The Coolest 15-Year-Old in the WORLD

My brother, Luke, sent his writer sister (that’s me) an essay to look over this evening. The essay was titled “Laugh, Play, Family” and in it he wrote:

“Finally, I cannot live without my family; they are the most important people to me in the world. My sister, Caroline, is one of my best friends in the world and without her to keep me in line I do not know where I would be today.”

He continued on to speak of my sister, youngest brother, mom and dad.

How did he get to be so cool and wise at 15 years old? Hell, I would love to think I played a part in it.

Hey, Luke, without you, honey, I would not be even a smidgen of the person I am today. Thank you for teaching me something new every moment since the day you were born.

Oh, Pens and Paper, You Make Me So Hot and Bothered

I was thoroughly excited last night to organize my bookshelf and watch Law & Order re-runs while drinking wine with Dan.

I was actually E-X-C-I-T-E-D.

Is something wrong with me? Like in a I-get-pumped-when-I-see-school-supplies kind of way?

Far From Home

If life was easy,

then I would be a flower

and if

I was a flower,

then I would have to deal

with rain.

But maybe if

I let the rain trickle down my

stem,

then these tears would dry

and I could grow

again.

©CMS August 2008

Thought for the Day!

“If you aren’t in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret.“ — Jim Carrey

P.S. YAY FOR MICHAEL PHELPS AND DARA TORRES!

Thought for the Day!

“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, ‘I am with you kid. Let’s go!'” — Maya Angelou

Where the Hell Is Matt?

This video just has to make you smile … what a phenomenal concept.

Enjoy the day and I will be back later with a 30-Day Challenge update from the weekend!

Make Sure to Play Hard in This Game of Life

The 30-Day Challenge posts will be back soon, but I feel a need to take a brief hiatus today and address the “pray” sector of this blog with a little more of a thought-provoking post. Enjoy!

As you have all witnessed throughout the last few posts, my family and I have been on vacation for the last two weeks. This weekend, we are all journeying home and going back to our respective duties, bearing, of course, in mind that vacation is over and the so-called “real world” is an ever-present factor.

I always try to walk away from a fabulous trip like the one I just experienced and keep in mind that I should be thankful for the beautiful gift I have been given — this time with my family, this vacation and so forth. And I am so thankful. It is hard, however, to not reflect on the great passage of time that the end of a vacation represents. I, for one, very much so use vacations as a time for personal “improvements” so to speak, and the end of this summertime life-marker often feels like the beginning of a new year.

My parents ventured home yesterday, and left the four of us — me, my sister and two brothers — to spend one more day on vacation. Dan and my sister’s boyfriend, Anthony, stayed with us as well.

We started the evening with ice cream in Thousand Islands Park, a food tradition that my mother refers to as “eating backward” because you are eating dessert before dinner. It was a perfect occasion to sit outside and eat ice cream as quickly as possible in an effort to keep the hot sun from melting it all over the front of our shirts.

After we all finished, — I had a spectacular dark chocolate and mint ice cream — my youngest brother, Isaac, suggested we test out the see-saws at the town park. At first, I thought, “Definitely not my thing.” But then I realized that my stuffy notions were unwarranted — “Why not?” I asked myself.

We decided to go for it, even though I decided to swap the see-saws for a swing — more my style. I have to admit, I initially felt a bit nauseous; the ice cream and swing combo just was not working for me.

But once I was at it for awhile, I shook it off, and the swing ride felt so good. I completely forgot how freeing it was to pump your legs on a swing and “Swooosh!” into the air.

We hit a few other spots as well — the slides and merry-go-round — and I eventually made it to the see-saw as well. Dan even had a go at the sandbox, but then I reminded him that it was similar to a giant cat litter box, and he quickly stepped out. (;

I laughed watching my goofy fiancé, a 24-year-old big child, on the horse, and I sent secret messages via the “telephones” that were stationed throughout the park (apply the tin can with a string theory here) to my sister and brothers.

On the way home, Dan looked at me and said, “Whew! I played hard. It makes you wonder how kids do it all the time — I’m tired!”

And I laughed.

It’s so true: How did we forget to play as hard as we did when we were children?

Yes, we work and run errands and deal with financial stress, but where is the play time?

By the way, those things are all very valid thoughts and actions, but it seems a shame to go through life forgetting to take a ride on a swing or merry-go-round. When Isaac looked at me as we were leaving and said, “Good idea, huh?” I shook my head with a resounding, “Yes.” I was so glad I listened to his suggestion.

I know there is not always room, but try to keep it in mind the next time you are hurrying past a playground.

That see-saw might just change your world.

Taking These Porcelain Babies for a Walk . . . or Run!

I just got back from what started as a walk, but quickly turned into a walk/run. You see, as I was getting ready to head outside today, I knew I didn’t want to go for a full-out run. I was feeling pretty tired and I could feel a ton of lactic acid running through my body.

But then, once I get started, I decided I was going to do a walk/run; often times, quick running sprints mixed with fast-paced walking or light jogging can actually help flush some of the lactic acid out of your body. So, that is what my game plan was tonight.

My exercise path was 4.28 miles and it took me 43 minutes to complete it. I ended with 2 minutes (for a total of 45 minutes) of light walking. It went a little something like this:

*5 min. warm up

*1 min. sprint, 2 min. fast walking (5:00 – 15:00)

*1-mile run (15:00 – 22:55)

*Back to 2 min. fast walking, 1 min. sprint (22:55 – 40:00)

*Ran the rest of the way home (40:00 – 43:00) = 4.28 miles

*Cool down – walk (43:00 – 45:00)

NOTE . . . I have a few rules about a walk/run workout that are the result of my slightly demented runner’s way of thinking:

– I never stop in the middle of the hill; even if it means running a bit farther than the designated 1-minute mark.

– I also never stop at the top of hill.

– Or in front of people.

Combine all of these rules and you will understand why the middle of my workout lead to a one-mile run: I started my “one-minute” sprint at the bottom of a one-mile long hill. Yes, ONE-FREAKING-MILE long hill! More on this hill in Several Reasons Why My Sister Requires Rehab.

But I was glad I did it. I have taught myself to love hills, and conquering this one always feels like such an accomplishment. It just keeps going, and going, and going . . .

One thing I wish I could have changed — my decision to wear black capri pants. I thought the slight drop in temperature would make hiding my porcelain-tinted legs — why show those babies if need not be? — OK, but I was dead wrong. Note to self — no one gives a crap about your legs.

By the way fabulous readers, if you live in an urban area like yours truly, and you cannot exactly drive your car along a sidewalk or dirt path to measure your run, walk or bike, then check out Map My Run. It’s an awesome tool that lets you draw your route on a map or even satellite map of your area. It totally rocks my world!

OK, I gotta shut up and go eat dinner … I’m hungry!

Things Are Looking Pretty Good …

So far, so good this morning. I have gotten lots of work done, and breakfast was nice and healthy. I didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked — only about 5 1/2 hours — so I will have to work more on that tonight.

Breakfast was fairly simple again:

*3 egg whites (I use the a carton of liquid egg whites because I hate to waste the yellows), and a 1/2 egg yolk and whole white from one organic, cage-free egg. I topped the eggs with about 1/8 cup of light, shredded cheese.

*One slice whole grain bread (6 grams of fiber).

*And a sliced nectarine — I ate what was still attached to the core while I cooked my eggs. It was so yummy and juicy!

I also always have a big glass of water with lemon in the morning — it is so refreshing. You can see it next to the plate. It’s hard to notice the lemon juice, but it’s there! I don’t put the lemon wedge in because of pesticides. I learned my lesson with that after a breakfast episode where I threw the whole thing in and my sister cried out in dismay. (: She had just read an article about the pesticides on lemon rinds. So, I figure, better safe than sorry, right?

By the way, I did have a small cup of ice cream after dinner last night. It was about a 1/2 cup topped with 1 1/2 Tbsps of chocolate chips. You can see how small the dish is — it fits into the palm of my hand!

It was pretty nasty here early this morning, but it looks like it is clearing up. I am hoping to get out and exercise today.

Talk to you soon!

Time for a Change … Are You Up for It?

I don’t really even know where to begin this post, so I am just going to start and try to make it sound as coherent as possible.

The whole purpose of this blog was to initiate change; a huge change not only for me, but for the readers who follow it so faithfully.

We all are here because we are looking to make our lives better — whether it be by eating healthier foods (Eat), calling upon spirituality and holistic health (Pray), or getting up off our asses and going for a walk (Run).

WE WANNA MAKE A CHANGE.

But as of late, I have been feeling like I have been promoting so much change for others and ignoring the changes my own body is craving. In other words, I can dish it out, but I can’t take it. At least, that is how I feel today.

Well, I have been reading this fabulous book — The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More) — as a result of my new job with the First30Days Web site, and I have got to tell you that it has really got me athinkin’. Mix that with my overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction with the way I have NOT been healthfully living and you gotchyourself a recipe for change!

So, I thought, “Why not share it with my readers at Eat, Pray, Run?”

Now, because the theme of the book and Web site is to commit to thirty days of change I have kicked off my personal challenge this morning. Throughout the next 30 days I am going to blog the steps I am taking to make my day a healthier one, and, hopefully, you can learn from it, too.

I think you will.

To make things easy, a list of things I would like to change:

1.) I want to be stronger. I don’t necessarily need to lose weight, but I would like to see an overall commitment to building physical strength. I want girly musk-les. So, you will begin to see more workouts from me — I mean, I am going to give ’em all a shot! I probably won’t be able to sit down on the toilet without holding onto the sides, but I am going to go all out anyway. Look for pictures, videos and workout reviews. I look really red-faced and silly when I exercise, but your going to get it all, right here.

2.) I want to eat more healthfully. I work and run around like a crazy girl a lot, and when I do sit down to eat, I don’t necessarily feel like cooking — or eating healthfully for that matter. Eating sporadically and not putting the best foods into my body is starting to wear on me. Therefore, I will begin to post what I am eating to keep me in check, and give you some healthy meal ideas. Lemme know if you have any other suggestions for this part of the 30-Day Challenge.

3.) I need more SLEEP. Again, I love what I do and, therefore, I put a lot of time toward making my writing life better each day. This is not a bad thing in the least bit, but when it begins to completely compromise your sleep and make you lean on coffee like it’s a prized gem, you may have a problem. I do. So, I am also going to begin to try to commit to more sleep. I think it will help me eliminate stress, mood swings and, of course, dark circles. I will log it in here, and I am counting on all of you to hold me accountable.

4.) I want to be more spiritual. I have so many fabulous spiritual resources and I feel like I don’t put them to good use. Look for more tips from experts, and reviews of books, CDs and classes. Come on, people, help me say, “Ommm….”

Now, I am going on vacation at the end of the week, so some of the meals might be pretty bo-ring. But I will try to jazz it up as much as I can . . . promise.

I am going to end this post here, but stay tuned for a few more separate posts today that will highlight what I am eating and a really interesting quiz.

In the mean time, check out the 9 Principles of Change located in the right sidebar of this page. You will see them there every day, and they will serve as a reminder of why we are here.

Wanna make a change? Keep checking Eat, Pray, Run for inspiration, and sign up for the free First 30 Days daily email program where you will get the tips you need to make a change today!