Tues 31 Dec

New Years' Eve has arrived. (Along with a week of on call.) We are taking the chance that the pager might be silent awhile to go to Bernards early for roast goose. I hope sincerely that it is a quiet week. Food: 6:45 am 52 g chocolate chip brioche, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g raspberries, coffee 12:00 pm Capon soup, 1 Effie's corn cake, vanilla soy shake Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am Patricia Moreno Dance for Weight Loss DVD 10:00-11:45 am Walk to library and back with client (stop for soup)

Mon 30 Dec

Not particularly looking forward to going out into the bitter cold today (or tomorrow or the next day). I believe I have at least a couple of out-of-the-office appointments today, so it's not just a sprint to get to the warm office where I can stay awhile. Ah, winter. You are so much more pleasant when we can choose more easily if/when to embrace you. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g raspberries, coffee 11:45 am Peach soy shake, capon soup, 1 Effie's oat cake 12:40 pm Dark chocolate peppermint Joe-Joe 3:00 pm Cheerios snack mix 5:30 pm 2.75 oz leg of lamb, 1 c stuffing w 1 tbl gravy, 2/3 c squash, cognac cordials Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 29 Dec

The year wanes quickly. Not particularly looking forward to being on call starting 31 Dec, but I guess I have to take my turn as well. I would love to make reservations for roast goose at Bernards on New Years Eve, but it would be awkward if I got a call that disrupted the plans. Bernard is not known for being understanding. Got a big pot of capon soup simmering to be sampled during halftime. Am still reeling after that photo finish game. Hard to watch the back-and-forth exchanges, always within reach of a win or also a loss. Sounds like next week will be San Fran. Food: 8:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g raspberries, coffee 12:00 pm Sirloin tips w/noodles, buttered baby carrots, 1 dark chocolate peppermint Joe-Joe's 3:00 pm Cognac cordials 5:30 pm Capon soup, 12 oz Stella Artois Cidre 7:00 pm 1 Milano cookie Exercise: 7:00-7:50 am Ballet DVD 7:50-8:25 am Cardio Salsa DVD 2:15-2:45 pm Walk Away the Pounds 2 mile DVD

Sat 28 Dec

Gave in to winter and booked our spring break vacation - through Costco. We will go to an all-inclusive in Punta Cana, a place I've wanted to check out for awhile. We will fly out of Madison on Mar 15 and return on Mar 20. Costco scheduled excellent flight times and the resort, Magestic Excellence, looks magnificent. The upgrade to the adults-only section with considerably more amenities, was a very small cost so we will be pampered. Michael and I went to Kohl's this morning and got his Christmas presents from Grandma. He is a very good shopper. I was able to get 20% off with my Kohl's card so he got a nice batch of new clothes for the money. Now Christmas is officially done. What a gorgeous day to hike Rib! We trundled up the hiking/snowshoe trails on the upward trek and breezed down the roadside path for the downward portion. The weather was mild and sunny and it was great! I much appreciated a nap upon return. Food: 6:45 am 57 g chocolate chip brioche, 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g blackberries, coffee 11:00 am 1/4 c cinnamon almonds 11:45 am 1/2 c noodles, sirloin tips, 3/4 c maple spiced squash 4:45 pm Cognac cordials Exercise: 1:25-3:30 pm Hiking Rib Mt

Fri 27 Dec

Holiday week off from work (or most of week) is rapidly drawing to a close. It's been nice to have so much time off to relax, but I suppose it is necessary to get back to reality eventually. Food: 8:10 am Chocolate chip brioche, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm Lamb roast, wild rice blend, green beans, maple spiced squash, barber wine, peppermint stick ice cream w/homemade hot fudge sauce 2:45 pm Cinnamon almonds, 1 York pattie Exercise: 7:00-8:00 am DWTS DVD 4:15-5:30 pm Walk with Dad thru Schmeeckle

Thurs 26 Dec

Relaxing day so far. Got up just after 7, did a dance exercise video that has been dormant on my shelf for many years. It was okay, very dance-stretchy, not as active as it might have been, but a nice change of pace. Found out (too late) that Bernards served roast goose on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I kind of thought he featured this around the holidays, so next year we will go there on Christmas Eve before church so I can get my taste of roast goose without paying $65 for a goose to cook at home. Managed to get my tablet (and my TV) registered at Samsung.com. Also collected my $25 free Google Play credit and used $2.99 to buy Snood for the tablet. Still waiting for it to show up. Also downloaded free Kindle app, which likewise has not yet appeared. Assuming it is poor internet connectivity at this point. Gotta have Snood on all devices I own. Food: 8:45 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c blueberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm 1/4 c cinnamon almonds 12:30 pm Capon drumstick, 1 c stuffing with raisins, 1 tbl gravy 6:00 pm 6 oz riesling, 3 pc tuna sushi, 1/3 c white rice, beef yakisoba, 2 oz teriyaki salmon, 1/2 pc each of sashimi salmon, tuna, & whitefish 7:15 pm Peppermint stick ice cream w/homemade hot fudge sauce Exercise: 7:15-8:30 am Dance to Fitness video 3:45-5:00 pm Walk with Dad thru Schmeeckle

Merry Christmas!

It really has been a very nice Christmas day so far. Michael and Taylor came earlier than expected, such that I had to run upstairs and change out of my pajamas. I had just popped the capon into the oven and sat down to breakfast. They shared coffee, tea, and chocolate chip brioche and we had a very nice time chatting while the meal cooked. We did gifts together and eventually sat down to capon with all the fixings. They headed out around 1:00 pm to shovel Michael's driveway so they could drive to Fond du Lac for Christmas dinner with Taylor's family. Food: 9:00 am 74 g chocolate chip brioche, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm 7 oz white lambrusco (too sweet!), capon, stuffing w/gravy, buttered baby carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry pudding pie 1:45 pm 2 Lindt truffles Exercise: 2:00-3:10 pm Walk thru Schmeeckle in the snow

Tues 24 Dec

Merry Christmas Eve! Definitely an odd year with Grandma gone and the prospect of Christmas Day being just Dad and me. Didn't get around to baking cookies or butterhorns, though I haven't ruled out Thursday to do this. I want to make Tom N Jerry's for this evening after church at least. And on top of it all, I need to start popping Cold-Eze again as I feel the possibility of a cold coming on. Oh, joy. Good news! Michael and Taylor are going to join Bob and me for Christmas celebrations tomorrow! They will come for capon Christmas dinner and we will do gifts with them in the afternoon. I believe he will not be able to join us on Friday, so that will be our "Christmas" with you. We get to do the whole shebang twice! Hartman brunch was excellent as usual. Pete was there as well as Eddie. We finished by playing the Charades game we gave them. A little shopping for last minute things and home now to bake a cranberry pudding pie, bake sweet potatoes, possible cranberry relish. Food: 8:00 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee 11:30 am Scrambled eggs, rutabaga hash, fruit salad, homemade cinnamon rolls, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, coffee 3:45 pm Brownie 6:15 pm Oyster stew, 8 mini crackers w/smoked salmon spread, garden salad 6:40 pm Schwan's peppermint stick ice cream w/homemade hot fudge sauce 10:45 pm 4 oz egg nog w/vanilla cafe rum Exercise: 6:50-7:45 am DWTS DVD

Mon 23 Dec

Only day of work scheduled this week. Felt good to have a normal schedule this morning. As I recall, I don't have a lot of things on my schedule today at work, but if it's anything like last Wed, I many need the time to put out fires. Just following up on some of last week's fires may fill the day. Took in the 5:10 pm showing of the Hobbit in 2D. Predictably awesome. And Legolas is still definitively cool. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee 10:00 am Treats at work including 2 turtle pretzel bites, piece of Snickers torte, 3-4 cinnamon pretzels 11:45 am Chocolate soy shake, 2 eggs, 1 slice cheddar 2:30 pm Cinnamon pretzels 8:15 pm Sirloin tips over noodles, buttered baby carrots, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 22 Dec

Not so great start to the day. Forgot to move my Fitbit to my sports bra so got no step credit for my morning exercise. In the last dance section of the cardio DVD, you do a high kick Charleston. My left big toe connected squarely with the top wood rim of the futon. Note: cronuts are extremely sweet. Wanted to try one and it was tasty, but no need to repeat experience. Well, so much for Matt Flynn being the answer to the Packers troubles. Way to play stupid, Matt. Fumble, interception, inaccurate passing. Made up for the lost steps from not counting this morning. I figure the 3500 steps extra today makes up for not getting to 10,000 yesterday even though Fitbit will never know. Did you see that Katie had her baby, an adorable little boy, yesterday? I didn't let her know about Grandma's funeral, but I don't think she would have been able to come anyway. Food: 7:15 am 1/2 cream-filled cronut, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm 1 potato pancake, 1/4 c beef bourgignon, 1 c garden salad, pumpkin bar 3:00 pm 16 g English toffee, Lindt truffle 4:00 pm 12 oz Edmund Fitzgerald porter 4:45 pm Sirloin tips with noodles, 2/3 c buttered baby carrots, mint brownie Exercise: 5:50-6:40 am Ballet DVD 6:40-7:10 am Cardio Dance DVD 1:15-2:00 pm 4-mile walk DVD

Sat 21 Dec

Happy Solstice! Somehow I feel a little more down about losing Grandma today than I have since she passed last Friday. I guess there's something about completing the funeral that feels more final. It's just a sort of heaviness today. I need to make sure I don't forget about finishing the remaining associated work next week, e.g. contacting life insurance, changing the auto-withdrawals of WPS and water to the house account, writing thank you notes, dealing with the money that people have given to get masses or make charitable donations in her name, etc. Food: 8:00 am 51 g chocolate chip brioche, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:45 pm Bourgignon between 2 potato pancakes (3/4 of portion), fruit cup, coffee, 4 oz sparkling wine, 1/2 small portion of tarte tatin Samples at Costco 8:15 pm Brownie

Fri 20 Dec

Grandma has been gone a whole week as of today, and we will celebrate her funeral soon. Sigh. I hope she is happy now with Grandpa and Mark. We have lots of excellent memories to treasure. I feel very fortunate to have had my mom with me for 58 years of my life. She was always caring and supportive. God bless her. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am The Firm Bootcamp DVD

Thurs 19 Dec

Will head out fairly soon to Whispering Pines to clean out Grandma's room for the last time. We have moved her around quite a bit in the past few years. We will collect the pink scarf and keep that separate to grace the urn. We'll see how long it takes, hopefully not all morning. We're going to enlist Michael to help. We'll clean out the dresser so you can have it; we can perhaps bring the truck down either when we come to Madison either today or when you go back. Be ready for it this afternoon if possible. Food: 7:00 am Stollen, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am Dance DVD

Wed 18 Dec

Couldn't get the lights on the artificial tree to work so gave up and bought a different one. Unfortunately, when you wait late in the season, the selection is poor and the one we got is butt ugly. It is a narrow tree for smaller spaces and just looks weird, but hey, it's a tree. I thought about getting a real one but I didn't have the oomph to see if the lights in the attic still work and to string up the whole tree. This will have to do. Michael recommended we go to Bottle Stop and get a large bottle of Speedway Stout and "age" it til Dad's birthday. Sounded like a good destination for our evening walk. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 12:30 pm 1 med slice Domino's cheese pizza, 1 med slice Domino's sausage pizza 1:30 pm Mucho yummy snacks made by Heather 6:00 pm 3/4 c pulled pork, 12 oz skim milk, 2 almond cookies Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am The Firm Cardio and Weight Training DVD 6:25-7:45 pm Walk with Dad to Bottle Stop in Park Ridge

Tues 17 Dec

Back to work today, and I really hope to get the Christmas tree put up tonight so Christmas doesn't just get entirely lost this year. Last night, talking with a couple of the women in my Suzuki chamber mini-group, Marcy said her most important life lesson is that she is responsible for her own happiness. Tommy talked about the need to respect yourself even when it seems others do not. I feel God had me talk with these women because these were messages I needed to hear at that moment. I hope I can remember them. Got everything ready to set up the tree and the lights don't work on several sections. Looked for missing bulbs with no success and the fuses all looked good. I do not have the energy to try substituting another bulb for every bulb in the unlit portion to see if it would light the string. We will go out after dinner and buy another tree. This one had a 3-year warranty and I believe we have used it at least that long. I would get a real tree but I can't guarantee the old strings of lights still work and I don't have energy to string lights on a tree anyway. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 9:30 am 1/4 cereal snack mix 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, stollen, Babybel light 12:30 pm 1 Lindt truffle 3:30 pm 1 1/2 c cereal snack mix 6:30 pm Costco lamb shank, 2/3 c mashed sweet potato, 1 c fire-roasted veggies Exercise: 4:45-5:35 am DWTS DVD

Mon 16 Dec

I am taking the first day of my funeral leave today to finalize the service/lunch details, hopefully meet with the florist, probate, and call social security and the bank. Realized this morning that it's probably good Grandma wasn't triskaidekaphobic. She died around 1300 hours on the 13th day of December, 2013. (Or if you prefer, 1 pm on 12/13/13, with 1+12 also equalling 13.) Food: 7:45 am Stollen, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 10:30 am Nestle Fat Free cocoa, 1 peanut cluster 12:30 pm Chili, 1 tbl shredded cheddar, 1 tbl light sour cream, peanut butter cookie, chocolate cookie 7:30 pm 3/4 c pulled pork, 50 g chocolate chip brioche, 3 oz red wine Exercise: 5:40-6:50 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 3:25-3:30 pm Walk to St. Joe's 3:55-4:00 pm Walk home 4:15-4:45 pm Walking DVD 4:45-4:55 pm YouTube SparkPeople video

Sun 15 Dec

Ready to hit the ground running this week. I have to make sure I can take my 3 funeral days non-consecutively, because I'd like to use one on Monday and the other two Thursday/Friday. I need to contact Social Security, probate, florist, etc. on Monday, but want to arrange other things on Thurs and the funeral on Fri. I really don't want to do Christmas next weekend, partially because it means a greater rush to get ready while also doing funeral planning and partially because it doesn't feel right to anticipate the holiday. Remind me why it wouldn't work for you to come for actual Christmas Eve/Day? Do you still plan to look into music for the funeral service? I can do this if you don't have access to music resources, or work with Mary or Deb to choose some things so it's okay, but if you'd like to do it, that's cool too. I do think we'll try to incorporate "Each Winter as the Year Grows Older"; I like that idea. If you just want to shoot some other thoughts my way, that's great too. Food: 8:30 am Stollen, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm 4 slices small round cinnamon swirl French toast, coffee 3:30 pm Piece of English toffee 7:30 pm 3/4 c pulled pork, 60 g chocolate chip brioche, 5 oz red wine (Now THAT's a supper!) Exercise: 7:00-7:50 am Ballet DVD 7:50-8:20 am Cardio Dance DVD

Sat 14 Dec

Grandma is gone, hopefully back together with Grandpa and Mark and comfortable and happy. Now begins the work of settling affairs. I need to make a list of what all needs to be accomplished so I don't succumb to the temptation of just relaxing and reacting as things come up. Onward. However I do need to make sure I keep my exercise routine going. Food: 7:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c frozen blueberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 10:30 am 2 krumkake, grapefruit bellini

Fri 13 Dec

So nice to have Laura home for the morning, even if the reason is not happy. I'm glad you got a chance to see Grandma while she is still with us and at least resting reasonably comfortably. Hopefully Michael will have the same opportunity if he wishes. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee

Thurs 12 Dec

Nice to have some time to read last night before sleep. Still so many holiday preparations undone, though. Hopefully we can put the tree up on Friday night. I'd really like to have it up to enjoy. Talked to the hospice nurse this morning. Reports are that Grandma hasn't really taken any food or drink of note for a couple of days which isn't promising. I'm going to try to stop out after work. Might be a good idea to visit this weekend if you want to see her, though I won't be ready with any Christmas celebrations. Let me know what feels right for you. Just saw Grandma. She was sleeping, mouth wide open, and I couldn't wake her. Log says they're giving her morphine and Tylenol so that probably accounts for the deepness of the sleep. When I drove into the garage, the phone rang and it was the facility director wanting me to know that she has taken a definite downturn and is likely actively dying. No idea how long this will take, but I would understand if you don't want to see her this way. She isn't likely to be able to interact at all unless she takes an unexpected upturn. I again leave it up to you; we will certainly fetch you if you want to be here. Food: 6:45 am Almond pastry, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee 9:30 am Frosted sugar cookie, rice krispie treat 12:30 pm Chocolate soy shake, slice 12 grain bread, 1 tbl PB, 36 g baby carrots 1:30 pm Chocolate poppy seed thumbprint cookie 5:30 pm Chili Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am Power Shaping DVD 5:35-5:50 am Cardio Salsa DVD

Wed 11 Dec

Grandma was sitting up in her wheelchair at the dining table when I stopped in at lunch time yesterday. She couldn't really talk, but smiled when she recognized my voice. She took a little food and liquids but was having trouble swallowing them. She sat up fairly straight and looked much better than she apparently did the day before. That's our girl! So far, the cold is holding at bay but it feels like it's waiting in the wings to strike again. I opted for an extra hour of sleep this morning since I've been getting to bed later than usual for several days in a row. I should have time to get some exercise in during the day and evening today. Our snow pants finally arrived yesterday, so maybe we'll test them against the cold tonight. Got my exercise made up by walking to the library and back with my client who lives at the corner of Center and Reserve. Brrrrr!!!!! He dresses warm so I didn't feel guilty letting him (and me!) walk in the cold. I missed the call from the Hospice nurse with today's update; they are gone for the day and I don't want to page him after hours. Dad said his voice on the message didn't sound too grave, and she did look quite a bit better than I had expected yesterday. She isn't really able to talk much any more as she seems pretty weak, but you can tell she knows what's going on. She did talk a little on Sunday even though we had woken her from a pretty sound sleep. I think that sitting up and trying to eat took all the energy she had on Tuesday. She doesn't seem to be refusing to eat so much as forgetting how to swallow. Seems like her body is shutting down, however as I've said before, she has come to a pretty low point in the past and then turned around. No saying whether she'll make it to Christmas but I'm not willing to bet she won't. I'm not really prepared to celebrate Christmas this weekend. The tree's not up, nothing's wrapped, no cookies baked. I'd be happy to bring you up Saturday/Sunday to visit with Grandma if you'd be willing to come back for Christmas celebrations later. We could pick you up later on Saturday afternoon, catch dinner in Madison, and bring you back after lunch on Sunday. We're supposed to Christmas carol with Suzuki on Saturday morning, though I suppose we could opt out of that. We have a rehearsal with Deb after 10:30 Mass on Sunday that should take about half an hour. On a lighter note, we took a walk in the subzero temps to try out our new snow pants and they were warm as toast! Food: 6:45 am Almond pastry, cantaloupe & fruit from Rockman's class, coffee 11:45 am Peach soy shake, slice stollen, tomato rose, cantaloupe, caprese crostini, veggies, berries (more Rockman leftovers), 2 Aunt Sally cookies 1:30 pm Chocolate caramel bar 6:30 pm Homemade caramel 7:15 pm Chili, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 9:15-9:50 am Walk to library 10:30-11:05 am Walk back 5:50-6:25 pm Walk with Dad

Tues 10 Dec

Grandma is not doing well at all. Hospice called last night to say she is extremely weak and couldn't really manage to take any food or liquids yesterday. They have noticed a significant downhill trend this past week. We stopped in Sunday evening and this is consistent with what we saw, but at the time, I wasn't sure it was because she had been sound asleep when we arrived (at 5:45 pm). Hospice said the staff had asked permission not to get her out of bed at all at this point because sitting up is too tiring for her. At least she doesn't seem to be in any real pain or discomfort. I'm going out again at lunch today. If she isn't able to take food or drink any more, the end will likely come soon. Food: 6:45 am Almond puff pastry, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 4:45-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Mon 9 Dec

Thus starts Secret Santa week at work, the week that's actually a little fun because you get a present every day. Unfortunately it feels like I may be coming down with a bit of a cold so I also need to hit the Cold-Eze today. Oh, well. Hoping you made it home safely without incident from the Packer game and that you had a great time. Anxious to hear about it. Sucking Cold-Eze dissolvable lozenges hourly this morning, as yet to no avail. Maybe I won't be able to sing on Suzuki recital Sunday. Wouldn't break my heart. Food: 6:45 am Cinnamon roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Chocolate soy shake, pumpkin kringle, orange 12:30 pm 1 sm poppyseed thumbprint cookie, 2 small shortbread cookies 3:30 pm McDonalds small nonfat latte 4:30 pm Chocolate-topped toffee bar 5:15 pm Grilled cheese sandwich, 1 c roasted red pepper tomato soup Exercise: 4:55-6:05 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 8 Dec

Last choir concert today and we're done for awhile. Bob Prasch has arranged a couple of "gigs" as he calls them just before Christmas, but I have no interest in doing any further choir activities at this time. I will be doing some Suzuki singing yet this year, and I still love to sing, but I have had my fill of the choir. Hey, you got to see the Packers win! Even if you did have to freeze all your parts to do so. We only got to watch the first hour before the concert, but someone checked the score as soon as we were done. I caved and agreed to do the Harmony House concert on Dec 20, only to save my fellow soprano, Vicki, from being the only soprano there. Although she can certainly handle it, she was pretty distraught at the idea that no other sopranos would be there while all other sections will have several people. I have chicken breasts cooking in the crock pot with beer and fresh herbs. I saw it on the internet and decided to give it a try. Food: 8:30 am Cinnamon roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm Leftover Wheel House pizza 3:45 pm Wheat cracker w/chocolate and nuts on top, 1/2 large chocolate snowflake Exercise: 6:50-7:40 am Ballet DVD 7:40-8:10 am Cardio Dance DVD

Sat 7 Dec

Looking forward to the cooking class at Rockman's this Tuesday - we will be learning fancy garnishing and display techniques to create a pretty appetizer buffet. Not a skill we'll likely often use, but fun. And the Rockman's staff will be preparing some nice dinner entrees to include with the sit-down, eating portion of the evening so we don't have to be satisfied with a few appetizers. Today we head out soon to Amherst for the Jensen Center sale and accompanying bake/craft sales at area churches. Today is not shaping up to be one of the healthy days. After running around Amherst buying cookies and yummy goodies, we went to the Wheel House in Waupaca for delicious pizza (and beer). Back home involves some sampling of above-mentioned goodies, and I don't suspect I will have time to fit in a workout before we leave around 5ish for the choir concert. Gulp! BTW, started a good book last night that I picked up at the library, called something like the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. The protagonist is a young woman and opens during her orals to be accepted as a Ph.D. candidate in history at Harvard. Reading her feelings and fears as the exam was nearing the end (about 3.5 hours in), really gave me an appreciation for what you went through last year. I didn't really understand how grueling and emotionally draining that experience would be, never having done anything remotely like it. I felt very close to you in reading about what it's really like. Incidentally, the character finished with her professors saying she did better than anyone they'd examined in years even though she was worried she had failed. Really reminded me of you! Food: 7:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c blueberries, 19 g blackberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee 12:45 pm Wheel house sausage/mushroom/tomato pizza, 16 oz Mud Puppy Porter 2:45 pm Cookie, popcorn ball

Fri 6 Dec

Happy St. Nicholas Day. Sorry he didn't send a package to fill your shoes, but warm thoughts are coming your way to fill your heart. This week went by pretty quickly, and we don't have to do a concert tonight. I do have to see Mary for a quick lesson as she wants me to do "The Black Dress" on recital next Sunday. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 8:15 am 2 eggs over easy, 2 slices homemade wheat toast w/butter, 2 pkgs marmalade, coffee 10:30 am Tea 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, 91 g cherry stollen, fortune cookie Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am Walk Away the Pounds DVD

Thurs 5 Dec

Choir concert tonight if we don't space out and forget to go. We haven't been very "engaged" in choir this semester. It just seems to have gone downhill as an organization when Barb stopped directing. Dan thinks he's a comedian and does have some talent, but he's a far cry from Barb. Sounds like he's not doing a spring semester again next year, and I can't say I'm sorry. Concert went okay in spite of me getting really pissed at the director during the rehearsal for being the tempo tyrant. I almost walked out but managed to breathe deeply for awhile and get back in control. Food: 6:45 am Slice pumpkin kringle, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 9:00 am Mini Milky Way Midnight 10:30 am Biscotti 12:45 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, 2 eggs, 1 oz Tillamook cheddar, lemon scone 5:30 pm 3 oz turkey breast, 1/2 c stuffing, 1 tbl gravy, 1/2 c green beans 9:00 pm 1 peanut butter kiss cookie Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Wed 4 Dec

I'm a little sore today - likely a combination of pushing the heavy lady's wheelchair yesterday and a fairly weight-intensive new DVD this morning. Our new Smart TV came yesterday and we got it set up last night. Now the frustration of learning to use new technology effectively. The temptation to buy the tablet remains, a little worse. Now they have a discount of $70 so the price would be $329. I'm going to continue to try to resist since there are other bills to be paid. Dad and I opted to walk in the light rain and slushy, puddly sidewalks to get the last of our daily step quota. Food: 6:45 am Slice pumpkin kringle, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, lemon scone, 2 eggs, 1 slice Tillamook cheddar 3:00 pm 1 Little Pops butterscotch drop 5:45 pm 2 Bremer lasagna rolls, 1/3 c caramelized onion sauce, 2 tbl shredded parmesan, 2/3 c Steamables green beans, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am The Firm Cardio/Weights DVD 6:10-6:55 pm Walk with Dad

Tues 3 Dec

Went to the grocery store last night to get stuff for making peanut clusters for the choir bake sale. A pumpkin kringle just sort of jumped into my cart. (BTW, it's delicious.) I don't recommend pushing a 350-pound woman in a wheelchair in the snow, or throwing the extra-large chair in and out of the trunk of a larger car either for that matter. Food: 6:45 am Slice pumpkin kringle, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Chocolate soy shake, raspberry scone, med banana, 2 oz soy milk, 1 tsp sugar 12:30 pm 14 g dark chocolate super fruits Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am Walk Off the Pounds DVD 3:20-4:35 pm Walk in snow with client

Mon 2 Dec

Onward into December. I don't feel quite as pressured this year for some reason. We have a good start on Christmas shopping, and we don't need to buy as much since it is difficult to buy much of anything for Grandma. Didn't get started on decorating the house yet, but it will happen. Found out I need to bake something for the bake sale before the choir concerts this Thurs and Sun, but I think I'll make peanut clusters for at least one day. They are easy, quick, and we can keep just a few for home consumption and cross one more holiday prep task off the list at the same time. Embarrassing! I went to my Suzuki adult group class, one of only four classes with three other students and the instructor, and I was surprised that they were going full tilt when I arrived 2 min early. Turns out I had actually arrived 28 min late! I was positive it started at 6:30 but I was positively wrong. Oooops. Dad mailed out the jersey this morning. They said you should have it by Wednesday. I am almost to the end of my temptation to buy a Note tablet. Costco's sale expires tonight; they are offering $50 off for a total price of $349 including shipping. The website doesn't say "what's in the box", so I can't be sure they include the case, charging cable, etc. I really don't need it at this time so I'm valiantly resisting the temptation. Food: 6:45 am 110 g fig granola bar, 1/2 grapefruit, 108 g blackberries, coffee 12:30 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, small raspberry chocolate scone, 1/4 c cranberry orange relish, 11 g dark chocolate angel food 3:45 pm 1 sq Lindt Excellence dark chocolate cranberry 6:15 pm Casserole w/turkey breast, Pictsweet broccoli/edamame/carrot mix, whole grain rotini, thin white sauce; 12 oz skim milk 8:00 pm Small piece pumpkin kringle Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 5:15-5:25 pm Walk with Dad

Sun 1 Dec

Today is the first day of summer in Australia. Sadly, it's not here. The morning bun from Clasen's was especially good. I really enjoyed spending the day with you yesterday. Sorry we couldn't finish off with a nice meal for dinner but we were too tired to wait another hour. I crashed as soon as I got home. Long day but a very good one! Food: 8:30 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am 2 large eggs, 1 slice Tillamook cheddar, lemon scone, 28 g white chocolate almond cranberry bark 2:00 pm 13 TJ's mint dark chocolate stars 5:30 pm 2.45 oz turkey breast, 1/2 c stuffing, 1 tbl gravy, 1/3 c sweet potatoes, 2 tbl cranberry relish, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 6:55-7:35 am Ballet DVD 7:35-8:05 am Cardio salsa DVD 3:50-5:15 pm Walk w/Dad through Schmeeckle

Sat 30 Nov

Last day of November already - whew! December really disappears quickly so I feel like the year is almost over. Granted December is also a very full month with shopping, baking, decorating, and celebrating and I need to take a deep breath and jump in, but it sure is sliding by quickly. I find I'm actually looking forward to our commitment to walk in the evenings even in cold weather. We are getting geared up to deal with cold and I believe we will be healthier for fresh air on a regular basis. Hopefully it won't be one of those years with multiple way-below-zero days to laugh in the face of our determination. Food: 7:00 am 1/2 almond croissant, 1/2 pecan croissant, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee

Fri 29 Nov

Got up at 6:30 with the expectation that we would go out casually shopping by 8:00 but it's 8:45 and we're not out the door yet. Still need to change laundry loads, but we may get out by 9:00. No real push as I don't have a list, but we usually find some good bargains. BTW, what do you want this year? Bro had a hard day today. Had a meltdown at work at Frank's; couldn't deal with the aggressive jerks out on Black Friday. He had a talk with his employer and left, then called us. We talked a long time, but I don't think he's going to go back. He says he hates retail and may try to get a job in food service. Can't say I think it will be that much better, but he has to do what he has to do. Dad and I ordered fleece-lined snow pants online today for our winter evening walks. We plan to try to get out walking in the evenings most nights unless there is active nasty weather. Food: 8:00 am Chocolate raspberry scone, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm Fazoli'l chicken penne w/peppers, 2 breadsticks 3:45 pm 2 sm chocolate chip cookies 5:45 pm Thanksgiving leftover plate: turkey, dressing, gravy, baked corn, green beans w/almonds & bacon crumbles, cranberry relish, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, cranberry wine, cranberry pudding pie Exercise: 5:05-6:05 pm Walk with Dad 6:05-6:20 pm Shovel very light snow from walk

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving day is here, and thankfully the meal is under control. Turkey is in the oven, stuffing in the dish, sweet potato biscuits made last night. There are lots of things yet to do, but I have 4 more hours yet! Hope I can squeeze in time for a shower. Thinking of you and wondering when we can get down to Madison in the next few weeks. This Saturday would be an option if you're not occupied. Desmond is hosting a surprise reception for Su at Dosirak at 5:30, but I suspect there will be many people there so we wouldn't be missed. We'll be in touch to see if it might work. Food: 7:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c blueberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Wed 27 Nov

Yesterday was a very full day! With Desmond's visit over lunch (and of course, no nap) and the Lorie Line concert filling the evening, I didn't get to start any advance prep for Thanksgiving dinner. That will have to be tonight's agenda. I need to make a list of all the food to prepare so I can visualize what steps can be done in advance and even check whether I have everything I need on hand. I'm less organized than usual this year. The concert was very nice but I'm glad we didn't have to pay a lot of money to go. I'm less impressed by the glitz than I may have been when younger, and she is breaking in a new, much younger group of backup musicians so the show isn't quite as polished as I remember. Also, the black gospel singer is no longer performing with her and he was one of my favorite things about the concerts. Kind of a sweet lunch, but I needed to eat up the caramel apple I had brought from Byerly's while it was still good. Been working ever since I got home from the office, doing Thanksgiving prep. Getting a little break around 7:30, but still want to make sweet potato biscuits (in lieu of rolls). Food: 6:45 am Lemon scone, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Chocolate soy shake, 53 g chocolate raspberry scone, caramel apple 2:25 pm Lindt coffee truffle 6:00 pm 1/2 Bellatoria Margherita pizza, 12 oz skim milk, 1/16 Costco pumpkin pie Exercise: 4:50-5:10 am Kick DVD 5:10-5:45 am Boot camp DVD 9:35-11:05 am Walk with client (Brrrrr!)

Tues 26 Nov

Michael starts today as a salesperson at Frank's Hardware. Should be a good opportunity for him with a well-established local business. If he chooses to stay for more than a year, he can even get health insurance. Wish him good luck. Last night we had the pleasant surprise of a drop-in visit from Desmond! He is bringing his wife, Su and baby girl, Bethany for lunch today. He looks very much the same and is happy to be visiting back in Point. Wow, I won tickets to the Lorie Line concert tonight at the Grand. I signed up on a whim as we were driving out of town one day when I saw the ad on Mitchell Piano Works' marquee. The first winner they drew could not attend and turned the tickets back and they drew my name this morning so we will see the concert for free! Very nice lunch with Desmond, Su, and Bethany. Michael even managed to stop over on his lunch break just before they left. They will be driving down to Madison tomorrow so we gave them your contact information. Maybe you'll get to see them too if all works out. BTW, Michael was pretty pumped about the new job. He even gets holiday pay on Thanksgiving with the day off. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm Grilled cheese sandwich, 1 c tomato/roasted red pepper soup, slice pumpkin bread 2:45 pm See's Pumpkin lollipop 5:30 pm 5 oz leftover steak, 1/3 c mashed potatoes, 1 large mushroom cap, peanut butter cookie Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD 4:45-5:15 pm Hula DVD

Mon 25 Nov

My brother, Mark would have been 62 today. Probably ready to retire from whatever unknown career he might have chosen. Wish I could have known him; he may have married and had kids so you and Michael would have had more cousins. So many might-have-beens. Short work week for Thanksgiving. What are your plans? Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee 11:50 am Peach soy shake, chocolate lavender scone, Zestar apple, 1 tsp cinnamon sugar 12:45 pm 2 chocolate covered pecans 4:45 pm 2 wintergreen wafers 5:20 pm 1/2 c Costco shredded beef brisket, Natural Ovens Better Wheat bun, 2/3 c acorn squash, .25 tbl whipped butter, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 24 Nov

It is just starting to sink in that Thanksgiving is this week. I need to start making lists for preparations that need to be done in advance, e.g. making sure the turkey is thawed, making sure I have all the ingredients I need. I don't think I have a vegetable dish planned or ingredients bought yet. I found a recipe today for sweet potato biscuits that would be an awesome alternative to dinner rolls if I can get time/energy to make a batch in advance. I will certainly do a cranberry pudding pie, but if the Costco pumpkin pie sitting unopened on the shelf outside the back door is still good, I may just take some of that to Grandma's as an adjunct for dessert and skip making a second pie which we don't need and often doesn't get finished. I have a turkey and stuffing mix and sweet potatoes, so the essentials are on hand. Planned to visit Grandma between the Packer game and 4 pm choir, but overtime for the game sort of changed that plan. Visited her around 6:45 and she was already in bed, but not asleep so we were able to visit. She was right on herself tonight so we had a nice visit. Food: 7:25 am Caramel pecan roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm Bowl chicken soup, pumpkin scone, 12 oz Leinenkugel Vanilla Porter 2:00 pm Med piece dark chocolate angel food, medium piece English toffee 3:30 pm Sm pumpkin caramel muffin 7:30 pm 60 g Costco rotisserie chicken breast, cranberry waldorf Exercise: 5:50-6:40 am Ballet DVD 6:40-7:10 am Cardio Dance DVD

Sat 23 Nov

What a beautiful room and a lovely experience here at the Rittenhouse. I love being here during the slow times when you are one of only a very few guests so service seems so personal. This suite is magnificent with a 2-sided gas fireplace so you can enjoy it from the whirlpool alcove or the memory foam mattress bed. There is a lovely little window seat overlooking Lake Superior, also with a memory foam cushion and many pillows. They provided a CD of Night Music for the sound system. We are relaxing for awhile after breakfast to enjoy the ambiance and to wait for the downtown shops to open. Their continental included breakfast was a yummy yogurt parfait topped with warm cherry compote, OJ, coffee, blueberry cream cheese muffins and croissants, and an ample bowl of steel cut oats with raisins and brown sugar. They even brought me a dish of their candied pecans to add to the bowl. Perfection! The roasted sweet potato soup last night was amazing! We had the steak Bercy, a Rittenhouse entree from their early days that is wonderful and perfectly prepared. The waiter taught us that to get a properly rare steak in a French restaurant, we should order it "black and blue". Then the chef will know you truly want it rare. Since only Americans use the expression "rare", they are over- cautious and tend to over cook it.

Fri 22 Nov

Yay! We were successful in limiting our alcohol consumption to a reasonable level last night. It helped that I wasn't enamored of the vodka martini so I sipped it and didn't finish it, and I didn't drink more than one glass of any of the wines. We had a lot of fun with the Newman table of folks together. Hope we can do it again some time. Dad had a little scare this noon - couldn't find his phone. Had to drive back to the last couple of places he'd been and found it at Michael's. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 8:15 am 2 eggs, 2 slices homemade wheat toast w/butter, 2 pkg marmalade, coffee 11:45 am 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tbl whipped butter, cranberry waldorf salad 12:30 pm 18 g dark chocolate super fruits Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am Crunch Pilates DVD 5:35-5:45 am Cardio Salsa DVD

Thurs 21 Nov

Chef's dinner at Michele's tonight with Chuck and Deb, Lee and Gary, and the Rosenthals. We WILL NOT overdrink this time! It is a big food day for me because we're having the Thanksgiving brunch at work today. I have to finish assembling the cranberry fluff as my offering. Food: 6:45 am Apple cider donut, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 9:30 am Ample Thanksgiving brunch - scrambled eggs, potato dishes, sliced cucumbers, cranberry fluff, desserts, cranberry juice cocktail, etc. 3:30 pm 2 cranberry shortbread cookies, small cherry danish Exercise: 4:55-5:50 am Cardio Dance DVD 5:00-5:40 pm Walk with Dad

Wed 20 Nov

I was in the middle of a dream in a deeper stage of sleep when the alarm went off this morning and it was really difficult to come out of it and wake up. I did get up and get through exercise, but I think it took about 20 min before my head stopped feeling groggy. I got my full 8 hours, but waking in the wrong stage is just - wrong. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 10:00 am Coffee 12:15 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tbl whipped butter, orange 1:00 pm 11 g dark chocolate super fruits 3:00 pm 100 cal Snapea 5:30 pm 111 g spinach ravioli, 1/2 c carmelized onion pasta sauce, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:55-5:35 am Jane Fonda Workout with Weights video 5:35-5:55 am Cardio Salsa DVD

Tues 19 Nov

Evening off from Suzuki tonight as Mary has to attend a funeral. Hoping to get places reserved for the Chef's Dinner at Michele's on Thurs evening. If we can get in, we'll be sitting with Chuck and Deb, Lee and Gary, and Dave and Renee Rosenthal. What a party! I was going to cut back on my fancy eating for awhile, and now we have reserved the Chef's Dinner on Thursday, and very spontaneously decided to take advantage of the Old Rittenhouse Inn's Friday for Foodies special on Friday night. We are getting a 3rd floor suite that normally rents for $275/night for $225 including a 5-course dinner for two and continental breakfast in the morning. We have missed going up there around Thanksgiving for several years because we used to always go on Sunday night and we haven't wanted to miss choir rehearsals just before the Christmas concert. We will likely skip out on their little gig singing carols during intermission at a Sentry arts concert on Saturday, but I don't think we'll be particularly missed. Food: 6:45 am Pulla roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Chocolate soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tbl whipped butter, Zestar apple, 1 tsp cinnamon sugar, slice Jarlsberg lite 12:30 pm 4 g dark chocolate super fruit 1:00 pm 1 square Lindt dark chocolate cranberry bar 3:00 pm 2 cups chamomile tea 7:00 pm Mac and cheese, 1/3 c diced beets, 12 oz skim milk, apple cider donut Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD 5:45-6:45 pm Walk with Dad to Copps and back

Mon 18 Nov

Back at home with no other vacation excursions planned at this point. Ready to settle in for Thanksgiving. Bought a turkey at Byerly's as well as stuffing mix. Have lots of sweet potatoes and cranberries on hand. Bring it on! Food: 6:45 am Almond frosted palmier, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am 1/3 wild mushroom cheese omelette, 1/4 c sweet potato hash, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tsp soft margarine, orange tea 12:30 pm 10 g dark chocolate angel food 2:30 pm 9 g dark chocolate super fruits 7:00 pm 4.15 oz Costco rotisserie chicken breast, 1/2 c Simply Potatoes parmesan mashed, 1/2 c diced beets, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 5:00-5:45 pm Walk with Dad

Sun 17 Nov

It has been a very nice Mpls trip. Thurs we did the MOA and stayed at the lovely B&B in Hastings. Friday we started with an awesome breakfast of oven puffed pancake, broiled grapefruit, and absolutely incredible bacon. It was a gorgeous sunny day to drive through rural MN to the winery. The experience there was great! There were probably 25-30 people. The vintner gave an entertaining and very educational presentation on his history, his collaboration with U of M in procuring Mn-friendly vines and the long process of waiting for maturity to harvest a crop and finally the wine making process itself. We sampled many wines directly from the barrels in various stages of maturity to get an idea of how the wines age and he demonstrated this amazing tungsten spoon he uses to "magically" age a tiny glass of wine so he will know how long to wait before bottling and releasing it. He did a pruning demo in the vineyard and talked about caring for the grapes through the season. We were fascinated. The experience included a lunch with gourmet pizzas and Stromboli from a local provider. Great day if a bit too much wine consumed. Yesterday we spent with Kurt and Barb which was also fun. We capped it with dinner at the Red Stag Supper Club which is always fun Today we're off to church, then Byerlys and home in time for choir tonight.

Thurs 14 Nov

Heading out soon for Minneapolis. Today we go to the Finnish Bistro for lunch, check in at the Rosewood Inn in Hastings and head back to the Mall of America to shop around and have dinner at the Napa Valley Grille before returning to Hastings for the night. Tomorrow we pick up 6 loaves of cinnamon raisin struan bread (preordered at Emily's bakery) to hold us for several months. (It freezes beautifully.) We have lunch tomorrow after a tour of a winery/vineyard in New Prague, then shop around in Minneapolis after checking in at the Sofitel. We have dinner reservations at the Signature Cafe for a prix fixe dinner on a Living Social voucher. We hope to spend time on Saturday with Kurt and Barb for breakfast and possibly a tour of the Surly brewery. Barb has hockey tickets in the evening, so we will head off to 5:15 church and have dinner at the Red Stag Supper Club. Sunday we'll have breakfast at Sofitel, probably hit Byerly's grocery store and head home in time for choir. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 109 g raspberries, coffee Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am DWTS DVD

Wed 13 Nov

Seafood cooking class was great, especially the salmon. The oyster got lost in the casino butter so you could scarcely taste it. These classes are really a fun evening for Dad and I. Damn! This has been a busy week at work. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g raspberries, coffee 8:15 sm 2 eggs, 2 slices homemade wheat toast w/butter, 2 pkgs marmalade, coffee 12:30 pm Chocolate soy shake, slice Loven Fresh 12 grain toast, 1 tbl PB, 102 g raspberries 1:00 pm 10 g dark chocolate super fruits Exercise: 4:55-5:50 am Kristi Yamaguchi DVD 3:30-4:30 pm Walk with client

Tues 12 Nov

Cooking class tonight at Rockman's - oysters casino, sea scallop salad, seared sesame tuna, salmon - YUM!!! This session is a few bucks more expensive than usual because of the excellent ingredients, but we should eat very well tonight. And avocado ice cream for dessert! Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, Loven Fresh 12 grain toast, 1 tbl PB, 149 g strawberries, 13 g dark chocolate super fruits Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Mon 11 Nov

Starting out on a shortened work week somehow isn't quite as odious. Not that work is odious most of the time, but you know what I mean. It's nice to have something special to look forward to. Have you given any further thought to when you will come home over the holidays? I suspect this holiday season may be Grandma's last, so it would be nice for you to spend a little time with her. She was tired yesterday but with it, though she didn't seem to feel much like conversing. She seemed peaceful which was nice. Dad and I have noted that she doesn't fret about things any more. She seems content in the moment. Heather brought apple crisp to the office today. It's not as good as my recipe, but nice to have as a treat any way. Nice that Dad and I are both motivated to get our 10,000 steps most days. We have taken to quick, short walks as soon as he gets home to get us both as close as possible. Today he was still about 1,000 short but he will finish on the treadmill since it's so chilly. I'm anxious to make mac n cheese to warm the cockles of our hearts. Nothing tastes quite so good when you're cold as homemade mac n cheese with homemade applesauce. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 10:45 am 1/2 pc apple crisp 11:30 am Chocolate soy shake, 150 g strawberries, 5 buttery crackers w/ramp goat cheese spread 5:00 pm 10 g dark chocolate super fruits 6:00 pm Mac n cheese, 1/2 c Steamables green beans, 1/2 c homemade applesauce, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 5:05-5:25 pm Quick walk with Dad

Sun 10 Nov

Already this month is flying by. We had a very nice mini-weekend in Green Bay area. The hotel gave us a free wine tasting pass for 2 at Captain's Walk so we saved our Groupon for future use. We had a lovely dinner at St. Brendan's and a relaxing evening in the room, followed by a great breakfast. We checked out the new Costco in the Green Bay area, getting a small start on Christmas shopping. We drove up to Door County and did a couple of wine tastings at Simon Creek and the Door Peninsula Winery. I really liked the Hazelnut Port from Simon Creek - just the thing to sip on a cold evening before bed. Dinner at Cafe Chanson in De Pere was the perfect cap to the weekend. That was a tough Packer game to watch. Not too much promise for the next few weeks either. This season is looking tough. Food: 7:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/protein powder, flaxseed meal, 1/2 c blueberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm Bowl chicken soup, cinnamon scone, chocolate covered super fruits, chocolate covered pecans 5:00 pm 3.25 oz rotisserie chicken breast, 1/3 c Simply Potatoes mashed parmesan potatoes, 2/3 c Steamables green beans 5:45 pm 1 pc dark chocolate angel food Exercise: 5:50-6:40 am Ballet DVD 6:40-7:10 am Cardio Dance DVD

Fri 8 Nov

I like the fact that SparkPeople says I have 1000 fitness minutes in for the first 7 days of the month. It does feel good to keep active and I hope I can continue doing so for the remainder of my life. I hope that keeping on top of exercise helps minimize the loss of balance and strength I saw both my parents experience in late life. Realized that I have double-scheduled the first hour of today so I have some juggling to do when I get in to work. I should be able to manage it, but I should have realized it before so it wouldn't have been an issue. Found a little over half a chocolate Kwik Trip donut on the table when I got home. Promptly devoured it and hoped it was left for me - it was. Yum! Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g blackberries, coffee 12:30 pm Chocolate soy shake, .6 Kwik Trip chocolate French donut, SweeTango apple Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Step/weights DVD

Thurs 7 Nov

One more full day of work, then at 3 pm tomorrow, we head to Green Bay for an overnight. We will do the wine tasting at Captain's Walk, dinner and overnight at St Brendan's with good cranberry scones and omelets for breakfast. We will drive up to Door County for a bit during the day and get back to De Pere by 6 pm for dinner at Cafe Chanson. We should be home before 10 pm. Very much looking forward to it. When one is chilly, nothing satisfies for dinner like a bowl of homemade chicken soup, a slice of pumpkin bread, and a cup of cocoa. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm Vanilla soy shake, 65 g homemade rye bread, 92 g porketta roast, kale leaf 1:00 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 5:30 pm Bowl homemade chicken soup, slice pumpkin bread, 8 oz skim milk, 20 cal Nestle fat free cocoa Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Buns/Abs of Steel 2000 video 3:30-4:30 pm Walk with client

Wed 6 Nov

I was so tired yesterday that the whole day seemed a blur. I came home mid-afternoon for a nap on my break with the herbal warm wrap around my neck and that did revitalize me somewhat. Went to Ranchitos with my coworkers after work, came home and did the hot tub, read in bed for a little bit and went to sleep at 7:30. Today I feel human again! Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Peach soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 2 tsp soft margarine, med banana, 2 oz light original soy milk, 1/2 tsp sugar 12:30 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 6:30 pm 3 oz porketta roast, 1/2 c potatoes, 1/3 c butternut squash, 2/3 c applesauce, 5 oz sauvignon blanc Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD 5:15-6:15 pm Walk with Dad

Tues 5 Nov

Well, it wasn't a great game to watch, but the environment wasn't as bad as I feared. I scored a small table in the lounge around 5 pm where we ordered and ate burger, sweet potato fries, and part of a piece of shared chocolate cake. The table was at the back, right in front of one of the TVs and about 10 steps from the bathrooms. Dad left around 6:10 for the game. A couple of guys from Indiana joined me to eat shortly after Dad left, but they also had tickets and left just after 7:00. Fortunately I had mentioned to them that the game started around 7:30; they were from the Eastern time zone and thought they had another hour. Did get our 10,000 steps because we had enough time after arriving and parking to take a 45-min walk around the neighborhood. Helped to have moved a bit before the looooong sit. Didn't get home and to bed til almost 2:00 am, so skipped morning exercise this morning. As it was, only got 4 hours sleep so am a little foggy. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Mon 4 Nov

Packer day today. Fortunately our Employee Foundation at work is doing a fundraiser chili dump/raffle for Packer game day and encouraging people to wear their Packer gear to work. I can dress to go to the tailgate tonight and wear it to work in the morning without feeling out of place. I'm wearing my glasses so I can more easily nod off in the car and so my contacts don't get uncomfortable in the later evening. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 2 tsp soft margarine, 149 g strawberries Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 3 Nov

Had another "don' wanna!" exercise morning, but got through both ballet and cardio anyway. Frustrating when you have to keep yelling at yourself all the way to just keep going. But somewhat satisfying when you manage to get through it anyway. And speaking of getting through things, I made it through a whole day yesterday without the pager going off! It was wonderful! Food: 7:30 am Pumpkin croissant, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:30 am 2 sm squares coffee cake, sm 1/2 slice pumpkin bread, coffee 12:00 pm Cheese omelet, 2 slices raisin bread w/butter, sm slice honeydew, sm slice pineapple, coffee 6:00 pm 9 oz red wine, 3 oz porketta roast, 1/2 c roasted multicolored carrots, 1/2 c homemade applesauce, 1/2 c potatoes, harvest berry galette, coffee Exercise: 6:00-6:50 am Ballet DVD 6:50-7:20 am Cardio Dance DVD 3:15-4:45 pm Walk with Dad to Schmeeckle

Sat 2 Nov

Another call last night on the pager, 4 nights in a row. Enough, already! And it's a little worse knowing the county doesn't have to pay time and a half. Sigh. Made good use of my time this morning. Besides getting a good start on laundry and changing the tablecloth from Halloween to pre-Thanksgiving, I got a start on sorting the mail piles, reorganized my basement freezer, reorganized my top shelf of spices (throwing out many packages of cookies, etc. that had moldered behind the spices). May be productive again in the afternoon, or maybe not if I feel I've done well just to finish the laundry and mail sort. Damn! I was all set for an afternoon snack of Costco pumpkin pie. I have been keeping it on the ledge outside the back door since temps are cool enough and it is such a large footprint to put in the fridge. When I opened the lid, it was crawling with ants! I truly did not foresee that so late in the year. I figure we each had 3 pieces of pie so we paid about $1/slice for what we ate even if I had to throw out the rest. Oh well, we saved a lot of calories. Making my delicious pumpkin bread finally. Been thinking about it for about 3 weeks. Will take one of the two loaves to the Newman social tomorrow, or at least part of it sliced on a platter. Was thinking the batter was so much stiffer than I remembered and when I put the pans in the oven, I turned around and saw the unopened can of pumpkin on the counter. Was able to pull the batter out, add the pumpkin and water (which made the batter MUCH more like I remember it to be), and get it back in the oven so I hope no harm done. Ooooh, homemade chicken soup is yummy. Used the ginormous carrots from the Farmer's Market, some parsnips, celery, onion, and one of my homegrown leeks, some kale, and a large portion of chicken from a package of cut-up pieces that looked like it had seen enough of the freezer. Soup was very delicious! Slice of pumpkin bread on the side, and I'm baking up the pumpkin croissants I bought at TJ's for dessert. Food: 8:45 am 2 Pumpkin Spice toaster waffles, 1 tsp soft margarine, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g raspberries, coffee 11:45 am 2 slices cinnamon raisin struan toast, 2 tsp soft margarine, 6 oz light peach yogurt, 1/2 c mulled apple cider 2:45 pm Fun size 3 musketeers 6:15 pm 5 oz Frontenac Rosso wine, bowl homemade chicken soup, small end slice of pumpkin bread 6:45 pm Trader Joe's pumpkin croissant Exercise: 7:05-8:15 pm DWTS DVD

Fri 1 Nov

Another night on call with a call, 3 for 3 now. It would be so nice if that was it for the week. I have been fortunate that I haven't needed to go out to respond, but I'd just like to get through the evening without the pager beeping. Oh well, after this weekend and Mon 11 Nov (switch for this Monday's Packer game), I'll be done til the week of New Year's. Got a nasty surprise when doing my payroll today. I forgot that I had a sick day on Monday, so none of the call time response hours will count as time and a half because you have to actually work 40 hours before they will pay out overtime. Benefit hours not actually worked don't count toward the total. That sucks! Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g raspberries, coffee 11:45 am 1 slice TJ's whole grain bread, 40 g cheddar, 1 tsp soft margarine, 144 g strawberries, 20 cal Nestle Fat Free cocoa 3:45 pm 4 oz red wine, various small Tastefully Simple samples 6:45 pm 4 oz Costco rotisserie chicken breast, 1/2 c butternut squash, 2 purple potato wedges, 6 oz cream ale Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am The Firm Bootcamp DVD 9:30-10:30 am Walk with client

Happy Halloween!

Do you have exciting Halloween plans this year? I will be staying home with the pager, hoping it stops making up for past quiet weeks. Had I not been on call, we would likely have been going to Michele's for the Halloween chef's dinner with Chuck and Deb. Oh well, we're saving money and not getting drunk. We have decided that I will go with Dad next Monday to Green Bay and stay in the bar/restaurant (Kroll's) where he will have Judy's parking space while he goes to the game. They have HDTVs all over so I will watch the game there (and try to stay awake). Beer list is very limited, mostly stuff I wouldn't bother to drink. They do have diet Dr. Pepper so I'll likely drink that to stay awake. They do a tailgate party for home games, so we'll get there early enough to take advantage so Dad gets food. I suspect I'll munch free popcorn during the game, but will otherwise be full. Can't very well get up and exercise between plays in the bar though. Just got the incredibly sad news that a woman from choir who has been so excited with her first pregnancy has lost the baby. So sad when people who yearn to be parents cannot see their dreams fulfilled. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk,1/2 grapefruit, 101 g raspberries, coffee 10:00 am 1 butterscotch little pops, 10 animal crackers 12:30 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, espresso scone, 155 g strawberries 1:15 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 6:00 pm 4.85 oz rotisserie chicken breast, 1/2 c roasted butternut squash, 4 roasted sweet potato wedges, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am Jane Fonda Fat Burner's video

Wed 30 Oct

One call on the pager last night, of course just as I was getting ready to head out to Suzuki, but it was quickly resolved and I still had most of my lesson. When this week is over, no more call til the week of New Years. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 81 g raspberries, coffee 12:15 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, cinnamon chip squash, SweeTango apple 12:45 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 3:15 pm 100 cal Snapeas 5:15 pm 5 pumpkin ravioli, 1/2 c carmelized onion & garlic pasta sauce, 1 tbl shredded parmesan, 1 c broccoli, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:30 am Jane Fonda Workout with Weights video 5:30-5:50 am Cardio Salsa DVD 9:15-10:15 am Walk with client

Tues 29 Oct

Feeling better today, more like myself. Not quite 100%, but more typical. The rest day yesterday was beneficial. Headache appears to be gone. Deb McComas sent the menu for the Michele's Halloween chef's dinner. I'm really sorry we can't go as there are wonderful fall-themed menu items like butternut/buttercup squash soup in acorn bowls, etc. Sadly we forgot to go back and buy the "winter's worth" of squash from the vendor at the farmer's market. I would have liked to have all that squash to cook up this year. Guess we should have bought it and carried it. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g raspberries, coffee 10:00 am Chocolate muffin 12:15 pm Vanilla soy shake, small rum bundt cake, SweeTango apple, 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar 6:15 pm 1/2 pasty, 1/2 c homemade applesauce, 4 oz IPA Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Mon 28 Oct

Woke up this morning with a slight headache. While I was exercising, I felt less than 100% and I knew I didn't have a lot on my schedule at work today, so I decided to take a rest day to feel more healthy. I went back to bed after exercise until about 8:15 and am enjoying a leisurely breakfast. I plan to read, maybe watch a video, just generally relax. May do some additional exercise at some point if I'm feeling too slothful. Went to see Grandma yesterday and she was really not very much with it like her usual self. She had a hard time answering questions, either not remembering some things or getting distracted in the middle of her sentences. Knowing she has the vascular dementia diagnosis is helpful to me in understanding those days and truly valuing the days like last Sunday when she is more like her old self. Read in bed most of the morning after a dip in the hot tub. I suspect this rest will be very good for me. Still resting after lunch, reading and napping. Still have a bit of a headache, though. Food: 8:30 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g raspberries, matcha, 20 cal Nestle Fat Free cocoa 11:45 am Cranberry oat scone, SweeTango apple, 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar 2:00 pm 1 c Quaker Oat Squares (dry) Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout, upper body and aerobics sections

Sun 27 Oct

Got everything on the lists shopping yesterday, and as usual, a few things not on our list. I ended up getting a very nice maroon wool short coat with hood from Costco. It's nowhere as thick as yours, but it's well cut and nice looking. The denim bluish color hat should still go well with it. Think about what time you can spend at home over the holidays so you can spend a little time with Grandma. Even though she's in hospice, I wouldn't say the "end" is inevitably soon, but this may well be her last holiday season with us. She hasn't been eating well again and is getting weaker. She has started developing some pressure sores on her bottom and the outmost curve of her spine. She just doesn't have much "oomph" left. She still has days sometimes when she talks like her old self, and I value those greatly. Trick or treaters come around this afternoon. Okay, Costco pumpkin pie passes my taste test as really quite as good as homemade. If we come down to Madison the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, I may buy another one and keep it for Thanksgiving meal. Never thought I'd say that! Pot of freshly made Moroccan 3-bean stew on the stove, sweet corn ready for the grill. Bring on the Trick or Treaters! About 290 trick or treaters later and I'm out of candy. Time for a quick bowl of bean stew and off to choir. Choir adjourned a little early to watch Packers. Nice TDs from Jordy and Micah Hyde! Probably won't stay up for much of the second half though. Food: 8:30 am Small pumpkin croissant (from Batch), 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g raspberries, coffee 12:15 pm 2 med eggs, 1/4 c chopped red pepper, 1 tbl chopped cilantro, 1 tbl milk, 1 tbl shredded cheddar, small slice Costco pumpkin pie, Cool Whip Lite 3:45 pm Little box Milk Duds 6:00 pm Bowl Moroccan 3-bean stew 8:00 pm Small slice Costco pumpkin pie, Cool Whip Lite Exercise: 6:55-7:45 am Ballet DVD 7:45-8:15 am Cardio Dance DVD

Sat 26 Oct

Heading down to Madison very soon, hopefully on the road before 8 am. I want to do the Farmer's Market as this may be one of my last opportunities of the season and I like the fall produce the best. We will text you when we're in town and make lunch plans. I called ahead to TJs to save me some cereal and I have a long Costco list. Food: 7:15 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c frozen blueberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee

Fri 25 Oct

Had a real "Don't wanna!" morning today, but made myself get out of bed and just go exercise anyway. Allowed myself to choose any DVD regardless of strength or other factors, so I did a dance video that I haven't done for awhile. Was fine exercising, but had another recalcitrant time afterward. I'm fine now. Just bought a couple more Living Social activities for our November Minneapolis trip. We got a winery tour/tasting with a gourmet Italian lunch and two bottles of take-home wine for Friday lunch and a certificate for $20 toward food at a Finnish bistro in St. Paul that has pulla! (Do you remember Paula's pulla? She was Paivi's mom, and she made those marvelous slightly sweet breakfast rolls.) The Bistro menu looks very good, and very Finnish - even reindeer sausage! There were leftover fixings for root beer floats and we were invited to help ourselves, so I obliged this afternoon. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 75 g strawberries, coffee 8:15 am 2 eggs over easy, 2 slices homemade wheat toast w/butter, 2 pkgs marmalade, coffee 11:45 am 1 slice New England brown bread toast, 1 tbl PB, butternut squash soup 12:45 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 2:00 pm 1/2 c New York vanilla ice cream, diet A&W 5:30 pm Aldi Fusia Szechwan Beef stir fry (w/carrots, broccoli, & rice), 8 oz skim milk, 5 oz red wine Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Cardio dance DVD 9:30-10:30 am Walk with client

Thurs 24 Oct

Busy day ahead. Tonight Dad and I are doing the first Rockman cooking class of this season. I know we'll be making butternut squash soup served in pumpkins and a duck breast salad. Other goodies will also be part of it. Yum! Had to eat lunch at my desk today. Frustrating morning as my computer is tied up with Windows updates. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g strawberries, coffee 11:30 am. 2 slices turkey, slice Jarlsberg Lite, 2 slices brown bread , kale, med banana Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Wed 23 Oct

I don't feel as bad today as I had expected, given that my nascent cold continued to develop throughout the day yesterday. I woke up ready to exercise this morning and got through a weights workout very well, with enough energy left over to tack on 10 min of cardio. I actually feel pretty good now. Mary Hofer and I went out for a hot drink last night after singing, celebrating my birthday even though today is hers. We will try to sneak in another date soon to celebrate hers. The bartender at Michele's made us hot chocolate with coconut rum; she did the rim of the glass with chocolate syrup and toasted coconut. Yum! Feeling a bit less chipper as the day progresses. Taking an early lunch due to an 11:45 appointment, so napped first which felt good. Got a phone call from another worker at Family Care at 4:20 pm and she talked for an hour! Don't people have lives any more? Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 147 g strawberries, coffee 11:15 am Vanilla soy shake, slice New England Brown Bread toast, 1 tbl PB, SweeTango apple, 1 tsp cinnamon sugar 4:00 pm Milky Way fun size 6:15 pm 6 oz Relax riesling, miso soup, 4 pc Canada roll, 4 pc Manhattan roll, 5 pc Kamikaze roll Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am Kathy Smith Workout with Weights DVD 5:35-5:45 am Cardio Salsa DVD 5:40-6:10 pm Walk to Tokyo Steak House 6:40-7:10 pm Walk home

Tues 22 Oct

Soreness is pretty well gone from my legs now. Wearing the old insoles in my Keens today; I can notice the difference from the factory insoles. Nice to be off the pager for the next week. Tried the last of my new DWTS DVDs today. This one was likely one of the earliest versions as it is more basic steps than routines, but good. Tried a new recipe for dinner tonight that is a definite keeper - Ginger-Garlic Roasted Chicken with Curried Sweet Potatoes. I used boneless, skinless breasts and cut them in bite-size pieces whereas the recipe trimmed breast halves off the bone and kept them larger. Chicken is coated in a mixture of plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, salt and pepper. Sweet potato is cut in small 1/2-in sticks and coated in a mixture of curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper. Everything is put on a rimmed baking sheet, baked 20 min, turn the sweet potatoes and bake another 15-20 min. We had a very nice surprise in that Michael stopped over to have Dad help him put air in the Matrix' tires just as the dinner was on the last 20 min of cooking time so I was able to convince him to join us. We haven't had dinner together in far too long. Food: 6:45 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 145 g strawberries, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, mini Babybel Light, apple crisp 6:30 pm Ginger-Garlic chicken w/curried sweet potatoes, 1/2 c sweet corn kernels, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am DWTS DVD

Mon 21 Oct

Another week, here we go! I will be done with call after tonight for a week. It's been a very quiet week with only one call, and I didn't have to go out to respond. Hopefully the next week will not make up for it. Weather is not promising this week, but if possible, I hope we can hike Rib at least once later in the week. I suspect Daylight Savings Time will end soon, and along with it, our evening hiking light. Hopefully I can motivate to go to the gym once or twice a week in place of the evening hikes. Root beer float day at work. An annual freebie too good to pass up. Won a raffle prize from Empty Bowls. It came from Pass It On, a second-hand store. It is a very tall amber glass vase that really resembles the bottom of a table lamp, and in lieu of a lampshade, they put an old black ladies' hat on top and hung multitudes of tacky old necklaces and bracelets from it. It is currently on the bookshelf in my office, but will likely be gifted to Maxine before too long as it's really not my style. The good thing is that it was accompanied by a $50 gift certificate from Shippy Shoes. Not to forget about it, I've already spent it as I needed new insoles for my hiking boots. They should be replaced about once a year and mine are about 7 years old. Not to be wasteful, I put the old ones in my new Keen day walkers as they are still better than the factory insoles. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, 2 slices cinnamon raisin toast, 2 tsp soft margarine, med banana, 2 oz soy milk, 1/2 tsp sugar 12:30 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 3:00 pm 1/2 c vanilla ice cream, diet A&W root beer 6:00 pm 123 g spinach cheese ravioli, 1/4 tbl butter, 1/4 c chipotle pumpkin pasta sauce, 1/2 tbl shredded parmesan, mixed green salad, 1/8 c chopped red pepper, 2 cherry tomatoes, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 5:15-5:45 pm Walk with Dad

Sun 20 Oct

Yes, I am sore from the 12-mile walk. I felt it mostly in my hips, but my feet feel abused also. I had over 38,000 steps on the day yesterday. Felt good (in a way) to do ballet this morning to stretch out the sore spots. I'd really rather sink into the hot tub and then go back to bed, but the day marches on. Visited Grandma after lunch today. She was laying down for a nap, but was sharp as could be and more like her old self. It's refreshing to talk with her on days like this. Makes up for those days when she seems a little "dreamy". Didn't feel like any more formal "exercise" so I've been getting up and moving during any breaks and even part of the play of the Packer game just to get my steps up near 10,000 and my calories remaining enough for a piece of apple crisp for dinner. Too wiped for much of anything else. Food: 8:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/3 c aronia berries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee 11:30 am 2 small squares pumpkin cake w/cream cheese icing 12:00 pm Cheese omelet, 2 slices homemade toast w/butter, 1 pkg marmalade, slice watermelon, slice pineapple, coffee 2:30 pm 20 cal Nestle fat free cocoa 5:00 pm Apple crisp Exercise: 6:50-7:40 am Ballet DVD 7:40-8:10 am Cardio dance DVD

Sat 19 Oct

Empty Bowls today, and also Moon Walk WI. Nice that the sun is out this morning, in spite of 31 degree temps. They have been forecasting rain and/or snow for days. We may try to walk to SPASH for Empty Bowls if the weather holds nice, just in case it's drizzly and miserable and we tank on the Moon Walk. We did it one previous year in cold drizzle and there was nothing fun about it. I don't need to repeat that experience, even if we do now have better clothing to prepare for it. Last time, we wore jeans that got soaked and cold. Beautiful day for a walk to SPASH and back for Empty Bowls, and hopefully a good warm-up for this evening's hike. At this point, the weather appears to be holding reasonably well even with a few more clouds rolling in. Food: 8:15 am Mini blueberry turnover, 1/2 grapefruit, mini Babybel Light, smoothie w/1/4 c frozen berry blend, 1/2 c 0% plain Greek yogurt, 1 tbl honey, 5 almonds, coffee 12:00 pm Small bowl Italian wedding soup, breadstick, 2 sm peanut butter cookies, small Scotcheroo, Aunt Sally cookie, Coke Zero 12:45 pm 1/2 Mounds bar 4:45 pm 2 slices New England brown bread, 2 tsp soft margarine, 1.4 oz cheddar cheese, 1 c Pacific roasted red pepper tomato soup, 12 oz skim milk, apple crisp Exercise: 10:45-11:15 am Walk to SPASH 12:45-1:30 pm Walk home via Schmeeckle

Fri 18 Oct

I was having trouble with my DWTS DVDs with my tennis shoes catching on the carpet with some of the quicker footwork. I dug out my old jazz shoes which worked much better. Problem was that my feet are somewhat larger than they were when I danced, and in those days they taught us to order our shoes 1/2 size smaller. I can still wear the old jazz shoes, but my feet are so cramped, I can barely feel them after awhile. Solution, I ordered brand new Capezio jazz shoes from Amazon. They arrived yesterday and I tried them this morning. Much better! Went out for Friday fish at the Wisconsin River Country Club tonight. Definitely a "hangout" of the middle-to-older adult crowd. Good beer-battered perch, though. Lousy beer. Coleslaw tasted soapy to me. Food: 6:45 am Mini blueberry turnover, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee 8:15 am 2 eggs over easy, 1 slice homemade wheat toast w/butter, 1 pkg marmalade, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, SweeTango apple, sprinkle cinnamon sugar 12:30 pm 1 Reese's miniature 2:30 pm 1 See's butterscotch Little Pop 5:30 pm 6 oz Horny Goat Blonde, 7 oz beer-battered perch w/tartar sauce, 1/2 c baked beans, sweet potato fries Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Thurs 17 Oct

Still feeling a bit more tired than usual, probably from these 5-day work weeks! You get a little too used to frequent vacation interludes. Next currently scheduled time off isn't until Nov 14 for our annual Mpls trip. This year, we are doing the Thurs evening at a B&B in Hastings since Sofitel is always a tad more expensive on weeknights. The B&B has their smallest room for $99 on a weeknight including a marvelous breakfast. We will then switch to Sofitel for Fri/Sat nights where the rooms will then be about $93/night. I am looking at the possibility of a Green Bay overnight the weekend before with a Fri night at St Brendan's with wine tasting at Captain's Walk before and Sat dinner reservations at Cafe Chanson before heading home. Gave in to the siren song of emotional chocolate this afternoon after spending 1 hr 20 min in a jail holding cell meeting with one of my whiniest clients who just kept repeating a lot of things over and over. I needed him to sign a release form in order to do what he was asking me to do, but it took him probably 45 min to sign it. I was on the verge of picking up the unsigned form and buzzing to be let out when he finally signed it, but he still continued to repeat what he wanted me to do until the officer came to let us out and still for several minutes until I just walked out. Trust me, I needed chocolate. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee 10:30 am 2 strawberry Twizzlers 12:30 pm Light lemon nonfat yogurt, 2 slices cinnamon raisin toast w/margarine, 1/2 c acorn squash 4:15 pm Fun size M&Ms 5:45 pm 3.2 oz grilled pork chop, 5 roasted purple potato wedges, 1/2 c roasted beets, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am Jane Fonda Low-Impact Aerobics video

Wed 16 Oct

I forgot to go to my voice lesson last night. Adding in the gym after work made the day quite busy, and I just wanted to crawl into bed a little early to read. Didn't even realize it til I was exercising this morning and realized it was Wednesday. Oooops. Birthday lunch for Brad at Hilltop. Only four of us (including Brad) made it. Food: 6:45 am Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee 12:00 pm 3 oz chicken breast, slice Swiss cheese, grilled onions & mushrooms, bun, 1 oz chips 3:15 pm Butterfinger fun size 5:00 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 5:45 pm 114 g spinach ravioli, 1/2 c chipotle pumpkin pasta sauce, 1 tbl shredded parmesan, sm Cortland apple (Vitamix sauce), 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Kristi Yamaguchi workout DVD 6:00-6:30 pm Walk to Suzuki plus a little extra 7:15-7:35 pm Walk home

Tues 15 Oct

My new Irish Country Doctor book comes out today. I'll get it on the Kindle so I don't have so many books sitting around. I'm re-reading the previous one first, but I want to get the new one right away so I don't forget. Looking to come down to Madison for the day on Sat Oct 26. Hope that works for you as it's the only option this month with two weeks of on-call. Of course because I'm on call this week, the gym is offering open classes in all their group fitness classes, regardless of what kind of membership you have. I have wanted to try some of the classes and decided I'd chance it. If the pager went off, I would just leave. Problem is that I rushed home to change into workout clothes to get there in time, and left the pager clipped to the work pants lying on the bed. I opted to chance it and worried throughout the class that they were trying to page me to no avail, but when I got home there had been no pages so I was lucky. I plan to try another class tomorrow, but will make sure I have the pager with me. This class was okay, not too challenging: Butts and Guts. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, coffee 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, light blueberry yogurt, 2 slices cinnamon raisin toast w/margarine 2:15 pm 100 cal pack Snapeas 6:30 pm 2.5 oz leftover BBQ ribs, 1/2 c leftover garlic mashed potatoes, mixed green salad w/red pepper & 4 cherry tomatoes, 12 oz skim milk, 1/2 frosted brownie Exercise: 4:55-5:50 am DWTS DVD 5:00-5:50 pm Butts and Guts class

Mon 14 Oct

One more possible hiking day (today), then a week of on call. Weather forecast looks cold, rainy and bleak after today anyway so I won't feel so deprived. Glad I switched as I was originally scheduled to be on call last week when the weather was so beautiful, but I wanted to be able to go to Baraboo on Saturday. It appears I got the better end of that switch, at least until I see how busy things are on the call end this week. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/4 large cantaloupe, coffee 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, raisin scone, med banana 12:30 pm .2 oz white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 2:15 pm 1 Reese's egg 3:30 pm 8 oz black coffee Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 2:35-4:25 pm Walk with client (stopped at Emy J's for coffee)

Sun 13 Oct

I was a bad eater this weekend, allowing myself to indulge in higher-than-usual calorie foods even though I know I need to start seriously cutting back as the scale is moving in the wrong direction. Not sure why I seemed to rebel against better control so much, but hopefully the need to stay closer to home in the next couple of weeks for on call will force me to watch what I eat more. Unfortunately, it will also decrease the opportunities for good hikes, but I don't think the increased hikes this week offset what I ate. GO PACKERS!!!! Food: 8:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/3 c aronia berries, soy milk, 1/4 large cantaloupe, coffee 11:45 am 3-egg cheese omelette, 2 slices homemade white toast w/butter & 1 marmalade pkg, wedge cantaloupe, wedge honeydew, coffee 2:00 pm 3 M&M white chocolate candy corn 4:45 pm Leftover Wheel House pizza, 6 oz Lost Trout brown ale Exercise: 7:00-7:50 am Ballet DVD 7:50-8:10 am Cardio Salsa DVD 3:15-4:30 pm Walk w/Dad around Schmeeckle Lake

Sat 12 Oct

Looks kinda gray and cloudy out there today. Hoping it clears a bit by the time we get to Baraboo for the Faire on the Square and to hike at Devil's Lake. Had a great day! The cloudiness cleared, leaving behind a perfect sunny autumn day. We had fun walking the streets of Baraboo, lunching on grilled steak sandwiches on Main St and lots of little nibbles. Only disappointment was the absence of the crepe seller; settled for a Lutheran cream puff. Headed to Devil's Lake in its autumnal glory and hiked the Tumbled Rocks/Bluff trail and then headed out to the other side to hike another trail we'd never previously tried. Supper at the Log Cabin capped the trip. Food: 7:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/3 c aronia berries, soy milk, 1/4 large cantaloupe, coffee

Fri 11 Oct

So glad you "enjoyed" the little pumpkin funny - it made me smile and I just had to share it. Supposed to be nice again today, so hopefully we'll get another fall evening hike in while we can. The after-work light has been fading fast and next week I'm on call starting Tuesday so Monday will be the only possible hiking day. Best to pack in as much as we can before it's dark when we get home. Thinking about Hartman Creek in Waupaca this evening for hiking, followed of course by Wheel House pizza. On a whim, we parked at the trailhead for the Ice Age Trail just before the turnoff to Hartman Creek and walked in the opposite direction from the park. Trail went through a brief wooded area and between two farmer's fields, then out onto a road. We had to turn back before we found the next off-road section to get back to the car before dark. It was interesting to see new territory, but not a particularly interesting area in and of itself. Food: 6:45 am 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, 2 sm plums, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, cherry scone, pear 12:45 pm .2 oz M&M white chocolate candy corn 7:00 pm Wheel house sausage/mushroom/tomato pizza, 16 oz Central Waters Oktoberfest Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am Coach Nicole workout DVD 5:00-6:15 pm Hiking Ice Age Trail

Thurs 10 Oct

Nice hike last night, but I remained tired all day so it was a struggle to get up the hills that normally don't faze me. Tonight is again supposed to be beautiful, so I hope to hike again and to have more energy. I did sleep better last night so I'm not so tired this morning, so there's hope. Dad and I walked through the Mead Wildlife area this evening and witnessed the most incredibly huge gathering of sandhill cranes just before sunset. They had put a barrier across the trail so we didn't get in close, but they were gathering in groups that just kept coming and making a joyful noise. Food: 6:45 am 1 Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, 2 sm plums, coffee 12:30 pm Blueberry soy shake, scone, med banana 1:15 pm 3 white chocolate candy corn M&Ms 1:30 pm 1 Reese's peanut butter egg 7:15 pm Culver's roast beef sandwich, sweet potato fries Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Cardio Dance DVD 5:15-6:45 pm Walk through Mead Wildlife area

Wed 9 Oct

I would really like to crawl back in my nice warm bed today, maybe after a session in the hot tub. Not really exhausted, just craving some lazy warmth. Last couple of nights have been just a little short of my usual 8 hours, and I tend to feel the lack fairly quickly these days. Maybe I'll get a full 8 tonight, but we hope to hike at Rib which usually means a later bedtime if we eat at the Dane. Food: 6:45 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/4 cantaloupe, 2 plums, coffee 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, cinnamon raisin scone, .85 SweeTango apple (minus the bad spot) 3:45 pm 100 cal Snapeas Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am The Firm Step DVD

Tues 8 Oct

Dangerous eating day ahead - breakfast with client at JoJo's, birthday lunch (belated for me) at Water St Grille, and dessert with Mary after Suzuki tonight (probably tiramisu at Grazie's)(if she doesn't back out again). I can try to keep things small and simple, but it isn't likely to be a pretty day calorie-wise regardless. So far the day hasn't been as much of a train wreck as I feared. I was able to get a quite simple sandwich for lunch w/a tiny piece of cake which the restaurant provides all the diners at a birthday lunch. On an afternoon walk to McDs with my client, I just got a glass of water and a couple of packs of apple slices for a slim 30 calories, and we finished the last of an excellent batch of chili for dinner which only allowed a small bowl each. And I managed to resist a fun-sized candy bar this afternoon. Mary canceled out again tonight on the tiramisu, so I'm having a little dish of Culver's instead. Food: 6:45 am 1/4 large cantaloupe, 2 sm plums, coffee 8:15 am 2 large eggs, 2 slices homemade wheat toast w/butter, 2 pkgs marmalade, coffee 11:45 am 2 slices marble rye, 2.5 oz smoked turkey, 1.5 oz roast beef, 1 oz provolone, grilled onions, 1.5" square of marble cake w/2 dots of whipped cream & chocolate syrup drizzle 4:00 pm 2 bags apple slices from McDs 6:00 pm Small bowl chili w/meat & beans, 1 tbl light sour cream, 1 tbl shredded cheddar, 1 oz sweet potato tortilla chips 8:45 pm 1/2 c salted caramel banana nut custard Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD 3:20-3:50 pm Walk to McDs with client 4:20-4:50 pm Return walk 6:25-7:30 pm Walk with Dad

Mon 7 Oct

Hopefully will walk with my client this morning; taking better walking shoes along just in case. May be a little chilly so I'll wear a warmer jacket as we're supposed to go out first thing. How are you enjoying your new tablet? Is it everything you hoped it would be? Food: 6:45 am Pumpkin cheese coffee ring, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, 2 sm clementines, coffee 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, blueberry scone, med banana, 2 oz light original soy milk, 1/2 tsp sugar 12:30 pm Chocolate chip cookie 6:15 pm 152 g pasty, 2/3 c acorn squash, 1 tsp soft margarine, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 6 Oct

Class reunion was quite nice last night. People seem to have gotten nicer over the last 40 years. No one seemed obnoxious or full of themselves. Food was reasonably decent for a buffet. We stayed til about 9:15 or so. Fun to watch the Packers win this week. Visited Grandma after the game but woke her up from a nap and she was a bit groggy. She did get her new Roho cushion for the wheelchair so Bob inflated it. Staff there will need to do the customizing once she's in the chair. Made a pot of chili as the weather seems to call for it. Didn't get time this weekend to make apple crisp or pumpkin bread, though. Some other time. Food: 7:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 60 g aronia berries, soy milk, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, coffee 12:15 pm 2 light waffles, 2 tsp soft margarine, 2 tbl maple syrup, pear 4:45 pm 1 oz sweet potato tortilla chips 5:15 pm Bowl chili w/meat & beans, 1 tbl light sour cream, 1 tbl shredded cheddar, SweeTango apple, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 5:50-6:40 am Ballet DVD 6:40-7:15 am Cardio dance DVD

Sat 5 Oct

I feel so healthy! I bought a pint of aronia berries at the Farmer's Market last week and used some with my oatmeal this morning. I read up on them on and they seem to be an amazing superfruit source of antioxidants. They are at the limit of the freshness for keeping in the fridge, so I may separate the rest into small portions in baggies and freeze them. I'm actually glad to be home for a weekend now. I hope I have energy enough today to get some cleaning and organizing done, and maybe to exercise also. We didn't go to the football game/drinks at Amber Grill part of the reunion last night. I just didn't feel like it. Instead we went for fish at Clancy's, picked up a pint of a Culver's flavor I really wanted to try but missed a couple of days ago, walked around inside and outside Target til Dad's Fitbit hit 10,000 steps, and went home for hot tub and reading. Much more pleasant. We will go to the main function tonight, though. It's a dinner/drinks at Wisconsin River Country Club where it's a better atmosphere to talk with people anyway. I don't expect we'll stay late. Food: 8:00 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 60 g aronia berries, soy milk, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, coffee 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, cranberry orange scone, pear

Fri 4 Oct

Once again, the Kalahari likes me. Heather and I scored a Royal Suite room while the others just got normal rooms. Our room was like two large rooms joined together. We each had our own bathroom, sink, kitchen table, TV, etc. I had a king-sized bed and she had two queens and a fireplace and couch. Nice. Not sure if I'll be sufficiently motivated to go out in the dampness to the Pacelli football game for phase 1 of the class reunion tonight. As of right now, I'm not feeling the magic.

Wed 3 Oct

Early morning seems earlier without the exercise routine. Food: 5:00 am Pumpkin cheese coffee ring, 81 g raspberries, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, coffee

Wed 2 Oct

Week is flying by quickly. Tomorrow I leave very early to pick up the girls for the conference. They have agreed to ride four people in my Prius - I have warned them to pack small duffels as we have to cram all the luggage in the back to make room for people. I'm excited! I ordered new glasses for the first time in probably 10-15 years. I tried on a pair of frames when I was waiting for Grandma to get her glasses adjusted a week or two ago and I really liked them. I took Dad along today to confirm that they look okay on me, and went ahead with the order. I get them in about a week. Just basic single vision clear lenses so there's no additional charge for the lenses beyond the cost of the frames. Food: 6:45 am Pumpkin cheese coffee ring, 96 g raspberries, 2 sm mandarins, coffee 10:00 am 100 cal pack cocoa almonds 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, cinnamon scone, SweeTango apple 12:30 pm Cointreau truffle 3:00 pm 90 cal single oat honey granola bar 6:15 pm 3/4 c whole wheat spaghetti, 3 oz extra lean ground beef, 1/8 c chopped onion, 1/8 c chopped green pepper, 1/2 c chipotle pumpkin pasta sauce, 1 tbl shredded parmesan, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am The Firm DVD 7:00-7:30 pm Walk with Dad

Tues 1 Oct

Into the last quarter of 2013 already. Yipes! Signed up for the October cooking class at Rockman's Catering with Dad. So glad he goes to these with me - it's truly a better venue for us to cook together than bumping into each other in our little home kitchen. I appreciate learning some basic skills as well. Food: 6:45 am 68 g pumpkin coffee ring (from Clasen's), 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g raspberries, coffee 12:00 pm Chips/salsa, 3 oz chicken breast w/mole sauce, 1/3 c beans w/cheese, 1/3 c Mexican rice, 2 sm flour tortillas 3:45 pm 2 Kopiko cappucino hard candies 8:00 pm 2 grilled chicken drumsticks, SweeTango apple, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD 5:20-7:25 pm Hiking Rib Mt plus tower

Mon 30 Sept

Wow, end of September already. Scary. Only a slightly normal week to return to as I have the Kalahari conference Thurs/Fri. It was good to get up and exercise this morning. The new LED lights make the basement noticeably brighter. Maybe that will keep the centipedes more at bay. Only saw a couple quite little ones this morning. Food: 6:45 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g raspberries, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, mocha chip scone, 2 homegrown plums 12:30 pm Maple cream chocolate (leftover from tasting Sat) 6:30 pm 2 grilled chicken drumsticks, 1/2 c grilled fingerling potatoes w/Vidalia onion & drizzle olive oil, 1/2 c acorn squash w/1 tsp soft margarine, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout

Sat 28 Sept

Planning to hit the road soon so we can be at the Farmer's Market around 10 am to peruse the fall goodies. Our Grand Taste event is tonight from 7-10 pm so we can lunch late and do some errands today, some tomorrow. We will look for Mass tomorrow morning in Middleton. Hope to spend as much time with you as you can spare. Food: 7:15 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c blueberries, soy milk, 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, coffee

Fri 27 Sept

I have a biometric screening at work today for a rebate on health insurance. They didn't tell us til after we signed up that we can't eat or drink anything except water or black coffee until after the screening. Mine is at about 9:30 this morning. I am taking a scone and fruit to scarf down after, but I expect to be quite hungry. I'm also taking my vitamins with me because they upset my stomach if I take them without food. Fuck! I was tired when I got home last night and left two good boxes of leftovers in the canvas bag on the living room floor overnight. I had intended that we would eat those leftovers for dinner tonight. I'm not willing to take the chance to eat quesadilla or cooked pork chop/polenta that sat out unrefrigerated all night and day. Again I say Fuck! We will try to come to Madison around 10 am tomorrow to hit a little of the Farmer's Market. I'm ready for winter squash! Food: 6:45 am Coffee 9:45 am Mocha chip scone 11:30 am 1/4 med/large cantaloupe, 50 g blackberries, blueberry soy shake 4:00 pm 100 cal pack Snapeas 5:45 pm 4 oz Reserve d'Oriane 6:30 pm Laura's oatmeal w/protein powder, flaxseed meal, 1/3 c blueberries, soy milk, 9 g bakery cinnamon toast Exercise: 4:50-5:40 am The Firm Bootcamp DVD 5:10=5:40 pm Walk to Newman Center to pick up cantor music for next weekend and home again