Happy Birthday, Wes!
6 years ago
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Summer
It is finally summer, at least for a few days. I am looking forward to sun and warmth. But I got to thinking about summers of my life and how they have changed over the years.
When I was 6 years, probably the first specific summer I can remember, we took the family truckster to Iowa to visit my grandparents. The trip took us through many states and I really only remember the trip through stories and pictures for the most part but I do remember being with my cousin Caroline in Iowa. We were immediate best friends and inseperable. I remember a thunderstorm like no other storm I have ever experienced since hit and we were so scared we hit under my grandma's bed for a long time, of course talking and giggling. I also remember my sister, who would have been 16 at the time, trying on my Aunt Beth's wedding dress and thinking how beautiful she was.
When I was 10 we moved to a little house on Day Island. That event really helped to shape the person I became. I had to move away from by best friend Pam Lange. She was two years older than me and the age difference was separating us already since she was going to start Junior High and I was still a grade schooler. As a result of this move I became "Queen of the beach". Every summer Darby, my dog, and I would walk the beach and swim every day. If you know anything about the Puget Sound waters, especially at the Narrows, you know how cold it is. For some reason, it didn't bother me and I would spend all day out there. The nights were special with the smells of the beach and the warm air and I would move onto the porch to sleep all summer long just to take in the air all night. This was particularly interesting when the hobos from the railroad would stop by and wake me up asking me for something to eat. They knew my mom would always make sandwiches for them and usually my dad would slip them some money.
My dog was the biggest part of my life on Day Island. He was a beach dog. When the tide was out he was on the beach all day flipping over rocks and biting crabs and chasing flat fish in the shallow water. If it was hot, he would just start swimming. He didn't need to have a ball or stick thrown for him because he just loved to swim. He was jet black and boaters often mistook him for a seal. On the 4th of July the entire population got together and set of fireworks. It was safe, the water was right there. But Darby would attack the colorful cones as they were going off and run up and down the street with the cone firing fireworks out the side of his mouth. It was a sight! When I turned 18 and was ready to go off to college Darby died. I was so sad but I believe Darby always set his own terms and this was just the last one.
As a teenager, sunning and tanning was the goal. By then we lived in the second house on Day Island and it had a roof that sloped down into a "v", reverse of a normal roof, and it had walls up the sides that protected the roof from wind and cold. As a result, Pam, Wendy, Susie, Cindy and I would start laying out on the roof in March and would keep it up into November as long as the sun was shining. This has followed me into adulthood as this same group of now women still get together once a summer for a weekend at the beach on Anderson Island.
In college, summer was always about being home for three months. A summer job at the nursing home, seeing friends and family and counting the days until I could go back to WSU. That's why I understand my boys when they are home. It is good to be home but only for awhile because you start to develop your own life, your own way of doing things and depending on yourself and all of a sudden you are back where parents want to keep you that dependent child they have loved caring for their whole lives. Life works it out though.
The summer months were also full of big events in my life. My sister got married August 19th in a wedding I thought was so beautiful. Then my own wedding was August 23rd, perfect in my eyes. I was pregnant in the summer of 1982 in Conconully and I enjoyed every minute of it. On the flip side, my mom passed away on July 23rd and our very special dog, Murphy, died at almost 16yrs of age on July 26th.
Finally, with two little boys summers were about camping, fishing and giving them the new experiences that would help shape them for years to come. Our favorite camping spot was Banks Lake where we would camp with John and Mary Alden. Every few years there would be a big Talcott family reunion at Blue Lake in Oregon where we would get reacquainted with cousins and aunts and uncles. And every summer the boys would spend one week with Grandma and Grandpa Wicks in Omak while my husband and I went to Reno by ourselves. That was always a special week for the boys and now that grandma and grandpa are gone I am so grateful that they have those memories.
Once sports hit our world, summer centered around Little League Allstars, trips for various tournaments etc. We usually managed to fit a family vacation in though. Most memorable was our trip to Moab, Utah and a week of exploring Arches National Park. It was the most grueling physical challenge of my life and I didn't take to it very well. Nevertheless, it lives in my memory as a great time. Huntington Beach, San Francisco, Tijuana, and if nothing else, we would take the boys with us to Reno. Good times!
Which brings me to this summer. A special family vacation to Hawaii. Are my expectations too high for this one? Are the boys really going to want to be with us for 8 days? Will we be able to preserve some of that special family vacation feeling we had when they were young? I think so. They have become the best of human beings. So interesting, adventurous yet grounded. I think my expectations will be exceeded and I can't wait.
Enjoy the summers of your life.
When I was 6 years, probably the first specific summer I can remember, we took the family truckster to Iowa to visit my grandparents. The trip took us through many states and I really only remember the trip through stories and pictures for the most part but I do remember being with my cousin Caroline in Iowa. We were immediate best friends and inseperable. I remember a thunderstorm like no other storm I have ever experienced since hit and we were so scared we hit under my grandma's bed for a long time, of course talking and giggling. I also remember my sister, who would have been 16 at the time, trying on my Aunt Beth's wedding dress and thinking how beautiful she was.
When I was 10 we moved to a little house on Day Island. That event really helped to shape the person I became. I had to move away from by best friend Pam Lange. She was two years older than me and the age difference was separating us already since she was going to start Junior High and I was still a grade schooler. As a result of this move I became "Queen of the beach". Every summer Darby, my dog, and I would walk the beach and swim every day. If you know anything about the Puget Sound waters, especially at the Narrows, you know how cold it is. For some reason, it didn't bother me and I would spend all day out there. The nights were special with the smells of the beach and the warm air and I would move onto the porch to sleep all summer long just to take in the air all night. This was particularly interesting when the hobos from the railroad would stop by and wake me up asking me for something to eat. They knew my mom would always make sandwiches for them and usually my dad would slip them some money.
My dog was the biggest part of my life on Day Island. He was a beach dog. When the tide was out he was on the beach all day flipping over rocks and biting crabs and chasing flat fish in the shallow water. If it was hot, he would just start swimming. He didn't need to have a ball or stick thrown for him because he just loved to swim. He was jet black and boaters often mistook him for a seal. On the 4th of July the entire population got together and set of fireworks. It was safe, the water was right there. But Darby would attack the colorful cones as they were going off and run up and down the street with the cone firing fireworks out the side of his mouth. It was a sight! When I turned 18 and was ready to go off to college Darby died. I was so sad but I believe Darby always set his own terms and this was just the last one.
As a teenager, sunning and tanning was the goal. By then we lived in the second house on Day Island and it had a roof that sloped down into a "v", reverse of a normal roof, and it had walls up the sides that protected the roof from wind and cold. As a result, Pam, Wendy, Susie, Cindy and I would start laying out on the roof in March and would keep it up into November as long as the sun was shining. This has followed me into adulthood as this same group of now women still get together once a summer for a weekend at the beach on Anderson Island.
In college, summer was always about being home for three months. A summer job at the nursing home, seeing friends and family and counting the days until I could go back to WSU. That's why I understand my boys when they are home. It is good to be home but only for awhile because you start to develop your own life, your own way of doing things and depending on yourself and all of a sudden you are back where parents want to keep you that dependent child they have loved caring for their whole lives. Life works it out though.
The summer months were also full of big events in my life. My sister got married August 19th in a wedding I thought was so beautiful. Then my own wedding was August 23rd, perfect in my eyes. I was pregnant in the summer of 1982 in Conconully and I enjoyed every minute of it. On the flip side, my mom passed away on July 23rd and our very special dog, Murphy, died at almost 16yrs of age on July 26th.
Finally, with two little boys summers were about camping, fishing and giving them the new experiences that would help shape them for years to come. Our favorite camping spot was Banks Lake where we would camp with John and Mary Alden. Every few years there would be a big Talcott family reunion at Blue Lake in Oregon where we would get reacquainted with cousins and aunts and uncles. And every summer the boys would spend one week with Grandma and Grandpa Wicks in Omak while my husband and I went to Reno by ourselves. That was always a special week for the boys and now that grandma and grandpa are gone I am so grateful that they have those memories.
Once sports hit our world, summer centered around Little League Allstars, trips for various tournaments etc. We usually managed to fit a family vacation in though. Most memorable was our trip to Moab, Utah and a week of exploring Arches National Park. It was the most grueling physical challenge of my life and I didn't take to it very well. Nevertheless, it lives in my memory as a great time. Huntington Beach, San Francisco, Tijuana, and if nothing else, we would take the boys with us to Reno. Good times!
Which brings me to this summer. A special family vacation to Hawaii. Are my expectations too high for this one? Are the boys really going to want to be with us for 8 days? Will we be able to preserve some of that special family vacation feeling we had when they were young? I think so. They have become the best of human beings. So interesting, adventurous yet grounded. I think my expectations will be exceeded and I can't wait.
Enjoy the summers of your life.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Surprise Surprise!
Okay, so my goal at the beginning of all this was to get healthy. I have to say I feel better than I have in years. The amazing thing is that the heartburn that was such a regular part of my life that I had resorted to taking Prilosec every day is completely gone. Granted, I am eating better but I have to think it has something to do with less fat in my body. It is so nice to feel this good that no matter what, goal or not, I am living this way from now on.
Of course, the objective goal was to reach 170 pounds and size 14. Well, today I have lost 35 pounds, down to 185 so just 15 more to go to get to my goal. So, with that said I decided to just go ahead and try some size 14 Capri pants on. And guess what! They were too big and I had to buy size 12! Now, I know that different brands and styles fit differently and in fact, I also bought a pair of size 14 shorts. The point is, I can now explore the world of size 14 when I shop, something I have not been able to do I think since I was married (except for a brief stint after losing weight on the Atkins diet which I promptly gained back!). After that, I had to go grocery shopping and I had a smile on my face the whole time. I have always been a confident person, comfortable with myself but this has added to that. Not cockiness but more a self assured feeling of peace.
My dad always wanted me to lose weight but not because he thought I was too fat. His love was unconditional but I think he saw what it could mean for me. He used to turn the topic to those hypnosis treatment thinking that might help. It makes me even that much more proud to say I did it on my on and because of that, I know it will stay. Dad, I hope you are smiling now. I miss you so much!
In just over a month I will be in Hawaii soaking up the sun and the joy of being with my boys for a whole week and I know I will enjoy it so much more being healthy and happy in life.
Of course, the objective goal was to reach 170 pounds and size 14. Well, today I have lost 35 pounds, down to 185 so just 15 more to go to get to my goal. So, with that said I decided to just go ahead and try some size 14 Capri pants on. And guess what! They were too big and I had to buy size 12! Now, I know that different brands and styles fit differently and in fact, I also bought a pair of size 14 shorts. The point is, I can now explore the world of size 14 when I shop, something I have not been able to do I think since I was married (except for a brief stint after losing weight on the Atkins diet which I promptly gained back!). After that, I had to go grocery shopping and I had a smile on my face the whole time. I have always been a confident person, comfortable with myself but this has added to that. Not cockiness but more a self assured feeling of peace.
My dad always wanted me to lose weight but not because he thought I was too fat. His love was unconditional but I think he saw what it could mean for me. He used to turn the topic to those hypnosis treatment thinking that might help. It makes me even that much more proud to say I did it on my on and because of that, I know it will stay. Dad, I hope you are smiling now. I miss you so much!
In just over a month I will be in Hawaii soaking up the sun and the joy of being with my boys for a whole week and I know I will enjoy it so much more being healthy and happy in life.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Update on Fitness
It has been awhile since I even updated myself on my weight loss, fitness progress. It is worth waiting awhile because the results are so fun! Here is the comparison:
2/9/08 6/7/08 Goal
weight 220 187 -33 lbs 170
upper chest 41 37.5 -3.5"
bust 47 42 -5" 40
midriff 39 36 -3"
waist 40 37 -3" 36
upper arm 16 13.5 -2.5" 14
upper hip 48 45.5 -2.5"
hip 52 46 -6" 40
upper thigh 29 25 -4" 25
calf 15 15 0
size 20 16 -2 sizes 14
total weight loss to date is 33 pounds
2 sizes lost to a loose fitting 16, and not 16W!
total inches lost is 29.5 inches!!
So, what does this mean? It means I feel so much better. The heel pain I had on a daily basis is gone. I could walk the WSU campus on Mom's Weekend much more easily. We didn't make it to Kamiak Butte but I bet I could hike that more easily also. I can play softball on my office softball team and not embarrass or hurt myself. I won't embarrass my sons in Hawaii. But most of all, I may just possibly live longer to enjoy those grandkids I hope to have someday. By the way, my recent mammogram was clear which is a good thing given the family history here.
I have just under 2 months to get to my goals and while I may not make it by Hawaii I will definitely make it and may even go further. This has been an experience that proves anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it. You just have to want it and I want this.
2/9/08 6/7/08 Goal
weight 220 187 -33 lbs 170
upper chest 41 37.5 -3.5"
bust 47 42 -5" 40
midriff 39 36 -3"
waist 40 37 -3" 36
upper arm 16 13.5 -2.5" 14
upper hip 48 45.5 -2.5"
hip 52 46 -6" 40
upper thigh 29 25 -4" 25
calf 15 15 0
size 20 16 -2 sizes 14
total weight loss to date is 33 pounds
2 sizes lost to a loose fitting 16, and not 16W!
total inches lost is 29.5 inches!!
So, what does this mean? It means I feel so much better. The heel pain I had on a daily basis is gone. I could walk the WSU campus on Mom's Weekend much more easily. We didn't make it to Kamiak Butte but I bet I could hike that more easily also. I can play softball on my office softball team and not embarrass or hurt myself. I won't embarrass my sons in Hawaii. But most of all, I may just possibly live longer to enjoy those grandkids I hope to have someday. By the way, my recent mammogram was clear which is a good thing given the family history here.
I have just under 2 months to get to my goals and while I may not make it by Hawaii I will definitely make it and may even go further. This has been an experience that proves anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it. You just have to want it and I want this.
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