Things I Have Learned About Cycling

This morning I went for my first ride since May. As the old saying goes, "it's as easy as riding a bike." And, well, riding a bike is easy. It's just not easy to be good at it.

Many of you remember the Bush-Straddling Incident of 2007, and there are a few who might recall the Stop-Sign-and-Car-Denting Debacle of 1980-ish. As much as I have ridden my bike over the years, I'm just not a great cyclist. My center of gravity isn't, well...centered. I lean forward too much, I slow down excessively for turns, and I have as much grace as a tutu-wearing hippo dancing on a circus ball. Rather than just wearing a helmet, I'm pretty sure I should wear full body armor.

2007 MS Ride, Joe taking a picture of me during a most flattering moment. Good thing I'm way in the distance.

I'm not a dancer, I don't roller blade or ski (those were both extremely awkward and painful experiments), but I do enjoy cycling. I'm just extremely awkward at it.

As I was riding down the Greenbelt this morning, surrounded by all the serious cycling commuters, with their reflective vests and backpacks of work clothes, it occurred to me that - even though I'm not a strong cyclist - I can still get from Point A to Point B without killing myself or harming others. At least most of the time.

Stuff I No Longer Carry - #2

It's been a while since my last update, and my reasons are rather personal. I have, however, continued to focus on my health - in many ways more than ever. Additionally, my family came to visit for a few weeks in late May / early June, and there are few things as wonderful as laughing with those you love.

At my three-month mark, I'm proud to say that I no longer carry the following:

Two rather large, lazy, marmalade kitties.

Baby Steps

I've always been big. I come from a long line of women with "child-bearing" hips. Add to that my 5'10" height in 7th grade - along with glasses and braces, no less - and I was one popular chica. I wasn't so much fat as I was big. It's just what I was. But at the age of 13, that's tough to take. In my mind, I was fat and ugly.

When I was a Sophomore / Junior in high school, I started running. For no reason. I remember the very night it started. I was walking around our 2.2-mile block with my family, and I had headphones on. They were the size of ear muffs, and the radio and headphones were all one piece. Some Whitney Houston song came on (lame, I know), but it was just the right tempo to make me want to move faster. The next thing I knew, I was running the "big loop" of our neighborhood (appx 5 mi) with those darned headphones bobbing on my head. For one entire summer I got up early to run. There was no stopping me.

I completed my first 5K my senior year. My body image was so horrible at that point, I swore I was just too fat.

My hips will never be size zero. But one day I will have those legs again. This morning, I ramped up my workout to include some running. It's going to take some time, but I'll get there. This morning, I felt the freedom of healthy lungs and working leg muscles. I tasted the sweat and felt the pain. And it was glorious to be there again.

The Boise Greenbelt

...or, Why We Chose This House

Joe and I first flew out to Boise in May 2010 for his interview. Joe arrived mid-week, and I came out for the weekend, just to see if this city had what we wanted.

It was such a clear, beautiful weekend. There was still snow on the distant mountains, but the valley was vibrant and warm, with just a hint of crispness in the air. While Joe was in his final round of interviews, I arrived at the hotel then ventured out to do some yarn shopping. We met up for dinner later that night and were both amazed at how many NICE people there were.

The next morning, we decided to take a walk down to the Boise River - just a few blocks from the hotel.
Several things overwhelmed and amazed us:
- The path along the river (aka The Greenbelt) was so very clean. There were trash bins and doggy poop stations that people actually used.
- Even with a number of runners/walkers/cyclists and folks setting up for a local race, it was very quiet.
- Walking along the path brought us not only to the river's edge, but also took us through a couple of beautiful areas - Julia Davis Park and the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.
- The river was crystal clear.

We looked at maybe a dozen houses with a realtor that day, and Joe returned in June to look at some more. We kept coming back to the first house we saw: it was very dated (think early 80s with shaggy brown carpet and exposed beams and stone), but it was big enough for us and our hobbies. The clincher, to me, was that it was barely a half-mile from a Greenbelt micropath. We could walk or ride our bikes through our neighborhood (and not on main roads) to get to the river, then we could go anywhere - our favorite restaurants, the public market on 8th Street, or even a Broncos or Hawks game.

Since I moved here in November, there wasn't a lot of fun to be had in walking the Greenbelt. Even though it doesn't snow a lot in Boise, it gets cold enough to where recreational walking isn't a lot of fun after about 15 minutes. Now that spring is *almost* here, we've been venturing out more and more.
Last weekend we dusted off the bikes. I haven't ridden my bike since the 30-mi MS ride I did in...maybe 2007? Yeah - it's been a while. But the Greenbelt (much like rail-trails in NY) is mostly well-paved, and there are very few hills. We took the bikes down to a favorite haunt - The Dutch Goose - and had a lovely lunch before heading back.

There are times when I'm counting down the days until we can replace the shag carpet / stuccoed walls / dark colors of our new home. But it's a good home, and those things can wait. I can sit in my office and see the snow-capped mountains, and I can walk right out the door and find rejuvenation among the sounds of the rushing water, crisp breeze, and chirping birds of the Boise River.

Stuff I No Longer Carry - #1

I thought it would be fun to keep track of my progress visually. So instead of announcing to the world (or at least my little corner of it) how much weight I've lost, I'm going to show pictures of ordinary (or maybe not-so-ordinary) objects that weigh approximately what I've lost so far. Basically, a picture of what my body no longer has to carry.

There probably won't be any regular updates - I'll post on this topic when it moves me and when the weight in question yields an interesting photographic subject. It'll also be cumulative, so it'll keep me focused on what I've done in total - and how much closer I am to my goals.

And now I give you: Stuff I No Longer Carry...

Otis wonders why I don't carry him more often

A geriatric cat.

Step 1: Overhauling My Eating Habits and Figuring Out What *I* Want

I'm reading a few books to help me figure out and focus on my goals. More than just "I want to lose weight" or "I want to be healthy" - WHY do I want to do those things? Do I want to run a 5K when I turn 40? Do I want to limit my reliance on a car and depend on my bike more for local transportation? Do I want to get more involved in community activities that might require physical effort? Do I want to take advantage of this recent geographical transition and start working towards a new career?

It's going to take me a while before I get to the core of what I really want, but it's definitely some combination of the above. In the meantime, I want to start working on things RIGHT NOW (being March first and all), and the best start is an overhaul of my eating habits.

I work well with lists. Ask my husband (or my similarly off-kilter brother) about the lists I make for packing, for grocery shopping, or for leaving the house on a long trip. When I can compartmentalize tasks and check them off, it appeals to my sense of organization. I'm really *not* an organized person, but I try to be. Hence the lists.

In one of my books, I came across a two-day meal plan. It's certainly not meant to be something you stick to every day, just an example of the right combination of proteins, produce, and grains. But because I need some rigid structure in these first few days/weeks of meal planning, I figured I'd just go with it. I used the plan as a grocery list, and I'm going to stick to it verbatim for at least 4, maybe 6 days. There's nothing offensive on it (I hate it when meal plans say to eat fish - I know it's good for me, but goddammit I hate fish), it's relatively simple, and it'll keep me on track for coming to terms with (1) how much good stuff I need to eat and (2) how much bad stuff I need to avoid.

When Joe and I lost weight before our wedding (almost fifteen years ago now), the key for us was measuring. It was easy to "eyeball" portions of chicken or rice - easy enough to get wrong. So we measured everything from peanut butter to salsa, and it really worked for us. Of course, going to the gym did a lot too, but that's another step in this process.

First and foremost, I need to be able to wake up and feel great in the morning. I need to know what I'm working for every day. I need to know that I'm moving towards something amazing, and it'll take some time.

Operation FUF

I have been keeping up with a few friends, via multiple social networks, who are working out with specific fitness programs. C25K is a popular program to get folks used to running and working towards a successful 5K completion. Various Boot Camp programs guide participants through four weeks of daily as-the-sun-rises exercises while encouraging success at any fitness level. Some folks are long-distance "diet partners" who share victories and help each other recover after small setbacks.

I've battled my weight my entire life, and the only time I've been successful with any long-term lifestyle change: put together a program, and do it. Just freaking do it. Log your miles, record your calories, know what you can and cannot allow in your daily routine.

This is where Operation FUF comes into play. Certain hoar friends will know the true meaning of that acronym, but let's just call it "Fit Under Forty" or something more clever. After all, in a mere twelve months (and five days), I'll be hitting that four-oh milestone. If I continue indulging in my current lifestyle, there won't be much to celebrate.

At 29, I played competitive tennis 3-5 times per week. I even ran (for fun!) occasionally.

Years 30-38, not so much. Joe and I did complete a 30mi fundraiser bike ride, but that's about it. I blame it on New York. Limited tennis, crappy winters, and a dozen restaurants mere blocks from the house. Nah...as much as I would love to blame NY, it's all on me.

At 39, this girl is going to get busy. Boise is the fifth most active city in the U.S. There is so much to do, the weather is awesome most of the time, and I live a half mile from a 23-mile walk/run/bike heaven known as The Greenbelt. There are winter and summer activities a-plenty, so there are NO EXCUSES for this fluffy gal.

Stay tuned. It all starts with a single step.

So Long, 2010

This has been a busy year.
- Started it in our usual way, hungover at a friend's house. This time with Rob & Mika too!
- Traded in old beater car, bought a "grown-up" car
- Survived a couple of huge snowstorms (which Joe was lucky enough to miss)
- Saw my niece play in a volleyball tournament and hooked up with the family in Baltimore
- Went back to the ATL to spend some time with my girlfriends
- Joe put in for a new job (April)
- Went to Boise for an interview (May)
- Put down an offer for a new house (June)
- Bought the new house and moved all our stuff (July)
- Put our NY house on the market (August)
- Drove 2500 miles in an RV with 4 cats
- Went to ATL again for a friend's wedding
- Went to TX to see family for Christmas

And in all that time, I only knit 7 things, 5 of which were easy hat/baby items. That's gotta change. My 2011 goals (in no particular order):
- Knit more.
- Get healthier. Stop saying it and just do it.
- Hope the NY house sells so I don't have to look for work.
- Blog more.
- Finish unpacking and get the house in order
- Never move again

That should do it. May you all have a wonderful 2011!

Nine Weeks

Okay, so we've gotten through the hard part(s):
- We purchased the Boise home
- Joe started his new job, which he loves
- We moved all our stuff out to Idaho, and it mostly got there in good shape (I don't wanna talk about the Dechar bowl and the Toronto magnet from Jacquie...sniffle...)
- I cleaned ALL THE THINGS that remained in the NY house
- We put the NY house on the market

Nine weeks from today we'll hopefully be loading up a rental RV with clothes and cats, then driving for a few days. So I can finally be here...

...and wake up to this:

I think my blood pressure will drop immediately the morning I first wake up out there. Even if it takes us a while to sell the NY house, I know we're moving in the right direction.

Sigh.

Nine more weeks.

I'm Lookin' for a New Blog, Baby...

In mid-April, when Joe was home for his one weekend (in a month of travel), he was perusing the internet for some job opportunities.
J: "What do you think about Boise, Idaho?"
B: "Sure...Idaho doesn't offend me."

In mid-May, Joe had passed a few telephone interviews and was brought to Boise for an in-person one. They even flew me out there. We fell in love. We looked at houses, we ate at cool restaurants, we spoke with servers/barkeeps/shopowners, and we fell in love.

In mid-June, we found ourselves scrambling for asset paperwork, signing letters of intent, and focused on buying our new home.

And now Joe is in his new position, loving every moment of being out there, while I wrap up the NY house, pack, and try not to go insane.

A lot has happened in 3 months. And since we will no longer have a porch (that does make me sad), I'm thinking this little-updated blog needs to go in a new direction. Maybe towards the Greenbelt.

Hmmmm...

Freezer Score!

And more veggies are on the way!

I haven't been posting about every freezer-dive meal we've had, but score a big WIN for the following:
A little bland-colored, but what you see here is peppercorn pork tenderloin (frozen about 6 mos), mashed cauliflower, and corn pudding (both from last year's CSA share). This meal rocked. A lot.

And tonight our CSA share from this year started. Here you can see what wonderful goodies are offered - I never have the patience or skill to take nice pictures like my knitter friend does. Anyhow, tonight we got strawberries (so sweet...mmmmm.), bok choy, radishes, lettuce, and sugar snap peas. Made a nice big salad with lettuce, bok choy, sugar snap peas, walnuts, almonds, and blue (bleu?) cheese. Joe vetoed the dried cranberries. Wuss.

Going through our share is going to be a challenge this year, because it'll all have to be consumed fresh. I have a freezer filled with the bounty from previous years, but all that must get eaten or thrown out rather quickly, as I have a freezer to defrost in about 6 weeks. The reason why isn't quite "Facebook safe" yet, but if you've read this far, chances are that you already know.

So we've got a lot going on: eating healthier, eating cheaper, clearing out the clutter (physical and mental), and still finding time to have some fun. And there is certainly a lot of fun to be had.

656 Days

In 656 days, I will turn 40.

I want my 40th birthday to be a celebration of epic awesomeness.

And so my goal - in 656 days - is to be the healthiest Beth I can be.

Let the fun begin!

Letting Go

Living in the same big house for almost 10 years is a curse. Seriously. When you can go a week without even entering the back half of the house - and when you have a full walk-up third-floor attic - it's damned easy to accumulate stuff. And it's really easy to not let go, even when you're trying to clean things out.

Today I'm swapping out my summer and winter clothes, and I'm also culling a few items that have been stored, basically since we moved here. I'm ashamed to say that I've put on more than a few lbs in the last 10 years, and while my goal is to once again be my "fighting weight," chances are I'm not going to want to wear 10+-year-old clothes when I get there.

But going through these items, it's tough to let go.

The long red slinky dress with the slit up the side that I wore to a dance my senior year at OU. The flirty little dresses I wore when I went to Italy with my mother, dresses that earned me whistles and stares from those nice Italian men (well, they pretty much stare at anyone). That little black dress with all the sparklies that made me feel like I could dance all night.

Then again, there are some memory lanes that should never be walked down again. A pair of jean shorts, color: butter. Yes, butter. A mini skirt that was basically one stretchy black tube. I think I wore that to a concert or two, but those stories are best left off of the internet. Numerous items that should stay in the early nineties, like my turquoise and white "suit" that was a tailored jacket and long shorts. Yup. Even wore it with white tights and tan shoes to the accounting firm.

And so while it's tough letting go, it feels great "digging through the stash" and getting this weight off of my shoulders. Much like my freezer project (which has been slightly on hold but will resume), we're just digging through what we can use and dropping what we can't. Life's too short to hold on to 5-year-old clam sauce and butter-colored jean shorts.

A Lovely Yarn Giveaway!

Please to be looking at this beautiful blog for a contest! For gorgeous yarn! What's not to love?!?

As a side note, the corn chowder survived beautifully, but the corn pasta did not. I should know better by now...cooked pasta does not freeze well...

A New, Frozen Direction

My poor, neglected blog. Either not much going on or too much to sit down and blog about. Since most of my peeps keep up with me on Facebook and Ravelry, I thought I'd turn my blog into a little reflection of a project I've started.

Freezer Diving.

Yes, folks, CSA time is fast approaching, and I've got an ass-load of stuff in the freezers (both the small and large ones are pretty much full). So I'm spending the next weeks/months hauling out meals that are both interesting and boring, wonderful and...trashworthy. Plus it'll get me out of this processed food funk I've been in. When you work long hours, you tend to fix / purchase what's easy, not necessarily what's healthy.

As spring turns to summer, I'll also be working on new recipes and new techniques for the fresh farm produce. I hope by the end of this season I'll be in the midst of creating a healthier lifestyle, as well as learning a few new things. And I hope to find lots more uses for corn.

For today's adventure: corn chowder from July 2009, Linguine with corn and sage (date unknown), mashed cauliflower (2009), and some peaches (2009). We'll see how they survived their storage.

Introducing...ELWOOD!

...or, How Many Cats Do You Have???

Joe and I moved to NY with three cats, adopting a fourth in 2002. Having a big house with plenty of space, the addition of another cat was a no-brainer, especially since all of our cats had basically come to us - either rescued or abandoned. After the rough patch of late 2007 / early 2008 where we lost both Milo and Cosmo, we spent a little while with only two cats, then realized that Otis and Dobby hate each other too much to be on their own. So we adopted Willow.

This didn't work out so well...now we had three cats that pretty much hated each other. There was some playing between Dobby and Willow, but it frequently escalated into hissing. I thought another younger cat would help Willow with her playfulness, so I'd had my eye out for an addition for a while - I just didn't know how it would materialize.

One afternoon, while searching Petfinder, I came across a small rescue organization with one picture, a little marmie-white kitten named "Liam." They would be at PetSmart over the weekend, and I stopped by to check them out. There were several kitties, all of which were beautiful and fun. But I was so unsure about "Liam" - was I just getting another cat on impulse, or was this the cat for us?



I brought him home in early December, and he soon became Elwood. After one day of being quarantined and shy, he quickly owned the house.



The other cats hissed at him, but he just went on his merry way with a 'tude of a king. Within a week, he was cuddling with his surrogate mom, Willow.





The older boys still don't care for him much, but I never could have imagined how positive this would have been with Willow. She's grown up, become a "Mom," and has a play buddy.



We might have four cats, but it's certainly not too much - it's the perfect number for us right now.

So How'd That 2009 Knitting Go?

Remember this list of things to knit in 2009? I think I did pretty well, considering how busy things were this year:

- 6 pair of socks (at least). Five pair completed, two pair in progress
- This shawl, in some groovy Egyptian mercerized cotton I have. Started 11/12/09, 2.5 repeats into pattern (roughly 1/4 of total).
- A scarf pattern that came with my Buckwheat Bridge purchase at Rhinebeck 2007 Started 12/22/09, about 1/5 into pattern.
- Another hedgie for one of Joe's coworkers (who just had a baby) Completed, also made another hedgie for niece Jessica
- Possibly this scarf using this yarn NOT DONE
- A hat and scarf for Joe to replace the really crappy ones I knit him when I was first learning Started the scarf, haven't worked on it in a while
- Another Clapotis, this time for me, out of some awesome yarn I got at Rhinebeck 2008 (the purple stuff at the top of this photo) NOT DONE
- This fish hat. Because how can you not make a fish hat? NOT DONE

Also completed:

Angel Lace Shawl with yak/merino blend



Windy Valley Scarf with Qiviuk



Noro striped scarf



Three baby hats, four pair baby socks/booties








Knucks for Mom



Cigar gloves for Russ



Cool Amelia hat from a kit given by a friend in Toronto



I'm not sure what my project goals are this year, but I'm definitely going to work on "shopping from stash" rather than buy any more yarn. It'll be nice to work the stash size down a bit. Edited to add: my completed projects of 2009 consumed approximately 4,554 yards of yarn - over 2.5 miles! According to Ravelry, I only have another 33 miles to go...

Of course, I have the same old goals of health and making the world a better place - this year I'm going to be very mindful of all of my goals and hopefully simplify my life. Too much clutter - in the stash, in the home, in the soul, and on the body.

Happy 2010 to all!

Something Windy This Way Comes

I grew up knowing the definition of the term "blustery," but I have to say I'd never experienced it until we moved to New York.

When I was a little girl - and once I'd proven to my mother that I was responsible for items that required special care - I received Mom's collection of Walt Disney records. 33rpm records of the classic Disney movies - Snow White, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Robin Hood (Kristin is still the only other person I know who can quote that movie like I do). These were pretty much the entire movies with sound only - but with lovely picture books behind the album cover. I treasured these records. I'd put on shows in my bedroom - the only audience being my posters of Shaun Cassidy and John Schneider - acting out all the parts and singing every song.

One of these treasured albums was Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. I had my stuffed animals act out the parts (even if they weren't of the A. A. Milne variety). I was deep in the Hundred Acre Wood. I learned the wonderful thing about Tiggers. I danced with the Heffalumps and Woozles. My imagination had no boundaries, and it set the stage for my love of music, reading, and the theater.

And on days like today - when the wind blows branches and trash cans and even street signs askew, I can't help but sing this song to myself and smile...

My Heart is with my Friend.

Dearest Cutie-pie Evan:


We all miss you and your wonderful spirit.

Much love to your amazing family.

Can't Sleep, Can't Wake

I woke this morning in a cold sweat from a very intense dream about living on some hill where Scottish men (yes, in kilts - so yummy) herded goats, sheep, penguins, and sea turtles down through my yard. I also had a ghost in the attic who played the harp. A coworker was asked to try and break into my house, and he did, but he accidentally let the cats out. I was running around the yard, dodging fluffy penguins and happy sea turtles, trying to find my cats, who were chasing a small terrier.

Yes, I'm deeply disturbed. And even worse now, I have an earworm:



And now I'll leave you with three handsome men and some home brew: