I'm Shedding, Not Saving

I'll never forget my friend Victoria Segovia who lived next door to me in Hawaii Kai. As we were moving all our junk into the house, she commented that she was entering her Zen phase of life and was getting rid of things, not collecting them. I watched during the course of two years as she gradually got rid of a lot of the stuff you just naturally collect over your lifetime. Turns out she was smart because during those two short years her husband Ignacio was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and they ended up having to move quickly to southern California to be closer to their children. I think I am going through the beginning stages of my Zen phase in 2010. This weekend (with Sam out of town, mind you), I cleaned out a lot of clutter from the garage and inside the house. I even took two large items to Goodwill - that long, heavy rectangular box with some sort of computer equipment that Sam never shipped to Guam (probably because no one ever paid him for it) and Mom and Dads' old stereo case. I kept the turntable but not sure why. This week I am determined to deal with Quentin's old school papers piled up on my desk in the front room! FREEDOM.

Haiti Earthquake

Today I'm thinking about the people of Haiti, who have experienced a horrible earthquake.

Platinum

Today I became a platinum member of Cliff Latham's Adventure Boot Camp for Women. Seems like a lot of money, and when Sam finds out he's going to think I am nuts, but I've got to find a way out of this physical rut, and the last three camps proved to me that this is possible.

Extreme Adventure Boot Camp 2010

This morning I completed Extreme Form Adventure Boot Camp. It was pretty tame compared to regular boot camp because I chose the "form" camp over the ultra-cardio camp. Better for me as I still huff and puff like I'm dying when I run for more than five minutes. We were a small group and we did our strength training slowly, concentrating on form. Learned that I was doing a lot of things wrong, and overall it was a good choice for me. We also ran a lot, but not enough to make me feel like I was going to die like Cliff usually does. Afterward we had our traditional last-day gathering at Sweet Eugenes coffee shop. Coffee's on Cliff! He asked everyone in the room to tell the group how exercise has changed their life. Amazing stories in that room from remarkably strong women who have overcome so many challenges. For me, I'm just happy that my pants are fitting better, I'm enjoying running again, and it's easy to keep up with Q on his Razor scooter. I'm slowly making new friends. I don't talk too much during class because it takes my total concentration just to make it through the hour. Made a difficult decision in 2009 and suddenly now I'm a member of the boot camp cult. Let's see where it takes me.

Finding Time

I got a new Garmin hand-held GPS and an iPod Shuffle for Christmas from Sam. It was so thoughtful and both are perfect for me. Now why have I not been able to find time to use either one since Christmas? Something is wrong with this picture. I resolve to find more time for FUN in 2010.

Relief

Found it! His name is Robert "Tail" Fletes and he is the epitome of a Texas A&M University success story. No home to my boys!

Calling Sondra's Muse!

Writer's block. Where is my inspiration? Must find it today. Out of time.

What's this fascination with cooking?

Last night Sam rented Julie & Julia and we watched most of it on the new DVD player Mom & Dad got us for Christmas. During the past couple of years I've developed a peculiar fascination with cooking. I'm usually the first person to proudly say "I don't cook" when someone asks what I "made" for the pot luck gathering. I'd rather drop by HEB and get something precooked by someone else. My Mom's usually the same way, even though I've always thought she was a great cook. Guess I got it from her. But all these reality cooking shows are changing my attitude about what I eat and how it's prepared. Top Chef, Iron Chef, The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef Masters, Chef Academy - you name it, Sam and I watch it. Oh, and don't forget Mr. Ramsey! Who can resist him? With more time I think I could get into this.

Doing Extreme Form Boot Camp this week. It was really hard to get up this morning and venture out into the cold to exercise, but I've got my sights set on the Warrior Dash in May, and lots to accomplish before then. Now, back to catching up on all this work!

2010

It's a new year. One of my resolutions is to blog here more. Working on a Saturday in my office at the Texas A&M Foundation. On Monday I will have been at this job for five years, which is the longest I've held any job in my life. What does that mean? Time to move on? Probably not yet. I'm content that I got to spend a lot of quality time with my family this Christmas. My faithful dog Zuni is sleeping under my desk. Yesterday Q and I rode our Razor scooters back and forth across the Texas A&M University campus. Would any other mother let her 11-year-old son with Down syndrome ride his scooter down the ramps of the parking garage? It was a blast!