It's Friday ...

... and it's two weeks until Christmas Eve. YIKES!!!!

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Today's blessings: Attending all five days of this week's butt camp; babysitting Lindley; putting shelves together with Molly

Just A Few Christmas Words

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,and behold,

everything is softer and more beautiful.

~Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.

~Carol Nelson

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.

~Roy L. Smith

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time;

a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely,

and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave,

and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.

~Charles Dickens

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.

~W.J. Cameron

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us

that we're here for something else besides ourselves.

~Eric Sevareid

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

~Charles Dickens

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.

~Peg Bracken

At Christmas, all roads lead home.

~Marjorie Holmes

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.

~W.T. Ellis

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. ~Harlan Miller

This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.

~Taylor Caldwell

Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God and his gifts. Just like the rest of the year. ~Author Unknown

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity.

To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

~Oren Arnold

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Today's blessings: Thursday butt camp that let out early; Cracker Barrel for lunch and Dominos for dinner with Steve and Maribeth; telephone chat with Marilyn; firming up Christmas Disney plans

Me. Today.

Notice the sweat headband. That's because I managed to make it through butt camp without passing out, falling down, or throwing up.

Notice the supine position. That's because I took several power naps today because I've made it to butt camp three days this week.

Notice the cola drink. That's because I drank a few today so I could stay awake long enough to achieve the perfect position on the couch.

The good news is that I was completely clothed (I did have on pants in addition to the t-shirt), I do actually love Wednesdays (because there's only two more days of butt camp), and the above picture looks so inviting, I may do it again tomorrow!

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Today's blessings: making it through butt camp with partner Linda; lots of naps; catching up on laundry and bills; Maribeth's consignment run and purchases; picking up Lindley at day care and taking her home; helping Matt with the sprinklers (sort of); picking up Steve at airport

Lindley Lessons

At first, this just seemed a fun picture of today's "Lindley Time." But the more I look at it, the more I think about what it could be.

For instance - whose shoes would you like to be in? And if they're too big, are you still willing to give them a go?

And if sometimes you're in a situation that is bigger than you, are you lucky enough to have someone who's behind you, keeping you steady? Do you have someone who's taking care of you while you focus on what you need to do?

Are you willing to try something new, even if it seems impossible? Are you willing to go for the unknown, the untried and untested, and the unbelievable?

Are you willing to have a little fun and look a little silly? Are you willing to be a part of an idea that is new and different?

Sure, maybe it's just a picture of a baby in big boots. But maybe it's also something more. Maybe it's a picture of what can be, if we're just willing to take the steps to try.

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Today's blessings: Another butt camp day; getting the cable adapters connected; getting a little housecleaning done; picking up Lindley at day care and taking her home; Target-ing with Maribeth

Lesson Learned - I Hope

After two weeks of doing little more than sitting on my rather ample haunches and eating bonbons, I returned to butt camp today. To put it simply, it was not pretty. I could not jog, I could not lift, I could not sit up. In fact, I was pretty pleased that at the end of the session, I could still breath and keep my heart beating.

There is always a week off in-between butt camp sessions. Commander Josh gives us a "do it yourself" maintenance workout that we're supposed to do during the off week. So far, my participation has been to print the workout and place it on top of the printer. Ergo, the maintenance workout has not proved beneficial.

So, during my most recent two-week hiatus, I had passing thoughts of working out. I considered jogging and crunching and lifting and stuff like that. I considered all this even though I was on vacation in Florida. But I had difficulty with the follow-through. The only muscles I worked were the ones in my jaws, furiously chewing through the cotton candy, the cookies, the pizza, and anything else made of sugar and other flab-inducing ingredients.

And then we get to today. Since I often venture into the Land of De Nial, I thought I would just breeze back into butt camp and pick up where I left off. I don't know where I left off, but it was no where close to where I ended up today. The resistance bands were very resistant, the crunches were very crunchy, and the sit-ups were more like lay-downs. To put it mildly, any kind of shape I was ever in has been banished to the nether regions.

So what have we learned from today's butt camp debacle? First, that chewing is not an aerobic activity designed to keep one in shape. Especially since I could find it nowhere on Joshy's workout sheet.

Second, like me, muscles look for any chance to lay around and become inert. However, to further my butt camp career, this is not a wise avenue to follow. Instead, I should lift and resist and heave - something a little more substantial than a spoon and fork.

Third, thou gettest what thou sowest. In other words, doing nothing gets you nothing. No speedy jogs, no heavy weight lifting, no extreme number of leg lifts (for me that is anything more than five). So, thou must move thy butt in order to not passeth out upon return to butt camp.

Today was a "hello wimpy" call. I got the message - it certainly got my number!

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Today's blessings: Back to butt camp (ouch); car emissions testing and tag update; getting cable boxes; Bucky's peppermint mocha frap; picking up Lindley from day care and taking her home; grocery shopping with Maribeth