Wed 31 Dec

New Year's Eve 2014. We have zero plans for tonight, though I did buy some fresh oysters at Costco on Saturday which we can eat as is if they seem fresh enough or make into stew. Since I'm on the pager, I haven't even looked into offerings at local restaurants. I was remembering today that we used to go to champagne brunch at the Holiday Inn every New Year's when Grandma and Grandpa were still in their home. The restaurants stopped offering the brunch after a while which seemed strange to me as it always seemed well-attended. I wish it was still an option. Felt good to do a fuller strength training workout this morning. I've been a little neglectful of this area lately. Food: 7:00 am Costco chocolate croissant, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 11:40 am Bean casserole, 98 g raspberries, Nestle Fat Free hot cocoa, 1 Hartman cookie 3:00 pm 4 pc chocolates 6:15 pm Oysters, prosecco 6:30 pm 4 oz lamb, 1/2 c broccoli, 1/2 c cheesy potatoes Exercise: 4:50-5:30 am Jane Fonda Workout with Weights video 5:30-6:00 am Jessica Smith Power Walk YouTube 5:20-6:10 pm Leslie Sansone Four Fast Miles DVD

Tues 30 Dec

Feeling the beginnings of pressure in my sinuses today, so time to hit the Cold-Eze. Might be able to stave it off at this stage. No ill effects in the head or neck showing up from yesterday's accident. Got to file my work incident report today. Food: 6:45 am Costco chocolate croissant, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 9:00 am 2 pc Russell Stover chocolates 12:10 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, TJ's vegetarian tamale, 98 g raspberries 2:45 pm Candy at work 5:05 pm Leftover Grampa's pizza, 2 slices leftover Wild Tomato pizza Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Mon 29 Dec

Nice to see the Packers hang on for the win yesterday. I was quite tired yesterday, not sure why. You'd think I'd feel well rested after several days off in a row. Feeling okay this morning, so hopefully it passed. Not the best day. Got rear-ended at a stoplight today. Will have to wait til Jan 26 to get repairs done, and can't really open the back hatch until then. They will arrange for a rental while doing repairs, and it should be covered by her insurance. Food: 7:00 am Pig's ear pastry, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee 11:00 am Scotcheroo 11:45 am Vanilla soy shake, 2 med eggs OE, small cranberry scone 12:30 pm Molasses cookies 4:45 pm K-cup spiced cider Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 28 Dec

A little more into the normal routine today, at least the normal Sunday routine. Up at 6:30 am to do a barre exercise and a dance DVD, breakfast, shower, church, and the Packers to look forward to later. Got some chocolate croissants from Costco that are pretty good, but nowhere near the quality of my Amherst baker. Food: 8:10 am Costco chocolate croissant, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:10 pm Leftover breakfast casserole, 1 c leftover fruit salad, espresso hot chocolate 1:15 pm 2 chocolates of the world 2:00 pm 2 Kathy Hartman cookies Exercise: 6:50-7:20 am Jessica Smith Cardio Barre YouTube 7:20-7:55 am Cardio Dance DVD 1:25-1:55 pm Jessica Smith Dance Party YouTube

Fri 26 Dec

Nice to not have to return to the office til Monday. We decided that since I have to be on the pager over New Year's and we can't do the NYE special at Chateau De Pere, we will go tonight for their Home for the Holidays special, $79 for a room with breakfast, and have a nice dinner there tonight. Learned that my favorite chef, Sebastien, is not with them any more. He is staying home with his new daughter and doing catering. The chefs in the restaurant were trained by him, though, and still serve his menu. I suspect he was already gone the last time we were there as I saw no sign of him on a Friday night. Looking forward to their beautiful room, nice breakfast, and just a nice overnight getaway. Comfortably settled into our room with about an hour to spare before our dinner reservations. We shopped at Woodman's in Appleton and stocked up on Naughty Girl on sale, hit the Green Bay Costco and Target. Now we are ready to just chill. I want one of the bartender's excellent cocktails so we didn't bring any of the wine up to the room. Food: 9:00 am French brioche roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee, gingerbread leg 11:30 am Bean casserole Exercise: 7:10-8:00 am Erin O'Brien Fit Body DVD 8:00-8:40 am Jessica Smith Latin Spice Walk YouTube

Merry Christmas 2014!

A relatively quiet Christmas morning. I made eggnog pancakes for breakfast with Laura and Bob, and we are chilling until Michael and Taylor arrive. Michael planned to shoot for 9 am, but we will expect them when they arrive. I'll start the dinner for a late lunch and hope they make it in time to eat. I may start the prep work soon so it's done. Food: 7:45 am 2 eggnog pancakes, 1/4 tbl butter, 1 tbl maple syrup, 1 c fruit salad, 4 oz egg nog, coffee Prosecco, lamb, cheesy potatoes, cranberry waldorf, broccoli, bean casserole, dahl soup, Christmas cookies, leg of gingerbread man 6:30 pm 3 oz lamb, cheesy potatoes, 2/3 c broccoli Exercise: 4:20-4:55 pm Jessica Smith Disco Walk YouTube 5:55-6:25 pm Jessica Smith Barefoot Fusion Walk YouTube

Wed 24 Dec

So I'm stuck with Cheap Crap phone service as suspected. I just need to get used to not having as fast access to Internet as I had before. At least there are no worries about exceeding my data limit. Oh yeah, Merry Christmas Eve. Gotta get moving to clear the table and get things prepared for Hartman brunch in a little over 3 hours. Brunch went very well. Enjoyable time had by all: Kathy & John, Eddie, Bob & Sue, Laura. Very sticky caramel rum sauce on the banana crepes, but no fillings lost. Food: 7:05 am French Brioche roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 2:40-3:15 pm Jessica Smith Power Interval Walk YouTube 3:15-3:45 pm Jessica Smith Power Walk YouTube

Tues 23 Dec

I suspect last night will set a new record low on my Fitbit sleep stats. I will likely suffer the effects today. Food: 6:50 am French brioche ring, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 11:00 am White chocolate dipped molasses cookie 11:45 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, slice Omega 3 toast, 1 tbl PB, 56 g raspberries Exercise: 4:50-5:20 am Jessica Smith Latin Dance Walk YouTube 5:20-5:50 am Jessica Smith Power Interval Walk YouTube

Mon 22 Dec

Almost there. Didn't get as much accomplished as I would have liked on Sunday. Still a little sketchy on brunch menu, but I have a basic idea, recipes, and enough ingredients to go on. Hope to get the table set up tonight and a little better organized. Really felt tired yesterday, but better again today. Food: 6:55 am French brioche ring, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 11:00 am Scotcheroo 11:50 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, slice Omega 3 toast, 1 tbl PB, 74 g raspberries 12:40 pm 1 sugar cookie, 1 molasses cookie 4:10 pm 1 white chocolate covered pretzel, 1 small Rolo pretzel 4:45 pm Caramel corn 6:00 pm 1 Sea Queen Parmesan tilapia filet, 1/2 c mashed potatoes, 3/4 c sliced carrots 6:55 pm Small piece English toffee Exercise: 4:45-5:55 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 21 Dec

Got quite a lot accomplished yesterday, though wore myself out in the process. Today is an off-rhythm day because I cantor at 6 pm so we aren't going to church this morning which just feels weird. Yet to do today: pack up the Christmas cookies, plan menus for Christmas Eve brunch and Christmas dinner and make sure everything is on hand, finish trimming tree (maybe during Packer game as we should FINALLY be able to watch a game on the living room TV!!!!), take a plate of cookies and a couple small gifts to Leone and explain that we are just doing our family for Christmas dinner (due to the smaller leg of lamb I already have). I'd like to continue cleaning while the bug is still on me, but the above things take precedence as they have to be done soon. I WILL take time to watch the Packer game, and I need to be at church for cantering at 5:20 til about 7 pm. Gratefully, I have not been disturbed by further calls on the pager so I have gotten my work done yesterday. Hoping for more of the same today. Had to stop in the middle of the second Jessica Smith workout - just exhausted. Feeling a bit low energy today. Didn't drink my afternoon water which could be a factor. Food: 7:50 am Small molasses cookie 7:55 am French brioche roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 98 g blackberries, coffee 8:30 am Small sugar cookie 12:15 pm 4 leftover cheese fries, 2 chocolate covered lebkuchen 2:00 pm 6 oz Leinie's cranberry ginger shandy 8:00 pm Ham/broccoli/cheddar casserole, banana Exercise: 9:45-10:25 am Jessica Smith Belly, Buns & Thighs YouTube 10:25-10:45 am Jessica Smith Cardio Ball Blast

Sat 20 Dec

This will have to be a busy weekend since I didn't get motivated to do as much holiday prep during the evenings last week as I would have hoped. Had one on-call last night at 10:15 pm, but was able to handle it over the phone. Hopefully not too many interruptions today when things need to get done. Remembered that I have to cantor at 6 pm tomorrow so won't need to go to church in the morning, but need to remember to go in the evening. Thinking that Christmas dinner will be just Bob and me, Laura and Michael and Taylor because I have a nice Costco leg of lamb roast in the freezer that will be a lovely Christmas dinner for us. Wouldn't really be enough to add Leone and Mick though. I will take a little fruitcake for Leone and maybe some beer for Mick over there this weekend and gently let them know we won't be doing the big family dinner together on Christmas. If we get cookies baked today, I can take them a plate of those as well. We had an expensive surprise today. The dishwasher died a noisy death, and with the holidays on our doorstep, we decided to replace it right away as it really was pretty old. Nice to have a handyman in the house so we didn't have to pay for installation. I used the time to get the gifts wrapped. Food: 7:20 am Costco cinnamon roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:20 pm Caramel Macchiato Greek blend yogurt 3:00 pm Caramel corn 6:15 pm 8 oz hard cider Exercise: 4:40-5:25 pm Leslie Sansone Four Fast Miles DVD

Fri 19 Dec

Christmas lunch at work today. Our section is in charge, so I need to join in decorating this morning and be involved with the operations at lunch. Theme is Hawaiian Christmas and Ambrosia's is catering ham and shrimp, so I'm looking forward to the meal. Food: 6:50 am Costco cinnamon roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am Erin O'Brien Fit Body DVD 5:35-5:50 am Walk/run around basement to boost steps

Thurs 18 Dec

Secret Santa must have decided I hadn't been good enough yesterday because he forgot me. I had this happen a couple of years ago also, but at least she remembered for the Christmas lunch on Friday. Possibly my Santa was sick or didn't work on Wednesday for some reason. Food: 6:55 am Morning bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:35 pm Peach soy shake, slice Omega 3 toast, 1 tbl PB, 98 g raspberries 1:15 pm Lindt truffle 4:55 pm Caramel corn Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am Dance Exercise DVD

Wed 17 Dec

Today will be the last staffing at work til the end of the year so I won't have the tension of wondering what else she'll throw at us. Works for me. I think I may also tell my more difficult client today that she'll be getting a different case manager in a couple of weeks. Probably better than telling her the day before Christmas break. Food: 6:45 am Costco cinnamon roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 12:25 pm Blueberry soy shake, slice Omega 3 toast, 1/4 tbl butter, 102 g raspberries, 35 g Gouda 2:00 pm Sugar cookie 3:00 pm Fiber One Gingerbread bar 5:00 pm 2 sm Christmas cookies 6:00 pm 5 Priano Portabello Mushroom ravioli, 1/2 c arrabiata sauce, 1 tbl shredded parmesan, 3/4 c asparagus, chamomile tea Exercise: 4:50-5:20 am Jessica Smith Stride & Strength YouTube 5:20-5:35 am Jessica Smith Power Walk Quickie YouTube 5:35-5:45 am Jessica Smith Power Interval 10 min YouTube

Tues 16 Dec

Getting down to the "almost Christmas" days already. Need to finish trimming tree, wrap presents, make sugar/molasses cookies, plan Christmas Eve brunch and Christmas dinner, etc. Things are busier at work with the transition of caseloads to take over CCS. I guess I need to step up my game. Food: 6:45 am Costco cinnamon roll, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 11:35 am 50 g braunschweiger, 1 slice Omega 3 bread, 1/4 tbl butter, 101 g raspberries, shortbread cookie 2:30 pm 2 mini Snickers 4:45 pm Caramel corn 7:00 pm 3 oz venison backstrap, 4 sweet potato wedges, 1/2 delicata squash w/chili lime butter Exercise: 4:55-5:45 am Leslie Sansone 4 Fast Miles DVD

Mon 15 Dec

Secret Santa week this week at work. Something to look forward to and to take my mind off going on-call Tues for one week on, one week off, then another week on. Grrr! Food: 7:05 am Chocolate chunk danish, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:10 pm 59 g braunschweiger, slice Omega 3 bread, 1/4 tbl butter, 101 g raspberries 12:45 pm Small peanut square 4:45 pm Caramel corn 6:30 pm 35 g pasty, 1/4 c leftover acorn squash Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout 5:40-6:20 pm Jessica Smith Flat Abs Walk YouTube

Sun 14 Dec

Had a nice memory of Mom at the restaurant. I had Swiss steak for lunch, prepared pretty much the way she used to make it. It was like getting a hug from Mom. It had always been one of my favorite meals. The walk with the group was very pleasant and a nice way to start the day. Got shopping done for the Hartman boy gifts and a few other things as well. Today we go to church after breakfast and then have a big brunch at the Ox Yoke Inn. We will head home with a possible stop at REI in Madison so Bob can look at warm work boots. Not likely we will make it home for the choir thing for Sons of Norway at 6 pm.

Sat 13 Dec

One year ago today, Grandma left us and went up to join Grandpa and Mark in heaven. We miss you, Grandma and Grandpatoo. Bob and I are comfortably ensconced in the Die Heimat B&B in Homesread, IA, waiting about 15 min to go to breakfast. Reviews said the breakfast here is very good. After breakfast, we have been told the local walkers are participatingI in a walking event coordinated in multiple places to begin at 10:11 am on 12/13/14. We will meet them in Amana and walk around Lily Lake. We should still have plenty of time left to explore the shops, get to church at 4 pm, get dinner and the bluegrass Christmas concert at 7:30. Should be a nice day.

Fri 12 Dec

Heading down to Iowa today, after a lunch date with daughter. And a few Madison errands. It's about 5 hours to Iowa from Point, so from Madison it should be closer to 3. Looking forward to seeing Amana in the winter. Food: 7:30 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee Exercise: 5:20-5:50 am Jessica Smith Cardio Workout YouTube 5:50-6:15 am Jessica Smith Dance Walk YouTube

Thurs 11 Dec

The George Winston concert was very nice - I thought of you several times. He was a master of letting the final note ring out and the audience thankfully respected it. It reminded me of what Strassburg used to call "the LeGault ending" because both you and I liked to do that. I also thought of you because he played quite a bit of Vince Guaraldi. I hate it when I forget my Fitbit on the charger and do a lot of running around that doesn't get to count toward the day's steps. Food: 6:50 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 Slice 12 grain bread, 1 tbl PB, 100 g raspberries, shortbread 1:15 pm Wedge Happy Farms Light Spreadable cheese 4:30 pm Chocolate crinkle cookie 6:45 pm 4 oz leftover liver, 1/2 c mashed potatoes, 1 c fresh asparagus, tea, 1/2 frosted sugar cookie Exercise: 4:50-5:50 am Victoria Johnson's Step/Weights workout DVD 5:20-6:00 pm Jessica Smith Latin Dance YouTube

Wed 10 Dec

I hate having to make difficult decisions before I even get out of bed. There are apparently some nasty viruses running around the area and we would both like very much to stay healthy to enjoy our Amana weekend. I opted to stay in bed and get one more hour's sleep instead of exercise this morning because it's a busy week and I've been running a bit short on sleep other nights. Sleep is probably more important in the immune system department than exercise, at least I hope so. I won two tickets to the George Winston concert tonight, so it will be another later night. The Rockman class was great, a small group of 8 and roast duck as the main course! I did have somewhat of a headache yesterday, which one of the ladies at the cooking class said is the first symptom of this nasty virus, but I attributed the headache to eating too much sugar the last several days. I often find I don't feel as well if I eat too much sugar, especially if I have been not doing so for quite a while. I plan to try to avoid most of the tempting treats in the house today, though I did finish the last sticky bun for breakfast. Food: 6:55 am Sticky bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm 3 oz taco seasoned shredded chicken, lettuce, 1/4 c chopped tomato, 1/2 c shredded lettuce, 2 tbl finely shredded taco cheese, 1 tbl light sour cream, 2 tbl black beans, 1/4 c refried beans, 1/2 c tortilla chips 5:45 pm 4 oz leftover duck Exercise: 4:50-5:30 pm Jessica Smith Indoor Jogging YouTube

Tues 9 Jan

Scott Rockman's Christmas Around the World cooking class tonight. Should be delightful. We really enjoy these classes. I also really enjoyed watching the entire Packer game last night. As predicted, I finally stopped being sleepy some time in the evening so I could stay up for the whole game. And strangely, I'm far less tired today even though I got just under 6 hours sleep last night. Food: 6:50 am Sticky bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:00 pm Strawberry/banana soy shake, slice 12 grain bread, 1 tbl PB, 1/2 large banana, shortbread, krumkake Exercise: 4:50-5:45 am DWTS DVD

Mon 8 Dec

Slept quite soundly last night and am still reluctant to wake up, even though I've been out of bed since 4:40, exercised, and showered. Hopefully by lunch, I'll be awake. It has not helped my sleepiness that my home visit took me two tries to wake her up to answer the door and she almost fell asleep while we were talking, and another client called me after having taken his sedating meds very early and kept stumbling over his sentences. The world is conspiring to keep me half asleep! Well, we won't be inaugurating our new TV on the Packer game tonight because it'll be broadcast on a channel we don't get with our rooftop antenna. Hopefully we can find it on the internet. Food: 7:10 am Sticky bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 102 g blackberries, coffee 10:45 am Wedge shortbread 11:55 am Peach soy shake, Fit & Active pumpkin yogurt, cookies 4:45 pm Chocolate crinkle cookie 6:40 pm Macaroni & cheese, 1 c broccoli, 2 cookies Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video

Sun 7 Dec

Pearl Harbor Day. Reminds me of Grandma because she used to write letters to a military man who was killed at Pearl Harbor before she met Grandpa. Did a new Jessica Smith lower body barre this morning. Only 25 min, but very intense. Continuing in yesterday's sugar fest, I decided it's better to enjoy a few of the treats while they are at their freshest. Last concert is history. The rather, loud brassy second soprano did not come today and farmed her solo out to Vicky. I asked her yesterday why she was unable to come and she said she is ushering for the symphony concert at 3:30. Seems a tad odd to me that you would pass on your own concert, with a solo, just to usher. Her friend said today that the gal doesn't plan to sing with us any more because she felt negative vibes. Some of those may have been from me because she can be a bit in your face with her in situ directing the count or singing notes at me if she feels I may possibly not sing them correctly. I don't say anything to her, but I do make an effort to stand elsewhere when possible. Bob suggested she may need more attention than she got in general. I was not aware of any overt conflicts all semester. Food: 8:10 am Sticky bun, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 12:05 pm 2 eggs scrambled with 3 oz chopped ham, 1/3 c chopped yellow pepper, 1/4 c shredded cheddar, 2 pc fattigman, 1/2 pc peanut creme bar, 1 butterfinger scotcheroo, 1 chocolate crinkle cookie 4:00 pm Fudge Exercise: 6:55-7:20 am Jessica Smith Barre for lower body YouTube 7:20-7:50 am Jessica Smith Power Walk YouTube

Sat 6 Dec

Happy St Nicholas Day! We sang in the Grand Theatre lobby last night - horrible acoustics. It wasn't built as a performance space, or so I would guess. I understand a ballet company was rehearsing The Nutcracker in the theatre itself, and we were just casual entertainment for the people who had come downtown for the Christmas parade. Tonight we return to Wausau for a concert at Pilgrim Lutheran. One of our choir members decided we should do a bake sale after the concert tomorrow, so if I feel so inclined, I'll need to bake something today after we get back from the Amherst bake/craft sales and before tonight's concert, sandwiched between laundry and exercise. The Amherst thing was fun as usual. I got all of my Secret Santa things taken care of at the Jensen Center. Saw Canales there as usual, but also saw his wife, Nancy who I have not seen in many years. She is a nice person so it was really nice to reconnect. Munched several sweet treats and lunched at Wheel House. Food: 7:00 am 1 c Quaker Oat Squares, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 99 g blackberries, tea 10:00 am Sweet treats 12:00 pm 1/2 Italian sausage bomber sandwich w/cheese & mushrooms, 1/8 c coleslaw, few kettle chips, 1 sm piece pizza, 8 oz Scotch ale 1:30 pm More sweet treats 5:10 pm Bowl turkey soup, tea Exercise: 3:30-4:10 pm Jessica Smith Disco Mix YouTube 4:10-4:45 pm Jessica Smith Dance Walk YouTube

Fri 5 Dec

Got to work a full day today as there were no extra hours put in earlier in the week. Fridays get really long between 3-4:30 pm. Concert went fine last night at Intercession. Tonight we have to sing selections from the second half at the Wausau Christmas Parade. We will be inside a room at the Grand Theatre. Parking will likely be difficult to find. We have three people who want to ride with us, so the back seat of our baby Prius will be stuffed full if they all come. Well, the absent coworker isn't returning until (conveniently, for him) Jan 5 when the on-call shift ends that he traded with me. I opted to take the shift (before the supervisor could just assign it to me) in addition to the shift I accepted in the trade, with the condition that the coworker can do my next scheduled shift in mid-January. If he's not back, they can just assign that shift to someone else. I will then be done with on-call til March. Food: 6:55 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 Fit & Active pumpkin yogurt, slice pecan kringle, 1/4 extra large cantaloupe 12:45 pm 2 Lindt truffles 3:30 pm 1 Snickers mini 5:15 pm Bowl turkey soup, slice cinnamon raisin struan toast, 1 tsp butter, tea Exercise: 4:50-5:25 am Jessica Smith Stride & Step YouTube 5:30-5:40 am Jessica Smith 10 min Walking Intervals w/dumbells YouTube

Thurs 4 Dec

Concerts start tonight, first one at Intercession on Ellis St. Mary Hofer's Suzuki students are singing a small set with us and a joint rendition of Abbie Betinis' Lumen. They took my regular choice of Leslie Sansone walks with the interval jogging off of YouTube so I had to try a different one which isn't nearly as engaging. Food: 6:55 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 100 g blackberries, coffee 12:35 pm Blueberry soy shake, slice Omega 3 bread, 23 g cheddar cheese, 1 tsp butter 1:20 pm 1 Lindt truffle 2:30 pm 1 Lindt truffle, Dove mint 5:15 pm Venison chili, 1 tbl light sour cream, 1 tbl shredded cheddar, slice cinnamon raisin struan, 1 tsp butter Exercise: 5:00-6:00 am Leslie Sansone 4 mile walk YouTube

Wed 3 Dec

Could be an interesting day at work today. We will have to see what is said about our MIA coworker. He had asked me to trade on-call weeks so that I would take Dec 16-22 and he would take Dec 30-Jan 5 which includes the New Year's holiday so he could have time with his Arkansas children over the holiday. If he isn't going to be back in time, I really hope the boss doesn't try to stick me with both weeks. Our new TV is scheduled for delivery after work today. It is the same brand and type as the TV in the basement, so it should have a quicker learning curve for us. It's here, and set up with minimal work. Nice size in our living room. Food: 7:00 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 Slice Polish apple cake, Fit & Active pumpkin yogurt, 1 c Pacific roasted red pepper tomato soup 12:50 pm 1 Lindt truffle 3:00 pm 1 Lindt truffle, 1 Dove mint 5:00 pm Tea 6:30 pm Venison chili w/sour cream & cheese 7:40 pm 41 g English toffee Exercise: 4:55-5:20 am Kathy Smith upper body strength DVD 5:20-6:00 am Jessica Smith Belly, Buns & Thighs YouTube 5:45-6:20 pm Jessica Smith Latin Dance YouTube

Tues 2 Dec

Looking forward to the new tea of the day today. I like this "Advent calendar" system. Enjoying that the first part of the week is quiet, given that we have choir concert obligations Thurs through Sun. We are missing a couple of smaller choir gigs the following weekend when we will be in Amana. Too bad, so sad. We have reservations for a bluegrass holiday concert in Amana that Saturday evening. Sadly, we qualified for senior tickets. Oh well, $3 saved is $3 in our pockets. Got a thank you note today from Michele for the get well card we sent. She sounds like she is keeping her spirits up. Our newest coworker is mysteriously out on leave for at least a couple of weeks per an email from the boss today. No one is sure if it is health-related, personal issues, or perhaps a suspension. They aren't likely to tell us, either. Food: 6:55 am 1 c Trader Joe's multigrain flaxseed cereal, 1/2 c light original soy milk, 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 11:35 am Strawberry/banana soy shake, slice Omega 3 bread, tsp butter, slice cheddar cheese, 1 c fruit salad 12:30 pm Lindt truffle 2:30 pm Chocolate mint square 5:25 pm Tea 6:45 pm 4 oz liver w/caramelized onions, 1/2 c mashed potatoes, 1/2 c mashed acorn squash Exercise: 4:50-5:35 am Jessica Smith Cardio DVD 5:35-5:50 am Jessica Smith Stretch/Relax YouTube 7:15-7:45 pm Walk w/Dad in the new snow

Mon 1 Dec

First day of the new dress code at work - sort of a business casual, but really just avoiding the director's pet peeves. The office environment is a somewhat less pleasant place these days. Got my "grown-up Advent calendar" delivered today: a new tea sachet for every day Dec 1-24. Today was caramel hazelnut. The sachet easily makes 2 good cups of tea. A nice little way to relax after work. Food: 7:00 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 Small piece peppermint bark 12:00 pm 4"x 5" chunk leftover Wheel House pizza, 1 c fruit salad, tea 3:00 pm Smaller remaining piece of peppermint bark 4:45 pm Tea 7:15 pm Turkey soup, tea, 2 Lindt truffles Exercise: 4:50-6:00 am Jane Fonda Complete Workout video 5:45-6:10 pm Jessica Smith part of new DVD