This song speaks to me

Have you ever listened to the song Bodies by Robbie Williams? I always seem to connect with the lyrics of this song. It is mostly the one line, "All we’ve ever wanted is to look good naked" because isn't that really what everyone wants? I bet a lot of people would pick the perfect body over lots of money.

Below are the full lyrics to the song. Check it out.

God gave me the sunshine,
Then showed me my lifeline
I was told it was all mine,
Then I got laid on a ley line
What a day, what a day,
And your Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me

UK and entropy,
I feel like its fuckin' me
Wanna feed off the energy,
Love living like a deity
What a day, one day,
And your Jesus really died for me
I guess Jesus really tried for me

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And that’s the way it’s gonna be

All we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Praying for the rapture,
‘Cause it’s stranger getting stranger
And everything’s contagious
It’s the modern middle ages
All day every day
And if Jesus really died for me
Then Jesus really tried for me

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And that’s the way it’s gonna be

All we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Bodies in the Bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
Bodies in the bodhi tree,
Bodies making chemistry
Bodies on my family,
Bodies in the way of me
Bodies in the cemetery,
And that’s the way it’s gonna be

All we’ve ever wanted
Is to look good naked
Hope that someone can take it
So God save me rejection
From my reflection,
I want perfection

Jesus didn’t die for you, what do you want?
(I want perfection)
Jesus didn’t die for you, what are you on?
Oh Lord
(Jesus really died for you) Ohh
(Jesus really died for you)
(Jesus really died for you) Ohh

Diet Update

I have seemed to have plateaued a bit on my weight loss. I continue to hover right around 218 pounds for the past month, which is a 52 pound total loss. I am happy I am not gaining, but not thrilled I am not losing either. Winter is proving to be a bigger obstacle than I anticipated. I walked 13 miles this weekend thanks to some early morning trips to the mall and some good weather, but I am definitely not getting as much activity during the week as I was before. This time of year is so busy and everywhere I turn there are sweets calling my name. Part of me feels I may just need to focus on staying below 220 pounds through the holidays and winter, then focus on my remaining 25 pound weight loss goal for Spring.

Harry Potter vs. Twilight

This is pretty damn funny (and accurate too)

Back to work tomorrow

I am sad that tomorrow is back to real life. I love my job, but it has been nice to have a four-day weekend. It was a great and relaxing Thanksgiving at home. With the exception of several trips to go walking and a friend’s house to play dominoes, Dale and I pretty much stayed home almost the entire four days. Although, I joke I was being held prisoner at home, I have to say was the perfect way to spend the holiday. My thanks to Dale for a wonderful holiday and vacation. I could not think of a better way to spend it than with you. I love you!

What rabbits do

Good walking weekend

I walked 14 miles so far this weekend, which is great since I feel like I gained 14 pounds from all the turkey, potatoes and pie this weekend. I need to keep focused on the walking.

Great response

Last night Dale and I walking to our our neighbor's, the Dunivan's house and saw our other neighbor, Jason Messingham up on his roof in the dark hanging Christmas lights.

Dale joke that it would probably be easier to do that during the day. Jason responded he was afraid of heights, so it is easier to be on the roof in the dark since he can't see how far up he is.

I loved that. It made me chuckle.

All aboard

Last night Dale and I, went to our neighbors Karen and Chuck Dunivan for some good cheer and Mexican Train Dominoes. We were joined by our other friend and neighbor Sam. It was a fun evening filled with lots of laughs. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such great neighbors.

Thoughts while lying in bed

It's 5:58 AM.
On Saturday.
I am lying in bed.
It is completely dark.
I just got back in bed.
I fed our dog Zoe.
Now I lie here.
Debating.
Do I try to fall back to sleep?
Or do I just get back up?
Dale always falls back to sleep.
When it is his turn to feed Zoe.
It makes me jealous.
How easily Dale goes back to sleep.
Once my mind starts working.
I find it difficult.
I have a Cyndi Lauper song stuck in my head.
Time After Time.
On repeat.
The bed is nice in warm.
That makes me want to stay here.
We have a lot of blankets on the bed.
Mostly for me.
I have been so cold this year.
I think it is due to the weight loss.
Dale must be roasting right now.
Poor guy.
I know he does it for me.
He is so sweet.
I can hear the heat blowing through the vents.
I can heat the occasional house creek.
I can hear Dale breathing.
The Grandfather's clock chimes for 6:00 AM.
Nine minutes late.
I like familiar sounds.
They make me feel safe.
I just rubbed goo from the corner of my left eye.
Now right eye.
Seems the older you get.
The more eye goo you accumulate.
Aging sucks.
I am almost 40.
More nose hair.
More ear hair.
More hair in the places I don't want it.
Less the places I do.
So damn annoying.
I doubt it gets any better.
Can you believe I am 18 months from 40.
The big 4-0.
40 used to seem so old.
Now it seems so young.
Life is funny that way.
Sometimes I wonder.
If I will regret not having kids.
As I get older.
I worry who will take care of Dale and I.
I worry I will be alone one day.
Since Dale is older.
It scares me.
A lot.
Not as much the alone part.
But the taking care of myself part.
Like I said.
Aging sucks.
I do not want to be old.
Alone.
Surrounded by strangers.
I think of my Grandmother.
She is in a facility.
And I would hate that.
I guess having kids does not prevent that.
She has three and is still alone.
But it is not their fault.
She pushed everyone away.
Her whole life.
She never seemed happy.
Strange.
Sad.
Think we will hang Christmas lights today.
Outside.
It is supposed to be 50 degrees.
I want new LED lights.
Dale wants to use what we have.
Dale is right that we should use what we have.
A few more years.
Buy LED lights after Christmas.
On sale.
But I like things now.
Dale never minds waiting.
He has patience.
Me.
Not so much.
Grandfather's clock just chimed.
For half past the hour.
At 6:24 AM.
Dale set it 9 minutes off this week.
Surprising.
Usually he is a lot closer to actual time.
He is fired.
The heated floors in our bathroom just clicked on.
It is amazing how you get to know.
Every click.
Creak.
Beep.
And sound in your house.
Dale just rolled over.
And so did our dog Zoe.
She stays on the bed most nights now.
Since Millie our dog passed.
Not sure if she does it because there is more room.
Or she knows.
We appreciate the company.
We miss Millie a lot.
Dale is still heart broken.
And gets sad a lot.
She was our peanut.
Our baby.
She left such a void in our home.
And hearts.
Millie was a one of a kind.
I type fairly quick on my iPhone.
That is how I am typing this post.
In the dark.
On my back.
On my iPhone.
I can tell it is getting lighter outside.
Light is creeping through the tops of the curtains.
I am still debating.
Now about getting up for a walk.
Or staying in bed.
Just stopped blogging.
For a second.
To text my friend Sam.
To see if he wants to walk.
I have been eating like a pig this week.
Ignoring my diet.
Using Thanksgiving as the excuse.
I am sure I gained 5 pounds this week.
I have fallen back to bad habits.
Daily desserts.
Soda.
Large portions.
I need to re-focus.
I am fine breaking my diet.
For the holiday.
But now the holiday is over.
I need to get back on the wagon.
Now I have a new song in my head.
I'm back in the saddle again is the lyric.
What is the name of the song?
Not sure.
Hold on.
Text back from Sam.
He said yes to walking.
We are headed to the mall.
To avoid the cold.
I know it makes us seem 80.
But who cares.
Okay, later folks.
It is 6:40 AM.
I am out if here.
Thanks for listening.

Day two relaxing at home

I am on day two in captivity. Dale refuses to let me leave the house. He says I promised to stay home for two days and relax, but he has nothing in writing.

Our neighbors Michelle and Kevin stopped by to say hi today. Dale allowed me to answer the door, but stayed close in case I tried to make a run for it. I tried blinking "S-O-S" to Michelle and Kevin, but they did not notice. Dale did, do I was forced to the basement to watch 1952 musical, Singin' in the Rain. I tease (send help). I am enjoying my two days at home (must escape and go to mall).

Yesterday was an excellent holiday. Our friends Sandy and Steve stopped over last night and brought their daughters, Stacie and Shannon, along with Stacie's friend Katie. They were also joined by our friend Tammy Robles. They brought cookies, mojitos and good cheer. They even stayed and played the board game, Loaded Questions for a few hours. It was a blast and a great ending to a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had several mojitos, which always makes me happy.

Today Dale and I slept in until 7:30 AM, which is late for us. Dale made yummy cinnamon rolls. We debated hanging Christmas lights outside, but it was windy (and Dale feared I make a break over the wall), so we decided to wait until tomorrow.

Instead, we hung out inside and caught up on Walking Dead and Hawaii 5-0 on the DVR along with watching Singin' in the Rain, which is a great classic musical and Dale napped through most of. We snacked on leftovers from yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner. It was a great relaxing day (digging a tunnel out of here).

so, how did you spend your Black Friday? In a sea of shoppers at home relaxing or at your place of work?

This video is brilliant

Dinner was delicious

Dale is an incredible cook and once again did a great job with Thanksgiving. The turkey, spinach stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, yams and green bean casserole were incredible and not to toot my own horn, but the mashed potatoes were pretty good too (toot, toot). My thanks to Dale for an incredible meal and a wonderful holiday. Now bring on the pie.

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This Thanksgiving card makes me laugh out loud…

…every time I read it.

When Dale and I read through the Thanksgiving cards from last year, there were a lot of cards that were funny and truly lifted Dale’s spirits, but there was one that truly took humor to a whole new level. It is from my college friend Beth Verderosa Lacey. She is probably hands down one of the funniest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. She always made me laugh and has such a spirit for life, that I adore.  We re-read the cards again today and this card still had us both laughing.

Beth had never met Dale, but sent a card that truly made his day and captured the true essence of Beth. I re-typed what she wrote in the card below as that is as funny as the card itself, which was a Mother’s Day card. I hope Beth does mind me sharing. Hopefully it gives you all a laugh too.  And for those of you who know Beth, you will read this and say, “Yes, that is Beth.”

Dale,
Hi! My name is Beth + I’m a friend of Tom’s from our SUNY Plattsburgh days. I hope this card finds you in good spirits despite your current crappy situation.
There are a few (very random) thoughts I have right now;

• I love a parade! the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is my favorite. I watch it every year. Giant balloon Super Grover is my favorite!
• I don’t dig chicks, but in college Tom had a huge poster of Madonna w/ a cigarette. I’m a total lesbo for that one picture.
• I still don’t know how to download music or make pictures go from the camera to the computer. Don’t tell anyone.
• Right now I’m listening to a Squeeze song. Cool for cats f’n rocks.
• I am genuinely upset I have to remain sober this Turkey Day. I have to work that night. Serious bummer.
• Tom was witness to one of grossest things that happened to me ever (and I’m a nurse!) It was a dead fly in my drink that I spit out. It landed on my lip. I had no idea that flies are so bitter!
• Guess whose Mom didn’t get a Mother’s Day card this year….
• Sometimes I tell myself that God forbid I ever get cancer, I would be tough + brave thru the whole thing. Then I get a bad cold and I’m like “God, I just can’t handle this” w/ tears down my cheeks. Pathetic. Much respect to you my friend.
• I’m already planning my feeding frenzy for Thanksgiving. It goes something like this…cheese + crackers / dessert / chips + dip / more desserts / more cheese + crackers / white meat turkey / desserts until I feel sick. I can’t wait!
• I think fruit ruins dessert. If I wanted health food, I’ll hit the fruit bowl, but good Lord! Don’t fuck up the dessert by adding vitamins!
• I have 3 dogs + 1 husband. If you do the math, that equals 4 dogs. The only difference is that my husband shits inside (usually).
• I can spit gum really far. It’s my best party trick.
• Jello shots make you instantly popular at any party. It’s a great way to get rid of cheap vodka. I steal the scuffle medicine cups from work.

I truly wish you the very best. I hope this is over with quickly + complication free. My prayers are with you both.
Much love,
Beth (formerly Verderosa) Lacey

 

I am in giblet heaven

1/2 for my lunch and 1/2 for the gravy for Thanksgiving dinner. How can you not love the wonders of the turkey neck, liver, gizzard and heart. Internal organ goodness. Yum!

New Thanksgiving Traditions

I snapped a photo of Dale reading his cards from last Thanksgiving. Dale and I had a great time re-reading all 306 beautiful cards again (the picture only shows the first box; the second box is bigger). Some are so touching and some just make you laugh so darn hard. What a treat and a new tradition for years to come. The cards represent so much joy and love.

Counting my blessings

Happy Thanksgiving! I think it is important to reflect this time of year and count your blessings. I am truly blessed.  

• I am thankful for Dale. First and foremost, he is the most important person in my life. He is my everything and I am blessed and proud to call him my best friend, partner and the love of my life.
• I am thankful that Dale beat cancer. Last year and early 2010 was tough, I will not lie. However, Dale fought hard and beat cancer. He did it with such strength, courage and best of all, with a smile. I am so happy to have him healthy again.
• I am thankful for Zoe and Millie. Our two dogs brought us so much love and laughter this past year. Sadly, we lost Millie several months ago, but I am thankful for the 7 years of love she brought to our home and miss her dearly.
• I am thankful to have so many wonderful friends in my life. Whether from high school, college, jobs or online, I am blessed to call each of you my friend. You bring me so much joy, love and constant smiles.
• I am thankful to live in a home that brings us warmth, shelter and joy, surrounded by incredible neighbors who care, support & love Dale and I. They are a blessing and have grown to become our dear friends.
• I am thankful for my family. Although we are not as close as I would like, I know when the chips are down I can count on them.
• I am thankful to work for a great company like Bridgeline Digital that puts a priority on employees & their family. Plus my co-workers are some of the best people you will ever meet. They make me proud every day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and a glorious start to the holiday season.

Keep Thanksgiving traditions alive

I posted the excerpt below on Thanksgiving back in 2007. It remains one of my favorite blog posts to this day, as it truly summed up what my most vivid childhood memories were at Thanksgiving.

As a child, Thanksgiving meant three things to me - my Mom, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV and giblets from the turkey. My Mom was truly an amazing person, who made the holidays so very special. 

My Mom would start Thanksgiving for me with a nice breakfast and get me situated watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I always loved the parade. It seemed so pure and magical to me. To me, it is amazing that an 80+ year tradition continues to live on. In a time of technology and interactive media, it is nice that little has changed in the parade. It is still filled with love, singing, dancing, marching bands and cartoon character balloons. My favorites were always the balloons from the Peanuts comic strip. 

Looking back now, I also realize the Parade also started my love of Broadway theatre and musicals too. I would see the actors do their songs and dances in the parade and would long to see their shows. Once I was in college, trips to see Broadway musicals became standard and continue to this day.

By the time the three hour broadcast of the parade was almost winding down, my Mom would have my turkey giblets ready. I know most of you see the giblets in the turkey as something you simply throw away with disgust since they are the heart, liver, gizzard and neck. Your loss, as they are truly delicious. You really should give them a try. None the less, I love them and I always felt special that my Mom would save them for me (even though My Dad liked the giblets too). It was something that she did for me.  <<Read original blog post>>

It is funny how as an adult you still lean toward your childhood loves. I am sitting here watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV and looking forward to seeing my favorites, Charlie Brown and Kermit the Frog. After the parade, more joy will come when Dale makes me my giblets for lunch.

My Mom is no longer with us and I miss her dearly, but having Dale in my life and heart makes today and the past seven Thanksgivings just as special as when I was a kid. I love this holiday so much as it is about traditions. I have my parade and giblet traditions from my childhood. Dale and I share a breakfast tradition of egg toast and Dale is making his Mom’s spinach stuffing recipe today and cooking the turkey in his Mom’s roasting pan. It is comforting to keep the past alive.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My favorite breakfast

Dale made my favorite breakfast this morning – egg toast. He reserves this for special occasions and holidays, like Thanksgiving. This is also called egg in a basket, toad in the hole, but Dale calls it egg toast. I just call it delicious.

For those unfamiliar, it is prepared by cutting a circular or square hole in the center of a piece of bread. The bread is buttered on both sides and then fried in a pan with butter,similarly to how bread is cooked in a grilled cheese sandwich. When browned, the bread is flipped, and the egg is cracked into the "basket" cut into the toast.  People often put the cut-out circle of bread back on the finished toast and egg, adding a type of "lid" or "hat" to the "basket", but Dale serves his on the side.

This morning the shape was a star and as always it was served with lots of love. Thanks Dale.

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for us

Last year Thanksgiving was far from traditional, as there is nothing you want to repeat about cancer year after year. However, Dale and I were truly blessed last year with the love and support of our neighbors, who were truly our angels. They were the most incredible support system anyone could ask for, while Dale faced cancer. They provided meals, company and love day after day, week after week and month after month. On Thanksgiving they truly took their love to a whole new level. Dale and I came home from the clinic and Dale receiving chemotherapy to find a full Thanksgiving dinner warming in the oven and the table decorated for the holiday. It was incredible and brought tears to our eyes. I have to say it was the kindest act that Dale and I have every experienced. It was truly overwhelming. I blogged about it last year and posted photos to help remember the moment.  My thanks to the Krout Family, Kennedy Family, Davis Family, Walters Family, Messingham Family, Kenner Family, Frederick Family, Dunivan Family and Baltz Family. You made a difficult day one of the most incredible days of our lives. Thank you all for your love!



 

The difference a year makes

It is hard to believe that one year ago today, Dale were spending our Thanksgiving morning at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center and Dale was receiving chemotherapy. If you looked at him today, he is back to his old happy and healthy self. You would never guess he is only 10 months post chemotherapy. 

As tough as it was to spend Thanksgiving at a Cancer Clinic, it was also one the most incredible, if not the most memorable Thanksgiving of our lives. Last year for the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving I have asked neighbors, friends, family and co-workers if they would send a Thanksgiving Day card to Dale, since he would be receiving chemotherapy on the holiday and not spending Thanksgiving in a more traditional way. I had hoped and prayed for 100 cards, but was overwhelmed to receive 306 cards and packages for Dale.  The outpouring of love and support was amazing! It was a very special Thanksgiving, as there were cards that were funny, inspiring, emotional and everything in between. It was such an incredible experience. It took us a total of 7 hours to read through all the cards. I blogged about the experience last year in case you missed it.

We kept all 306 cards in two boxes and will be re-reading these cards again today, as it will be such a treat to be able to re-read these messages of love once again.

There is a giant turkey on our porch

Yes, Terrance the Turkey has returned again this year. Gobble, gobble!

Thank you for making Give n’ Gobble a success!

Over the past few weeks I turned to my on-line community, friends, family, co-workers and neighbors for help to make the lives of a few families a bit brighter this Thanksgiving.  There were several people under-going treatment at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute, where Dale received treatment last year for  lymphoma, who are struggling with medical bills due to no or poor insurance. Over the past two weeks, through the generous nature of so many dear friends, we were able to raise $1,425 to create baskets containing the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinners for 20 families. Dale and I recently delivered these baskets to all the families identified as having a need with the help of several friends and it was a huge success. $610 of the money raised went to creating the dinners and the remaining $815 will be used to purchase Target gift cards for these same families to purchase Christmas gifts.
Your donations truly made a huge difference in the lives of twenty families who needed help this holiday season. I extend my sincere thanks on behalf of the families, The Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and not to mention Dale and I to you all for your love, kindness and willingness to give during a tough year, where we are all struggling to make ends meet.  Thank you!
 

• Kasy Allen & Family
• Janey Alpert
• Scott Ashley & Robert Sansom
• Brian Bolton & Family
• Dr. Mark Brunvand
• Kris & Tripp Baltz & Family
• David Coleman & Family
• Daisy Troop #683
• Kathy & Scott Davis & Family
• Gia DeSelm’s 5th Grade Class at Westridge Elementary School
• Becki & Brent Dilworth & Family
• Robin Doerr
• Lisa Dowd & Family
• Christy Duffy & Family
• Dean Gloude
• Laurie Halvorsen & Co-Workers
• Michelle Hanson & Family
• Terri Hill
• Lana Kellams & Family
• Katie Kenner & Family
• Nicole & Toby Krout & Family
• Stacey Luthy & Family
• Thomas Massie & Family
• Keri McCauley & Family
• Brenda Messingham & Family
• Sara Pacheco & Matt Henkel
• Tammy Robles
• Wayne Rodgers & family
• Sam & Anjanette
• Shannon & Tim Spencer & Family
• Jim Steckler
• Sandy & Steve Stubbendick & Family
• Pat TenEyck & Amy Gibson
• Brett Zucker & Family

You are all wonderful and kind. Best wishes for a wonder Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Operation Give n’ Gobble

Dale and I were joined by our friends Sam, Sandy Stubbendick, Lisa Dowd and Hannah Dowd to distribute the Thanksgiving baskets to the families in need. It was very emotional as these are not only people struggling during the holidays, but also someone in the family is under-going treatment at Dale’s clinic for cancer. I can tell you from mine and Dale’s experience that life is hard enough when you are living with cancer. I could not imagine doing this while plagued by the addition of financial stress. Having to make the decision of paying for your medication or your children is not fair. One family had 7 children and recently lost their home in the Boulder fire, all while the father is facing cancer. I could not imagine their daily stress. However, when we spoke to them, they still remained positive and hopeful. Most who met Dale were shocked that he was only 10 months post treatment for lymphoma. They were amazed on how healthy he looked, so I think in many ways this brought them a lot of hope that the hell they are facing today, may all be worthwhile. 
I snapped a few photos while handing out the baskets, but I did not take a lot as it did not always feel right as some of the families were crying and you could tell most were not used to having to accept this type of donation. For all, we stressed that sometimes you just need that extra helping hand to get by and we asked that they pay it forward one day too.  Overall, it was a great success and I am so thankful to all our friends, who donated and made this day possible.

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Thanksgiving Baskets

As many of you know, Dale and I collected money to create baskets containing the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinners. The baskets were given to patients at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute going through treatment for cancer, who are struggling financially due to little or no insurance. The baskets would help ease a little of the financial burden around the holidays and allow them to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Through the love of our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers, we were able to raise $1425, which allowed us to create 20 Thanksgiving baskets and have $815 remaining to go toward Christmas gift cards for all the same families. I wanted to share some pictures of the baskets, so everyone could see how much food was able to go into each basket for $30.

I personally love the Thanksgiving cards that my neighbor Sophia Krout and her Daisy Troop 683 created. I think it really made the baskets that much more special. The cards were so adorable and heartfelt.

 

Each meal split into two baskets contained a 20 pound turkey, 2 cans of gravy, 2 cans of corn, 2 cans of green beans, 2 cans of cranberry sauce, 1 box of mashed potatoes, 1 box of au gratin potatoes, 2 bags of stuffing, 1 bag of rolls, 1/2 gallon of milk, 1 pound of butter, 1 container of whipped cream, 1 pumpkin pie and 2 Thanksgiving Day cards, which was more than enough to feed a family and provide lots of leftovers.

 

Here are all the baskets lined up in our garage, ready to go to help make a family’s Thanksgiving a little brighter.

 

A truck bed full of large 20 – 24 pound turkeys.

Missed Opportunity by TSA

I think TSA is missing a huge opportunity right now. They are under attack for the invasion of privacy caused by body scans and pat-downs. When given lemons, made lemonade!




Millions of Americans have no or poor health insurance which does not allow for body scans or regular physical exams. Why not have physicians on staff to look at the body scans and let you know if anything "peculiar" shows? Or use medical students to do the pat-downs. They can check for bombs and lumps. Early detection is crucial for beating cancer, so instead of all the bad press of pat-downs, they could promote TSA's positive new offerings of free breast and testicular exams.

It is a win-win. America gets healthier and the TSA are suddenly not airport screeners but airport and health screeners. Come on TSA, think outside the box.

Be Thankful

It seems that the holiday season is upon us, whether I am ready or not. I can tell I am not the only one shocked it is already the week of Thanksgiving, as most everyone on Facebook is crazed based on the volume of posts about the stress of Thanksgiving company and events, not to mention the start of Christmas shopping. I guess I am no different as I am already planning Christmas gifts for Dale and I too am seeing our calendar throughout December fill up. The next six weeks will surely be hectic, but I know I will do my best to remain focused on what matters. It is not the gifts, the events or all the material things that matter this time of the year. I know it sounds corny, but to me this time of year is all about reflection and celebrating the love and joy of the past 11 months. I hope everyone remembers that too. Take a few minutes to look back, be thankful and count your blessings. I am sure you have plenty to be thankful.

Thanksgiving at home

Dale and I have made a change of plans. We originally had planned on going to Thanksgiving dinner at a family member's house, but the desire for a quiet holiday at home sounded heavenly, so we have changed out plans. It is supposed to be a high of 30 degrees that day (burr) so a day inside sounds just about perfect.

Dale and I are planning a nice breakfast, followed by watching the Macy's Parade on TV and the cooking of a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.

While the bird is cooking, we will watch some DVDs and maybe sneak in a nap. Dinner will be served late afternoon and be followed by more DVD watching and more napping. Hell, we may stay in our pajamas all day.

Yes, it will be a quiet, lazy Thanksgiving in the Gl-ittaker home.

The Christmas spirit from 10,000 feet

On my flight from Boston, MA to Denver, CO this evening, I wrote out and addressed 80 Christmas cards.

I know it seems odd, but hear me out. When does anyone have uninterrupted time for writing Christmas cards? It is one of those things you either put off and never get to or you rush through a few days before Christmas, so I figured why not make the most of my flight time. I packed the two 40 count boxes of cards in my carry-on luggage and took them out shortly after take-off. The seat tray, although a tight working space, proved suitable for the task. I even played a Christmas playlist on my iPod to get myself in the holiday spirit. 4 hours later and I was done (except for 7, who I was missing a current address).

So yes, if you receive a Christmas card from Dale and I this year, it was written 10,000 feet above the ground somewhere between Boston, MA and Denver, CO on United Airlines flight 536 from seat 13A.

If only they sold stamps and picked up mail on this flight, I would be all set. Happy holidays!

Are you a courteous flier?

I consider myself a courteous flier. I place one bag in the overhead bin and one under the seat in front of me, so others have room for their bags. I do not sit next to the window and get up every 20 minutes to use the bathroom and bother the other passengers in my row. I always greet the flight attendants with a kind hello and say goodbye with a sincere thank you. I do not even recline my seat, as I hate when others do this to me. I always do my best to stay in my space and share the arm rest, as I think this is polite. I am a courteous flier.

The man next to me on tonight's flight was not a courteous flier. He invaded my space. He is what I would call a wanderer. His arm wandered more and more with each passing hour and overtook the armrest. I got tired of the game and eventually gave in rather than be touching arm to arm with Mr. McCreepy. He felt the need to use my area to stretch his legs, not once or twice but three times. He temporarily placed his drink on my seat tray, without asking, when he went to the restroom. He was not a courteous flier.

Tomorrow is Operation Thanksgiving

Through everyone's amazing donations, tomorrow Dale and I will be creating lots and lots of baskets containing all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner for patients (and their families) going through treatment for cancer with little or no insurance. We fondly call this Gobble and Give. These are all patients at the same clinic where Dale received treatment last year.

If anyone still wants to help and make a donation, there is still time, as we are now onto raising money for Operation Christmas. For this we will be raising money to help the same families with gifts and food for Christmas. I think I need a catchy name like Gobble & Give, huh?

Anyhow, email me at twwhit72@aol.com if you want to help with a donation. Thanks!

Sometimes I feel like our dog, Zoe does not…

…feel quite at home in our house.

On the brighter side

In just 36 days the Winter Solstice will be upon us. This is great news, since it means in 37 days, the amount of daylight each day will actually start to increase, which to me is desperately needed.

We have hit our goal for Thanksgiving

I am thrilled to report that Dale and I already have the commitment needed to hit our goal of 30 Thanksgiving Day dinner baskets for patients under-going cancer treatment and struggling due to little or no insurance.

Everyone has been extremely supportive and checks are already rolling in and we have 8 people delivering baskets Saturday morning. Dale and I are so blessed to have so many kind and generous people in our lives.

This Saturday afternoon we will be delivering the baskets of food to the cancer clinic, where the patients and family will be gathering to pick them up. I will make sure to take pictures to share.

Again a huge thanks from Dale and myself. These baskets will directly help reduce the burden many families are currently facing.

Is it too early for Christmas music?

I think it is my mood today or the cold temperatures and grey skies, but when I was driving to the grocery store this evening I listened to Christmas music. I love Christmas music and tend to gravitate to the more melancholy Christmas songs. I think it is the emotion of the melancholy Christmas songs that pulls me in.

Here are my top 5 favorite Christmas songs:

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

2. All I Want For Christmas (Is You) - Mariah Carey

3. River - Joni Mitchell

4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

5. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Michael Buble

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Under the weather

Dale came down with a bit of a bug today. He has been sick in bed since we got home from our morning walk. Poor guy. I hate to see him not feeling 100%.

When he or I are sick it always make me think of my Mom. She was a great caregiver and always knew the thing I needed most without me having to say it - whether some soup, ginger ale, a cold wash cloth for my head or a kiss on my forehead. There was nobody better than my Mom when I feel sick. Dale is definitely a close second.

I am no Mom but I do try my best to take care of my love, Dale. I have kept Dale under the covers with a cold cloth on his forehead all day. I even went to the store for some ginger ale and chicken noodle soup goodness. Hopefully, he will be back on his feet real soon.l

Yes, I am a mall walker

With the cold weather upon us, I took to walking the mall each morning this weekend to help ensure I keep up my physical activity and diet goals. I was joined my Dale and our friends Anjanette and Sam at 7:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday, which helped make the experience fun. It was interesting walking the malls. We did Flatirons Crossing on Saturday and Westminster Mall today.

We expected more mall walkers and only saw 1 other mall walker on Saturday. 4 other today. Is mall walking no longer cool?  Was it ever cool?

Flatirons was warm and bright, so it made us feel like we were almost outside. Westminster Mall with only 30 stores in the 125 retail spaces was a bit depressing. It was darker and it seemed like they were conserving on the heat. No matter how depressing, we were really only there to walk, so both locations served their purpose and I am thankful they open for mall waking.

It is funny, I am 38 and already walking malls. What will I be doing at 68?

Saturday Night’s Game Night

Last night was Couple’s Game Night. Our friends Sam & Anjanette hosted and we joined them and our friends Sandy & Steve and Tim & Shannon for some laughs, a pineapple rum drink, some yummy appetizers, Dale’s 7-up cake and the game picked for the event, Scattergories.

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It was a great evening. It is always fun to see this group of friends and Sam & Anjanette were the perfect hosts. It was a great evening. Tim & Shannon took home the trophy again, but I am determined to make sure this is the last time. Dale and I need to step up our game and bring home a win in January.

Great walk this evening

I snapped this photo when I took my dog Zoe for a walk around 4:00 PM. Dale told me there was some weather coming in. He was right!




I love where we live as you get views like this where snow clouds come in over the Flatiron Mountains. It is beautiful.

It was a great walk. It was cool in the low 40's, but it still felt great to be outside walking. It really cleared my head. It was just me, Zoe and my iPod on shuffle along Standley Lake. I of course snapped a few photos.

We need your help creating Thanksgiving meals for those in need

Last year at Thanksgiving on the spur of the moment, Dale and I put an ad on Craigslist under the “free stuff section” and offered to provide a family in need the ingredients for a full Thanksgiving dinner. In the end, we ended up buying and delivering meals for four families (with the help of our friend Sam). It was a very rewarding experience and we feel we truly helped local families down on their luck in a tough economy have a better holiday.

This year, we have decided that we going to do this again, but we are going to combine this with another group we feel needs our help - people going through cancer treatment with no little or no health insurance. There will be 1.6 million new cases of cancer this year. I could not imagine facing the pain and struggles of cancer with no health insurance, but that is the reality for so many Americans and people in our community. I can tell you from my experience watching Dale fight cancer last year, it is an extremely stressful time, without the added pressure and burden of trying to figure out how to pay your medical bills or how to feed your family.

Last year at Dale's clinic, we met a Grandmother, who was battling cancer. Her daughter had died the previous year, also from cancer, leaving her 3 small children to raise. The Grandmother had no health insurance, so she honestly was not feeding herself, so she could use the little money she had to feed her grandkids. Nobody should have to face those choices. For her and her grandkids, things like a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas were a luxury. This Grandmother is the type of person we plan to help this year and so can you!

Our plan is to ask those of you reading this along with my friends, co-workers and neighbors to join us in creating 25 baskets with the following Thanksgiving dinner ingredients:

• 14-16 pound turkey
• stuffing mix
• gravy mix
• instant mashed potatoes
• can of cranberry sauce
• can of corn
• bag of rolls
• package of butter
• gallon of milk
• pumpkin or apple pie

This will cost only $30 and can easily provide several meals to a family of 4 not just for Thanksgiving, but several days of leftovers. We will deliver these baskets to the clinic Dale received his treatment, Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (formerly the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center of Denver). We are working with the Financial Coordinator at the clinic and she has already identified 25 patients in need of assistance due to high medical bills and limited or no health insurance. The Financial Coordinator will then deliver these baskets directly to the patients and their families.

So how can you help?

1. Buy the Thanksgiving dinner ingredients listed above and deliver them to my house on Saturday, November 20th between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
2. Mail me check or a gift card for Target / Walmart for $30 and Dale and I will do the shopping for you.

I know this is a tough economy, but please think about others this Thanksgiving and look deep to see if you can spare $30 to help a family facing cancer and the added stress of poor health insurance. That $30 could help change their life.

If you are interested in participating, email me at twwhit72@gmail.com. I can provide you our address for dropping off the food or sending the money.  Thank you so very for reading and hopefully participating.

Gobble, gobble!

Who knew fat had an upside?

Yes, I finally found the positive side of being fat - warmth. Apparently fat keeps you warm. I am just learning this interesting bit of trivia having lost almost 55 pounds over the past 4 months. As winter approaches and the temperature drops, I find myself in a constant state of shivering.

Look it's me shivering.

I have never been cold like this and I really think it is the weight loss. It makes sense I would be cold because for all practical purposes, I lost a layer of blubber that was insulating me. I have even resorted to sleeping with a hooded sweatshirts a few nights as I cannot expect Dale to keep piling more blankets on the bed. I am optimistic my body will adjust and get used to this, but maybe not.

The diet blues

It is sort of funny but the first 50 pounds of my recent weight loss were so easy, but this last 25 pounds has been a struggle. I am not making excuses, but really there are two big reasons are part of the issue - time and seasons.

I have been working crazy hours including working evenings and weekends. This has caused very little time for walking, poor diet choices and a lack of focus on my health goals.

The other problem is autumn is here and winter is peaking its' head around the corner. It is dark by the time I get home, not to mention cold, so that has hindered my desire to want to walk in the evening. It is tough as my human nature is to hibernate this time of year, not go outside and walk.

No matter what, I need to find some solutions and quick as I cannot give up on my goals. Sadly, last week was the first week I reversed and gained weight. I added on three pounds and I have already lost two and 1/2 of them this week, mostly due to a head cold and no appetite.

The options to get the exercise I need as I see it are:

1. Suck it up and brave the dark and cold each night. This seems unlikely because I hate the dark and cold. I am not a winter person.

2. Try to carve time during the day to get in some walking. Since I am working long days this may be a good option from a mental health perspective too.

3. Start going to the gym. This is tough too as I hate the treadmill. I feel like a hamster on a wheel.

4. Hit the mall. Drive to the mall and walk an hour each night. Not a horrible idea. Will be more time consuming getting there and back, but would resolve dark/cold issues.

Does anyone have any good advice? I need to get back on the 2 pounds a week wagon. Help!