Family Fun Cruise – Days 1 & 2

<p>Early Sunday morning Kyle & I arrived at our local airport to wait for a delayed flight. :( We ended up sitting in the airport for 2 1/2 hours before taking off.  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtReuaF-Jj0eps-iURte4MikIYCi3qQ_nhd4CVJzZmhzMcY1ZcnaeD6paonrT2xBCoxdNzxIxvCjYumTlh-VbVGSegEaWPnhiflfeVA1BbW5AtezfJ60-R6prv1XQ3nR-jgHWx3nMQbMS/s1600-h/DSC09353%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09353" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6QPNHTfEsM9EwfEQGMCSDMu-fhnBx31b7quSTI83dpgKoe1K3rGLRn2-tKTNG13faYPkrK8YgItDLJPTkc6eLl3bLlp0VMQaxzA_BBtuYQn2Hdwo-KZ3MGxVRTtqnZcxRB-VqWqR60qo/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09353" width="404"></a></p> <p>We stayed positive though and were excited for our upcoming vacation!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvSAfo0C-oA0JNuUolwV57POyIcqFEnLuYpEv-y-iYUOf-MVrrBJ9R5BmAIsPyHtkLkntSlmqGVDIfhcicyXBUMYG9ybjbhlpRIdVmt_b1879y34iBmQ-uMvPN41GPmZS4dJgykls0DWv/s1600-h/DSC09356%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09356" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpHqxdeYUIOzctO_QbH__aYjvYmJPpQ8cY3kuW9BH2ZndRiCDAlJG70AaIMOZ_mfoDI_mW5TU3FAX7dcBsK6dbCrkE5s2WZB9N9xqkgJeSwqBe0tyyEgYNCtLPn62EPtbKlKuVRxco3lN/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09356" width="304"></a></p> <p>We missed our connecting flight and got to Tampa around 6pm, rented a car, and picked up my sister, Mindi, & her hubby, Preston.</p> <p>We hit up Giordanos for 2nd time in 2 weeks! <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/11/weekend.html">Chicago anyone?</a> ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1At2qpV2nq-zcbePPmMtWYPOgUXq3Xa_CUU7bt_4AbujyT3ZbUXwp82Y1maT6y4Nraj5TdhrylZESDptMUkQxYV97MlPA3nZey8fukblX5FhB-oNq0FUmoTXI5vaGrypDeu6-cB0LllC2/s1600-h/DSC09361%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09361" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71vPHJRp4UdTSZLwu4OwOeTY52WlvVugoE9Ogk8KqZS1wDgqVf8OCmwHhv74V3S4_vRwyG9D7dBsLZ0KkrLN8SZdmj0zJVI4D70jc4FWcdSElVi6-Rokl0Nu5V8_hFzOfyfWaF3gBX8eh/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09361" width="404"></a></p> <p>Mindi & Preston were more than excited to try Chicago style pizza!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF82Oqxng-4ICpLDrdo8rNFs9ErZhAr8ej07fY1AjiXrjGjaMj06N7mtSZcoMmF0d-Xaz1Qwt7S389d_GCUrtagXgF_nrGHHI1nqPZlWTQsFKWtvYoJXjXNy-u0LoDyNoERpOgxII3ZkGe/s1600-h/DSC09357%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09357" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiry7jzh6xrqts_YsfRPhYCnrB2SMyc837u6kvjvzZe3EyV4A0HBLn3fj1ltDTlJdnqFDCbfdEyC3HhxzYrHAWJRFMK__uLsFRE4TOf8ttGE_eE8zkpCMfU81KkhQAh8Gvk56HROndZsynD/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09357" width="404"></a></p> <p>And of course Kyle knew all the yummy, pizza goodness that was he was about to devour!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6M8g2CLqHn8TgGgIHcZUMFUFSfYS1Zr60VzLS6A-aKZc30JH5xp2g-KsZOI1btyySqUQjEgAeqQFQJnESP00B6yeCWzCahGYiEw5EV3NCZOjtU0_aWnRz6eog1a3uTCgiSV8U7rAOSRD/s1600-h/DSC09358%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09358" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fvbeO2jlGz4_gfd0l52r8BAjjCIv410duYveRijqmgG8nSU3HIF59z_O2XI7RmRXt5MkDmcROM7nQXDrQGD_s_ewUOPVFdWB-9u3XIJvFfah2172CiDOhq0q5pVske5M0sDxRAYflVNO/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09358" width="404"></a></p> <p>We met up with my sister, Stef, and her husband, Geoff. <img alt="_DSC1612" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkk3wAsKyvz10KIlRiyWTT07B-02_CtOKF_dHqt81x6PdTvb6pYnFuFzOwvY79AA06bZfsWQ6H0R8inO_ELJLMFQ4muT2kn1zqcbE4N4RaGb8wvXtl2NNU2YJqXIkVh9x5Z0Hpf6FxXeQY/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1612" width="404"></p> <p>And my cousin Dar, and his fiancé, Julie!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13MuzqR5QxMgTacD-7NhcgIl-qysvachb63EKJFeGL5Z8vpEhqZ-UAUa0zmw4OGcWJYKi1X0H-1WiybsDWXE0lmlOcxA1Zv3I7ekMMKMcypa_qWALjieIbpU-lmAKsgi4Qk-4edQpcGZm/s1600-h/_DSC1615%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1615" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H764WUZkciWrGNjML8_qcIJHjF-eD8Q0IesHSd-bVsZ6TVmtxTAgMH7rVr-z8Fo2mo7r3m2GQhVJyGzyLKvoo-kyI383QN6WXaS4HnUpgBUYZ8sdUILULp2EfqHYnfM7XrjqlLpNsIHT/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1615" width="404"></a></p> <p>We all stayed in downtown Tampa for the night, just a hop, skip, & a jump away from the port!<img alt="_DSC1603" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLMNq_qojw76JkLILiK86Wdo1a-Ra0MOKgHzpCj7t4DVrc19GRgANRetgkC0ewbGwroSnePuU7RGwh66aT7MdH3vR8_BqyHdzNUFXsj-OPjnT_dLRucQpGMBTl4GiCDujY6GMHM7A_OZb/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1603" width="404"></p> <p>We all met up for breakfast the next morning and couldn’t wait to get on the boat!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0jZCd9bhh0Xg1IbgWO4CVuJLI2YbDc660qlM_H7L3VhVNsw7blNUkJTLYPea3DxC0qKrMTB_MY-h4YYhLzrRW3UMXzuU5nLValHZ9Ic6legchvGunuuDzuf2IPcq8gxfV0eJtvsCV7V3/s1600-h/_DSC1636%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1636" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQKgpqmyPtVgN439teratE4xmrRuXM2H-cQWCcByMLUwmQGZJ0QolJEqsKEXAiSTLsPG26Eg3bfAiTm97TmbaZne6l0ybUBJw79zeRmuHDp7Yj79kO9xGOZJU0W27FWF4VxafZL_hAzam/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1636" width="404"></a></p> <p>It was a short bus ride to the port.<img alt="DSC09365" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnb8TMQAtcVc9KBsXr_Ph7e7cScCMN2FBC9v_dnO4tOOAb3ivXnL67xkrP6radldAZ3b8IiAWbfKk7H1p5yIj8i6FlAoa3z6d0-AgiZQpUXB-6TL8BDZQSxQiX355uq2x3RDt7aPPLc2E/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09365" width="404"></p> <p>Everyone was all smiles!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvWjMByTCzRFDYTneI_ujGXQPGs_0fxpWOunZlWblcolX5evB-1jjyCC0aAOSkG3iQ-f3ceN1OuHWP_duiUt5XtkWiKZqVt9BTQIhtYUuqeOLLFpGY_AbAV8rvHXntMyHUlvO_ZsvSC5U/s1600-h/DSC09362%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09362" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57hyVdxVDvACtarVckB7vX9F2Hnnp7lKCMintPgewbNH_L6HTiWBSMfJ7C2HILfU6_RHyuZGYJcM2LpF5bA5ppa9MD7z7tfannsunRmWDZs4wyc87sX7foAK0tGqU2R-cwyOEIB0E2jPG/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09362" width="404"></a></p> <p>Especially me & my Superman…aka Kyle! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWlE9ND31Z9OC52iueRM1kGS4k7CsPAEaqvE4bFwtDRI1NxdcAo2YiY3nRt4EAutFop25Gv6fK-yd1MSi5ghJbio3cOdMmzzoIc0z8XM_waP7WusCJnpNjOEdqcQ8U1QLrYVwVClHF5tG/s1600-h/DSC09364%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09364" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSt9MN3xLFx2jJU2c_MkTVM-in1SoZxnmLTEjiAe3zIF5SZdCEClBY2BX45mr9WhllG6iBcZWKZsRUdA2nGVOnNX6dcaz32iQmTG633JGEVR4oky-a05XiqYFrEQOzEmxN4udjhSj-7fK/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09364" width="304"></a></p> <p>Checking in was a breeze, this was the first view of my home for the next 5 days! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd-ZwTAN889MfqwSWw2P4bxOXPa4lWx8pfP_eVOpdRUoVfp6MDhqs9uISZbfGIxXiioJgkrJtHJmrsBXhtQFEZd4gCUc_sCc3fTSpvzSKAlGDE9D2K_aiTE1dlvaBMs6rHWYuvVkHbKuB/s1600-h/DSC09367%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09367" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IU1H48JdCDmX9Adqc-oGpCN3My4mRLTVmq8aWW9JULIVr3q7lTrAUncTKN-UH8M24YF2cPwGXy8oE3yaDU3JGORxyCJjyKKAesBgckLniBQLyn-K85jIUgKJwenUGl9qQq4M-o2rYcoA/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09367" width="404"></a></p> <p>We spent the first few hours exploring the ship. Check out our room!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mr9qlnLAV87RhQwBicN_etiKs2jp32DNXG7VnsQkx_KduAfjzjOSZMof0kooD_hnjSAgM-CexkKGsunVXdH4xxmTZAmsY09jZCP_Jz8t8_e1SkpOQ0lTphhb0UIh_SKemvCkJ5fCLiQj/s1600-h/DSC09467%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09467" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRlHMnumMgSHxrlTUwXGq9S0OrHe_RY_UGkPVBFdXkd5ysWJZPAMVgFHr4BQJSLo_qSxTkd0f3RQWRWsu1qkDq5WgulfKG7BTLcR4lyEFkrIWzvsxZ6kMeXy4kHxgsCXz6knpfadld6Gh/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09467" width="404"></a></p> <p>The bathroom wasn’t quite big enough for my burly husband!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeUWiHBZ7u73aEQaoRPVzcO2bcColdC5khPW5i5vIEuAs2dKXPR5fDPzSZ3fPNyM9Pp7mKQirVHaQMfIaUTkqW95m9ow2mDFY8PMH24UnHe_Erbb0nH0D6TzU3VZXfd2GPeifRr2l3Xst/s1600-h/DSC09468%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09468" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBR3tyhwEPVWrq4OV20CxKGDcHN6XDTBHXPJ0gPHfqpmnDVL3RiJkfNfxddRiPwu76c9NaMigYPZEykAxHBFDiJ7siKPLPQF0Xb0HPonoRl1iTAbLJKgV_qxPGN8P6P2vWHH_-9dyHOAAh/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09468" width="304"></a></p> <p>We even squeezed in a few activities before we left port. <img alt="_DSC1681" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZ8u5NySMtNm8bzmX1LeJYlCYRIJlnQcLGI6bz8g1FuSY2-U8_OyxA6BnHOpTl_De_lYTsAyC2y0rJgVn0dOEfLunKKrhHZyUFzVVqYR0tQZBSAW8S0F2v9tDUqKHOIVfMw33shQTHzIj/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1681" width="404"></p> <p>At 5pm sharp, we left the Tampa port…..<img alt="DSC09370" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCVeyn_CJ0bZnnx24OIj5qyWWgddpeFpO0rTK2VftHoEA0idmyDP9YD9t2r72ztx-NEyTlkPkabFv7SEs-qqNi4KIt1FggGtn3Oe3_A0jriveVpQ6dGjCUKFp3BZiX5SUbjXRNUxub7SZ/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09370" width="404"></p> <p>and we had front row seats!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5j-5piecMfyfKfAte9vw3kZyhGLIXSmz7ejNd023rqI3DTv1S4p5aca32gk1W-LbrHzcGQ_esfPSHib2_DwZ0mK-7TPycwGj-gIV5dTh9CQ_ZgVqq5EX7RxNqdtkmA53vR79aOBakfZM/s1600-h/_DSC1707%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1707" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicItElLYTb501_OAHNVGI8i3U-GA0vbxrlGMU5OxejMd2J7gUbqgYpIHrer995-4D0_LIp0_6HPjjdCNuvKlcjxiJcek324qUeot8bav_AIjZ7zChCn7bw356JjZX1nYworyUn3j4KmrU3/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1707" width="404"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7QpMZDTEDpMQ1D249VIdi41yKHNq5vb1P0Ta1wUIQiEprzw-oamj6f8y3uMDf-2qfnG_JWFlGagsW3QI03LtDjez_raDvLkpamnzEEJYnIEwU962013lrf9MpH0k8ZOs8SZcXp7X7ohf/s1600-h/_DSC1778%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1778" border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EdYRgn4LnLuHUy8JfJvKdNUdLetV1ha9vH7i7yT3NwHU9VxjMBjAVY1WF0ojtYTFFVR6engJTw3oKNDhRLaREvB08LRHbSiMJi75wgAWgbKDHU8VUxffmkFZi7ntNtPFoDkvBwApzImA/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1778" width="404"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7YfRyopKd9h-so7uZlqyMJ7nHIQ6dVVfV3KGLVIHMnXHgmp309y5w88U_XRO1glc-Bkr8n9nApbgMsqo4nlu0RzYFWHYaKS074BajUEOo62CHn5B-ZeJSmGMR7F5vk5vRNAv15zvvioG/s1600-h/_DSC1783%5B9%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1783" border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Jb0rTx5aWYdAaGHi-sP0TN_h6nBAPwg_v-jLqo-tIOIYJv9pmMHeFNIM25er8wT87CjbMuPqj0INEInZXti8mvy3hKdfqCMbaw8huHLXdQqRy_k6y4zxXd-oDOh6KhYwNp__DhzWBUQE/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1783" width="355"></a></p> <p>Everyone cleaned up & changed for dinner!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfOGoeG84s_5BObhSVSWD1OHiuulzvkv4v7M-KMwRWHjsqb1xWuX-LTEhShR517fvX6eqOnsdvL9rkR7sjiSbxfdJzrVqItQjfAVDbGkVEkmL0UutWA_yphHwe0XN3lbz64OAZwYFtgbr/s1600-h/_DSC1800%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1800" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNysAZvsCl0xrglWTw3VPO1VpTxF4A8fOSOk40YS8SPYSWTYt1RI64ELwN9yCkkyK_ncuNmVTarzMM_srl7epAGzvqmYMWQjRHwFG78P4SQCm_3LO4bmbFW2M8xgEy2_M-OP86bUx63E-T/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1800" width="404"></a></p> <p>Brent & Shelly were the last couple to join our group, 10 of us total!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlHI6jTUsFeSQ3ybO8jrfB3DW6Lw2CFhGvamdKjzhw6bKp3ebRHnSRs6Q09herY-c_8-g1RtY2AXMojD4PmLJV79cElfVoZ6FYHOBVtFs4yPTL0okMSRzvo93gaLgBsM9II1osRupy7YR/s1600-h/_DSC1803%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1803" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQIBfWdSyGgR_gNr1-iAI4aLX29RtFK2iFvQ6zOrwDZriEuGj42Sbla0wAOWV4fpTCbOUFzB2bVtS2XkVv5olEX1OUloVwlksogXEf9xYk9kWzFhRktoOSWo9_BVbDg0ZCeK3dS64YFI1/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1803" width="404"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65bFUAxY0-NXG4AObXxX5jBevH88k43G9rheItC3cG150CESbCa_gG8d2PI7F5Sct0u2TPg65di34yZ3WqKl-dRwF6ar8-MfoxTeVRdHvFbfs9vye_7PPtbjy1C3gi7ThrEPTUxpknNVG/s1600-h/_DSC1805%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1805" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FvdOJktlTc4QNTzW6wz_zqwNC8eFg5FD1OVH0s0Wrd-2Wp7ZgGROPa1MovHuSBBXgYVHIF-NeyyZ-ioI-STfhkkAu9qx_EDkMC-cZmqUK1JP-oWXu8x0p7hi4lm2y9rU0gNi2FHdXu_K/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1805" width="404"></a> <img alt="_DSC1799" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO615H59fS5QM74m6pI1K1fKlvX64nWzqNnn7YJ7fNLNYMFh3dpPtxwx63nd10PN52wxluR2JCKCQRjihT6Jt8CLrQet6fh4f70cwEladZpnWlmUJcxXHflFlMA7sxIdOsQzAJnAeHegd/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1799" width="404"></p> <p>The menu was full of options!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYekwtsQ7dTAalAjuY5VHC7TelrpiplhftwfDeXZdyW1EKToDWQX9sI8b1d341Fn9g-J1GNEVwq-xgHVAltKl_8YUedAPRwWvoInzN1pZZvmTP84JvWR3jcWM8Lo-YXJ_ZcXFHkKYVkTE/s1600-h/_DSC1794%5B8%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1794" border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh121FHAxkllNSR0pYkGLJHwoltTuFo7LqeftWAnHZq4dScWMldUf1fkAmX4r_VTX5G5sbos_fE_ISNb1v8a-XsRQ8AzRyDwH5qsBak6WREeteYBm_VuFeHUOhL-aNyyhVPRsLQV7L_kPre/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1794" width="304"></a><img alt="_DSC1795" border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbg0CRcT2ABsiKZUJPEOpbpYDKmsDaV4DeM34U-JoNvlQK9rMZpARypsLrfjmUoZTeGuCw4Y9kn0Xiiwg6drpi6oVtXfaE-sLOvNIWCUfklSRKe49KkUgzjYLYGyTzWzK3I1SuQGiSJ9B/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1795" width="404"></p> <p>Even healthy options!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_xNnzm6Ti5uddRPDNW7iuub8LSHQQaRucR4Y7PSwd9GjQGJtG72KfvE-t-sYZOCX6WhO7pchVUSnchOs6JG4sL-UIzThfST_L-QkKxsmDbxFrqTcTIJMrCNZFHQGdtzcTbSV-QsLcR6C/s1600-h/DSC09377%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09377" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZWve_OxDgsXGm5gvN9ODISdYIBMKjoWuuXdAd3eTSlfXzXxE6YaBXf8CFyoieod8FRbcjIRlR5gA6gFV0DZNhLwwnqA4IOivlT93viIAm4EF1IXTtq56sUNMPkV4FOSGxzf6uEqHQLaa/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09377" width="404"></a></p> <p>And maybe some not so healthy ones! Gotta splurge on vacation!<img alt="DSC09379" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFCZVz9ZCFZ7FDnaKon8g1AGnT6HKDTR4x7xeF-cEfUkf123p4Uda9tdKTo9HePj5BT0hRL52-h4vn_Us2AD3xzclcfQD545uYQHx5jP4GfBTBzNj5WcPq4h92zDsHpEjahz1tqNWJnnP/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09379" width="404"></p> <p>Dessert is our favorite course!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLKKZp7wDn0hNJqb4y6vnLYUzsmjvRyqNTEVAGNwAy1wBXsvLKp2bpwJsJ1d-xEsZdhvHI2tg_H1-ZwjkbmcxM27LBhyphenhyphenp99HArN47h2EFcA7bJCip8oS_fZnYfhs7Xlzk3796WR6wMcvU/s1600-h/DSC09382%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09382" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmMGhUL7rm88xSCG-W5Vx6fpXtq0tIiY5B0Urv0Y_GdJzE6_Zz7J60SzjJhR7Y-Qt5MVZc4id_EZ00E4rH2eK44LBfzYo9CK6HqSEGZxOyNjCxXBqx_xox5c0rOjF19s_nkVfbliskGdn/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09382" width="304"></a></p> <p>After an excellent dinner with happy tummies, we headed to the front of the ship for the opening show!<img alt="_DSC1822" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJN3Mr-3Tqa6cmJ70UxGB11HCnoJs3tMZEQ30f4lHTXSIICN-O7HV0QS7mCzgGkbat0VO-IHHCtmbL6OCTRuQo1jqKcwwtQD9s4_MaLcRLhHH_iomRb_DWn5W0qHq5R6U51MIQTVKLklE/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1822" width="404"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NrMj_7GjT-kvp6o3RjQeFel6rD_EbQe2cbNqzCY2mw-XCcJepIgJ_EbiWiOZLTru6PqhEOqxQmkfR2N3cQIJUwfO8E1AjwZzbuKXBMiJLI1hTP4hh88uW7LVfMlRgLx4rnpRllc_uBax/s1600-h/DSC09383%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09383" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hhjR4hXSjHPw9ZWT-zLHjznUSuCcqdVXSuug7LsZKJgerjrFy0dsQvLRYLlm6firZrJlyarWgCh6h8rvlfj_oMxwU46BOwW-VlxXxPDDa5zXdf1u__icEmunCLmCGCRN8m83eKjx9o-u/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09383" width="404"></a>           </p> <p>Day 2 – At Sea  </p> <p>We spent the majority of the day, RELAXING! We slept in, enjoyed a wonderful breakfast was a view of the Gulf, and soaked in the sun! It was glorious!</p> <p>Dinner day 2 was the formal one and I LOVE to dress up!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphvWphm9cYlURJ-T5Uk72ZKbCeGq8NMmCO-c2kltn6Pot_C58w0aTbR0RDb9El_jmZdzd49TAZN6_yt6fJ16kttGXaSFSYwONr9IXUtHUrxR-It_6qvqpjb7kCO1nz8ygB-k3yM9R0-zH/s1600-h/_DSC1830%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1830" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkL0s4gP-RrDsf8QA07XuuXhc196T8rrrq5nlHWinKL_AkxbZojY7hXVcC-El-IJnh_ATZF_485SRjQWo6Ncg6-ZPWkd5pegF7YxGFUEeO345IzsGIZY544U2s6bMU7ElRaEVbwqfRoOq/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1830" width="404"></a></p> <p>I picked up my dress at Younkers, a size too big, had it altered and still only had $17 total in it! LOVE good deals!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRP2oh-M5flU_AKYSiqGzgojqTJ7PHA0Hshhyphenhyphenf7Y3CSf0EGnQKPCKGFIa2xreHp3k7Fd79uYs0AhythiDFGf49HRtrPXjEtzPTVz0q5d4gmll7b8gqZKyGiNIdWzE3HDLiV8LUeD8nyn_/s1600-h/_DSC1832%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1832" border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNK91StLRyrOIBy1EQP4PxHVr60eowoVXonJuErh1uOElzmeGMQ8kFb0sO_KsOkyf-JkBS4gX06fPPdeNSxOaXBv8zcFLu3rCVrAWtW9BoKGJKpd1zYsdEzY_O5HUs1gEhyPMeTtOUlt2/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1832" width="304"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-y9XoJ-tUJWawEoet6l2EEYd-jKqIvbFxZHwSevO_kDICY1O7vjGf11Yz0ufU5At-4RfSE4oefWIPrWrEN5jq3CvKskwK-c9NiDb-nNJyeR670VZW-zXsgcG2wecB_oA-AqPehoTegBS/s1600-h/_DSC1833%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1833" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrapS0GXBhBzJpsDFbPdD5TZGOj3JDlBAdD5PrYucKYkRQ2g3k9MvJJMPhLi3qbOcXCH8QyapkzI5SGGTlpf9y2rdr4TL6kMCmOdQ7Pym2WkPkDqoL7gE720ISVV7Pr1R5ejTSZcP7i-8h/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1833" width="404"></a>   <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwS39ymdeYCmmlVv2MrH4B-o2eCMC4YjLaKvBGNVruEaS1v8RVFOB7BjU-z4Hz3SAnN7NexE6_IVffumXhA7VoDamd33ogfdC4nytrq0r8B3RC0_XQ6_CHlOvlXODjHXleUCPQ5qYqWefK/s1600-h/_DSC1845%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1845" border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX8xGF-N6HR1Dyu3W8WB7JUhsIHFT3i5B2_Ca6svr801GWJzOuFPyRpuzvhJT59NbLEVxkYgA3zjM002PMWc4BPrSJ8nWhHzkAgHAuCkBmHRdcNHeDTwx6Spni-Iz2FPsNfqSDZbXzMhr/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1845" width="304"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKr2ytTme9qgP7cFzrrHXSa_yBksdutaPgZ4TKJ8iCrwZhWrhC5tFx2H-Tt4cB7CbAdJkBwAcOHu5t-58MNIxDsispDWkNARrtU1KgvFMl9C6kvGdxhRZzTk_CUnhiUZ8l6E5HIFrLrpBJ/s1600-h/_DSC1847%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1847" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IrWeD4tQ2xKmWbq_jjQITuWH56M3DfzOQab3zJaQv1CnKro0pTGlyo1t14CCFJZNiVvvwKc68bp1dz3U6gNVShHk1ufe6WdXEvmjD_bZeaYHX7JdgKpaCF3nakubHJKoP9iE9QTiriZz/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1847" width="404"></a></p> <p>We met up at the President’s Reception before dinner for some complimentary champagne! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6xhPyK4kVOQ2eYC2ImZzv8b3AlJP1KsMFmNbWczKQDuK2VhB82xzkI1v2p8S_TmXZ099b9qfqtQVOeUKArOavN8_vUG4heV79gGN7RNx47UB4snzTDtsoDWSZyFKSt-GDUvillFgZFKy/s1600-h/_DSC1843%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1843" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70ZXfOR4sJOGIVNYE2JoKc27J3SQaWmCHxvb1N99W5PBGqc_nyjuxZ3niB-nO5FGHy0KOOT5nEmzliWlxcaZEmIcFJp0Zf8TC7vEheqN5s8txqxEhuE6O-Gw3az7yH74a0BKx4hXPZ2Nc/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1843" width="404"></a></p> <p>Who can say no to free drinks?!?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvmaAGygq-x3c8Ml9Y-VUtaGTxi8SNUWIYvJyz6FOkdRL36f0r0s0DgyzPuFs-MpfR_XKRU2MBHIzEu_eZ90zMN-PDnRhVmPqPBeCUFKBz8BlZNK5gLAX0zxayxDYX4hlP2UV4dVG2TbR/s1600-h/_DSC1849%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1849" border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ6DODctj3NZq01-ALnJnBEt41UlBiRh0JlX9ENpek7Le6F1i3bgiCc8ESHg75KopVFo6KH5dlzh5VsjoEG8Y6LjCBSu6tMqKAeFcTsjHGinMUtTOVzm6AhsBjBoUDKHpHmyRsy4enxF5/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1849" width="304"></a></p> <p>It was SO fun to go on the cruise with my sisters! One little sister was missing though! :( Next time, Wendi, right?!?! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAPngQHbJaB4NTX2Ypib_QksQ8IVD9j0LEBBUSoDbq0-eJa-PgQEmVl-FRE7xgMHMT3tadILyv65rPgQWsyUvPGBPrG7TiIKj6ct0RGkMRobAt6ZfcvBAGxisCY4pcvMf75Xdfoi_ZLn3/s1600-h/_DSC1848%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC1848" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4Vm9HYARYisGi-KZKI1alGQ1KrId_A2LAF4JNWGOw5QPA7MKWDj8uJ5bQu2AdyH13aVKK0bT3pRpzSxbFgsa7P59jSdGBPcMlyoTd3DKXo299BQePZxoakNt4Q-FzvLhBw_rRc9t_EKI/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC1848" width="404"></a></p> <p>Once again, the food did not disappoint!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeFum8WL8tQPS56PTxFI5G7PFlzeudNpm3u_tCumNdL5NgK-TeD1t14wb30dg5XyqXYnTTbe1asnGq18GsrWC1arq0yrkPHTdhgxGMve0h7MCijB2qRuaIwk6twZjFS-uJy2c9FfrHpC5/s1600-h/DSCN3742%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSCN3742" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4DkB_Wo15RrBmXSEW5HViY5QvbmJ1MI64iUSmGCrdD-dwuN7BwSbJtQUlvmf150i5Bum9U4tEBaYThfdyWDWHUo7hakiDAOmVvA185-a57eqHLmB42Qu7N0st0TABDY84TariEqQBYpb/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSCN3742" width="404"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaw1Km0vt7AqFGDQT1_x1-C50_l7HzXkWOvh-iMQ2HWROmJ-dOODwK2WEJ6M6aiq1rT6iphsmUnVrDzUAk9WBm-XUw_WE3UaAJwkpgVVzgG79__Q0PkSNKXTHCNt4vbfGlm9El10Fr4fX/s1600-h/DSCN3744%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSCN3744" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMN7uf95_5FDssSg42WAHzPSDt8DWSp2W55_VQ7vjyBiyCQA4ZCW8J8uFPeg1ukOPlIbMPTZ2Nb0Ivg41MdjzJUUdyWJoaYNnRy1P50MW04560a4ofUfZbJt1KvsQUW5VMVTK-WtZkBJ3/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSCN3744" width="404"></a></p> <p>But of course, dessert was, as always, my favorite!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZHsUxUcXdAeKwtocpuvN8xSmDMJtR5BA5OPeO0fjSdEzF-vSGyGGDIOIf2n1WAbTTgQiMedshWHj-_gvNPfOxT6bv_geajVBc8sS44xBZr7pgaZKY10vjiJTXMRB-g_g95FF4tbcZdgA/s1600-h/DSCN3745%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSCN3745" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqD3UieLX2LxJZafIlMaTd_i-G1kK-x24oSzoCMoHBDkJyIlF-RE5LUWJ8-kBPoKbAQoRvQIV8R2EEZuwL8JlSzQIKUE0QzTtYLcsEzg9gQ4XbhTMGKa_lVhyphenhyphenDw42v2Ojwfpx-Y-N-Fqi/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSCN3745" width="404"></a></p> <p>And I love that you can order more than just one! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xQQgZruGBlDJcRY9yeAV7BUtA1gbhwjSXBW91fQshvTzhdWlzZE2q0f6Z-KxzD6u97Qu7cp6gtL9JcaRQm2TGz_-aJvGvTEfkIJiH3VFdE0a-qBCu4KEdP5psjsQ211tNENnPPxcvur7/s1600-h/DSC09385%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09385" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q1gT3260-JXgbyj31OJoDpZOhMSkgfTOBchVD3vP0ldd8HYS0IpNgpsleNZTNuJEV8LrzciM_rqgK_EvAJsOApd9LtmHbWgsK9uGS3nodcM5Z7Ta-7l4wjnzVt84rOQo4fw_BjwWk3Ck/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09385" width="404"></a></p> <p>Heaven!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGA4uBeH65ufCKJHn3THzb2MQoRc246CLxauUBBdAPY0ImeWrIPh_Se1di6OgoOtzdrKpDNayAYQfHdrJKJA_451ad772SLkmgvvTM1aZXKF5PCNCajKihdDgHxzY4p2kzgzU7yCDKjDY/s1600-h/DSC09384%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09384" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRbr8UjeBH_a6Imj9HB0hLSQ4-nYJcQCzHyHvRTd1xx3HD6_FusOSmIBVaCmihxkKQ9N9Q8vOFJ2a7HecF5bAIC4V5rrcItvkxvVNEn5TY68DR8g5hSYfhrWLeFh3kdCJsxNkVf7vxmhd/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09384" width="404"></a></p> <p>I ended up calling it a night after dinner. I know, I know, party pooper! I was feeling a bit under the weather. The rest of the crew enjoyed the show & some dancing! </p> <p>To save you from picture overload, I’m going to split my cruise re cap into a few posts. Check back tomorrow for more!</p>

Family Fun Cruise – Days 1 & 2

Early Sunday morning Kyle & I arrived at our local airport to wait for a delayed flight. :( We ended up sitting in the airport for 2 1/2...

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The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 4

Last night I had dinner with Bishop Alex Wanadag and a young engineer from New York who is here with the Young Adult Service Corps doing community development work with the diocese. We then shared a traditional Filipino breakfast this morning before joining the diocesan staff – about 18 of them – for Morning Prayer.<br /><br />After the daily office, the staff told me about the things they do. There is a major push on evangelism. The Episcopal Church has traditionally been identified mostly with the Igarot tribes, but is now drawing members from other tribes as well, especially in this diocese. The other big push is on Christian formation, specifically “lay enhancement” (particularly training lay preachers and Eucharistic Visitors) and continuing education for clergy. All of the clergy come to the two clergy retreats per year. I was about to explain that our clergy cannot do that because of our vast distances. To set up my explanation I asked Bp. Alex how long it took the most distant clergy to get to the retreat. He said, “It’s about a two days’ walk.”<br /><br />Next I heard from their staff members who work full time in community development. There were 6 of them. They have more people working in community development than our entire diocesan staff. Community development includes a variety of projects like: forming agricultural cooperatives, setting up micro-credit small business and agricultural lending to free farmers from usurers, building a warehouse to store agricultural products without charge to the farmers, converting a water project’s power source to solar for cost savings, working with Heifer International to provide livestock to farmers and overseeing the farmers’ passing on the offspring of their gifts to other farmers.<br /><br />Community development begins with the diocesan worker living with the community for a few months to learn their needs and earn their trust. They then do Asset Based Community Development analysis: what could this community do together for economic support? The diocese then offers training – first in the values of Christian living essential to being a cooperative, then in business methods and financial responsibility, then in the enterprise itself.<br />The government has also tried to form these cooperatives but theirs fail while the ones established by the Episcopal Church survive. The difference is the Church builds a real community with relationships and values.<br /><br /> I was inspired by the enthusiasm of the whole staff about how they were overcoming poverty through creative enterprise and Christian values. Instead of offering band aid charity to the poor, they are putting people on their feet. Self-reliance is a core value they practice and teach. Their challenge is to keep the social ministry tied to evangelism so that they nourish the souls as well as the bodies of the people. It is a challenge but it is a front burner priority for the community developers. This is, by the way, closely related to what we are trying to do through PICO in Reno and Las Vegas Valley Interfaith with our community organizing efforts. It is so inspiring to see the Episcopal Church here going beyond maintaining its Sunday morning operation and going beyond hand-out charity, to make a lasting difference in people’s lives and transform the society and economy around them.<br /><br />This afternoon, I visited two small open-air churches. One had a large concrete slab used for drying the members’ grain and a warehouse for storing it. The priest, Fr. Tando, also showed me their health clinic. They have no doctor so they use herbal remedies, massage, and acupuncture. They grow their own herbs and have begun a major herbal soap business. Fr. Tando is also a bee keeper and has hives there on the grounds. Poor farmers can’t sustain the church with cash so honey and soap sales go to pay the bills; and the farmers can give more since they are not paying a warehouse to store their grain. Other churches are helping farmers convert to organic farming. Some are helping their coffee farmers who have been selling raw coffee beans to big companies process the coffee for sale themselves.<br /><br />Bp. Alex and I had a serious talk this morning about the human rights situation here. I don’t think it best to blog about that, but one story is public knowledge – except that I somehow missed it. Did you? On Nov. 23, 2009, there was a massacre here in Miguindanao. One political leader had warned a potential rival that if he announced his candidacy, he would be killed. So the rival sent his wife (figuring in a Muslim region women would be safe) to make the announcement accompanied by a convoy of journalists. The entire convoy of 57 people was abducted and gunned down in broad daylight. 32 of them were journalists. 42 were women. That case was unusual because of the numbers, but political killings here are frequent and usually go unpunished. Human rights violations are being addressed this week by a group of visitors from the World Council of Churches. Participating in or reporting on the political process here is not for the faint hearted.

The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 4

Last night I had dinner with Bishop Alex Wanadag and a young engineer from New York who is here with the Young Adult Service Corps doing com...

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More about Weight Watchers PointsPlus

I know this is only Day Two of me following the new PointsPlus Weight Watchers plan, but I'm totally in love with it. It makes so much more sense than the old plan. <br /><br />Counting calories works for losing weight. Eat less, move more. Of course it works. With the old Weight Watcher plan there were ways to "cheat". I had been doing it for so long that I figured out how to stretch my Points (but this also increased my empty calories). The problem was I would sometimes (probably too often) choose foods that weren't as healthy because  they were lower in Points than a more healthy version of that food. Well, Weight Watchers fixed this problem. Foods that are fake are no longer the better choice because of lower Points.<br /><br />A perfect example are the Oroweat Sandwich Thins* versus Dave's Killer Bread** (check out the ingredients for both at the end of this post). Two slices of paper thin fake bread, the sandwich thins, were one Point on the old plan. Dave's Killer Bread, 21 Whole Grain (and delicious) was two Points. On the new PointsPlus plan they're both <strong>3 Points</strong>. Now I'll always choose the one I like the most and is healthier, Dave's Killer bread! <br /><br />By the way, Dave isn't a "killer" and he is a real person. He served quite a bit of jail time over the years for drug possession and he was a drug dealer for a while, the lowest form of humanity. However, he's totally turned his life around with the family bakery business. I've actually emailed him a couple of times, and he responded. He's a super nice guy and makes "killer" bread (now available at Costco and Winco). Here's a video on his life story, <a href="http://www.daveskillerbread.com/story.shtml">Dave's Story</a>. It's very interesting how he changed his life. <br /><br />Anyway, back to the PointsPlus plan...the Points earned for activity have increased dramatically. I earned 14 APs yesterday. Seriously, there's no way I could eat all of those and lose weight. My heart rate monitor (which I think lied to me) said I burned 800 calories in two hours at the gym. Maybe, but probably not. That just doesn't sound realistic, the 800 calories or the 14 Points. According <a href="http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/">*Bitch Cakes*</a> (who wrote a much better post about the new plan than me), we can only cash in a total of 42 activity Points a week, regardless of how many we earn. <br /><br />So far, I love this plan. I ate well yesterday and exercised hard. I weighed this morning and saw a small loss from yesterday. I even ate three Clementines and a banana at midnight. Zero Points. This is just so cool. I can hardly wait for Saturday's weighin. I'm expecting great things from myself. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><br /><strong>The Big Climb</strong><br />I'll probably end a lot of posts talking about <a href="http://www.llswa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BC_about">The Big Climb</a> in the next few months. I hope I can get some fellow bloggers to join me in doing The Big Climb. If you live in the Seattle area (or even if you don't), let me know if you're interested. I think it would a lot of fun to meet and do The Big Climb  together. Start training now!<br /><br />Also, I've set a weight loss goal for myself:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Lose 20 pounds in time for the Big Climb</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">March 20, 2011</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Big Climb Goal weight:  158 pounds </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">15 weeks - 1.3 pounds per week</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope everyone is enjoying the new plan as much as me. Here's to a great day and a great week for all of us!</div><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~~</div><br />Which would you choose for the same Points?<br /><br /><strong>*Oroweat Sandwich Thin</strong> ingredients (not listed on their website!). Seriously, this stuff is disgusting.<br /><br />Whole wheat flour, <strong>unbleached enriched wheat flour [flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid]</strong>, water, <strong>cellulose fiber</strong>, wheat gluten, yeast, sugar, cracked wheat rye,<strong> polydextrose</strong>, salt, ground corn, canola and/or soybean oil, <strong>preservatives (calcium propionate, sorbic acid),</strong> grain vinegar,<strong> guar gum</strong>, cultured wheat flour, brown rice, oats, <strong>mono-glycerides</strong>, soybeans, triticale , barley, flaxseed, millet, citric acid, <strong>sodium stearoyl lactylate</strong>, <strong>sucralose<em> (note...sucralose is Splenda!)</em></strong>, soy lecithin.<br /><br /><strong>**Dave's Killer Bread</strong>, 21 Whole Grain ingredients (listed on his website). I know what every single one of these ingredients are without Googling them. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><br />Organic whole wheat flour, organic cracked whole wheat, water, organic evaporated cane juice, grain mix (organic whole ground flaxseeds, organic whole flaxseeds, organic sunflower seeds, organic oats, organic pumpkin seeds, organic millet, organic rye, organic brown rice, organic triticale, organic barley, organic unhulled sesame seeds, organic black sesame seeds, organic amaranth, organic buckwheat, organic spelt, organic blue cornmeal, organic yellow corn, organic kamut, organic poppy seeds, organic quinoa, organic sorghum), organic wheat gluten, organic oat fiber, organic molasses, sea salt, yeast, organic cultured wheat.

More about Weight Watchers PointsPlus

I know this is only Day Two of me following the new PointsPlus Weight Watchers plan, but I'm totally in love with it. It makes so much m...

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIGLIeGpzU_McrW-jF1kC2hXk7diMBOmp2DzhBV4QwbYP9WYehHaBi_ymHulIVVsS51JisvBfbO2oF2Jhxi-f3tADp5DDGyKhaTp757ctM5gug6cyZPWWYzPNTe30OD3x348KatM2_Yg9/s1600/Meet-Me-in-St.-Louis-house-Winter%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIGLIeGpzU_McrW-jF1kC2hXk7diMBOmp2DzhBV4QwbYP9WYehHaBi_ymHulIVVsS51JisvBfbO2oF2Jhxi-f3tADp5DDGyKhaTp757ctM5gug6cyZPWWYzPNTe30OD3x348KatM2_Yg9/s320/Meet-Me-in-St.-Louis-house-Winter%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>One of the most charming and potent portrayals of Americana to grace the screen, <b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b> (1944) tugs at the heartstrings as powerfully today as it did 65+ years ago when it was crafted by MGM's "Freed Unit."<br /><br />The film's sparkling perfection is the work of producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, an incomparable ensemble cast, an ace artistic and technical team, songwriters Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin and...Technicolor.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />This is one of my all-time favorites...<br /><br /><b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b> was adapted from a series of reminiscences by Sally Benson that first appeared in <i>The New Yorker</i> in early 1942. Told from the perspective of five-year-old 'Tootie' Smith, Benson's memory pieces, though rich in warmth and humor, were light on plot and conflict. A more defined storyline was developed, the characters were strengthened and 17-year-old Esther Smith (played by Judy Garland) became the pivotal character. The plot evolved into a "year in the life" of an idealized American family and was comprised of vignettes set in each of the four seasons with its dramatic climax, a family crisis, set at Christmastime. <br /> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsj82o226JHaChOULsPpWonspNesiY1p0np_zHUEB3qA4H_YhlFLUbyG1eoSYWcPrhyphenhyphenYooKyN7BbpMFl-cf3MWzYWzQVD6_MFEB2jh2adjhdqFDvfdSPBa6_ygnyN-ziguJSqWyedNLFu_/s1600-h/judy+-+no+-+eakins+baby+at+play.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="143" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417563524708086562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsj82o226JHaChOULsPpWonspNesiY1p0np_zHUEB3qA4H_YhlFLUbyG1eoSYWcPrhyphenhyphenYooKyN7BbpMFl-cf3MWzYWzQVD6_MFEB2jh2adjhdqFDvfdSPBa6_ygnyN-ziguJSqWyedNLFu_/s200/judy+-+no+-+eakins+baby+at+play.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Baby at Play" by Thomas Eakins</td></tr></tbody></table>  The Smith family home at 5135 Kensington Avenue (Sally Benson's real childhood address) was the film's central interior and Minnelli made the decision to build a continuous set with interconnecting rooms, just like an actual house. He reportedly wanted the entire picture to have the look of a painting by Thomas Eakins, and art director Preston Ames' assignment was to recreate a St. Louis neighborhood, circa 1904, as evocatively as possible. Ames did so, creating a full block of Kensington Avenue (at a cost of 200,000 1944 dollars) on Metro's back lot.<br /><br />Focused on the film's visual look and intent on accurate period detail, Minnelli supervised every aspect of set and production design. He brought in top Broadway set decorator Lemuel Ayres and, in addition, spent time with Sally Benson who described to him every feature of her girlhood home. To handle costume design, he turned to Irene Sharaff, another recent Broadway-to-Hollywood transplant. Sharaff researched the historic era carefully, even using a 1904 Sears & Roebuck catalog as a reference.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBY_Kmjgqocj_TEmeQTUg7CLVssTA1hjw0LzjZvcoObubscdOdo9Z64tJnM7LOHWZRuw0_CbDd9ixNTdwKNr4eaL7xCYYQjGBco-ASK-5p0IKwns_Eiea70KhT4mu4S4KfqvbG-QCMoJ-/s1600/meet-me-in-st-louis_snow_family%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBY_Kmjgqocj_TEmeQTUg7CLVssTA1hjw0LzjZvcoObubscdOdo9Z64tJnM7LOHWZRuw0_CbDd9ixNTdwKNr4eaL7xCYYQjGBco-ASK-5p0IKwns_Eiea70KhT4mu4S4KfqvbG-QCMoJ-/s200/meet-me-in-st-louis_snow_family%255B1%255D.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Snow People"</td></tr></tbody></table>Minnelli and cinematographer George Folsey took such pains with the film's colors and textures that some scenes do resemble period paintings. <b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b> was the first MGM film to be fully shot in Technicolor and Folsey and Minnelli proved to be adept at its use, even managing to capture subtle changes in seasonal light.<br /><br />The songwriting team of Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin composed three very special songs for Judy Garland: "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (click below to watch and listen). Each became a standard in Garland's later repertoire and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" remains a holiday classic today. To add more period flavor, Blane and Martin also reworked popular tunes from the turn of the century - "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Skip to My Lou" and "Under the Bamboo Tree." Up to this time, most films had music inserted arbitrarily, but the songs in <b>Meet Me in St. Louis </b>were integrated into the action and dialogue to help advance the plot.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yudgy30Dd68?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yudgy30Dd68?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b> was an immediate hit, the highest grossing film of 1944. It turned out to be just the tonic a country at war needed to lift its spirits. The film firmly established Minnelli's reputation as a top director, provided Judy Garland with a solid push to the next plateau of her career and toward her ultimate status as a legend, and it ushered in a golden age of Hollywood musicals.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q095LvAonf0dhIU0fGpFL-i1B1J8msUxNuf7DPlEYh-rZmVooeeOIx12wQNTgQnCKVeRGKkM2vyqtnGr4rQYYPRWwBCXuYAHNDjyBAnxJ06_WiEsA-ddgwyRd63w7FS9IkEjFkL3axlk/s1600/meet+me+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q095LvAonf0dhIU0fGpFL-i1B1J8msUxNuf7DPlEYh-rZmVooeeOIx12wQNTgQnCKVeRGKkM2vyqtnGr4rQYYPRWwBCXuYAHNDjyBAnxJ06_WiEsA-ddgwyRd63w7FS9IkEjFkL3axlk/s200/meet+me+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Christmas Ball</td></tr></tbody></table>There is much to admire about <b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b>. For me its appeal is that, though nostalgic, the sentiment isn't heavy-handed. The film beguiles gently, taking one on a fanciful trip into a golden epoch. The turn of the century in America is depicted as a languid time before the World Wars and the Great Depression, an era when multi-generational families lived under the same roof...when mothers made vats of ketchup every summer in large, window-filled kitchens...when horse-drawn ice wagons regularly clattered down neighborhood streets...and when a young lady might easily fall in love with and dream of marrying a boy who lived right next door...<br /><br />As Esther Smith, Judy Garland glows as the film's heart and soul. She is at her best - wistful and endearing, spunky and warm, her voice at an early peak.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiRLlFmErdQ-8-DGBR-HYAhWrdKtdpIJrkG2dyfoJTZWH2dsQnh0oZP97yguMFo-UZsJOxUMwaStVIRPR7iivbCl_H6rAJeytY6RSOQKA2sueWPZ2HJF9Rnlfe05KINHlVG6bYy7F_Izn/s1600/meet+me+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiRLlFmErdQ-8-DGBR-HYAhWrdKtdpIJrkG2dyfoJTZWH2dsQnh0oZP97yguMFo-UZsJOxUMwaStVIRPR7iivbCl_H6rAJeytY6RSOQKA2sueWPZ2HJF9Rnlfe05KINHlVG6bYy7F_Izn/s1600/meet+me+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joan Carroll and Margaret O'Brien</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Margaret O'Brien as the high-spirited young 'Tootie' adds a dimension of childhood mischief and carries the imaginative Halloween sequence almost entirely on her own. She takes another precocious turn during the climactic Christmas scenes with Judy Garland.<br /><br />Leon Ames blusters as good-hearted family patriarch, Alonzo Smith. Mary Astor is light-as-air as 'Mrs. Anna Smith;' Lucille Bremer is winning as the older sister, Rose; Harry Davenport shines as lovable 'Grandpa' Smith; Marjorie Main adds spice as the cantankerous maid, Katie...and Tom Drake is affecting as 'boy next door' John Truett. Very fine in fleeting roles are Chill Wills and a young June Lockhart.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=131412133&m=131412356"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Click here</span></a> to listen to a 1989 interview by Terri Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air" with Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane in which the songwriters discuss working with director Vincente Minnelli and writing the songs for <b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b>...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Meet Me in St. Louis</b> airs Sat., Dec. 11, on TCM's "The Essentials" and again on Christmas</i></span></div>

Arthur Freed Harry Davenport Hugh Martin Judy Garland Leon Ames Margaret O'Brien Marjorie Main Mary Astor Meet Me in St. Louis Ralph Blane The Lady Eve (author) Tom Drake Vincente Minnelli HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS One of the most charming and potent portrayals of Americana to grace the screen, Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) tugs...

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The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 3

Sunday began for me at 4:30 a.m., up early to pack and get ready for Church. The 6:30 service was Holy Mass in the National Cathedral's side chapel. It was a service at once simple and high, as a side chapel Cathedral service should be. I believe this is my favorite form of the Eucharist. Two young men in albs assisted an old white bearded priest, who presided at the liturgy of the table facing liturgical East – which is to say the altar was against the wall. He reminded me a bit of the Rev. Canon Edward West who was this sort of priest at my beloved Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. (Here I resist the urge to go on a long tangent about Canon West.) The liturgy was close to our Rite 2 Prayer A with a few variations in the ECP BCP. I loved it! It was just so Episcopal! I miss services like this so much – no personal idiosyncrasies, no egoistic surges of “creativity,” no attempt to mix other liturgical season into Advent, no carving on the liturgy to make it acceptable to someone’s theological sensitivities – just the ritual reverently prayed by two dozen early risers, with a solid competent Advent sermon by one of the young men in an alb. There are many wonderful ways to celebrate the Eucahrist. I respect them all and enjoy most of them, but this one is my favorite.<br /><br />After Mass, the old priest, who turned out to be a seminary professor, invited me to breakfast at the student café. He talked at some length though I only understood some of it, for he mumbled a bit and seemed more interested in his ideas than he was in either me or himself. He was not so much communicating as pondering aloud. I did not even learn his name, only that he was an American from Maine but had spent most of his adult life in Asia and planned to be buried here under a tombstone which will say “I lie here in protest and hope for the resurrection.” He also quoted someone – was it Ramsey? – who said “A priest is someone who stands before God holding his people in his heart.”<br /><br />Then it was on the road with my driver, Wilson. Having a sidekick named Wilson keeps me feeling as if I am in the movie Cast Away and that my experience of Wilson as the son of a miner, husband of a working wife, and father of three children, one of whom is autistic, might all be my own delirious projections onto a soccer ball. If you haven’t seen the movie, just disregard this paragraph.<br /><br />The drive was long and wonderful. Once out of Manila, we drove through rice paddies and sugar cane plantations – the sky sunny with a few clouds, the weather warm and humid, coastal. The cd player brought us Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton “Islands In The Stream” -- Abba, “Dance With Me” – Elton John “Daniel” (personally significant because of my brother’s death in the 70’s) – The Carpenters “I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation . . . .” – Ann Murray – “Just one touch and then it happens. I fall in love again. . . .” Somehow you hear all that differently while driving through rice paddies.<br /><br />Then it was up into the mountains, where lush tropical forests were interrupted by villages and more rice paddies – didn’t know rice grew so high up. Today I have seen my first water buffalo and my first ox carts. In fact, these may have been my first oxen. Where are the oxen in America? I know we used to have them. There were security checkpoints on the road. Wilson tells me they are looking for illegal logging and guerilla insurgents. I haven’t seen either – just water buffalo, oxen pulling carts, and the occasional goat.<br /><br />We stopped for lunch at Angelina’s Eatery Ihaw Ihaw (which means the food is roasted over coals) in Turo Turo a village consisting of two, maybe three buildings. I had chunks of pork over rice. Wilson said it was a typical Philippine lunch. We ate al fresco under a thatched roof. As we left, the owners told Wilson I was the first “foreigner” who had ever eaten there. I hope I behaved well. Wilson said he would get flack from the National Church Office for taking a visiting bishop to lunch there. I’m glad he did.<br /><br />As the sun was setting, we arrived in Santiago City, capital of Isabella Province – the last region to succumb to the American military in the 1920s. One of the diocesan clergy helped us find our way to the Gatian Hotel & Resort. I cannot figure out what sort of place this is. I have a simple suite in a compound that has lots of bright Christmas lights. Outside my window is a multi colored star of lights with more lights circling it in a progressive round flow of red. (Keeps me from being too homesick for the Fiesta Casino sign that flashes outside my window in Henderson. By the way I did put up last year’s Las Vegas style Christmas tree and ornaments before commencing this Asian odyssey.) Inside there are sticker signs. One is a sticker on the door to the bedroom saying “Jesus never fails” and one on the mirror says “Jesus Loves You. John 3:16” – which is not exactly what John 3:16 says, but the point is good anyway.<br /><br />There is a Gideon Bible and towels so I am content. There is also an unplugged floor lamp. Remembering what happened to Thomas Merton, I plan to leave it unplugged.

The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 3

Sunday began for me at 4:30 a.m., up early to pack and get ready for Church. The 6:30 service was Holy Mass in the National Cathedral's ...

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Planning de la semaine du 06 au 10 décembre 2010

<BR><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Le <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans<br />- le lundi 06 décembre de 9h à 12h30,<br />- le mardi 07 décembre de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 08 décembre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le jeudi 09 décembre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le vendredi 10 décembre de 13h30 à 17h.<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de Gestion</a></strong> (sur rendez-vous)<br />- lundi 06 décembre de 13h30 à 17h<br />- vendredi 10 décembre de 09h à 12h30</ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>CV</strong> - mardi 07 décembre de 9h à 12h30 et mercredi 08 décembre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Lettre de Motivation</strong> - mardi 07 décembre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Pôle-emploi.fr</strong> - vendredi 10 décembre de 10h à 11h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a></strong> - vendredi 10 décembre de 14h à 16h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 06 au 10 décembre 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 06 dé...

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Post cherry cobbler weighin, Weight Watcher love, the Big Climb

<span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Post cherry cobbler weighin</strong></span><br />I seriously think I have mental issues. How else would you explain my bipolar weight loss attempts? <br /><br />One day I'm 100% on track, nothing can derail me. I am PERFECT. <br /><br />Then the next day, I'm once again 100% on track. I'm so proud of myself, I'm superwoman. Nothing will make me go off my diet.<br /><br />Then that same day the clock strikes 11pm, and I, the person who claims to desperately want to lose weight, decides to whip up a cherry cobbler. Not only did I make a cherry cobbler, I ate the WHOLE THING. I wish I could say it tasted horrible, and it made me sick. I can't. It tasted wonderful, and I didn't get one bit sick. A massive influx of sugar, and I slept like a baby. <br /><br />I woke up this morning with my first thought, "I have to weigh in today. What in the hell was I thinking last night?!" Mental illness is the only conclusion I can some to. There simply is no other explanation.<br /><br />I almost blew off Weight watchers today, but I was so excited to find out more about the new program that I couldn't skip it. My girlfriend was going too so I couldn't be a no-show. <br /><br />The weighin wasn't what I expected. When I stepped on the scales I told the receptionist that I knew I had a gain, and I was okay with it. I waited to hear the bad news, dreading another gain. Instead, I had a loss! <br /><br />Down 2.2 pounds! <br /><br />Current weight: 178.6 pounds<br /><br />You know what I was thinking. If I just hadn't eaten that cobbler, imagine what a really great weight loss I could have had today. I shut that thought right out of my head. My goal is lose two pounds a week through the end of the year. So far, so good. <br /><br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">Weight Watcher Love</span></strong><br />I totally and completely love what they've done with the program. I love how they're not even looking at calories anymore. Food is really so much more than calories.<br /><br />For example, those stupid 100-calories snack packs of cookies are no longer two Points, they're three Points.  They're just junk food in small packages. I'll never forget my first 100-calorie pack of cookies. I bought a big box of them. I think there were ten packages. I can't even remember what kind of cookies were in there, but I do remember I ate all ten packages in one sitting (see, I told you, mental illness). I never bought them again.<br /><br />Now Weight Watchers is looking at the Fat, Protein, Fiber and Carbohydrates in food to calculate Points. This makes total sense to me. 100 calories of Carbs is not the same as 100 calories of Protein. I don't care what you say, but they are NOT created equal. I've known this for a long time, but to have Weight Watchers come out and say it makes me super happy.<br /><br />Now I get 29 Daily Points on the new plan. The best part, I'll never get less than 29 because 29 Points is the minimum. I was getting 22 (or 21 under 180 pounds). That's not a lot of food. Of course some of the food has more Points now, like those Sandwich Thins that I didn't like anyway but for 1 Point you couldn't beat it. Now they're 3 Points, the same as a slice of my favorite bread.<br />My most favorite thing, fruits and most vegetables are <strong><span style="font-size: large;">ZERO</span></strong> Points. Yes, that's right, ZERO! Even bananas are ZERO Points! Now that doesn't mean you can go crazy and eat a case of Clementines or ten Honeycrisp apples or a bunch of bananas, but you can have reasonable portions without dipping into your precious Daily Points quota. <br /><br />I'm really excited that most vegetables are zero Points. I eat a ton of vegetables, and it really made me mad that a cup and half of Brussels Sprouts were a Point on the old plan. I never liked that it was the same Point value as one of their junk food Weight Watcher 1-Point bars (which are now 2 Points). Now the Brussels Sprouts are zero Points. Even ten cups are zero Points. Butternut squash, zero Points. Again, ten cups of Butternut squash, zero Points. <br /><br />I know I'd gain weight if I ate ten cups of Brussels Sprouts or ten cups of Butternut squash. What is so exciting about this is I can eat the foods I love, again, reasonable portions. I don't have to weigh and measure my fruits and veggies anymore because they have a big, fat zero Point value. I totally love it. <br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">The Big Climb </span></strong><br />I was on the StairMaster today listening to Lady Gaga singing Poker Face for the millionth time. I was thinking this has to be the most boring exercise in the world. Climbing up stairs to no where so I can see nothing and sweating to death in the process (or having a heart attack). <br /><br />Then I started thinking about the <a href="http://www.llswa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BC_about">Big Climb</a> and how much I really want to do it. I want to be able to do it without feeling like I'm going to die. I started thinking about the purpose of the Big Climb.<br /><br /><em><strong>WHY?</strong>To find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.  Funds raised through the Big Climb go directly to support research, patient aid, patient services, education, and advocacy.</em><br /><br />It made me think about how lucky I am to never have had a major illness. I know these diseases must be horrible. I've seen shows about St. Jude's and their kids. Absolutely the saddest thing in the world. I remember seeing one a few days ago about a little seven year old girl being diagnosed with leukemia when she was a year old. It broke my heart. <br /><br />Then I remembered a guy at work, Steve. He has MDS and just underwent a stem cell transplant. MDS is Myelodysplastic syndromes. MDS has been known as "smoldering leukemia," or "preleukemia." It's a very serious disease and without treatment MDS always leads to leukemia.<br /><br />Steve is a truly awesome person. Everyone loves him. Even though I don't work on his team I know him, and the people that work with him love him to pieces.  So I had this great idea. I'm going to get a team of people together from my company and we're all going to do the Big Climb. <br /><br />Plus, if there are any Seattle area bloggers that would like to join us, please email me (<a href="mailto:ww.lady@gmail.com">ww.lady@gmail.com</a>) and let me know. I think it would be super fun to meet. <br /><br /><a href="http://notes-by-grace.blogspot.com/">Grace</a> has already sort of committed to it. She's thinking about it. <a href="http://seattlerunnergirl.com/">Seattle Runner Girl</a>....<a href="http://www.poundsoffplayoff.com/">Pounds Off Playoff (Allan).</a> What do you say? We have until March 20 to train. I'd love to meet you. I'm sure there are others out there too.<br /><br />This really lit a fire under me today during my workout. I had my best all-time ever workout:<br /><br />45 minutes on the StairMaster - 190 Flights! <br /><br />Step rate of 67. Weight Watcher Activity Points of 10! Which I did NOT eat.<br /><br />1 hour lower body workout, with lunges, squats, leg presses, calf raises, leg extensions, leg curls, bent knee squats and more lunges. <br /><br />I've never worked out as hard as I did today. According to my heart rate monitor I burned 800 calories. My normal is 350-400.<br /><br />Steve (the guy that made my heart beat fast today...on the StairMaster):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtRVCQIWeK5KWgL9vIoCvY5D_LEIrvcSgQq88sYqFvyp8qzO_B6EZoPggmpvD2vGSoD2IA5x15k4BFkUur9kC0dk61BOC001O-nPTb3Yae_LDfaPSrk1yU4DP6o7UtafQw1BxxzxYhEsx/s1600/steve.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtRVCQIWeK5KWgL9vIoCvY5D_LEIrvcSgQq88sYqFvyp8qzO_B6EZoPggmpvD2vGSoD2IA5x15k4BFkUur9kC0dk61BOC001O-nPTb3Yae_LDfaPSrk1yU4DP6o7UtafQw1BxxzxYhEsx/s320/steve.png" width="320" /></a></div>

Post cherry cobbler weighin, Weight Watcher love, the Big Climb

Post cherry cobbler weighin I seriously think I have mental issues. How else would you explain my bipolar weight loss attempts? One day I...

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The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 2

Today has involved car rides all over Manila, revealing way too much to take in, much less express. This morning I was amazed to see a salon advertising in big bold letters “skin whitening.” I had already been put off by all the Shape, Cosmopolitan, etc magazines on the stands here. They don’t seem to belong. But “skin whitening”? That troubled me. I am sure most people here would not do such a thing, but that is should be an issue is sad.<br /><br />The first long ride took me to a complex of buildings and grounds that included the Cathedral, the National Church offices, St. Andrew’s Seminary, Trinity Episcopal University, an Episcopal school, a teaching hospital, the homes of various church personages including the prime bishop, and some rental property the church owns. Lunch was Filipino cuisine shared with about 8 or so staffers. We had a good talk, comparing notes on church life and discussing people we knew in common. I have come to suspect that everyone in these islands has some connection to our Fr. Jun, Teogenes Bernardez, Jr.<br /><br />I then took a jaunt around the grounds with the chaplain for the university. There is a lot of Episcopal school presence in the Philippines and the faith is taught there. Each diocese has a diocesan school. They central office has a priest whose full time job is Christian Formation and Evangelism. No wonder there are about 200,000 Episcopalians here. All their churches are overflowing with children and they all have Sunday Schools. They could use more money to sustain their mission, because so many of the Episcopalians are poor. But they are spreading the gospel big time. The chapel of the seminary was excellent, lovely light – and there were many outdoor crèches made from local materials, palm fronds etc. – simple, creative, holy.<br /><br />We then visited a bookstore where I picked up the classic novel by the martyr of the Philippine Revolution, Jose Rizal, revolutionary, novelist, ophthalmologist. I also got a book on Culture and History by another intellectual giant of the Philippines, Nick Joaquin; and a book of stories from the Revolution.<br /><br />Leaving the bookstore I slightly pulled a quadriceps while dodging traffic. This was a cultural mistake. I did not realize that in Manila a car cannot hit you if you show it your palm; so I was trying more athletic means of self-preservation.<br /><br />I then accompanied about 20 seminarians and college students to tour a new, state of the art hospital. As we drove along the road, we passed a scene that pierced me. It was an old woman with straight white hair and a weathered face, sitting on the sidewalk. Her face was turned down and to the left, twisted aside as one does to hide grief. She was crying. A little girl, maybe 9 or 10 years old, stood to her right, stroking her hair. You could see in the child’s face how inadequate she felt to the task of consoling the old woman.<br /><br />Not too many blocks later, we were stuck in traffic. That happens a lot. An older woman leading an even older (as in probably her father) blind man walked between the cars with a begging cup. I rolled down the window and gave them a little money. I know that is not always the thing to do. But the old man’s blindness was compelling and the old woman with the little girl was still on my heart.<br /><br />The hospital was high tech and state of the art. The staff was justly proud of it. By the way, their chaplain also knew Teogenes. But some of the seminarians were troubled that the location and the pricing of the upscale hospital made it a facility “just for the foreigners.” In fact, few Filipinos would be served there. It is for the higher rolling diplomats and corporate executives from other countries. We talked about health care systems. It sounded as if the Philippines has more extensive insurance coverage for the employed than we do – but they have more chronically unemployed.<br /><br />There was a difference in the attitude both of the visitors and the hospital staff. It seems to me that most Americans rather prefer to avoid hospitals, that they are a little afraid of them, that the smell morbidity. But these students were having a great time, laughing, taking each other’s pictures, enjoying being shown how things work. The staff members who were showing off their workplace were deservedly proud of their technology. An American hospital staff would be proud too. Yet, there was a difference. I wonder if the Americans have an unspoken anxiety behind their pride, a voice in their ear reminding them “this is serious stuff.” The staff members here in Manila were more like chefs on the Food Channel showing how they do their magic. All in all, it felt more like touring the Hershey Chocolate Factory than a place of morbidity. I hope it is clear I mean something good. There was a lightness and happiness in the project of healing. There was professionalism and caring – but an element of worry had been removed. I wondered if I might be getting a glimpse of why so many of our good nurses in Nevada are from the Philippines.<br /><br />At the time when the mood may have been the lightest, we passed two women in the hall, one crying inconsolably while being held by the other. We knew someone they loved had died. And we passed is silence with respect. I was not surprised that the students were respectful. I did note that, despite the fact that several of them had just finished CPE, none of them broke into the women’s grief with officious pastoral “support.” The absence of anxiety was matched by an absence of codependency – all the while, wisdom and compassion were fully present.<br /><br />I talked with the seminarians about many things. But here’s an interesting one: they wondered if I would send our seminary students to their seminary, St. Andrew’s. It struck me as an excellent idea. They do program relating to economic and community development that are way ahead of what any of our seminaries do. They have good practical hands on educational opportunities. A semester here would do more to deepen and expand spiritual experience. The cost is quite low. And it would prepare seminarians to do Asian ministries and evangelism. This deserves further pondering.

The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 2

Today has involved car rides all over Manila, revealing way too much to take in, much less express. This morning I was amazed to see a salon...

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The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 1

Here at last. It took a long time – longer than the 19 hour flight. I have wanted to go to Asia since 1966 when I was captivated by an episode of I Spy in which Robert Culp portrayed a Southeast Asia warlord resisting the modernization and westernization of his world. Then came my young adulthood spent immersed in Eastern religions, mostly Buddhism. So here I am, following in the footsteps of Gary Snyder, Thomas Merton, William Johnston, and so many personal heroes. The title of these blogs by the way is a tongue in cheek reference to The Asian Journals Of Thomas Merton. My posts will be less enlightening than Merton’s, but I hope that, unlike Merton, I’ll make it back alive.<br /><br />The flight was uneventful except that there was so much interest in the hat case I was carrying. It has a cowboy hat and belt, my presents for Bishop Wanadag. Passengers, flight attendants, and customs agents were all curious. “What is in that?”<br /><br />I arrived at 4:15 a.m. in the rain. The temporal math has me confused but I think I gained 8 hours but lost a day. It seems to be Saturday. My schedule said I was to be met by an NCO. I had images of the Sergeant from Gomer Pyle. But it turns out NCO meant National Church Office. I was met by Betsy, the secretary for the Prime Bishop, the Most Rev. Edward Pacyaya Malecdan. However, we did not find each other for awhile, so I was wandering about the cab stations pondering my fate having no one’s phone number and no working phone in my possession. I then heard my name paged and all was well.<br /><br />NCO Betsy who has served 4 Prime Bishops and Wilson the driver got me to my hotel where I freshened up and had an excellent breakfast of fruit, sardines, saffron rice, eggs, and a darn good sausage.<br /><br />I then checked out the TV and found too many American channels, but a lot of international news – then came across a channel that is mostly in Japanese, I think, but I saw this program in English called Tzu Chi This Week. It was all about interfaith programs doing good things, mostly in the Philippines – helping victims of fire and flood, providing medical and ophthalmological care to the poor, etc. – Buddhists and Catholics together. There was a banner across the bottom saying “Many Ethnicities One Love.” The first segment showed a group of South Africans performing traditional Zulu dances in a hospital here. The South Africans, wearing surgical masks because the patients had infectious diseases, were saying words of encouragement including something about the “Buddha spirit” – which shows they weren’t really Buddhists. Buddhists would say “Buddha nature” – not “Buddha spirit.” They were spreading hope and love, doing their best to speak the religious language of the people they were there to help.<br /><br />I now have to figure out the exchange rate and sally forth in search of an ATM to get some pesos. Next on the agenda is lunch with the national church staff. I have a church service at an outrageously early hour tomorrow morning. Then Wilson and I head north toward Santiago City. My sense of geography here is extremely uncertain. But I think Santiago City may be in or near the Isabella province where there was a major typhoon in late October. It this turns out to be wrong, I’ll recant in a subsequent post.<br /><br />To learn more about this church I am visiting, check out <a href="http://www.episcopalchurchinphilippines.com/ecp">http://www.episcopalchurchinphilippines.com/ecp</a>. (This link inexplicably does not work. But go to the url. It is there.)

The Asian Journals Of Bishop Dan: Part 1

Here at last. It took a long time – longer than the 19 hour flight. I have wanted to go to Asia since 1966 when I was captivated by an episo...

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Technical Difficulties

TGIF friends!!!<br /><br />I'm very sad to say that I have to delay my cruise post due to some difficulties, aka my computer won't turn on! But I'm penciling in Monday night to get it done. My computer is currently getting fixed (fingers crossed).<br /><br />Right now I'm on a 10 hour road trip to Oklahoma for my cousin's wedding weekend. Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. I have to say I wasn't too sad to leave 'cause there was a snow storm headed right through Iowa!<br /><br />Cheers!

Technical Difficulties

TGIF friends!!! I'm very sad to say that I have to delay my cruise post due to some difficulties, aka my computer won't turn on! But...

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Day 5, I wish it was always this easy

I wish I knew the secret of my success...on days like today.<br /><br />There are days when I have the super willpower, where I feel like nothing can lead me astray. I love those days. They have been few and far between these past several weeks. For some unknown reason today has been one of my good days. It's after 11 p.m. and by my standards, I've been "perfect" today. <br /><br />Vitamins ✓<br /><br />Water ✓<br /><br />Exercise (1.5 hours strenuous) ✓<br /><br />Tracked my food online with eTools ✓<br /><br />Stayed within my Point limit ✓<br /><br />Could I have done a better job? Of course I could have, there's always room for improvement. Perhaps I shouldn't have had that cup of non-fat Reddi Wip on my yogurt and raspberries tonight. When I looked it up in eTools it said one cup is one Point. By the way, that's really how you spell it..."wip".<br /><br />It felt decadent to have that fake whip cream squirted into a cup, then piled on top of my low-fat vanilla yogurt and frozen raspberries. It was a little taste of heaven. It made me feel like I could eat like this forever. It was as good or perhaps even better than real ice cream because I didn't feel guilty eating it.<br /><br />I didn't make it to the gym this morning. Instead I left work at 3 p.m. and stopped at the gym on my way home. Normally, I don't enjoy evening workouts. Usually I'm tired. There's also the fact that the weight section where the largest selection of free weights are located is packed with only guys at night. Women stick with the machines, men usually stick with the free weights. I prefer free weights. I just pretend like I belong there and do my thing. Sometimes I feel sort of out of place, but I that doesn't stop me. I belong there just as much as they do. <br /><br />For some reason tonight I felt really strong and did heavier weights than usual. I was even able to my tricep bench pushups without feeling like I was going to die. <br /><br />The StairMaster has become my cardio of choice lately. After about a month vacation from it, I've been back on it all week. It's the only machine that I can't cheat on, and it keeps my heart rate consistently high. <br /><br />Weight Watchers changed the Activity Points for stair climbing. I'm sure it use to be four Points for 30 minutes at 30 steps/minute (I do 67 steps/minute). Now it says 6 Points for 30 minutes. Sounds a little high to me. It's hard, but it's not that hard.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiySBholkEb6xCDm6NuC31HgNMojKntsqrxzo0kGPxlm0ykMQ0Tglr-itonk76E-JOPvyIj2QOsBMosz2vVdXQ_Q2iaZngsPdoupgFL7yRjolhVHTisH11jCvy6aKLWu9taoczoKn5a9or/s1600/staor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiySBholkEb6xCDm6NuC31HgNMojKntsqrxzo0kGPxlm0ykMQ0Tglr-itonk76E-JOPvyIj2QOsBMosz2vVdXQ_Q2iaZngsPdoupgFL7yRjolhVHTisH11jCvy6aKLWu9taoczoKn5a9or/s320/staor.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm hoping to do the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1776599266746947729">Big Climb</a> in Seattle this March. It's only 69 flights. I usually do 110-140 flights on the StairMaster in 30 minutes. Real stairs are a lot harder than a stair climbing machine. Just like walking on a treadmill versus walking outside. The real thing is always harder. <a href="http://notes-by-grace.blogspot.com/">Grace</a>, if you read this, are you interested? It would be really fun to do this with you. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the new "To do this week" feature on eTools. Each item is a link to something else and gives you more information on the task. I'm going to take a "before" photo before Saturday and add my measurements to eTools. I've never used the measurement feature so I'm kind of excited. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCdLcNir49Phxtel-En0eRgBopQM-SWrmGDyFiV3XoRXTJsxKaeRtMoczEyU4Nph6cYePIswV71-2n0XGJk8_haEetdOscjaH0b7qr-K2-Sp8SznM3LI9LQ32kd6qftpeBlZIYkpj_ZLg/s1600/ww.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCdLcNir49Phxtel-En0eRgBopQM-SWrmGDyFiV3XoRXTJsxKaeRtMoczEyU4Nph6cYePIswV71-2n0XGJk8_haEetdOscjaH0b7qr-K2-Sp8SznM3LI9LQ32kd6qftpeBlZIYkpj_ZLg/s320/ww.png" width="227" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm also loving the new eTools. I love seeing all the nutrients of the food. Today one of my coworkers was talking about the Burger King Quad Stacker he had last week. Check this out (65 grams of FAT.... YUK!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtn6xzB9-fBhd4kdCaSxlEj0hd7r1UoVQ3stZyzLIXmMXmpf2ktCkISZLHrWrpLD9KLWZb9Olh58iogmmmZt6j5OSEF_uQRHm_t4Lav-HEuOvzjQmUDbtMWZDJliZxZpeC61iBshxxc8m/s1600/Bk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtn6xzB9-fBhd4kdCaSxlEj0hd7r1UoVQ3stZyzLIXmMXmpf2ktCkISZLHrWrpLD9KLWZb9Olh58iogmmmZt6j5OSEF_uQRHm_t4Lav-HEuOvzjQmUDbtMWZDJliZxZpeC61iBshxxc8m/s400/Bk.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm working a half day tomorrow, off at noon. Woohoo! Also working from home, so it's a double woohoo! Oh, and it's Friday. Thank God! It's been the longest week ever. </div><a href="http://www.llswa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BC_about">ABOUT THE BIG CLIMB</a> <br /><br />WHAT?<br /><br />Participants have the choice of either running up the stairwell as a racer (timed, competitive) or walking as a climber (untimed). Two stairwells are used - both courses are 69 flights and end at the 73rd floor Observatory. Water is available at designated sites in each stairwell. If you feel you can not finish, you can exit at the water stop floors and take the elevator down.<br /><br />WHO?<br /><br />Anyone 8 years or older.<br /><br />WHEN?<br /><br />Sunday, March 20, 2011.<br /><br />WHERE?<br /><br />Columbia Center in downtown Seattle. Address is 701 Fifth Ave. <br /><br />WHY?<br /><br />To find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Funds raised through the Big Climb go directly to support research, patient aid, patient services, education, and advocacy.

Day 5, I wish it was always this easy

I wish I knew the secret of my success...on days like today. There are days when I have the super willpower, where I feel like nothing can l...

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Wordless Wednesday

<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8Y30aO60UjhVDUWyZ_sK1LKXhQ9ofR6XkznQ3xYe07zF3rLrCoPFmN-Bvddwg7QeLPXQfR_2rDmmJfmdz98n67q_izMAfW30mb3NFEs1crO5VddsHcaatZ9OhauE_0fbZKcGftrh_mFc/s1600-h/DSC09458%5B5%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09458" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiaGz7yt4e-c0Hgr-CVFDp8nSPxUdI1KjUWZWTS_gdsRmskrZmFGUurP55LEbYdEt3Zr7hxQgWKMi9HIxTjq4VDbfe1XBs_Ab0uFRgRiFRg2DTVAAoLKDEdjdbQQpHdNRDrJKmpDGCP4n/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09458" width="404"></a>*more to come soon!</p>

Wordless Wednesday

*more to come soon!

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Why I Am Going To The Philippines

Tomorrow I will board a plane to fly 19 hours to Manila, then ride in a car 9 hours north to Santiago, a transportation hub and See City in the mountains of the northern Philippines. If you had asked me a month ago why I was going to do this, I would have said it is because the Diocese of Nevada and the Diocese of Santiago are companions, and such visits are what you do. I expect why I am actually going will be revealed to me when I get there. God works that way. We think we are doing things for our own reasons, but it turns out we are doing his mysterious will accidentally. “Direct us in all that we do to the fulfilling of your purpose.” But already I am getting a better sense of it.<br /><br />I am not going to Santiago to do anything for the people there. I do have a cowboy hat to give Bp. Alexander Wanadag and I will lead an Advent retreat for the diocesan staff and the clergy of the diocese. But those are just courtesy gestures. I will participate in an ordination, help consecrate a church, and have dinner with the primate. But those are things they are doing to include me in their ecclesial life. It could all happen without me. The real reasons are deeper.<br /><br />I am going to express the caring respect of Nevadans for our brothers and sisters who live the Christian life in these distant island mountains. I hope to visit the Philippines in an authentically Christian way. That is important because of colonialism. Christianity came to the Philippines as a medicine mixed with the bitter base of colonialism.<br /><br />Spain imposed conversion to Christianity, and the friars ruled the people harshly for hundreds of years, actually preventing them from learning Spanish or how to read and write. It was a ruthless subjugation that brought the word of grace. Then the United States acquired the Philippines in 1898 in the Spanish-American War. But no one asked the Filipinos. We were engaged in military conquest of the Philippines until 1902, during which 200,000 Filipino civilians and 20,000 soldiers died from combat or disease. Their guerilla resistance continued on the mountain regions I will be visiting until the 1920’s. <br /><br />The United States and Japan fought in and over the Philippines during World War II and the local people paid a heavy price. They participated with Americans as prisoners in the Bataan death march, and it might be said that we “destroyed (Manila) in order to save it.” Certainly the United States was a more benign ruler than Spain had been or than Japan would have been – but we have nonetheless been an imperial power like Rome to Galilee.<br /><br />While all of that was happening, the Episcopal Church spread the gospel albeit in the colonial context. It started with a military chaplain to the occupation force celebrating the Eucharist in 1898. Then the Brotherhood of St. Andrew sent missionaries. In 1901, we established the Philippines as a missionary district of the Episcopal Church. (Remember we in Nevada were a missionary diocese until not so long ago.) That missionary district flourished and became the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, an independent Province of the Anglican Communion in 1990 – only about 20 years after Nevada became a full-fledged independent diocese.<br /><br />I met Bishop Alex on a bus headed from Kent to London at Lambeth, 08. He knew our priest, then deacon, Teogenes Bernardez, Jr. I found Bishop Alexto be a man of great dignity and mischievous wit. We talked and I asked about the possibility of a companion diocese relationship. His first impulse was "No." He explained that their independence was important to them, and they did not want to receive the largesse of a wealthy American diocese. I said, “Then we are the companion for you, because we have nothing to give.” Thereupon a series of meetings and visits culminated in each of our dioceses adopting companionship resolutions.<br /><br />I want to visit the Philippines as a friend, representing the friendship of the Diocese of Nevada. We are not oppressors and not benefactors. We are friends in Christ. I hope this will be a sharing of the gospel and a sharing in the gospel uncontaminated by colonialism. Finding the authentic faith is harder when it has been presented by a dominating power. Ask our First Nations Peoples about that. Being there on an equal footing is the all important point.<br /><br />I also hope to learn something while I am there. I know I will learn a lot, but I particularly want to learn how we can strengthen Asian ministries in Nevada. For starters, I’d like to be a better bishop to the Filipino Episcopalians already in our pews.<br /><br />I am also thinking of evangelism. The Asian population of Nevada is nearly twice the national average. Asians accounted for 2.9% of Nevada’s population in 1990; 4.5% in 2000; and 6 % in 2008. That is already over 156,000 people. There is presently a movement of Asian Americans from urban centers from the East and from California to the Mountain West. I am grateful for the Asian worshipers in our congregations, but I estimate about 155,900 of them are missing. We have been blessed with Asian ministries that were self-started. But we have not set out to deliberately invite Asian Americans to worship, pray, and share with us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Frankly, I am not sure where to begin. I hope with this trip I will begin to learn.<br /><br />God willing and the angels of information technology cooperating (do you suppose if the Annunciation happened today, Gabriel might just text Mary?), I’ll report in as the adventure unfolds.

Why I Am Going To The Philippines

Tomorrow I will board a plane to fly 19 hours to Manila, then ride in a car 9 hours north to Santiago, a transportation hub and See City in ...

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Clint and Me

<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxH_3F4XDvxsxzSR493_5X5Gf_C1LzDuGdyOpLPhfBLY4Oq1dwH7LquQ2CAQaEsAz_D43Y-TO2nLFpmKqVkXPuwfJU7SMyLX3kGPOkQNotptrZNTttX35RXc4LmYiRJFj1Bn9a_GVEgx4s/s1600/Magnum+Force.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxH_3F4XDvxsxzSR493_5X5Gf_C1LzDuGdyOpLPhfBLY4Oq1dwH7LquQ2CAQaEsAz_D43Y-TO2nLFpmKqVkXPuwfJU7SMyLX3kGPOkQNotptrZNTttX35RXc4LmYiRJFj1Bn9a_GVEgx4s/s320/Magnum+Force.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973)</td></tr></tbody></table><i>by guest contributor Magic Lantern 21</i><br /><br />“Good guy…that last one he shot was a good guy!”<br /><br />Eleven words… my claim to celebrity status; my fifteen minutes of fame which if you took a stop watch and measured, would run well under that length of time. And although I would have many small screen appearances later on in “The Streets of San Francisco,” these few words to this day still get me the most attention. Why? Because Clint Eastwood films are both well known and greatly admired not only in the U.S., but also by audiences around the world. Therefore to be associated with a Clint Eastwood movie usually guarantees that an actor (even a bit one as myself) will receive instant and lasting recognition.<br /><a name='more'></a> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP64w671F-iLB5e-6wPLBlnBEMCP4K2NPPxyyyHR9fqVp445EG_gb3DTcWzmnmrYaYuQPRb3OkHhBAA4AB_U5YoY5Qsi4hYWTBPFP-A1-D3jqyinq64ROZvo5mC7XdzGB0TbjloHg5boYy/s1600/00+dirty+harry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP64w671F-iLB5e-6wPLBlnBEMCP4K2NPPxyyyHR9fqVp445EG_gb3DTcWzmnmrYaYuQPRb3OkHhBAA4AB_U5YoY5Qsi4hYWTBPFP-A1-D3jqyinq64ROZvo5mC7XdzGB0TbjloHg5boYy/s320/00+dirty+harry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty Harry (1971)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Not long ago, TCM ran a tribute to Clint Eastwood and it brought back memories of my experiences meeting and working with him. He was a very pleasant, down to earth man in person…a real pleasure. I met him first in 1971 when he was shooting <b>Dirty Harry</b>. I had gone down to North Beach (one of the film’s locations) to take a look at the “Harry” car which it was being arranged I would purchase from Warners' Transportation when the picture “wrapped”. It was to be my first car and owning a picture car driven by Clint Eastwood made it all the more exciting.</div><br />He was very humble, polite, and soft-spoken when I met him and I also remember being surprised at how tall he was - well over six feet. I subsequently went down to the set many times afterwards and brought high school friends and dates along. Needless to say I was very popular amongst my peers. I unfortunately didn’t get the car, however - they needed it for a “pickup shot” in L.A. later and it got shipped back to the Warner Brothers lot. <br /> <br /> In 1973, three years after becoming an “extra” I reported on the set of <b>Magnum Force </b>- Dirty Harry’s second appearance on screen. I initially performed in the background in various roles - police officers mainly, but during one of the days that I had reported to work as an “extra” I was approached by the Assistant Director, Al Silvani, who told me that my agent had suggested me for a small speaking role as a Cadet in the film. I was of course ecstatic. I was given the few pages of script that contained my line and rehearsed every variation of that piece of dialogue that you could imagine (see above and watch<span style="color: #990000;"> the very beginning</span><span style="color: yellow;"> </span>of the clip below).<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wlaYAExLJmmmwAZAOS7GSETZ8F2ZSfubhGAMTZsLM97hiFiPQNHu18Z4iES7s-vRK-lfruA09AENCarhcp-SjKGPacNv0mZrRU9S-Nx5HiI_uBQjWXWfxSg85vGv2kwg7ZdyeeJqfKMv/s1600/00rogues+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wlaYAExLJmmmwAZAOS7GSETZ8F2ZSfubhGAMTZsLM97hiFiPQNHu18Z4iES7s-vRK-lfruA09AENCarhcp-SjKGPacNv0mZrRU9S-Nx5HiI_uBQjWXWfxSg85vGv2kwg7ZdyeeJqfKMv/s200/00rogues+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnum Force (1973)</td></tr></tbody></table>Finally the day came and I reported to the police firing range to do my scene in the picture. I was in good company - getting to hang out with Robert Urich, David Soul, Tim Matheson, and Kip Niven all day (actually two days - it took that long to film!). They were a fun group…and I remember Urich doing impersonations of various celebrities like Ed Sullivan, etc. He kept us in stitches. Ted Post was the director and I was able to cinch my bit in two takes. Of course Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, and John Mitchum were also there. It was a memorable event.<br /><br />The last time I got to work with Eastwood was in 1976 on his third outing as Harry in the <b>The Enforcer</b>. I was at the Hall of Justice - this time as an “extra”. Perhaps I was feeling shy - or maybe I figured he wouldn’t remember me because (after all) it had been three years since I last saw him - or I thought he was a big actor now and too busy for me - but in any case I felt uncomfortable to re-introduce myself and so didn’t bother to go up to him that day. However, as they were setting up I happened to glance over in his direction and he made a point to single me out and nod a greeting of acknowledgement. I thought that was pretty cool - especially since now he was a bonafide mega star! But, you know, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised - that is Clint Eastwood. He never saw himself as a “star” - he has always been unpretentious in that way. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NH8_zxmkLUtLwqEtyM1473HbDtXWvYD9-XjOzHGIhVChzamn9iCBK9wqSa4YWoyCdwDTwURrvk11pNO8muQXVOgExiklwjN6oe6S7COfyJyTINWNMmv6I2dWyt0Mai6k-_AFWbJOMXPg/s1600/000+older+eastwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NH8_zxmkLUtLwqEtyM1473HbDtXWvYD9-XjOzHGIhVChzamn9iCBK9wqSa4YWoyCdwDTwURrvk11pNO8muQXVOgExiklwjN6oe6S7COfyJyTINWNMmv6I2dWyt0Mai6k-_AFWbJOMXPg/s200/000+older+eastwood.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clint Eastwood today</td></tr></tbody></table>One incident to drive this point home occurred during the filming of <b>Dirty Harry</b>. My father worked in his usual capacity (liaison between SFPD and the motion picture company) on that film, and both he and Eastwood had the same birthday, May 31st. The crew decided to get a cake for my Dad and presented it to him at lunch. One problem - they forgot it was also Clint Eastwood’s birthday. Well, could you imagine what the results would have been if this happened to another big actor with a matching ego? Not Clint, he wished my father a “Happy Birthday” and enjoyed some of his cake.<br /><br />Well, that’s my two cents for what it's worth regarding my time spent with Clint Eastwood. Great memories of a great guy and certainly worthy of the honor TCM gave him. Of course, knowing him, he probably thought it was a lot of to-do about nothing.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AIP9AJTbCcs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AIP9AJTbCcs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <br /><br /><i>Guest blogger Magic Lantern 21/aka/Tony Piazza is a San Francisco native whose father was at one time assigned by the City and County of San Francisco to be liaison between the SFPD and visiting film companies. This assignment involved assisting with scouting locations and making sure the city's day-to-day activities weren't hampered by filming. One such assignment was responsibility for the safety of citizens and property when the iconic chase scene in <b>Bullitt </b>(1968) was being filmed.</i><br /><br /><i>Tony himself, as he mentioned, worked for a time in the industry. He was an extra, a stand-in, performed stunts and had bit parts in films and on TV. Eventually, however, his life took a scientific turn and he has had a long career as a biologist.</i><br /><br /><i>More recently Tony returned to entertainment and the arts. He performed as an extra in the film <b>Sideways </b>(2004), did a commercial for a local retail store and has produced his own films. His book, <u>Anything Short of Murder</u>, is about to be published by Dog Ear Publishing, hopefully by the end of the year; it will be available at Amazon and other major book sites. As MagicLantern21, a member of TCM's CFU, Tony has a long-running murder mystery serial, REEL MURDER, in progress. <a href="http://fan.tcm.com/_WIN-A-MOVIE/blog/2948726/66470.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Click here for a link</span></a> to the related contest he's created and the chance to win a $20 Movies Unlimited gift certificate.</i><br /><i></i><br /><i>Thank you, Tony, for sharing your memories with Reel Life! </i><i>- The Lady Eve</i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja10jnqP1pdRjmT-TNBb784mVLMv-JFPm_kmuX58UQKPoLGF4IxAzkAKQgkClIzX31V0Iw2hr6m9hoJ3tj5aPHtFVdObveReFebuQd67eBB09rBKoXBDQMzPlN6vmxkiDY4HxsVS8iaKPZ/s1600/michael+and+tony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja10jnqP1pdRjmT-TNBb784mVLMv-JFPm_kmuX58UQKPoLGF4IxAzkAKQgkClIzX31V0Iw2hr6m9hoJ3tj5aPHtFVdObveReFebuQd67eBB09rBKoXBDQMzPlN6vmxkiDY4HxsVS8iaKPZ/s320/michael+and+tony.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Douglas with Tony Piazza (Magic Lantern 21) on the set of "The Streets of San Francisco"</td></tr></tbody></table></div>

Bullitt Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry Magic Lantern 21 (author) Magnum Force Michael Douglas The Enforcer The Streets of San Francisco Tony Piazza Clint and Me

Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973) by guest contributor Magic Lantern 21 “Good guy…that last one he shot was a good guy!” Eleven words… m...

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Day 4, new day, new attitude

I got home from work last night at 11:30pm. I sat in my car and cried before I came in the house. I do that when I'm mentally and physically past exhaustion. I cry. I couldn't remember the last time I cried. It's been a while. The last time was probably over work too. Seems like it always is about work.<br /><br />I left my phone on my desk last night. I woke up at 4:40am, which is when my phone alarm usually goes off. I thought, well, it'll go off any minute so I should just get up and go to the gym. After only three hours of sleep I rolled over and fell back asleep. The next time I look at the clock it was almost 7am. My husband had left for work, and I didn't hear a thing (and he didn't wake me up!). <br /><br />My first thought was "Oh shit! Dave is going to be furious at me." Dave is a guy that sits on the other side of the wall of my cubicle. He comes in at 5:30am and I don't usually get in until 9am. The last time this happened he had to listen to the alarm for about three hours. He didn't know how to turn it off. He told me he didn't know anything about "these fancy phones". It's just a Blackberry. Nothing special. Poor guy. I felt really bad. I called him this morning and he said it was ringing when he came in but he figured it out. I asked if that meant he'd smashed it against the wall. He said he saw the button to "dismiss". <br /><br />Long story just to tell you I'm skipping the gym today. I've had five back to back, hour plus workouts in the last five days. My body is tired. I think maybe I need a day off. If it's not raining at noon I'll walk, but it's looking pretty dismal outside right now. <br /><br />About my new attitude. My last several posts seem to have had a negative tone. I don't like that about myself.<br /><br />Today I woke up (the second time) feeling great. I read a few really inspiring blogs this morning, <a href="http://doingaone-eighty.blogspot.com/">Helen</a> and <a href="http://almostgastricbypass.blogspot.com/">Allan</a>. They both made me realize I need to cut the bullshit and really get on with my weight loss. I mean, I ate M&Ms last night? What the hell was that about? I ate 20 total but I hardly ever eat candy. It's the first time I ate out of the candy bowl at work. Of course it was late and I was starving and I can make up all kinds of stupid excuses. Like I said, I need to cut the bullshit. <br /><br />It's off to work now. I think if it is raining at noon I'll head down to our little workout room at work. It's really a tiny little room with some exercise bikes and weights and a few other oddball pieces of exercise equipment. It's enough to get in a light 30-minute workout. New day, new attitude and no excuses.

Day 4, new day, new attitude

I got home from work last night at 11:30pm. I sat in my car and cried before I came in the house. I do that when I'm mentally and physic...

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Day three and a really quick post

I'm just getting ready to leave work (10:23pm--longest day ever!). My work life really sucks lately. I spent three days of my four-day weekend working. To say I'm sick and tired of work is an understatement. I had a three-week vacation scheduled starting December 10, but that's been delayed until December 15. I guess at least I have a job (somehow, that doesn't really help make me feel better right now).<br /><br />Today was suppose to be our Rope Challenge Course team building event in Mt. Vernon. We got rained out. What a surprise, rain in the Pacific Northwest in late November. Instead we did a tour of the Everett Boeing factory. It was interesting for about ten minutes then I wanted to go back to the bus and sleep. Big airplane pieces being assembled. Big yawn. The only factoid I remember is that it's the biggest building in the world, and they build 747's. I work for an airline so I guess this tour should have thrilled me. It didn't. They didn't even allow cameras or cell phones so no pictures. <br /><br />Afterwards I had to come back to the office at 3pm and work until now so I could get my work done. Something terribly wrong with this picture (remember, it was suppose to be a "fun" team building event).<br /><br />My eating was okay today. We went out to lunch after the tour at Mongolian Grill. I had a ton of vegetables and maybe 3 ounces of chicken, with just a touch of sesame seed oil. It's the teriyaki sauce they poured over it after it was cooked that probably had a million calories. It tasted good but I was hungry by 4pm and I didn't bring any food with me today.<br /><br />About two hours ago I snuck into the candy dish at a coworkers desk. First time ever. I had ten M&Ms and ten M&M coconut candies. Mainly because I'm at work and that's the only food available. I ate a Weight Watchers instant oatmeal first (been in my desk forever). It was really icky. Just for the record, I didn't really enjoy the candy either. 34 calories for the M&Ms and no idea for the coconut ones (and they really weren't good). I'd rather have had a big Honeycrisp apple.<br /><br />I'm back on the Stairmaster for my cardio at the gym. It's killing me. I'm amazed how a twenty-five pound gain is making my workouts so much more difficult. When I was 155 I could do 140 flights of stairs in 30 minutes. It was hard but doable. I was doing it almost every day. Now at 180 pounds I'm really struggling to get 120 flights done in 30 minutes. Every morning I think I'm not going to make it to the 30 minutes. 25 pounds is a LOT of extra weight.<br /><br />Not much else to write about. Just that I'm very tired and have to drive home now in the cold and the rain. Sucks to be me today.<br /><br /><u>New PointsPlus Plan - Weight Watchers</u><br />Oh my gosh! Before I walked out the door I wanted to quickly glance at the new Weight Watcher PointsPlus Plan on their website. Today is the first day of the new plan but my meeting is on Saturday.<br /><br />They've really changed things around. They upped my PointsPlus to 29 (it was 22), but then they say food has more PointsPlus in it. Instead of calculating Calories/Fat/Fiber in foods, now they use Fat/Carbs/Protein/Fiber to get the PointsPlus. <br /><br />I want to be positive about this but I can't  help but feel like it's a marketing ploy. I hope I'm wrong. Supposedly, according to my lovely brainwashed Weight Watcher leader (can't help but thinking of "take me to your leader" every time I call her my "leader")....there's a lot of scientific research behind these changes. <br /><br />I wonder if it's really that much better than the old plan.

Day three and a really quick post

I'm just getting ready to leave work (10:23pm--longest day ever!). My work life really sucks lately. I spent three days of my four-day w...

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I’m Home!

<p>Hello friends! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving last week! I sure did and I can’t wait to fill you in on all the cruise details, but what’s more important when you get home from vacation….getting right back on track!</p> <p>That is just what I did! This morning I had a delicious bowl of<strong> honey nut cheerios</strong> with a sliced <strong>banana</strong> for <strong>5 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TR0jk0bxnBaZM5BG-jEHja9pa7cjyQSteR1w0ygApZswT2Jb-XI8Hz7HWnVWrEds3NeFPk8ZqW2J6EX0FLP7itm1PcNYgQBAZKp950uiphGu2WM5U1vP3G6J50ZtjUVPKkPH3HS9cEb-/s1600-h/DSC09512%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09512" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGIbLIUSTd4tSn8IWe1rNG8hWoG6p3wpwc_gtAT0dkEsOFYxUOPQpz_L4hB10ASqd8RTgGTFHl47lM2PSIgcdczCNKQS6GKCcufG9wW2tsokPpljUH1dju7u0lJerdXigmbRX-XpbN-zP/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09512" width="404"></a></p> <p>I was surprised, I really didn’t dread work! I mean come on, who wants to go back to work after 9 days off! It wasn’t bad though, I kept busy! My first morning snack was an <strong>apple</strong> for <strong>1 point</strong>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkdk2xWuWs_VyjSNyyzadoT6OHCUVqpwnvE1EmxKVLtb0KTtkdUYa4O8qS-Er2owDrWYl9DRt-Bl4XkKT-MR7LvEOBYvXHDpNeJXuRKjmYpKNMRtQf6CBd895mk82HLz6yoq7QCH78Fl2/s1600-h/DSC09513%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09513" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqgT0cTMwkCpdGVe3plNqbgAb6l3UwSzklgYqlpGx8u7raUao9wVE8pxSKUk83MXxDVS7PdAPcK0Nk6mDMsBhkwDX21y-BMt72sK1s-xPHghkJHkI1sVNpAbC2Lre0xnPkYE1kXlGn6Ad/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09513" width="404"></a></p> <p>Before a lunch appointment I had <strong>1 c cantaloupe</strong> and <strong>1/2 c cottage cheese</strong> for a total of<strong> 3 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrs1ul2YF0sxOzEVsNTjag9_VjvUbOMwqFn7dsUMhIjVhLRTp1LwePqZsUPb-2gfrLBISWmSMf-6xtkydCah_Be0O5hCnUI5CAgzPwtt4WYGVQlo1sR9a3M7vcn_hP_J3hiYaMTPjARWNN/s1600-h/DSC09514%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09514" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhApVGi6xGoHiNTO3ImreUdT0zqig-DyE4qY9WhkQwfT99SBBuCHA8O5MNgtixmu5gDr7KUFLPE7C1u5ZIcidxSMHsvaZ97Ws_Z9hyphenhyphenK0iAs_iofD-NbLr1krYH7IXdyvdKeCZ8kWtOtzPe/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09514" width="404"></a></p> <p>After my lunch appointment I scarfed down some <strong>carrot sticks</strong> for <strong>0 points</strong>…because evidentially 2 minutes & 30 seconds for my SmartOnes to cook wasn’t fast enough! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJxb69r8YTgGGTsZB3fPmYrlPU8DOerK2F-ZbfsPAzAKA03UVqYaF4qaEwK9DslDUngsijZEdsiYnuV2QEMiYmAOs6el4Je_YnZRO2Ix5Z3O-V1XbfpleY5ZwNLM4nOXGL4VoUICRH0uf/s1600-h/DSC09515%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09515" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuVmLaLxa7IAPEK_7iQnr9CAsWIWKI75tSvcRMviR_19OZDBSIE0ejnB_A9-t1STa-tK6R2ye62XkwQNR3Catf08qnZU617R6cwRxkHEmyHP9q4AtnXU14lADZKD1xq4c5jCbgQrTb6-t/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09515" width="404"></a></p> <p>I made it through the<strong><em> “long” </em></strong>cooking time and had a <strong>Smart Ones</strong> for <strong>4 points</strong>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLoN3zbE7bnS7XecYbXevt6uUCKOA6bAnsUzbL-Yl9i3LwYS9N3ZXT5me6youIGnHL2Ywuvzr7dDXP_Q2SvduxLaWWJ7LzCZvwdGPs2IjO45ANK-umgn4g6wOQ3EWG6b4psAD-n3KTwMR/s1600-h/DSC09516%5B3%5D.jpg"><strong><em><img alt="DSC09516" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyTI7JQWJT54tg9iW0dcrEP1AuLfwXOetY4OvJKgh9eOJPZJOfpgFDhsIDmL4bGUFDQ3jG9H9AGlS52XEzaMrLNN3QhArsetrFNUoQRNLYAotin-RJtO3CPmunNoJmEnuPOyvVifx4hzf/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09516" width="404"></em></strong></a></p> <p>My afternoon flew by and before I knew it quitting time was here! Kyle had class tonight so I was solo. I hit the gym with a friend for a <strong>30 minute treadmill workout</strong>. Felt great!</p> <p>After the workout I whipped up a quick supper, <strong>whole wheat pasta</strong>, <strong>zucchini</strong>, and <strong>2% shredded mozzarella</strong> for<strong> 5 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5bBA87MIDU6oAX1iPjJYYOr5eABWzwXINqQZMI8NWMOVHf7ToTX1C1qj8t7pWFSWojqMqsijNZmNUhZNkJ_2QpIMMMdYNAmyu5cPCb1CmpypAiDswFUvbxCzWjAwE2I7fVvdwZh8ckvU/s1600-h/DSC09517%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09517" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fGSPKblr9wTtkaOOvLH4Av73LQoVLxNsY8xovtAv5Qo64qhmWe3N_cDvfU5dIy5l6KatcGBcgkiIgi6oDldzoeSJqKbZEXHavjCgTTz4pB_-0n_ZAs_FdPsTVwPYbLb_1n5-5d1wdPMc/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09517" width="404"></a></p> <p>It’s not even 9pm and I’m ready to crash! The cruise was amazing & I can’t wait to fill you guys in, but it will have to wait till tomorrow!</p>

I’m Home!

Hello friends! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving last week! I sure did and I can’t wait to fill you in on all the cruise details...

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