling unmotivated. I need a little beat to keep me going. "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue is my Power Song. Nothing like a drug overdosing 80's rock star to get you moving.



But then there are those days when I keep the music low, just low enough so I don't escape reality. These are the best days. I listen to my breathing, I count my steps, I feel my quads burn, my calves burn, my lungs burn. I know that what I am doing it strengthening me both on the inside and the out. My legs are getting stronger, my lungs are expanding, my brain is being activated. With each step I am becoming more patient, I am becoming more disciplined, I am becoming stronger-willed.



So, let me have my 80's hair bands and a little room, but no running partner please.

Puppy Love

This is "Beary". He is a 6 month old Rottweiler puppy that we met this weekend at Hollywood Feed.

His Story:

He was chained up and left outside to be a guard dog. Not long after his owner died and he was left behind when the family came and got the dead guy's possessions. I have little sympathy for people who treat animals this way. You can train your dog to be a guard dog and treat your animal humanely. And if something happens to you and your family won't take responsibility for the pet, don't get one. Luckily the neighbors called the people at dogs2ndchance.org and not the shelter.

Beary is now happy and healthy living with a foster mom. He has been neutered, his dewclaws removed and his tail was cropped as a small puppy. He is up to date on his shots and seems to be in great health. He is super happy and full of life. He got along well with Zinny and Boone and really enjoyed being in human company.

If I could have, I would have adopted him right then and there. But, we don't have room for another one. He was such a great dog. If you or anyone you know is thinking of getting a large dog and would take good care of him, I would be more than happy to put you in touch with Linda at Dogs 2nd Chance. Or, if you or anyone you know wants to foster Beary, that is great too.

It really does take a special kind of person to open their home to those less fortunate and I am so glad I know many of these people. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you know who might be interested!

Hello Baby!

Taylor Marie


My good friend, Michelle with 2 l's, (Michele with 1 l is still cookin'!) just had he second baby last week. Taylor Marie came on October 2, at 12:01 pm. She was 7 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches long.

I went to visit mom, dad and baby in the hospital. Dad looked worse off than mom. In fact, mom yelled at me for not coming up the previous day (the 2nd). After explaining I thought she might want some rest and maybe a little privacy to feed and tend to the baby, she laughed, but said I was not to let it happen again. Dad (extremely tired) half- heartedly laughed at my jokes about the baby's ethnicity (you had to be there). I watched the birthing video, nothing to graphic, thank goodness. I laughed as I watched dad cut the cord while recording- Bryan is a man of many talents.


I got to hold baby Taylor and explain to her that her birthday is my half birthday. And that my birthday is her half birthday. Then I also explained that we had the same middle name and that her mommy "stole" my girl's name, Taylor, but that it was ok, she could have it.


She cooed a little, she opened her eyes and tried to find out what was going on around her, and she started getting a little hungry. She let out a few funny noises that sounded less like coos and more like high pitched sighs.


Then she got very hungry and fussy. So I passed her back to mommy, told everyone congrats and went on my merry way. Taylor is so cute and adorable and will probably be a great kid, but there is nothing like a crying baby that makes you want to stay on birth control. That and the children who seem to be at the Red Robin every time we go eat there.

big brother was very excited!

Revenge of the Pilates Master

Thursday afternoons have basically been the same for the last 19 weeks, I go to the cafeteria, I get a Chicken Cesar Salad, I go to Pilates, I go to my desk, then I eat my well deserved salad. I have a wonderful Pilate’s teacher. Her name is Simone. It is pronounced like this: see-moan-ee.

Simone is from Brazil. She is 5"6 and weighs about 100 lbs. She has uber-long platinum blonde hair (which is natural). All she does is teach Pilates all day, so you can only imagine what her body is like: tone, thin, long. She has blue eyes, a fair complexion and great skin. Think you would hate her right?? Nope, she is so cute and sweet and sometimes gets her words mixed up that you can't help but adore her. She really is super cool and I love taking her class, we all do. That is why we have done it for 19 weeks.

But, today I was fed up with the Brazilian bombshell. After class was over, I was fuming. Why on earth did she spend so much time correcting other people in class? She shows them how to hold their heads, how to place their arms and legs, how to breathe correctly. Why won't she show me? Every time she walked by me she would just smile and count, but not a word of encouragement or any help.

So I had had enough. After 18 weeks of Pilates I was going to ask her why she doesn't help me in class. I marched right up to her and said, "um, hey Simone. You never correct me in class. And you seem to spend a lot of time with the other students. What am I doing wrong?" She looked at me stunned. Then, in her fun Brazilian accent she said, "You have great posture and really understand the principles behind Pilates and the breathing. I never thought I had to correct you."

I sheepishly thanked her and tried to laugh it off. "So I am good?" "You are very guuud in this class!" She answered.

Maybe next time I will give myself more credit. I love Pilates! I am very guuud at it...ha ha ha.

Red Lipstick

Today I got up, let the dog out, got dressed, threw on a little make up, then hopped in my car. On the way to work I started craving red lips. I though, who cares it is 8 am and bright red lips aren't really a day thing?



So at the first stop light I grabbed my purse, dug out my Bare Essentials finest Plum Brulee lip stick and slathered it all over my lips. Then I topped it off with a little Breathless gloss from Benefit (which is just a red shine), made a kissy face and was on my way.



I love red lips, no matter what time of day. They make me feel like Marilyn, or Madonna, or Mae West. She probably went to bed in red lipstick. I felt empowered, lovely, sexy and ready to conquer my day.

Salad Junkie

For those of you who don't know, I have been seeing a dietitian for about 6 weeks now. I am trying to get off all this "unexplainable" weight that I have put on over the last 10 years. We can totally ignore the fact that I went from working out every day of my life and barely having time to eat, let alone a social life, to all the time on my hands in the world to party and socialize and hang out with friends and meet new people, try new things (which in the BG* that was mostly trying new places to eat and drink). I would say college was the beginning of my "stall".

But, the past is the past and here we are to the present. And I have a long road ahead of me. Luckily "Dr.Ray" has been great. He makes me write everything down, what I eat, what I do during the day, how much I work out, how much water I drink... I started noticing that I eat a lot of salad.

Now, I have a bit of a crazy mom for those of you who don't know. And if you didn't know, you obviously don't hang we me or Damie much. I can remember her eating one thing, and one thing only...shredded lettuce. And she put some pretty weird stuff in there. Sometimes she would cook those Lean Cuisines that were "Mexican" entrees and mix them in her lettuce, or she would melt cheese, or she would just add mustard. Now, I in no way condone this type of eating or think it is even remotely healthy, but something about it did rub off on me.

Today for lunch I had a Tuscan Pesto Chicken salad. Tomorrow I am having a Waldorf Chicken salad. Thursday (and I have this EVERY Thursday) I will be having a classic Chicken Cesar salad. Fridays are usually a sandwich and plain salad day.

So much roughage you say? Well, let's say I definitely don't have any trouble in certain areas...ha ha ha. But my salads are loaded with wholesome goodness. I almost always pack them with spinach leaves, broccoli, healthy proteins like chicken and nuts, dressings are almost always an olive oil base with spices, b/c Dr. Ray says I need to eat more healthy fats.

And on the days I don't eat salads? (Which is usually just on Sunday, hey everyone needs a day of rest.) I crave them. I miss them the way I miss sugar when I eat some and then cut myself off. Salads are addictive and if you do it right, totally awesome for you. I suggest for those with sweet tooths to put apples and pears in them and even a little pineapple. Those make for some great salad!

So far I have lost about 13 pounds. I have gotten up to 4 miles running for about 60 minutes. I am trying to hit 4 and a half this week. It is kind of amazing that every time I start to think about cheating or not going to work out, I think about going to see the doc in a few weeks. And I immediately put the cookie down and do my Pilates video (it is only 20 minutes and I can't even do half of the stuff). Or I grab Zinny and Boone and make them go outside and chase me.
So right now salads are my thing. Who knows? Maybe when I lose more weight clothes will be my thing! Oh, can I afford that?!?!?!

*BG- Bowling Green Kentucky- This is where I went to college. When I was in school, there were more restaurants per capita than any other place in America. Lots of places to eat, very little to do.