Tues 30 Apr

Found out that UWSP is doing the musical, "The Producers" opening this weekend. I was able to get two seats for opening night so I'm excited. I was surprised to see my scale up slightly this morning since I ate very carefully yesterday and got some extra walking in, but then I remembered that I retain water when the weather warms up. The downside to the warmer weather, however, is that the centipedes are now coming out and about. I caught a corner-of-the-eye glimpse of one this morning that appeared to be the size of a small cat. This morning is the annual employee recognition for people who have been with the county in multiples of five years. I will be getting my 35-year award today. Woo hoo. My "award" was a little engraved medal not unlike the ones you kids used to get for participation in choir to pin on letter jackets, but also a $50 check. The check will be useful in St. Maarten. Wow! It's 79 degrees out there at lunch time! I'd forgotten it could get that warm. Got our first hike in at Rib tonight! Had to dig down deep to make it all the way to the top, but I have a sense of accomplishment for having done it. We went to the Dane after, and I was somewhat disappointed that they changed their awesome grilled cheese sandwich. It was still delicious, but now it's not really grilled but served on a cheesy ciabatta bun with avocado, tomato, and grilled onion. 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 10:30 am Chocolate chocolate chip mini-muffin 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, banana chocolate chip muffin, 160 g strawberries 4:00 pm 2 French cookies-coffee 7:45 pm 4 oz Uber Bock, ciabatta bun w/melted cheese, avocado, tomato, and grilled onion, 5 pc fried plantains Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am Cardio Dance DVD 5:30-7:25 pm Hiking Rib plus tower

Mon 29 Apr

We were hoping this would finally be the week to start regular hiking at Rib, but although the forecast is for warmer weather this week and the snow is pretty much gone, it's supposed to rain/thunderstorm pretty much every day. Sigh! Leftovers from Bayfield tonight. 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 Slice spinach quiche w/red pepper coulis, 163 g strawberries 2:15 pm 2 French cookies-coffee 6:00 pm 3 grilled shrimp, 1 extra-large parsley ravioli, lemon tarragon sauce, 1/2 c green beans, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:55-5:15 am Kickbox DVD 5:15-5:57 am Bootcamp DVD 6:25-6:40 pm Walk to Suzuki 7:30-7:45 pm Walk home

Sun 28 Apr

Yesterday was the most beautiful of spring days. We are so fortunate to have been here on vacation for the weekend to enjoy it. Walking around in the warm sunshine was heavenly, and everyone you met was in a great mood. One shopkeeper was rejoicing because they hadn't had snow in over 48 hours! Apparently Bayfield got about 20 inches last Saturday and another 10 or so on Tuesday. Today is partly cloudy, but it's predicted to get to 72 here today. Breakfast was yummy. The fruit course was a blueberry/cranberry cobbler, heavy on the fruit and with a delicious tartness. Saved my muffin for later, but did eat the croissant so I could enjoy the apple cider marmalade. Trout serving was about half the size of what I got yesterday, but still delicious, so I was able to eat a Belgian waffle with a raspberry sauce that must have used a full pint of raspberries. I love how the Rittenhouse does not use a lot of sugar but lets the flavor of the fruit shine through. I don't feel so blimped out today, possibly because I didn't have juice as well. Thanks for the heads-up on the Twitter password. I had been hacked quite some time ago and changed the password but didn't keep a record of what I had changed it to. When I was in Bayfield on the old laptop, I couldn't access my account and I was dying to check your post after your prelims. I tried every password I could think of with no luck so I had to change it, and I probably put it back to the one that had been previously hacked. I hoped they had forgotten about me, but no luck I guess. Food: 8:00 am Blueberry/cranberry cobbler, med croissant w/apple cider marmalade, 2 oz lake trout, Belgian waffle, 1 c raspberry compote, coffee 2:30 pm Half of an 8-oz burger w/Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, sauteed portabella mushrooms on Ciabatta roll, sweet potato fries, 10 oz Hefeweizen, small slice dark chocolate sea salt caramel fudge

Sat 27 Apr

Nice to be back at the Rittenhouse after what seems a longer-than-usual absence. We walked around in Bayfield in the (finally!) warm weather yesterday afternoon. It's a hilly town so it felt like some nice exercise. Pizza at Maggie's and a nice evening in the room with a fire, sharing four small chocolates I had purchased in Ashland and a glass of wine, and our books. Today we will likely find more places to walk or drive around. There's still quite a bit of snow on the ground here so trails are not really in good shape, but even town walking is nice. We'll probably drive around a bit too, check out the Bayfield shops, etc. Soon we get Rittenhouse breakfast which is always good. We will eat here tonight also, unless we opt to be adventurous and check out the Scandinavian dinner at the Washburn Lutheran Church! Lutefisk anyone? We were entitled to full breakfast with our package. The bread basket included warm blueberry muffins and croissants, and the fruit course was a brandied peach parfait. My entree was a beautiful slice of veggie quiche which I didn't even touch. I had them put it in the fridge so I can take it home and enjoy it. There was so much other food, and the lake trout was soooo delicious that I feel like I had a huge breakfast without a bite of the quiche. Actually, when I entered the food on SparkPeople, I consumed as many calories during this breakfast as I sometimes do for an entire day. We need to do some good walking today to wear it off. We are also considering canceling our dinner reservations for tonight at the Rittenhouse so we don't blimp out again here. After all, we are having another breakfast tomorrow morning. Walked around town this morning and visited the shops. Found some fun kitchen gadgets and a couple of books. After a brief bathroom break back at the Rittenhouse, we headed out for a good almost-two-hour walk including a half mile out and back on a snowy trail and a long walk on the roads mostly uphill to the orchard area outside town. After a little rest and reading break, I couldn't bear to be inside in this beautiful weather so I walked down by myself to the waterfront for a short time. Soon we'll head out and grab our first food since breakfast - we're finally ready for another meal, but not the full Rittenhouse fare. It might be an evening meal, but we don't need anything quite that expensive and luxe. Food: 8:00 am 8 oz orange juice, blueberry muffin, parfait w/brandied peaches, yogurt, granola, 4 oz lake trout, croissant, homemade raspberry jam, coffee 5:15 pm Frozen daiquiri with infused pineapple juice, 6 med grilled shrimp, parsley ravioli w/tarragon cream sauce (1.66 large ravioli), salad, 1 tsp tomato basil dressing, breadstick, 1/2 large salted caramel brownie, small scoop vanilla ice cream Exercise: 11:50-1:40 pm Hike on trail and hilly roads

Fri 26 Apr

I'm happy - Fitbit is (once again) going to send me a new unit free of charge. The current one has not completely died, but it needs to be recharged every day, and the last couple of days, I cannot even get it to take a full charge when it sits on the charger for a long time. And since they have upgraded to a new model and stopped selling the old one, I will get a Fitbit One that will sync with my iPhone. The current replacement was sent out from Fitbit on Sept 25, 2012 so there is no reason it should be having battery issues already. Hopefully the Fitbit One has solved these issues. We'll be thinking about you and sending prayers and positive thoughts your way in hopes that your prelims go through as scheduled and are as successful as we know they will be. Love and hugs!!!! Yay! You passed your prelims! Now you can breathe, eat, sleep again. Congrats to my beautiful daughter! 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 10:15 am Small samples of fudge 12:15 pm Broiled whitefish sandwich w/tomato, spinach, red onion, sauce, pickle spear, sweet potato fries, 5 oz coffee mint stout, blackberry panna cotta 6:00 pm 1/2 of 10" smoked chicken/brie/caramelized onion pizza, 1/2 pc German chocolate cake Exercise: 4:45-5:36 am The Firm bootcamp DVD 4:45-5:45 pm Walk around hilly Bayfield

Thurs 25 Apr

Got through two cardio dance DVDs this morning with a little more energy. Still haven't mastered the Reggaeton one, but I do notice it's getting better. Dad didn't want leftovers again tonight and we had errands to run so we did Noodles. Haven't been there for a long time and the food was really quite good. Bought Mother's Day cards for both moms, birthday card for Catherine, sympathy card for Judy Bablitch whose husband just passed away, and RETIREMENT!!! card for Bill Pyke. 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 12:30 pm Blueberry soy shake, Costco cinnamon pound coffeecake, 164 g strawberries 2:00 pm 2 French cookies - coffee 6:15 pm Noodles small Garden Pesto Cavatappi, lemon water Exercise: 4:45-5:17 am Salsa Dance DVD 5:18-5:53 am Reggaeton DVD

Wed 24 Apr

Today is the big day!!! Wishing you tons of good luck, even though I know in my heart that all you need is to relax and let your natural skill and knowledge shine through. I am sure you are well-prepared and will do an amazing job! Love and hugs to you!!! Leftover night. Sooooo sorry to hear your prelims were postponed and you now have to go through this anticipatory agony again. 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 12:00 pm 1/2 Mediterranean wrap w/shaved prime rib, lettuce, tomato, small amt wasabi/cucmber sauce, 3/4 c homemade potato chips 1:30 pm Chocolate chip cookie 4:00 pm 1 Kopiko cappucino candy, 1 butterscotch See's Little Pops 5:45 pm Fusia Shrimp stir fry, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:45-5:40 am Kristi Yamaguchi workout DVD 6:05-6:25 pm Walk to Studio B 6:30-7:30 pm Barre class 7:40-8:00 pm Walk home

Tues 23 Apr

Got the big suitcase down from the attic last night and started slowly collecting some items for St. Maarten. It begins to be more real! I think I'll downgrade from taking my full hiking boots to my day hikers since we've decided not to do the expensive, all-day ferry to Saba in favor of smaller hikes on St. Maarten itself. I think the day hikers will suffice and be much less bulky. Didn't realize til I checked the Food Tracker that the planned pork sausage casserole was quite that high in calories. Did as much time as I could on the treadmill at Program 4 til it was done cooking, but still went over the daily allotment by 78 calories. If it wasn't so chilly out, I'd walk to Suzuki to get the last of the supper worked off, but I don't fancy the wind today. Food: 6:45 am 51 g cinnamon crispie roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 9:45 am Square marble cake w/white icing 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, slice Costco cinnamon pound coffeecake, 163 g strawberries 3:15 pm 1 See's butterscotch Little Pops 4:15 pm 1 See's butterscotch Little Pops 6:00 pm Pork sausage casserole, 2/3 c Steamfresh green beans Exercise: 4:45-5:40 am Cardio Dance DVD 5:40-6:00 pm Treadmill program 4

Mon 22 Apr

Happy Birthday, Laura! Hope you are feeling better and in control of the studying and prep for your prelims. Sending hugs and kisses to my firstborn! Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 8:15 am 1 c oatmeal, 1 tbl brown sugar, 1/4 c raisins, 4 oz skim milk, coffee 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, slice Costco cinnamon pound coffeecake, 188 g strawberries 2:45 pm 1 Kopiko Cappucino candy 5:45 pm 1 serving Fusia shrimp stir fry, 12 oz skim milk, 2 French cookies - coffee Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 21 Apr

Sure hope you're feeling better today. You really sounded like you needed rest on the phone. It's snowing here (again). I am beginning to think we'll never get away from it, maybe even not in St. Maarten. Though it was very nice to see sunshine mostly all day yesterday. How quickly we forget. Decided to come home for lunch today rather than the Olympic after church. We gave in to one of the cinnamon pound cake coffee cakes from Costco, and I want the opportunity to eat it before it dries out. Getting my remaining activity, trying to get to 10,000 steps, by dancing to songs on Trivia in the living room. A couple more should do it. It's a nice form of interval activity as I usually sit down waiting for appropriate songs. Food: 8:30 am Coffee-iced morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g blackberries, coffee 12:15 pm 2 fried eggs, slice cinnamon pound coffee cake 2:30 pm 2 French cookies - coffee Exercise: 6:45-7:35 am Ballet DVD 7:35-8:08 am Cardio Dance DVD 3:30-5:00 pm Dancing with Trivia (sporadic)

Sat 20 Apr

Breakfast buffet was a little different on Saturday for the family crowd. They still had oatmeal, but didn't have all the high-end fixings like chopped walnuts and dried fruit other than raisins today. They also didn't have the yogurt parfait station, but we managed a good breakfast anyway. Another couple shared our table that hailed from Colorado Springs. They were in town for the International Dollhouse Convention. She apparently builds elaborate dollhouses with electricity and turns her own furniture. Listening to the reading of Trivia team names while eating a Japanese pastry and some strawberries. Food: 8:00 am 1 c oatmeal, 1 tbl brown sugar, 2 tbl raisins, 4 oz skim milk, 4 oz Peach Activia yogurt, small berry muffin, 1/2 large banana, 6 oz grapefruit juice, coffee 12:30 pm Duck, 3 shrimp/scallop dumplings, 1/2 c rice, 1/2 c mango & pistachio ice cream 6:15 pm Apple-filled pastry, 148 g strawberries

Fri 19 Apr

Hotel is nice, almost next door to the one where we used to stay for the really reasonable Park N Fly. Surprisingly, that hotel is now a fenced off pile of rubble. Unfortunately, this hotel doesn't do a Park N Fly so it will not be a substitute when that is needed. They do, however, offer a free shuttle to the nearby train station so we didn't have to take our car at all to get to Frontera for an excellent dinner last night. We got to the Loop around 4:30 pm and our reservations weren't til 6:00 pm. It wasn't raining, thankfully, so we walked the streets and looked at all the interesting bars and restaurants in the area for over an hour. I have an uncomfortable stitch in my right side that gets worse from carrying my purse, so I was a little sore by the end of our walk. Felt even better to sit down in the bar for a margarita before dinner with some freshly made guacamole and chips. Dinner was absolutely delicious as it has always been at Frontera. Looking forward to Seasons 52 tonight. We have pretty much decided not to do the aquarium or a museum today, partially due to the expense of either parking or taking a taxi from the end of the train route in addition to expensive admission fees. We will just do our Chicago shopping today instead of tomorrow as planned, leaving us tomorrow to possibly find something else to do. We may come back to the hotel in the afternoon and take advantage of a nice exercise room. Breakfast buffet was very nice. I didn't even discover the other half, which features a do-it-yourself oatmeal bar, until after I had already consumed nice fresh scrambled eggs w/cheese and salsa and an unexpectedly light biscuit with non-greasy gravy and a delicious make-it-yourself yogurt parfait with fresh strawberries and granola. We are here tomorrow also, so I'm heading straight to the oatmeal with another yogurt parfait also. Opted to peruse a large, new Whole Foods, a Crate and Barrel, and the Woodfield Mall before returning to the hotel for a nap and catching up on the computer. Our dinner reservations are in less than two hours, about half an hour away, so I don't think there's enough time to get sweaty. We got over 8000 steps so far, so it hasn't been too sedentary. Food: 8:00 am 2/3 c scrambled eggs, 1 tbl shredded cheese, 1 tbl salsa, biscuit, 1/4 c gravy, 1/2 banana, 6 oz OJ, coffee, 1/2 c yogurt, 1/2 c strawberries, 2 tbl granola 12:00 pm 1 pc See's chocolates, samples of cheese,etc. at Whole Foods 1:30 pm !/2 c mango chicken salad, 1 c fruit salad, fruit iced tea 2:30 pm 1 pc See's chcolates, See's caffe latte sucker

Thurs 18 Apr

Had to cut exercise short this morning. I was planning to do two 35-min dance videos, but I got to feeling somewhat stretched during/after the first one because I was hungry. I felt like my blood sugar was down, so I stopped and went upstairs to breakfast. I am starting to feel better now that I have food in my stomach. I was a little under my calories for the day yesterday, so I probably started with a slight deficit. You'd be surprised to know what we had for lunch on the way down to Chicago today. Ham and gruyere croissants from Batch! I kept thinking it would be great if you would wander in while we were eating them! We didn't call because we only stopped long enough to grab and munch, but we may stop back in Madison on the way home Saturday if you're free. Food: 7:45 am Large pumpkin cranberry muffin, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm Ham and gruyere croissant, 1/2 apple walnut bread pudding, limonata 5:45 pm Margarita, guacamole and chips 6:15 pm 1 1/2 duck enchilada, 1/2 corn tamale, 1 chicken mole enchilada, 1 tortilla w/roasted veggie stew, 1 tortilla w/mole pork stew, green beans, sopa de fruta w/coconut sorbet, Oaxacan hot chocolate Exercise: 6:45-7:20 am Salsa dance DVD 4:30-5:45 pm Walking around downtown Chicago

Wed 17 Apr

It was hard to exercise this morning. I wasn't too tired to get up, but getting moving was work. I made it through, though perhaps with a little less enthusiasm than usual. Sometimes I wonder if exercising before breakfast truly is a contributing factor to less energy. Doing breakfast with my client this morning since we'll be out of town Thurs/Fri. We're going to the Blue Top because the loser owner of JoJo's apparently didn't pay his electric bill long enough that they shut him off. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 8:15 am 1 slice cinnamon swirl French toast, 2 tbl peanut butter, 1/2 c sliced banana, 1 tbl pancake syrup, coffee 12:15 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, hot cross bun, slice Jarlsberg, 152 g strawberries 5:00 pm 7 g kettle corn PopChips 6:00 pm 1/3 spinach ricotta flatbread Exercise: 4:45-5:05 am Kick Box DVD 5:05-5:45 am Bootcamp DVD 6:30-7:30 pm Barre class

Tues 16 Apr

Had a hard time putting full intensity into my dance workout this morning because I had periodic stomach/intestinal twinges. Hopefully I just need to have a good BM today to clear it up. I certainly felt like I got completely over whatever weird little illness I had last week. Bob and I went over to Bob and Mary Williams' house last night to get the skinny on St. Maarten. They have a favorite area around Orient Beach and were able to tell us lots of places to eat, shop for essentials, etc. We also decided not to spend the big bucks and a whole day to ferry to Saba but rather to take a short ferry to Pinel Island so we don't have to commit one of our short five days on the island. Besides, it gives us a reason to come back another time. Love those Costco lamb shanks! They are pre-prepared in a portobello mushroom red wine sauce. You bake them in the oven about 25 min and they are divine! 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 11:30 am Blueberry soy shake, hot cross bun, slice Jarlsberg lite, 146 g strawberries 2:00 pm 1 Reese's egg 5:15 pm .25 serving kettle corn PopChips 6:15 pm Lamb shank, 1/2 c mashed potatoes, 1 c asparagus, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:45-5:40 am Cardio Dance DVD

Mon 15 Apr

Tax Day, ugh! The Ides of April are much worse than the Ides of March. But, c'est la vie! We may have our chance at freezing fog this morning. I saw that descriptor on the WPR display in the car yesterday for the weather conditions in Wausau at the time. I must admit, it was a first for that condition. Left my Fitbit on the charger accidentally this morning. I have an email into their Customer Service department because it recently has been needing to be charged every day and it's supposed to hold a charge for several days at a time. I went home after a home visit to pick it up and succumbed to 3 kettle corn PopChips. Damn! those things are tasty! 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 9:30 am 7 g kettle corn PopChips 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, hot cross bun, slice Jarlsberg lite, 165 g strawberries 3:00 pm Kashi Dark Mocha Almond chewy granola bar 4:30 pm 1 Peeps chick 5:15 pm 95 g spinach ravioli, 1/4 tbl butter, Mott's berry sauce 7:00 pm 7 oz dry rose Exercise: 4:45-5:45 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 5:45-6:10 pm Brisk neighborhood walk

Sun 14 Apr

Managed to complete my 10,000 steps just barely before bed last night. We didn't go to as many stores as usual in Madison so I didn't walk as much as I thought I would there. I had done a cardio video at home and walked to and from my hair appointment, but I still came home with about 450 steps to go. Unloading the car and putting things away and getting ready for bed just got me to 10,007! (Not that I obsess about numbers or anything like that!) Gave in to a bad impulse and finished the bag of malted milk eggs. Now my tummy is a little iffy. Food: 8:30 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 11:45 am 1/2 mushroom swiss 3-egg omelette, 2 thin slices wheat toast w/butter, 1 pkg blackberry jam, 1 pkg strawberry jam, wedge cantaloupe, slice pineapple, coffee 4:00 pm 6 Fiesta eggs 6:20 pm 66 g ham, 175 g strawberries Exercise: 6:55-7:45 am Ballet DVD 7:45-8:20 am Cardio Dance DVD

Sat 13 Apr

Went over my calorie allotment yesterday for the first time in over a week. I was disappointed that doing a cardio dance video after work only gave me a very few more calories to eat following a slow step morning. I was over even before I had the Sprecher's float, but I wanted it anyway! So much for the motivation to keep losing - at least for that day. I plan to fit in a workout this morning before my hair appointment to help give me a base for today. Doing my exercises at 4:30 am on weekdays works best for my schedule, but I notice that when I can eat breakfast first and have a little time to relax and wake up, I definitely have more energy to put into the same routines. It may also be a factor that I had a couple of mornings off due to illness so I was ready and raring today, but I could feel the difference. I can still feel a little lingering tendency to fatigue more quickly, likely due to the last remnants of the illness, so I had to be careful to pace myself just a bit. Food: 7:30 am 1/2 small monkey bread muffin, hot cross bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 97 g blackberries, coffee 1:40 pm 1 slice nutty bread, 1 tbl peanut butter, 1 clementine Exercise: 8:30-9:20 am The Firm Bootcamp DVD 10:40-10:50 am Walk to hair appointment 1:00-1:10 pm Walk home

Fri 12 Apr

Made it through the rest of yesterday okay. Didn't really think about not being up to par during the cooking class as I was absorbed in the fun of it. I was quite tired by the end and pretty much fell into bed when I got home. This morning, I thought it wiser to skip exercise lest I use up all the energy reserves for the day. If I have energy left when I get home from work, I may do something then. I have a couple of appointments at work this morning, so I'd like to be able to make it in. I have an afternoon appointment scheduled, but the other staff who is necessary called me yesterday and said she thought she was coming down with something that sounded a lot like what I had that morning. She will call today if she succumbs and stays home, so my afternoon will then be unscheduled. 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 8:15 pm 1 1/2 pc homemade wheat toast w/butter, .75 container marmalade, coffee 11:30 am Vanilla soy shake, 1/2 nutella chocolate chip muffin, 2 clementines 6:30 pm 144 g nutty whole grain bread, 37 g Jarlsberg, 2 small tomato slices, 2 tsp soft margarine, 1 c Campbell's Zesty Tomato Bisque Exercise: 5:10-5:45 pm Salsa Dance DVD

Thurs 11 Apr

I guess the Rockman cooking classes are bad luck for our family's health. Last time, Michael woke up puking in the night before the class and was sick for two days. This time, I was a little restless and achy in the night, but when I went to get up to exercise, I got light-headed and hot and had to go lay down again before I could finish my 4 little Dixie cups of water. I passed on exercise and tried again in an hour to just get up and shower, but it was again quickly obvious that I was light-headed and needed to lay down again. I didn't feel too bad when in bed, though the second time I took some ibuprofen which improved the feeling of mild fever. (I didn't stay up long enough to get a thermometer and measure it.) I woke again at 7:15 and called in for the morning to work, then went back to sleep til 8:45. I had to lay down very briefly once while preparing breakfast, but was able to get back up right away when the dizziness passed. I finished preparing and eating breakfast, so now the next step is to challenge the shower. I won't go in to work til afternoon, so I think I'll go to bed and read for an hour or so before taking that on. I may dig out that thermometer as I do think I feel mildly warm again. It's probably about 3 1/2 hours since the ibuprofen, so it may be wearing off. No fever, just felt a little like it. Crawled back in bed and read for awhile, then got up at 11:30 to shower. Light lunch and I'll give an afternoon at work a try. I have two visits scheduled so it should go by quickly. Then Michael and I will give the cooking class a try. Missed the free lunch from the Employee Foundation today, so decided to at least snag a small brownie. One of the two afternoon appointments called and canceled. Food: 9:00 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 103 g blackberries 12:15 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake 1:00 pm Small brownie

Wed 10 Apr

I did a new exercise video, just a half hour segment, and was really wiped out. It is an intense cardio strength set and included several moves I had to modify as I just couldn't do them at all or couldn't keep up. It was humbling. I had to switch to a cardio dance for the last half hour and just barely could stumble through that! The up side was that the scale went down another pound. Damn! Left my Fitbit on the charger this morning so no credit for any steps taken this morning. Decided it was a Nueske/potato pancake kind of day. 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 stone ground bread, 1 extra large egg, 1.5 tsp soft margarine, 1 tsp cinnamon sugar, med banana 2:45 pm Peanut butter cookie (actually munched in pieces over the course of the day) 5:30 pm 2 potato pancakes, 2 strips Nueske bacon, 2 slices broiled fresh pineapple Exercise: 4:45-5:15 am Bob somebody's Workout DVD 5:20-5:55 am Cardio Dance DVD

Tues 9 Apr

Had some roving upper GI gas pains this morning - most uncomfortable. Possibly an after-effect of the lentil soup? They seem to have passed now, but give me uncomfortable thoughts of possible heart attack. That would be less than fun. I would have given a great deal to stay home at lunch time, huddle under a blanket, extend my nap and spend the remainder of the afternoon with a good book. Rainy days are not conducive to high energy. I was in one of my creative cooking moods tonight. I saw a Fazoli's billboard for a baked spaghetti and thought baked spaghetti and meatballs would be tasty. I had to go to Trig's because I had no meat thawed, so I bought some ground chicken. (I looked for pre-made meatballs but couldn't find any.) I added basil, oregano, fennel seed, and torn-up bread to the ground chicken. It didn't appear to need egg to hold it together. I browned the meatballs in olive oil, then sauteed fresh mushrooms, chopped red pepper, and onion. I added jarred Prego sauce and stirred the meatballs back in. I put a couple of cups of cooked spaghetti into a pie tin, topped with the sauce and meatballs and grated some fresh Parmesan over the top and heated it in the oven for about 25 min. It was tasty! 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 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, slice Stone Ground wheat bread, 36 g Gouda, 2 tsp soft margarine, orange 12:45 pm 1 Peeps chick, 1 Fiesta egg 6:15 pm Spaghetti pie, Pictsweet green/yellow beans w/baby carrots Exercise: 4:45-5:40 am Cardio Dance DVD

Mon 8 Apr

32 years ago today, Dad and I went on our first date. We went to Joe's Pub for a glass of wine after ballet class, and the rest is history. Also Val & Kate's anniversary, so several good things started that day. 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 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, bowl lentil soup w/ham, med banana 12:30 pm 2 Peeps chicks 2:45 pm 5 g Lindt bunny 6:00 pm Slice stuffed pork roast w/spinach, feta, & sausage, 1/2 c squash puree, 12 oz skim milk, 3 Fiesta eggs Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 7 Apr

Legs are tired this morning. Was struggling a bit by the end of the dance video. Bought a pork roast stuffed with spinach, feta, and sausage yesterday evening at Copps; will roast it today. Looks really interesting. Food: 8:30 am Laura's oatmeal w/flaxseed meal, protein powder, 1/2 c wild blueberries, soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 11:15 am Small chocolate-topped rice krispie treat, white choc chip cookie, cookie 12:15 pm 2 eggs, 3 pc bacon, 1.5 pancakes, 1 tbl whipped butter, 1 tbl pancake syrup, coffee 3:45 pm 2 Butterfinger nest eggs Exercise: 6:45-7:35 am Ballet DVD 7:35-8:05 am Cardio Dance DVD 4:35-5:45 pm Walk with Bob

Sat 6 Apr

So far it has been a blessedly quiet week on call. Did get a call from Grandma's assisted living yesterday. She has been complaining of pain in her forearm. The doctor couldn't find a specific cause when she visited, but thinks she should get it x-rayed because she has to hang on when they use the mechanical stander. They are supposed to call for the transportation today and let me know what time to meet her at Urgent Care. She has trouble keeping her elbows in when other people are pushing her wheelchair through tight spots. I could believe that she bumped it and with her excessively brittle bones, may have fractured something. Hopefully it will not require recuperating in a nursing home again. I think they can use a Hoyer lift at Whispering Pines if needed. Food: 8:00 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 9:45 am 3 Fiesta eggs 12:15 pm 83 g ham, slice Stone Ground Wheat bread, 2 clementines 5:00 pm 6 oz Sprecher's Black Bavarian, broccoli mushroom quiche, 56 g seaweed salad Exercise: 11:10-11:45 am Cardio Salsa DVD

Fri 5 Apr

The girl is tired. Body is feeling recent exercise, including new moves, but frustrated because I'm not sure I put much energy into this morning's workout even though it tired me. But the scale inched slightly below my recent best level this morning, so that's encouraging. Maybe even enough to motivate me not to be too indulgent this weekend. Food: 6:45 am 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 8:15 am Mushroom onion swiss omelet, 1 1/2 pc homemade wheat toast w/butter, 1 pkg marmalade, 1 wedge cantaloupe, 1 wedge honeydew, 2 thin wedges orange, coffee 12:30 pm 1 cup Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk 1:15 pm 1 Peeps chick 4:15 pm Chocolate calcium chew 5:30 pm Culver's 6 pc fried shrimp, 1 container shrimp sauce, green beans, 16 oz diet Pepsi Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Coach Nicole's workout DVD 4:35-5:10 pm Cardio Dance DVD

Thurs 4 Apr

Fell back asleep after first alarm today and was surprised by doze alarm so my day started just a few minutes later than usual. Still haven't completely caught up. Amy's class was fun last night. She is teaching it for the first time and isn't very confident - hence she's offering it free of charge for a month or two. Kind of fun to be the guinea pigs. 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 11:00 am 2 Reese's eggs 12:30 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, 1/2 leftover gyros 1:30 pm 2 Peeps chicks 3:45 pm 5 g milk chocolate Lindt bunny 4:45 pm 1 dark chocolate Peepster 5:45 pm 105 g spinach cheese ravioli, 1/4 tbl butter, garlic, 2/3 c carrots, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:45-5:20 am Salsa dance DVD 5:20-5:50 am Cardio Dance Mix DVD

Wed 3 Apr

We're going to the Olympia for Heather's birthday lunch today. Thinking maybe gyros, otherwise eggs. Did the new video set's bootcamp DVD this morning which is much more strenuous than the other bootcamp DVDs I have, though I suppose that's affected by doing the 20-min Cardio Kick first. Had my mammogram and then a full-body checkover by the dermatologist. He didn't like the look of the tiny dark spot in the center of my sternum so he took it off and is sending it to pathology to be checked out. Going to Amy Beversdorf's new Barre class tonight. Mary graciously gave me a Thurs night lesson time to accommodate. 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 10:00 am 1 Reese's egg 12:00 pm 1/2 Gyro w/4 oz meat, 1/2 wrap, sliced tomato/onion, 2 tbl cucumber sauce 3:00 pm 1 Reese's egg 5:30 pm Bean casserole, 12 oz skim milk Exercise: 4:45-5:05 am Cardio Kick DVD 5:05-5:50 am Bootcamp DVD 6:30-7:30 pm Barre/Pilates/weights class

Tues 2 Apr

Particularly juicy grapefruit this morning - nice pamplemousse! Getting geared up for a week on call and hoping it's not an overly active one. Haven't heard as much in the last week or two, but prior to that people were having really crazy weeks with frequent calls. I could do without that, thanks. Am really enjoying the variety of new Cardio Dance DVDs. They are more active than some of the plain aerobics, more challenging to keep track of choreography, and earn me a lot of steps for the day. Still some fruit left in the Wellness box in the break room. Making lentil soup with ham for dinner. 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 10:30 am Small banana 11:45 am Blueberry soy shake, bean casserole, chocolate chip cookie 12:45 pm 1 Peeps chick 2:15 pm 1 Reese's egg 4:45 pm 1 dark chocolate Peepster 6:15 pm Lentil soup w/ham, 6 oz Sprecher's Black Bavarian Exercise: 4:45-5:40 am Cardio Dance DVD

Mon 1 Apr

April Fool's Day and I don't feel like making any foolish jokes. Sad, huh? I do feel like getting on with spring one of these days. Maybe my lack of humor is related to going on call tomorrow for a week. Found a large box of fruit in the break room with a sign indicating it is from the Portage Co Wellness Committe to encourage eating more fruit. There were also several fruit/veggie recipe cards. It appears to be complimentary, so I'm enjoying a cool, crisp Gala apple which is helping me to wake up on a sleepy afternoon. We were planning to bundle up and hike Rib tonight, but the wind is just a touch too wicked. Dad suggested we go to the Dane for dinner anyway. 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 11:30 am Vanilla soy shake, bean casserole, chocolate chip cookie, 1 Peeps chick 2:00 pm 2 Reese's eggs 2:30 pm Gala apple 4:45 pm 2 Fiesta eggs Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video