Our 3 Generation European Vacation - Prague, CZ - Country 2
of 6
Saturday, July 18, 2015 18 comments
My generation remembers Prague
as the capital of Czechoslovakia, but that country peacefully
decided to separate into the Czech
Republic and Slovakia on Jan 1, 1993 - the "Velvet Divorce." We
flew from Zurich to Prague and I persuaded DD ... Read more
Our 3 generation European Vacation - Switzerland -- Country 1
of 6
Friday, July 17, 2015 30 comments
DH & I with DD#2 and her
DH and 2 teenage children flew from Washington DC into Zurich
and took a train to Chur. Chur was a
lovely, picturesque... Read more
Updated my website with our April trip
Tuesday, June 23, 2015 26 comments
" A Conference, a Half Marathon and Walking through History" http://www.brigs.us/Euro
pe-Apr-2015/index.htm Now on to the next adventure with DD#2 and
family in 2 days. From the Glacier Express in the Swiss Alps
to Pra... Read more
What a JERK!! The enablers and saboteurs in our lives
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 23 comments
DH was surprised to hear me
yelling at the TV. I had been asleep on the coach. Sunday was
my REST day and I was really, really resting.
I awoke to see a show on TV that was unfamiliar to me – “My
600 Pound Life.” So who was the jerk? No... Read more
Expanding My Fitness Horizons
Thursday, June 11, 2015 25 comments
I write all the time that
logging into Spark every morning provides my daily dose of
motivation. Sometimes it comes from an article,
sometimes from a blog or even a recipe. If you are my spark friend,
you are likely aware that exercise was... Read more
" In
a Cloud of DUST with a Hearty Hi-Ho Silver!"
Thursday, June 04, 2015 17 comments
Thank you to all who read
and commented on my blog yesterday. 8 days on the road including
4 with MIL in a nursing home, put
me in a very introspective mood. Finally at home this morning,
I find that Mr. Thompson’s quote still suggests t... Read
more
Thoughts from a Nursing Home and an Unfortunate Quote
Wednesday, June 03, 2015 25 comments
Thank you for the kind messages
about my MIL. She is settled into her new location and seems
content with the situation. I visit
several nursing homes as part of our church ministry and from what
I’ve seen here so far, this one is excellent. ... Read more
Spreading the Spark and More
Sunday, May 31, 2015 24 comments
I’ve been on the road since Wednesday morning with only
enough spark time to post my status. The last time I gave a conference
presentation was just before my retirement and the focus was Educational
Technology. My topic was “Virtual Fiel... Read more
Quo Vadis? Where are you going?
Thursday, May 21, 2015 15 comments
Some grandmotherly advice for
all you young women out there. Since I’m 68, it’s likely that anyone reading this is younger
than me. I’m working on a presentation to be given twice
next week in cities 300 miles apart. One difficult p... Read more
“ Until
now I did not know why your husband chose you”
Monday, May 18, 2015 16 comments
This is a sequel to my last blog
where I wondered if my personal preferences give the wrong impression.
Thinking about it more,
I thought I’d share the above actual comment to me several
years ago. I wasn’t offended because: The spea... Read more
I
wear loose fitting clothes but I’m not hiding or hating
my body
Friday, May 15, 2015 32 comments
I read a blog and a separate
article recently about women who dress a certainly way because
of their body image. I understood
the intent, but now wonder if my preferences give the wrong impression.
Loose fitting clothes: They are comforta... Read more
This is NOT what I expected to eat our first day in France
Monday, May 04, 2015 21 comments
Lunch Dinner I don’t even
eat this at home, so why in the land of quiche, amazing bread
and p... Read more
Le Harve France and My Personal Walk Through History
Sunday, May 03, 2015 20 comments
Although not a typical tourist
destination, this city had special significance to me. It was
about an hour’s drive east of
the D-Day beaches. This is Le Harve in 1945. Located at the mouth
of the Seine, a major port for centuries, it wa... Read more
They Gave Up Their Collective Future to Ensure Ours
Thursday, April 30, 2015 23 comments
I live in Bedford, VA. It’s
the site of the National D-Day Memorial, since this little town
lost more men per capita than
any other place on June 6, 1944. So the Norman... Read more
Gotta Love Races in Europe - a shirt, a medal AND a bottle of
wine!
Saturday, April 25, 2015 25 comments
DH and I packed a lot of variety
into this trip to Europe. He was presenting a paper at a conference
in the Czech Republic. This
just happened to coincide with the Czech... Read more
Telling a slim woman to eat a sandwich is just as rude as telling
an overweight woman to eat a salad
Friday, April 10, 2015 18 comments
I read the text of Candace
Bergen’s
interview on the Today Show. I’ve always liked her and I
was happy to hear that she was no longer trying to emul... Read
more
Who are you and
what have you done with my husband?
Tuesday, April 07, 2015 59 comments
It’s 6 am and DH is packing his swim bag for the gym. I’m
sitting in my recliner in my PJs drinking coffee and checking in
on Spark. That’s my morning routine. He’s getting ready
to leave. That is NOT his morning routine. What has cau... Read
more
You don't want anyone to think our team cheats, do you?
Saturday, April 04, 2015 16 comments
This was directed at DH – an
honest man who, like many of us, can sometimes underestimate
the amount he eats and overestimate
his exercise. If portion distortion causes me to incorrectly enter
the amount of spaghetti or cheesecake into th... Read more
I would be laughing this morning except for an inconvenient truth.
Wednesday, April 01, 2015 23 comments
I log into Spark every morning
for my dose of motivation. Today’s
headline in the daily email: “Government Adjusts Weight System
to Help Country Lose Pounds” Written by Mike Kramer on March
30, 2005 as an April Fool's Joke It said: ... Read more
Thoughts
from a hospital corridor – another reason to maintain
a healthy weight
Saturday, March 28, 2015 31 comments
DH & I are in Tennessee since his mother is in the hospital.
She’s 95 and in addition to the bladder infection (a frequent
occurrence) she also has pneumonia. She has always been a big,
strong woman. In her middle years she was somewhat... Read more
My Happiest Half Marathon - Proof in Pictures
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 31 comments
I was not well prepared
as I described yesterday, but it was a most enjoyable race.
It was rather windy at the start. We were
right off the beach after all, but I had a plan. If I stood behind
this very tall guy, the wind wasn’t a problem. ... Read
more
Having
realistic goals – thoughts after a race
Monday, March 23, 2015 23 comments
DH & I had a lovely weekend in Virginia Beach. The Shamrock
Marathon weekend is very well organized. However, I was not well
prepared. I knew this and blogged about it 12 days ago. "The
voices in my head and my Dad’s jacket" htt... Read more
I'm a 'B' - I'm a 'B' and I'm thrilled about it!
Sunday, March 15, 2015 20 comments
No, it's not my bra size or
that word that gets deleted from online comments. My all-time
spark trivia score is finally 80% which I
consider the 'B' level (apologies to those school districts that
calculate it differently). When I began ... Read more
The
voices in my head & my Dad’s jacket
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 26 comments
I have a half marathon in
11 days. I am not well prepared. In January my allergy/asthma
triggers (perfume & cigarette smoke)
sidelined me for a week. In February a night out with friends resulted
in food poisoning and another week lost... Read more
I broke my own rule and bought running shoes online
Monday, March 09, 2015 20 comments
It’s been a personal choice for me to support my local running
stores. “Local” is a relative term out here in the
country. I’m between two cities so I have a 40 min to 1 hour
drive each way. Fortunately, I only need new shoes every 6 months
a... Read more
The
Mystery of the Missing SPAT – a “Who Done it” Story
Tuesday, March 03, 2015 27 comments
More precisely it’s a “What Done it” because
after more than 2 days of searching I can blame the disappearance
on “Dustin” our “Roomba.” That’s
the robot vacuum cleaner that my son gave us a few years ago. Our
grandchildren named it afte... Read more
A Tale of Two Weeks
Monday, February 23, 2015 25 comments
I like Spark Trophies. I
once insisted to DH that we had to walk for 10 more minutes
so I could reach the next level. DH: They send
you a trophy? Me: No, I get an email with a picture of a trophy.
DH (Rolling his eyes): Let’s go. ... Read more
Icebound in South Central Virginia? Look at my boat!
Saturday, February 21, 2015 22 comments
It’s not like I planned to go for a sail or a cruise on
the lake, but this was a surprise this morning. The sailboat is
25 feet long. That’s a lot of ice. ... Read more
When a night out goes terribly wrong
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 20 comments
I posted the short version
in my status Monday morning. A few hours after dinner at a local
restaurant, I began having GI issues
which continued until the next morning. Monday: The only activity
I did was to log into Spark to get my poi... Read more
Thinking about pregnancy at age 67
Friday, February 13, 2015 27 comments
No, I’m not announcing or planning a medical miracle. Blame
it on the Beatles. My choral society is performing a concert of
Beatles music and through the months of rehearsals I’ve been
digging out my old clothes from the 60s and 70s. I ke... Read more
Destination
Walmart – my long walk
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 23 comments
First of all, why Walmart?
It’s not one of my favorite places
for several reasons I won’t list here. However, suddenly
they are the ONLY place that stocks my organic yogurt (Stonyfield
- plain and their non-flavored Greek variety). I buy both... Read
more
Tai
Chi and Me and my search for a “perfect” exercise
class
Monday, February 09, 2015 21 comments
I have belonged to a gym
or some kind of fitness center for 40 years, beginning with “Spa Lady” in
1975. Back then aerobic classes were 20 minutes long and we jumped
around shoeless
in leotards, tights and sometimes even leg warmers. I lik... Read
more
Can this be called food?
Tuesday, February 03, 2015 26 comments
Yesterday, my errands were
taking longer than expected and I was hungry. While standing
at the “express” checkout
with my 2 bananas, waiting for the clerk to get a “price
check” for the customer ahead of me, I was attracted to
this display. ... Read more
Look, I have a complete rainbow now!
Monday, February 02, 2015 20 comments
Last week I wrote that my
plate was all shades of orange and resolved to add green. Ending
my first successful week, this dinner
includes my turkey meat loaf, sweet pota... Read more
I HATE reading! Does that shock you?
Friday, January 30, 2015 24 comments
Of course it’s not true. I’m
here every day both reading and writing. I read mostly for information
and to stay connected
to the world. My taste in fiction leans toward historical novels.
What if your child came home from school and said... Read more
Cardio,
Strength Training, Flexibility, Balance – trying
to work on all aspects of fitness.
Thursday, January 29, 2015 19 comments
I like physical activity.
I always have. However, I don’t
like all options equally. Cardio – no problem! I don’t
even need music or companions or TV. Outside, nature is enough.
Indoors, I’m content with my own thoughts. Strength T...
Read more
I
love my SPAT - It’s not perfect but neither am I
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 15 comments
I like that it (SPark
Activity Tracker) keeps track for me, both the “workouts” and those random steps throughout the
day that don’t fit the “10 minute of continuous activity” standard.
Yesterday when I saw the results it posted, I was a bi... Read
more
Remembering
pizza - thanks to Spark Guy’s Sunday blog
Monday, January 26, 2015 30 comments
Today I’m thinking
about all the pizza I ate while growing up in Brooklyn, NY. Living
in a neighborhood of immigrant families
from all over the world, one thing we all had in common was that
we ate lots of carbs. My heritage was pierogi an... Read more
Joe’s “Antique” Food
- Do not eat!
Friday, January 23, 2015 23 comments
The title of this blog is
what’s written on the paper in
the top right portion of this photo. In my status today I said
that I would be organizing my food pantry a... Read more
There’s
a color missing from my rainbow
Thursday, January 22, 2015 22 comments
It’s not easy being green, for me at least. During my spark
years I’ve learned a lot about nutrition. I suppose I’ve
always known that it’s important to eat fruit and vegetables,
but knowing doesn’t always lead to doing the right thing.
F... Read more
If I had a pre-set
weigh-in day, I might feel really bad this morning.
Monday, January 19, 2015 62 comments
My daily Spark email includes
yet another article about avoiding the scale. “4 Signs It’s Time to Step off the Scale.” Oh,
there I am in #3 “You can recite your weight to the nearest
fraction at all times” Yeah, sure I can. I s... Read more
What
a surprise! I’m “elderly”!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 22 comments
When did that happen?
I don’t feel elderly. When DH & I
travel to Europe, we like to stay in hotels popular with local
people rather than the US style chains. When traveling with family
and staying in one place 3 days or more, we rent... Read more
Taking
my own advice – not always easy
Wednesday, January 07, 2015 23 comments
1) “Rest and come back stronger” That’s something
I’ve said to others who are sick or injured. I do believe
it, but last week when I was a lump on the couch (see last blog),
it was tough advice to accept. There was that voice in my ... Read
more
A
non-spark day so bad it’s actually funny
Friday, January 02, 2015 30 comments
On Wednesday I posted a status
that I was feeling “under
the weather.” My attitude was as bad as I felt, especially
since I know my situation could have been avoided. What turned
me from an energetic, determined sparker into a lump on the...
Read more
