Spam Musubi Mania & Yogurt Boy!

The state of Hawaii...proud birthplace of the spam musubi!

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It's my brother Jon's birthday! We're celebrating a little early because his two boys (Kenichi & Riki) are heading to Japan for 6 weeks and would otherwise miss it. Because he was a sushi chef for years, and because his two boys LOVE spam musubis...he got one as his birthday cake!!! (And yes, it's ALL cake...no spam!)

Minutes after he finished his Thanksgiving turkey, Roy quickly unpacked and put up all our Christmas decorations so we could let the boys celebrate an early Christmas too!

Mr. Smiley posing in his new pjs. Today he glanced down at them as soon as he woke up, pointed to the fish, and said "....fish fish fish fish fish fish" for about 2 minutes straight. He's a little Einstein, I tell ya!

Ryan's mommy was over the moon over getting a new set of plastic Christmas containers (to replace all the ones we had to leave behind in California)...but Ryan liked them too!

And finally, Ryan has decided that a much better use of his costly, hormone-free yogurt (purchased especially for him and no one else because we're too poor to buy it for the rest of the already hopelessly poisoned household), is to use it as a shaving cream! Naughty boy!

Tons 'o run fun!!!

Ryan pre-race fueling up on Cheerios and raisins...staring down the competition.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We celebrated the BEST Thanksgiving EVER with the best family EVER. Because Roy had to work, Ryan and I kicked off our Thanksgiving morning by participating in the 5th Annual Wobble & Gobble on Walua Road. We had an AWESOME time. Great turn out (about 125 people), great weather (sunny, cool breezes), great race support from the the volunteer organizers, and a challenging, scenic race course! And here's what also thrilled me...though there were about 5-6 other strollers out there, Ryan and I were the only ones crazy enough to do the 6.4-mile distance, which of course, means that technically, we finished 1st in the stroller division!!! (...and last place as well, but we're gonna look at this with our usual rainbows-and-unicorns approach and go with first!)

But best of all...I did it faster than I thought I could. We finished in 1:07 and some change (won't know until tomorrow when the results are in the paper). I was stoked, because it was the first time I pushed Ryan entirely by myself, and those first 3.2 miles are unrelenting (a gradual hill climb that only gets steeper with each mile). But I think what really made my day was all the encouragement Ryan and I got from the other runners- people clapped, smiled, hollered and joked with us throughout the entire run. It distracted me (in a good way), motivated me, and made me happy just for being able to do it. It's kind of a crazy way to start off a normally already-kinda-busy day, but now that I've done it, I'm hooked! All that adrenaline just made a fun day even better.

Ry and I post-run, seconds after he woke up from his little 15 min. snooze (he was tired from eating all those Cheerios & raisins I kept having to feed him throughout the run)!

It's funny, I had done a few trial runs on the course earlier this month (sometimes with Ryan, sometimes without, but never running with him at the same time) and nearly croaked. So I was totally prepared to be utterly exhausted and well, miserable. And it's funny, I never really was. The race just seemed to fly by! Which is not to say I wasn't kicked in the behind- I experienced the usual alarming heavy breathing and near incontinence from exhaustion the last 2 miles (even though they were downhill)! I think I just managed to pace myself fairly well, walking when I needed to to make sure I was having a good time.

So it's official- we will definitely be regular participants from here on out! And even though we were once again near the bottom of the pack, for the first time ever- it really didn't matter. Ry and I rocked that run! And the rest of our day only got better- as soon as we got back home, my mom took Ryan to church (he prayed for more toys) so I could shower and cook my two dishes for Thanksgiving, we shared an awesome Thanksgiving lunch with the extended family and friends, celebrated an early Christmas (Roy hurriedly assembled and decorated our tree in record time!) with Ry's cousins Kenichi and Riki (who are getting ready to leave for Japan for 6-7 weeks), and chowed down on leftovers for dinner! My stomach is weeping.

In other running-related news- So after weeks of not-so-secretly pining for a new (my third!) Fuel Belt...I quickly caved and bought a beautiful hibiscus pink Helium 4-bottle belt. And I mentioned I'd also won a $50 gift certificate as a result of that trip. So a few days ago I giddily headed back to the shop to grab a few more things- a new Crush Fuel Belt for Roy, a very cool pink running cap from Puma (it matches the new belt and my shoes!), and some reflective stickers for Rizzle's stroller since I love running at dusk and it makes us more visible.

Huge mahalos to the owners, Jason & Melissa Braswell, and best of luck to them on their newly reopened, well-stocked Big Island Running Company! I saw the both of them running today (they're both your usual limber, super fast marathoners who kicked arse), but because we were no more than 20-30 min. behind them, you know, basically nipping at their heels...I could tell we put some pressure on them. ;-)

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Week #6 Report (...and it blows)

Ave. # of calories per day: 1830
Overall weight change: +0.5 lbs.
Total # of workouts: 7

Summary: Since it's not obvious, let me just say it- I gained 2 lbs. over the past 4-5 days, which means I'm back to a half pound HEAVIER than when I started this challenge! &@^#! It's a culmination of poor decisions- seasonal celebrations, nighttime nibling, cockiness, one too many handfuls of goodies here and there. But the end result is still the same.

No mindfulness = huge price to pay.

Not pissed, just kinda sad. Disappointed. 6 weeks of work down the drain...and the holidays haven't even officially started yet. The last 4-5 days have been the worst I've had since I started the GBISALTP Challenge. The number one thing I've been feeling lately that totally reminds me of my 'fat days' is that horrible feeling of waking up in the morning and having your first thought be, "I cannot believe I ate all that yesterday..." (which is a terribly negative way to start your day). Because then you feel an intense pressure to make up for it with exceedingly disciplined behavior, like PRONTO...which then leads to feeling overwhelmed, panicked and deprived...when then leads to...chips. Handfuls of salted peanuts. Late night slices of pumpkin mochi. Dried goji berries and blueberries. And then the cycle sort of repeats itself.

So I've definitely lost my confidence. My mojo. It was just starting to feel effortless and then I sort of unconsciously derailed myself. However, if there is something positive to come from all of this (and really, we're gonna have to dig pretty deep to find something, because a half pound weight gain over 6 weeks is nothing to dance about), it's this:

1. Perhaps doing the challenge 'saved me' from gaining even more. So in that respect, you could call it a success (I definitely feel like I'm reaching here). If nothing else, I at least 'caught myself' tonight and am taking that critical step backward to assess what's going on so I don't plow into another 4-5 punishing, self-defeating days.

2. A few years ago, a half pound over all weight gain would have psychologically DEVASTATED me. Dominated my thoughts. Pissed me off. Left me despondent with grief (I only wish I were exaggerating). My emotions this time around are much more flat...muted...normal...balanced (I'm not reaching here when I say this is an improvement).

3. I still have some fight left in me. I'm still a bit deflated and not quite at the "I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR" stage yet, but I do know that I'm not going to give up. I just know it's back to the basics- meditation, mindfulness, breathing, believing...

Hawai'i at it's finest!

After MONTHS of yapping about it...we finally did it! We hiked from Kekaha Kai Beach to Makalawena! Here's a picture of the family pre-hike, bright eyed and bushy-tailed!

Here's momma and Ryan finally emerging from the lava rock path up onto the powdery, soft, white sand of Makalawena (the beach of nearly all my childhood memories)!

One of the main reasons for doing this short hike was to find brackish water (salt and fresh water mixed together) ponds and look for 'opae (a type of shrimp). And we found a few! Here's one of them!

Makalawena is not usually a nude beach, but it was today! We weren't planning on letting Ryan go swimming, but he kept chanting "beach beach beach" once he saw the water! Plus, his cousins couldn't resist the lure of the water either...so once he saw his two cousins strip down and run into the water wearing their underwear, there was no way we could say no! And of course he LOVED it! He was shrieking with delight!

Post hike, back at Kekaha Kai...watching the sunset! It's been way too long since we've done something fun like this (exploring our island home). Today's excursion only reinforced to me that we have to do them more often. It's inspired me to definitely schedule our next fun trip before the end of the year...taking a dip in the volcanically heated saltwater pond in Puna!

The Lone Wolf & How Little I Know

I've always been on the outer fringe of the running world- I've never had a running partner, I've never joined a running group, and I've never really participated in local (non-race) running events. I'm not proud of this fact, it's just the way it's worked out...I guess I've always just assumed that I'd be a fairly undesirable running partner since I'm slow, I take frequent walk breaks, I like to wear my dorky Fuel Belt every time I run, I'm super UNcompetitive (so you definitely wouldn't look to me to push you outside of your comfort zone), I don't like to exert myself and I rarely, if ever, develop or stick to a training plan. (But other than all THAT, I'm just nifty to run with!) I guess you could say I've suffered from RLSE (Runner's Low Self Esteem) for years, and that's unlikely to change. Unless I start taking 'roids...which is tempting, but I hear expensive. And I think illegal. Plus there's the hassle of having to shave my new chest hair.

So despite the occasional internal twinge or two urging me to reassess my lack of running companionship, I think I'll be content leaving my situation unchanged. I've somehow managed to gleam enough information, motivation and upcoming race info by surfing the web, reading a dozen or so running books and combing through Runners World magazine. That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy a running partner, because I definitely can acknowledge the incredible benefits of having one! I just need to find a way to get over my incurable RLSE.

Because while I'm always mildly embarrassed whenever I'm easily passed by other runners, I've been even more embarrassed ever since I moved here and have found myself consistently in the bottom 1/3 of the field. The problem is, whatever impassioned vows I make to start incorporating speedwork into my workouts are quickly abandoned (since they involve exertion). I suppose I'm just lazy. I do still set SOME goals- like in preparation of the Wobble & Gobble, I've made an effort to run a few more hills while pushing Ryan, but I do it so slowly and lazily that I'm not quite sure there's much of a benefit.

I try to focus on the fact that at least I'm out there...but it's hard to get past when you're painfully reminded of your inadequacies every. single. race. day. I wish I could embrace that I'm not that hot of a runner just so I can move on with my life and quit moping about it. But there's this niggling thorn in my side that keeps telling me that simply caving in without a fight just makes me a big, giant panty, and that I should at least TRY to run a little faster for a few months and see how I like it.

Because if I've learned nothing else over the past year, it's that that saying your parents used to tell you- "I know you THINK you'll hate it, but try it! You might like it!" is often true! (Though not always...I still hate OATMEAL, dad and mom! See?! All those times I puked it back up were REAL!!!) In the last year or so, here's what has surprised me:

THINGS I THOUGHT WOULD SUCK, BUT ACTUALLY REALLY ROCK:

1. Preschool. Though always grateful for the opportunity to be there, I was mortified about it for months! I could NOT believe that I was sitting in a circle with other mommies singing silly little songs about frogs. I REJOICED everytime there was a holiday or school break so that we didn't have to go. Now, I can't wait to see how excited Ryan is whenever he knows it's 'Time to go to school!' and I mourn the days he cannot go.

2. Pottery painting. Like making origami, making cards, scrapbooking and gift wrapping...I considered pottery painting to be 'Stuff my mother does that I would NEVER do.' I thought it was boring, expensive and required artistic talent or creativity (all not true, except for the expensive part). I've come to LOVE my twice monthly pottery nights with the girls. Tonight I even found myself trolling around on Etsy looking for design ideas that I can steal! ;-)

3. Running. Four years ago, I only ran for two reasons- 1) If a scary dog was chasing me, or 2) If you told me someone was handing out free Cheetos up ahead (original Cheetos of course, not the new, harder kind). I couldn't understand why people would want to get all sweaty and out of breath. Now I get that like many things in life (and this does not apply to all runners), sometimes the joy is not in doing the act itself, but in the end result. Nothing makes me feel more strong or confident than finishing a run.

4. Parenting. I never understood the appeal of total self sacrifice. I always secretly smiled and patted myself on the back anytime I saw a struggling, exhausted parent haul their fussing child off to the potty in the middle of dinner for the THIRD time while I contently and peacefully polished off my supper, completely uninterrupted... Now everytime Ryan learns a new word, smiles and dances and twirls around unabashedly, that it's a truly priceless experience that makes my life richer, deeper and more meaningful. I may always struggle with being a parent, I think we all do...but it's undoubtedly worth it...once.

So I'm going to make a bold promise here today (because if I'm tired of writing about it, I know you're tired of reading about it)- that as of this weekend, I'm going to either come to peace with my chilled out pace, or I'm going to start doing speedwork. I have a feeling I know which option I'll pick, but then again, you never know, right? I just might like speedwork! ;-)

Week #5 Report

Ave. # of calories per day: 2008 (...whoops)
Overall weight change: -2.5 lbs.
Total # of workouts: 5

Summary: Well, well, well..despite eating more last week, I still managed to lose another pound! I'm both stunned and thrilled. I'm thinking it's got to be that I've been running more...on average, 2-3 days a week (though not any faster, mind you). I've been doing my usual long run every Saturday, a 5-mile run every Wednesday to the pool, and an occasional third short run pushing Ryan up Walua Road in preparation of the Thanksgiving Day run (I'm slow on a flat surface by myself. So running uphill with a stroller and a baby in it?! All I can say is...there's gonna be a whole LOT of wheezing and walking that day)! And crying. Can't forget the crying.

I will say that eating less has gotten easier each week because I think I've gotten used to it- physically and psychologically. As recently as a few weeks ago I was still a bit depressed/panicked about the thought of having to maintain my new mindful eating routine (since I don't call this a diet because there are no rules or restrictions), but now I look at it is quite manageable since I still get to have a number of weekly indulgences. And I'm not referring to the LAME kind of once a week 'indulgences' or 'treats' you hear stick-thin celebrities talk about- like a handful of almonds, or a scoop of ice cream. Puh-lease. When I want a treat, I gotta have me like, ten handfuls of almonds, or FOUR scoops of ice cream!

I've also been working on trying to develop a more positive attitude (this has been an ongoing effort since about 2005)...which has been pret-ty darned easy the last couple of days given that I've had a number of 'windfalls of joy'* fall right into my lap!

*You like that? Windfalls of joy! Yes...I thought of it ALL by myself. I cannot help that I've been blessed with the gift of the written word.

1. I'm finally seeing some results of my efforts to get healthier!
2. I just won a $50 gift certificate to our local running store (thank you, Big Island Running Company!) after nearly correcting guessing how many macadamia nuts there were in a jar at their grand re-opening celebration this past weekend (I was there getting myself a little motivational present...a THIRD fuel belt)! ;-)
3. We now have an Orange Tree frozen yogurt shop that I've been dying to check out, and I finally did with Roy and Ry! That place rocks! I sampled a ton of flavors (love that it's low cal!) and decided on their cheesecake (I'm so predictable).
4. The holidays are here! I loooove that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are here!!! Prior to having Ryan, the holidays barely even registered on my radar (I was never a festive kinda gal). If you'll recall, we were married something like EIGHT or NINE years before I bought a single Christmas decoration. However, being around Ryan and our nephews has definitely reignited our desire to celebrate these special days. Today I officially started the process of writing our annual Christmas letter, ordering copies of the family photo to send out, planning out what to bake for who, deciding which charities to help, picking out presents for all the keiki, etc.
5. Roy has some OT this week! The state budget crisis has not only cut his pay, but nearly wiped out his OT as well (we're not complaining...just sayin'). So it's a blessing to have it once in awhile! Though getting OT means that both he and I have to work a lot longer and harder, it certainly helps with those three annual tuition payments!!!
6. I have started to LOVE my Ladies Night pottery group! At first I struggled to tap into what little creativity God has given me (he seriously shorted me on that and self control), but now I'm totally digging it. The process of creating something is fun, but the company of my compatriots is even better (thanks Mel, Eme and Cristina)!
7. Ryan is KILLING ME with his cuteness. For the past three days, he has come up to me, lifted my nightgown up, patted my underwear and asked "Doo doo?" (since I do this to him twenty times a day)!

Life is good...

-J

More cake!!!

Today is my dad's birthday...this pic is of him with all three of his grandchildren blowing out the candle on his kayak cake!

He's been looking for a kayak for a few months now, so I thought this would help inspire him. We were pretty busy this weekend and I didn't have much time to make it...so Roy helped and we were able to crank this one out pretty quickly!

This is a pic of Mr. Smiley in his pjs just before bedtime, getting ready to brush his teeth with daddy as part of their nightly routine together.

This was a less-than-thrilled Ryan at today's dentist visit! He was a little scared at first, but overall he did great! No tears, but plenty of fearful clutching and no's! When the dental assistant placed the heavy x-ray apron over him, Ryan told her "No...no...no...all pau, all pau*!" ;-)

*pau - Hawaiian for 'finished'

Ryan wearing daddy's undershirt! It's still a little big...

Jo's Christmas List for 2009!

Between Roy's recent pay cut, his constant tuition payments and the sudden need to start socking away some serious cash (long story for another day), this holiday season is definitely a tight one. So I thought it might be fun to post my Christmas Wish List here and pretend to buy all the things I've been wanting throughout the year! And you know what- it was FUN! I highly encourage and invite all you bloggers to do the same! So without further ado, here are all the super cool things I 'bought' myself this Christmas (you know, besides world peace, food for Africa and jobs for everyone)! ;-)

1. I've been wanting a women's road bike! So I chose this one since it's made by a reputable company, it's not too costly (at least I don't think it's carbon!), it's a road bike, and it's made for women!

2. I've been secretly drooling over Splish's AMAZING swimsuits for months now! And since cost is not an issue, rather than have to choose among my four faves, I got all four!!! Whoo-hoo!

3. And now that I'm rocking the coolest swimsuits in Kona, why not get the world's coolest 2-person kayak for Roy and I? The Molokini by Clearblue Hawaii is only $2,000, so this leaves plenty of cash left for...

4. My new Helium Fuel Belt! I love the new colors and larger sized flasks (8 oz. instead of 6)!

5. And last but not least, a family vacation to Kenya! This is the trip we had to cancel our tickets to once we found out I was pregnant and no one would immunize me! So now that Ryan is born, we'll be flying first class to and from Nairobi so we can go on a deluxe, two week safari (think posh African lodges) through Kenya & Tanzania...where we will see the Big 5, hike up Kilimanjaro, dance with the Samburu tribe and watch the wildebeasts stampede while sailing above them in a hot air balloon!

A girl can dream, right?

Our little redneck

I expect a visit from the state any moment now. Because over the past four days, little Ryan has sustained a series of unfortunate injuries under our care. On day #1, he fell off a piece of playground equipment, resulting in a dozen or so gravel indentions/scabs on his forehead. On day #2, he fell down while walking into school, which resulted in a series of scrapes on his left shin. On day #3 (yesterday), he was twirling around in the living room and fell backward into a chair, chipping one of his front teeth (hence the 'redneck' moniker) and cutting his mouth. And then this morning, day #4, I discovered a yet another scratch/gouge mark on his nose! Egads.

So today I called two (pediatric) dentists to try and get an appointment to see what we should do about his front tooth. Because completely aside from the aesthetics (which I don't care about since it's not that obvious), I'm worried that since he tends to fall a number of times each day, that he will continue to cut his mouth since the bottom of his chipped tooth is a little sharp. I'm also worried about the increased likelihood of a cavity there since the tooth is now exposed. I'm thinking he probably won't lose that tooth until he's around 7 or so, so I want to see if the dentist will recommend at least sanding it down (which yes, will be traumatic for Ryan, but I figure it's better to have 20 seconds of 'sanding' it down than having to get a filling later).

I'm *this close* to wrapping the child up in bubble wrap, especially since we have a three-hour field trip to a coffee farm tomorrow! I am haunted by visions of him squirming away from me and running toward all that loose, jagged lava rock! :-( Since my mother made my brother Joey use an elastic strap (think Kareem Abdul Jabar) to keep his expensive bifocal glasses strapped onto his head from K-6 (and we wonder why he has such fondess for the drink), I'm thinking it's not entirely out of line for me to send Ryan off to school wearing a Spidey bike helmet, knee pads, protective eyewear and a mouthguard, is it? ;-)

Week #4 Report

Ave. # of calories per day: 1858

Overall weight change: -1.5 lbs.

Total # of workouts: 7

Summary: So I managed to lose a pound even though I pretty much fed at the trough most of last week (and which has continued into this week as well...ugh). The only thing I can come up with to explain my weight loss is that my efforts to up my weekly mileage have finally paid off. Because I'm telling you, I definitely have NOT earned any other gold stars this week...I've been increasingly terrible about eating mindfully, and even worse about taking time to myself to just think, relax, feel, breathe... It's funny, I lost a pound, and instead of feeling victorious, I'm pissy because I should have done so much better. Which is odd, because when I gained weight the other weeks, I was still optimistic and upbeat!

I could hypothesize here about why I've been feeling so antsy/frustrated recently, but given the far more serious adversities most others are facing nowadays, I'd really rather not. Not that I'll let it all bottle up and explode, or curl up and weep with a bottle of vodka...gosh no. I've learned that it's definitely not healthy to do that. (I'll just whine and mope a lot more to my husband instead). But because I still want to end this entry on a bright sunshine-y note (because I'm just a rainbows-and-unicorns kinda gal!), I will say that the increased weekly walks with my two boys has been kinda nice. And because I'm a shameless show-offy "Look at how cute my kid is!" kinda mom, I'll also leave you with two more pics of the little guy!

Ry perfecting the art of 'cruising' (a Hawaiian speciality) with his cousin Riki in the little jeep we bought Riki and Keni a few Christmases ago (gotta love the enduring quality of anything you buy from Costco)!

Ry chowing down on his favorite food in the whole entire world- yogurt! (aka 'gurt' in Ryan-speak) I'm extremely proud that his favorite food happens to be plain yogurt, but extremely sad that he consumes/splatters nearly one $4 container every 2 days.

Mr. Smiley

The haps...

Our smiley, sweet-smelling little dragon after this bath (because even dragons need to bathe once in awhile)!

We took Ryan to the Keiki Fair up at Kealakekua Ranch Center. I mistakenly took him into this 150 degree bouncy train sauna box (which he wasn't super fond of, I think it confused him), but loved the funky 70s Kodak colors!

Ry loves to make animal sounds, one of which is a horse! So we couldn't wait to take him on his second horse ride (the first one was last Easter, when he was still too young to be interested). I think he enjoyed it this time 'cause he smiled a few times and made "Neeeigh!" sounds a few times while riding it!

I haven't bought anything on eBay in years, but I found this brand new Zoot top for less than $20 (including shipping) and fell in LOVE with the pattern and colors! I am totally addicted to running tops with side or back pockets on them now (since I run with emergency cash, keys, my cell phone and gels and can't fit 'em all in my Fuel Belt pouch without 'em)! And speaking of workouts, today was my long workout- and it wasn't my best. I had a rough, long week, woke up tired and never really found my stride. I struggled through most of the run and about the only thing that got me through it was (and I cannot believe this myself)...Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA!" You read that correctly- Miley Cyrus. I asked Roy to put it on my MP3 player last night on a whim (since I've never heard any of her other songs before). But once I heard it around mile 6, I put it on repeat FIVE times and it took everything I had to not jump up and down on the side of the road and wave my hands in the air. That song ROCKS. I defy anyone in a bad mood to listen to that song and not end up with a huge sh&$-eating grin on your face afterwards!

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The last two weeks have been a bit of blur..so much to do, so little of it enjoyable, and so little time = feeling unfulfilled, distracted overeating and grouchiness. I definitely need to make an effort to be more connected and mindful next week so I can get back in the groove!!! I also need to get in a few hill workouts to prepare for the Walua Road Wobble and Gobble on Thanksgiving morning. I ran (let's pretend 'ran' means half walked, half ran) the 6.6 mile race course last week Sunday (the first 3.3 miles of it is a steady incline that gets steeper over the last mile) and barely survived, so I have NO idea* how I'm going to do it while also pushing Ryan all by myself! ;-)

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* Actually, I know EXACTLY how I'm going to do it, it's called by WALKING A LOT of it. And crying periodically.

Ryan's Waikoloa Fun

On Monday I decided to take Ryan to Waikoloa to visit his Uncle Jon's new restaurant (he's a chef). And that's him on Monday morning, sporting his Shinkansen pj's from Uncle Jon & Aunty Mika from Japan! You can see that he still loves to such his thumb while laying on his favorite 'blanket' (our reappropriated kitchen mat)!

This is Ryan eating lunch at the restaurant. And by 'eating lunch,' I am referring to the four whole croutons he ate from my salad during the meal. FOUR.

Since I knew we were going to have lunch out there, I decided to make a fun day of it and also took Ryan to the Hilton Waikoloa so he could ride the boats and the train and see the dolphins. But as is often the case, I think he was far more entertained by all the mirrors and pushing his stroller around everywhere!

Ryan staring at the fish in the water! Cute, eh?

Ryan wearing his uber cool new t-shirt from Aunty Kathy the next day (though it looks like he's praying, he's actually playing with a small cherry tomato he picked in the garden that he kept referring to as a 'ball')!

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And finally, here's a little clip of Ryan pushing his stroller at the hotel (if you turn up your volume and listen closely, you can hear his reaction after he bangs into some chairs)!

Week #3 Report

Ave. # of calories per day: 1802
Overall weight change: -0.5 lbs.
Total # of workouts: 6

Summary: Finally! Weight loss! Halelujah. Since my original goal was to lose about a pound a week...and it's taken me THREE WEEKS to lose HALF a pound, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that I don't think Jenny Craig is gonna be calling anytime soon! And that's cool, 'cause I don't eat pre-packaged frozen food (a lie) since I'm far too classy for that (another lie) stuff.*

*I'm just too cheap to pay for those pricey monthly meal plans.

In all seriousness, I think I mentioned that Week #1 was quite empowering, and that Week #2 was a lot tougher. Week #3 was closer to Week #1 in that it felt fairly effortless. However, it was for very different reasons. During Week #1 I was meditating diligently, writing faithfully in my journal and in general, being a very good little girl. During Week #3 however, I just seemed way too busy to even think about food half the time, resulting in the decent decrease in overall calories I consumed from Week #2 to Week #3.

So what does this say? Is it better to sit barefoot in the grass and chant like a yogi or just overschedule myself like a Beverly Hills socialite who, OMG, is soooo busy that I have like, no time to eat anything more than four grapes and half a glass of Crystal Light? ;-)

I know I'm oversimplifying things, because in all fairness, my 'success' (and yes, we're gonna call a half pound loss a success) during Week #3 could very likely also have been because I simply became more comfortable, more settled if you will- with the newly reestablished mindful eating routine. I'll probably never know, but what I DO know right now is that I'm a little proud of myself, and I'm still a little excited about what I can accomplish over the next two months. I've been good about trying to add a second run each week, and oh! That reminds me...I forgot to mention which distance I signed up for during next March's Big Island Interntional Marathon! I've decided to do the half! For all the reasons I previously listed, but mainly because I was reminded that I've always LOVED the half! It's more than your average weekend run, but not so much that you're having to lace up your shoes at 5:30am on a humid Sunday morning cursing everyone else still fast asleep! And most of you (70%) agreed! So thank you one and all for your feedback!

And even though this week is equally overscheduled, here's to a more mindful and successful Week #4 (since I've had a rough start so far)!!!

Halloween 2009 Recap!

Our pre-Halloween night festivities kicked off with our family celebrating Uncle JJ's 21st brithday. Here he is posing with me, his three favorite nephews in the whole wide world and his hamburger birthday cake!

So Halloween was great, but there was NO mechanical bull at the block party this year! HIGHLY distressing. So many wrongs of a very difficult 2009 could have been made right with a decent bull ride, but he was nowhere to be found. You can rest assured that I'm not taking this sitting down- our city council will be notified and every single authority in town will be getting a letter. No one is exempt from this. Mark my words- we will have mechanical bulls on every. single. block. next year.

But while we were down there at the block party, we excitedly paid for Ryan to go in the bouncy castle for the first time (since there were no big kids in it to knock him down)! Unfortunately, this meant he had NO idea what to do, so he stood at the door of the castle clutching it's flaps and did not move any more than a half inch in any one direction for the entire duration of his alloted time in the bouncy castle. Nice. He owes us a dollar.

This is Roy and his coworker's award-winning entry at the hospital's carved pumpkin contest (what you can't see is that he hooked up an old MP3 player so that it played voices in his head...which is funny since Roy & his coworker both work in the Psych Ward, though I'm not sure half his patients think it's all that funny).

Cousin Kenichi, Ryan, me, cousin Riki and Aunty Mika kicking off our trick or treating...those are all REAL carved pumpkins in the windowsill! AMAZING talent, and a great gift to all the trick-or-treaters who got to take it in! Sweet!

A close up of our very scary, but enthusiastic trick-or-treater. Ryan LOVED trick-or-treating! He had no idea what was in his bag (and it's already since been redistributed), but heaven help you if you tried to take his goodies away from him! He would clutch his little white bag and protest with a "No, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooo!" everytime we tried to empty it out for him! We had NO idea he would have so much fun and be so possessive! We already cannot wait for next Halloween! I can't believe we have another 364 days to go until I can breathe in one of my favorite smells in the entire universe- a plastic pumpkin FULL of candy!!!