The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat!

by Maria Glazener

Either way, the Vancouver Winter Olympics have proven to be something to watch. I have to look no further than my living room, to see my daughter chanting U-S-A, as the men’s hockey team scored a last second goal to send the game into overtime. Her look of defeat, after their loss, also tugs at my heart.

I admit the late nights, and the lack of sleep have made me a little grumpy, but for two weeks it was worth it. I found myself screaming and crying and rooting for ALL the athletes, from the Canadian skater who lost her mother a week earlier, to the US bob sledder who had lost his vision 2 years prior. I chatted with strangers about the athletes and the teams. I learned the lingo and searched the internet for the rules of curling, just to try and figure out what was going on. I loved learning about the athletes and the trial and tribulations they had to endure, just to get to the Olympics. So many of them doing it for the sake of representing their country and so many of them never reaching their dream. I can’t imagine training so hard just to fall short. The time and determination that it takes just to make it to the Olympics has to be extraordinary.

With the games completed, and the closing ceremonies in the book, I admit that I am sad. I like the feeling of the world united for a brief moment cheering on their heroes. As hokey as that may sound, I think the Visa commercial says it all….Go World!

I look forward to the 2010 summer Olympics in England and the 2014 Olympics, which will be held in Russia, until then, I will keep my memories close at heart.

What is your favorite Olympic memory?

Finding my waist – What happens in maniac class staying in maniac class..

Before I sent the family off to work and school I did a quick jig in the kitchen to their astonished faces.
“What are you doing?” My youngest asked.
“I’m showing you that I can actually move normally.”
“Nice moves….” My husband adds.
“Well look now because I’ve got my maniac class this morning so it’s going away.” They laugh, but I am serious.

This class starts with our sweet instructor saying, “This is gonna be fun!” Everyone groans and looks at each other, we know this translates to, “This is gonna be fun, cause I’m gonna kick your ass and have fun watching it.” As she goes through the moves, the translation proves true. How in the world do you go from squat to plank to jump to slide? “Doesn’t this look like fun?” She asks but no one answers!

We have to slide on paper towels and all I can think about is how clean the floors around me will be once the class was done. My sweat wets the floor, the paper towels then “wipe on” and “wipe off” on and on and on and on and on. It’s super clean because I don’t glow, I don’t perspire, I SWEAT! There’s nothing ladylike about my prespiration. I thought I was cleaning the floor pretty well until the prison guard comes to tell me, “MOOOVVVVVEEEE!” “Yes master.” (Note to self: Don’t go out to that nice RICH dinner the night before maniac class.)

I steal a look around and everyone’s face is as red as mine, there’s no southern belle glowing in this class, we’re all sweating pigs! We’re letting it all hang out because we believe that’s what separates us maniacs from other. All the grunts, farts, sweat, and moans stay a secret between us maniacs. What happens in Maniac Class stays in Maniac class!

Rollercoaster of Life – My path with Hospice and the Hospice Hope Run

by Kathylyn Barnhill

I love rollercoaster’s, the higher and faster the better. But the rollercoaster I have been on lately, not so much fun. This ride is the most “death defying” ride I have experienced and I mean that quite literally.

My mother has been admitted to Hospice twice since November 09. The first time for 5 weeks, 2nd time 3 weeks. Not many people walk out the front door of Hospice. She was transferred to assistive living between admissions. She has crashed (been actively dying as Hospice refers to it), 8 or 9 times since November, I’ve lost count. She is 65 years old and now in a nursing facility. People ask me how she is, I reply “she’s existing” as she’s not “actively dying” but being short of breath, intermittently confused and anxious is certainly not the way she wants to live.

I love to run, but I focus much better when I have a specific event in mind. My training has been intermittent at best. I wish I could run daily, it would help clear my head and relieve stress but I’m lucky to run 2 or 3 times a week. Many of my runs have been cancelled or interrupted due to my mother “crashing” again.

The Hospice Hope Run 10K is in 8 weeks. Running 6.2 miles seems simple enough as my first ½ marathon is on March 7, 2010. Thirteen miles to 6.2, piece of cake, although there’s one challenge….chances are my Mother may not be alive on the day of the Hospice Hope Run, but then again, maybe she will.

Who will you run for?

You want me where?

Or the benefits of group exercise….

So I woke up feeling all lazy, thinking “grey morning, good cup of coffee, morning paper, in just that order.” As I roll out of bed I’m still a little sore from last Friday’s “maniac” class so I tell myself, I’ll just take it easy today. See this is where the benefits of group exercise kicks in…..

I sit at the computer and satisfy my first addiction, Facebook! Two seconds into stalking all of my friends, there’s a nice BIG post from my friend/instructor for the MANIAC class! She shares my blog entry with all of her exercise people and entitles it, “KELLY, class on Monday starts at 8:30, get your ass over there!” Down goes the cup of coffee as I am called to the carpet in cyberspace. What about my plans? What about my paper? Out the door I go to my second MANIAC class.

Much to my disbelief this one is worse than the one on Friday, we’re doing jumping jacks (Note to self: being over 40 and two kids later make sure you go to the bathroom before the MANIAC class), squats, running, pushups, it was such a blur I’m not sure what else. My normal sweet instructor is yelling at me like a prison guard, “You WANT that waist line by summer, you’re not gonna get it with those WIMPY moves!” At the end of the class she laughs when we say Thank you, “Funny you’re thanking me for kicking your ……”

So here I sit (Thank God! No, really you don’t know what I went through) with my arms shaking, wonder if I’ll walk again in the morning. By committing to group exercise not only do I have motivation to be there (everyone’s counting on me) but plenty of people to shame me into getting there if I try to think otherwise!

Any stories of group exercise?

Finding my waist, one class at a time…..

This year I am determined to find my waist again. I’m going to let that vampire white skin finally see the light of day. Luckily, I’ve got quite a few months to work on this goal.
Part of this determination is starting a new exercise routine, I want to shake up what I do, I’m bored with the old endurance based exercises. So true to self, I show up for one of the hardest classes at the YMCA, the “maniac” class. Why start things slow when you can just jump right into it.
The instructor looks at me and explains the class, “This is an advanced class, we go until you either throw up or fall over.” My vampire white belly says, “What?” I think, do I look that bad, does she think I cannot do this? As I set my mat up, a very nice girl pats my shoulder and says, “Just do what you can…” I’m getting scared.
We start with squats with a medicine ball, adding jumps, and planks and pushups. Ten seconds into this I’m questioning why I’m there, but a little jiggle from the belly confirms my reasons. I’m trying to keep up with the class, my total lack of coordination getting in the way. When we get to the ab work it entails putting the ball between your feet and bringing them up and tossing it to yourself. I’m chuckling because I can’t even get part of my legs up let alone catch the ball!
I make it through the class and the rush that I actually did made all the pain I felt in my waist worth it. My first step to letting it all hang out this summer in a two piece bathing suit. Now if I could just walk normally without all the sore muscles I feel. Oh well, save walking normal for another day.
What are your plans for summer, do you have any goals?

Lent begins today!

What is Lent? Are you giving up something for Lent? Perhaps you are part of a new thought pattern and you are going to be “Doing Something” for Lent.

In the Christian tradition, Lent is 40 days of fasting and prayer beginning with Ash Wednesday and concluding on the Saturday before Easter. I can already hear all of you math whizzes right now . . . saying, “Wait there is more than 40 days during that time period!” Your right! Sundays are not included in the 40 days of Lent. So for all of you folks who are fasting during Lent, did you know that you could take Sundays off? Yes, that is right; in fact, you should never fast on Sundays because Sundays are celebration days (or feast days) in the Christian tradition. Every Sunday is considered a “little Easter.”

Today is Ash Wednesday and you may see people walking around town with a dark smudge on their foreheads. This indicates that they have likely attended a worship service where a black cross, made of ashes was put on their forehead. This worship service marks the beginning of the Lenten season and reminds the worshipers “from dust they came and to dust they will return.” It is also a symbol of repentance. So if you see someone, with something on his or her forehead today, you might want to ask before you try to wipe it off.

There are many traditions for families and faiths that surround the Lenten season.  Do you have any special memories of this upcoming season?

Epic Snow out West – Western North Carolina that is!

Have you made it West to the High Country? Why? Because they’ve received over 60 inches of snow SO FAR this season and are expecting MORE this week! Again, you say why? The ski resorts are open and have the most incredible conditions!!! Need more incentive? Then why not ski/board to help raise funds for breast cancer! Ski Beech Resort is hosting a fundraising benefit called Shred The Love.

“Beech Mountain Resort, Lees-McRae College, and Ski NC are planning a fundraising event which will benefit Lees-McRae’s Relay for Life and Boarding for Breast Cancer. Boarding For Breast Cancer (B4BC) is a non-profit, youth-focused education, awareness, and fundraising foundation for Breast Cancer.

“Shreddin the Love,” will take place at Beech Mountain Resort on Saturday, February 20, 2010, and will be Boarding for Breast Cancer’s first event in the South East. The day will be full of exciting activities that winter sports enthusiasts won’t want to miss. Slopestyle and Boardercross competitions will be taking place at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively; entry fees are simply a donation to the cause and participants can register in the Beech Tree Bar from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A verbal auction will take place at 4:30pm. Those in attendance will be able to bid on great prizes like vacations, season passes, ski and snowboard gear, gift certificates, and more. Kids’ events, including face painting, inflatables, and kids’ ice skating discounts, will take place throughout the afternoon, and those who donate to this worthy cause will get to ice skate for free from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. At 9:15 p.m., the luminary lighting ceremony will begin, followed by great live entertainment by local musicians Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band and Native Sway, and this exciting event will come to a close with a spectacular fireworks display.

The goal of “Shreddin the Love,” is to raise money for these organizations and to most importantly increase cancer awareness.”

The SkiNC part of the fundraiser is a Summit for message board members that Saturday, become a member of the message board and you can download a coupon for $25 day lift tickets! Not only can you enjoy all the mountain has to offer, but at a discount and part of it goes to a good cause!!!

So if you have free time this weekend, think about “Shredding the Love” and enjoy these EPIC conditions – they’re looking for 14 inches of snow this week leading up to the event!! See ya there!

visit: www.skibeech.com for information on the event, lodging specials and snow reports!

Six reason you should think before you speak!

here are six reasons why you should think before you speak –
the last one is great!

Have you ever spoken and wished that you could immediately take the words back…
or that you could crawl into a hole?
Here are the Testimonials of a few people who did….

FIRST TESTIMONY:
I walked into a hair salon with my husband and three kids in tow
and asked loudly,
‘How much do you charge for a shampoo and a blow job?’
I turned around and walked back out and never went back . My husband didn’t say a word… he knew better.

SECOND TESTIMONY:
I was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls.
I was unhappy with the women’s type I had been using.
After browsing for several minutes,
I was approached by one of the good-looking gentlemen who works at the store..
He asked if he could help me.
Without thinking, I looked at him and said, ‘I think I like playing with men’s balls’

THIRD TESTIMONY:
My sister and I were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a
variety of candy and nuts.
As we were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if we needed any help.
I replied, ‘No, I’m just looking at your nuts.’
My sister started to laugh hysterically.
The boy grinned, and I turned beet-red and walked away.
To this day,my sister has never let me forget.

FOURTH TESTIMONY :
While in line at the bank one afternoon, my toddler decided to release some pent-up energy and ran amok.
I was finally able to grab hold of her after receiving looks of disgust and annoyance from other patrons.
I told her that if she did not start behaving ‘right now’ she would be punished.
To my horror, she looked me in the eye and said in a voice just as threatening,
‘If you don’t let me go right now, I will tell Grandma that I saw you kissing Daddy’s pee-pee last night!’
The silence was deafening after this enlightening exchange.
Even the tellers stopped what they were doing.
I mustered up the last of my dignity and walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow.
The last thing I heard when the door closed behind me, were screams of laughter.

FIFTH TESTIMONY:
Have you ever asked your child a question too many times?
My three-year-old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I was on him constantly.
One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch, in between errands.
It was very busy, with a full dining room.
While enjoying my taco, I smelled something funny, so of course I checked
my seven-month-old daughter, she was clean. The realized that Danny
had not asked to go potty in a while.
I asked him if he needed to go, and he said ‘No’
I kept thinking ‘Oh Lord, that child has had an accident, and I don’t have any clothes with me.’
Then I said,’Danny, are you SURE you didn’t have an accident?’
‘No,’ he replied.
I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was getting worse.
Soooooo, I asked one more time, ‘Danny did you have an accident ? This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over, spread his cheeks and yelled
‘SEE MOM, IT’S JUST FARTS!!’
While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing, he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down.
An old couple made me feel better, thanking me for the best laugh they’d ever had!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST Of TESTIMONY:
This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future, likely think before she speaks.
What happens when you predict snow but don’t get any!
We had a female news anchor that, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn’t, turned to the weatherman and asked:
‘So Bob, where’s that 8 inches you promised me last night?’
Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!

Valentine’s Day Ideas

There’s a lot of great information in the February Issue of Forsyth Woman for Valentine’s Day. If you need some help or have a Valentine’s Day challenged sweetie-here’s a list from the magazine!
1. Even if Simply Sterling and Hip Chics Boutique sales have passed, there’s still great ideas in both stores and plenty of helpful salespeople to help create the perfect Valentine’s gift.
2. lia sophia is having a jewelry show at Cassanova’s Coffee this Friday Feb 12th from 11:30a to 3:30p, stop by for a great cup of coffee and buy some fudge and jewelry for your sweetie!
3. Our massage therapists are listed on page 35, telephone numbers and all-give your honey the gift of relaxation!
4. Minglewood Florists have a article on saying more than I Love You with flowers on page 42, call them to put together a bouquet that says what’s in your heart.
5. Restaurants listed on page 49 include Valentine’s Day Brunches and coupons for a percentage off to a special Valentine’s Day dessert!
6. Pages 52-53 offer a list of advertisers with all kinds of great Valentine’s ideas for those challenged!
7. If you’re a Last Minute Larry, don’t forget about Simply Sterling’s Valentine’s Sales Feb 11-12-13, stop by and get that Valentine’s Gift off of your mind.
Remember the most important part of Valentine’s Day is to say, “I love you” not just to your sweetie, but all those people in your life that you love!

8 smells that boost your well being

I just read an article about 8 smells that boost your health. We have millions of smell receptors in our nose that is 10,000 more precise than our sense of taste. Here’s a list of the smells that improve our health and well being:
To resist snacking – green apple or another favorite smell, thought I’d think smelling something you like would make you more hungry.
To calm down – try smelling lavender or orange. Spray a light lavender spray in your bedroom before bed and enjoy the light, fresh scent as it calms you down to sleep.
To help learn something new – sniff on the scent of rosemary that’s why we keep a rosemary bush planted outside, not only for cooking but for sniffing before memorizing for a test.
To help with pain – sniff on lavender or peppermint. Put lavender on an eyemask and sit and rest until the headache stops.
For your libido – baby powder, pumpkin pie or lavender. Maybe it’s the thought of babies, which would kill my libido, but these scents are said to turn women on.
To feel younger – sniff on the fresh citrus scent of grapefruit. I recommend Love’s Baby Soft, it always makes me feel younger.
For your workout – peppermint puts an extra umph in your workout, sniff that before and make sure you’re pushing your limit.
Whatever part of your lift you want to help, use these scents to put you on the right road to living a more healthy, better you!