Healthy Lifestyle June 28-July4

[dragonfly411]

Well I didn''t see a new thread for the week so here we go! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was full of farmer''s markets, and farmer''s stands, and planning for healthy meals! I went to the farmer''s market locally and got okra, onions, two types of eggplant, baby white potatoes,jalapeno peppers, poblano pepper, green bell pepper, mixed golden and red cherry tomatoes and some gator meat (RARE treat!). Later on that day, I went to a local farm that grows great veggies. I went with my grandmother and we got white acre peas to put away and I got a huge 44 oz jar of raw wildflower honey that they make there! They keep several different areas with hives. Their farm is huge! I also got some tiny tiny red potatoes. We will be going back for corn to put away and for squash and more okra. I''m seriously taking advantage of the local produce this season. I''m hoping to visit a you pick blueberry farm soon. Everything is fresh, vibrant, and delicious and I am fully indulging.

What are your favorite ways to indulge in the fruits and veggies of summer time? Do you enjoy watermelon? Grilling? Do you enjoy fresh mixed salads?

Last night I used the onion, potatoes, eggplant and some zucchini with shrimp and made them in a marinara sauce with some of the cherry tomatoes. This is great over pasta!

 

[Rod]

Hey All........Thanks for opening the thread dragon! I''m sorry I missed all of last week. It was a crazy week for me. I did work out a few times and work was insane. My mother who is 87 years old was in the hospital for most of the week. She had some uncontrolled bleeding, had to have a couple transfusions, but they got everything under control and she''s now back at home. She was transported from their home in Southern Maryland to a major hospital in Washington DC., and my father was going to stay with my brother. He left the hospital at 9 PM the first night and got lost. He''s 89 and really shouldn''t be driving, but he won''t listen. Anyway, he drove and drove for 5 hours (my borther''s place is literally 30 minutes from the hospital) and wound up running over a curb and blowing a tire. He just sat in the car in a parking lot until the police tracking his cell phone so my brother could find him. He was pretty shaken up by that time. But now, they''re both back home where they''re safe and know their way around.

I did get the two new iPhone 4''s on Thursday. It was an amazing experience. I usually hate getting up early, but to go get new toys, I bounded out of bed at 4:30 AM, ate a bowl of cereal, took my shower, dressed and headed to the mall where the Apple store is. I figured there''d be some people there, but I was not prepared to find over 500 people in line outside the mall at 5:30. But I was determined, so I got in line and was in line for nearly 7 hours waiting my turn. It was fun. There were interesting people and we got pretty close since we stuck with each other. Apple was great. They fed us, entertained us and just made it fun. It was kind of Disney''esque. We waited in the outside line. Then they took us in small groups to the in-the-mall line. Then in small groups to the in-front-of-the-store line, to the final actually-in-the-store line. Once in the store, you wait in line for an Apple associate to pick you up and take you to get your phones set up. The set up process was simple and both phones were activated without even taking them out of their boxes. I added MobileMe to both phones, which unifies all mailboxes, calendars and contacts, but the real reason for getting it is a feature called Find My iPhone. If anyone ever steals our phones or we accidentally lose them. We can access a web site, key in our account information and locate the phones. I can even disable the phones remotely if they''re stolen. All in all, it was a fun experience. Oh and the phones are just ''uber'' cool!!

The rest of week was just routine. We had a nice weekend, met some friends at a fun Tapas restaurant that''s pretty cool Saturday nght, and had a relaxing day Sunday.

I hope everyone''s doing well. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I''ll check in more this week.

Take care everyone!

 

[deegee]

Good evening all!

dragonfly- your fresh veggies sound wonderful! That''s great to have someplace to go to pick your own. When my mom & dad''s garden is in full swing, I usually take advantage of a few things. They''ve cut back now that they''re in their 70''s, but they still grow tomatoes, beans, peas, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, corn, etc. Just not as much as they did when I was a kid.

rod- glad your parents are home safely. I hope your mom is feeling better. It''s tough when your parents are ill and you can''t be right there with them. I had wondered if you got your phone. I don''t plan on getting one until they''ve been out for a little bit. Mine fell off my lap into a mud puddle as I was getting out of the car a few days ago, and I thought that was it. I have dropped that poor thing so many times, I can''t believe it actually still works! Have you had any trouble with it at all?

I ended up missing work today to have a root canal. My appointment for evaluation with the endodontist was today, and she felt that it needed to be taken care of right away. After my lousy night last night, I fully agreed with her. Both she and her assistant kept talking about how beautiful and sparkly my earrings, rings, and necklace were - but they had their hands crammed in my mouth and I couldn''t talk back! I was hoping to put the whole thing off until Friday so I could get my project finished before Thursday, but it will be okay - I''ll shut my door as soon as I get to work tomorrow and I''ll get it done. I had soft food for dinner and we have already taken our walk. I think it''s going to be an early night for me. Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

 

[somethingshiny]

Hello, all. Just popping in to say I miss you!

dragon~ I love farmer''s markets! Since I''ve discovered veggies, I love them grilled or marinated. I love to put tomatoes on the grill with some parmesan cheese, grilled zucchini and squash, yummy! I also marinate squashes in vinegar and sugar, delicious!

Rod~ Hi! Glad that your parents are both safe. lol about your phone experience. It sounds like it was quite an event!

deegee~ I hope you feel better. I''ve had a few root canals and have felt so much better within just a short time.

Everything''s good with me. Lily should be arriving in a couple weeks (if not sooner!!) and everything is ready for her. I''m looking forward to fully rejoining this thread in a few weeks!!

 

[BeachRunner]

Ahh! Too many threads. Marcy mentioned that she was going to start a monthly thread starting July 1. If everyone else likes the monthly thread idea, maybe someone can start the "remainder of July" thread after this week.

Anyways,
Nothing special at work. I had my usual chicken salad. They had these awesome looking cookies at work, and I was so going to eat one half after lunch. When we returned from lunch, someone took them away! I was disappointed but overall, it was a good thing.

Hubs is home from work all week. The restaurant gives him one week off for every holiday. It kind of sucks, really. We had taco night. I only ate one taco, because I ran after dinner. I did 3 today. I have 7 tomorrow morning and 3 Thursday. They have a wonderful yoga class on yogatoday.com if anyone is interested. It''s a really great workout for your core. It''s free to sign up, btw.

dragon- What a wonderful sounding farmer''s market! I LOVE cantaloupe, strawberries, and watermelon. They don''t have much nutritional value, but man are they good! Hubs made grilled watermelon salad at work last summer; it was yummy! I can''t eat heavy foods in the summer, so it''s real easy to eat fruit salads, etc. I admit though, a good hot dog at a picnic is perfect!

Rod- I''m so sorry to hear about your Mom. My thoughts are with your family. It sounds like she''s home now, though? Your iphone aps sound awesome, esp the one that syncs all of your programs together.

deegee- Boo to a root canal. No fun! Hope it''s not too hot in WV! Hubs parent''s always talk about how hot it is.

Have a good night everyone

 

[BeachRunner]

SS- I hope you get to meet your LO sooner than later! Best wishes to a quick labor/delivery!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. We are off to play golf. OK. I am riding and Marty is playing golf. Yesterday was our 19th anniversary so we spent the day in Denver - work and play both. We took off work today to just relax. I will post more later to everyone.

I will go ahead and start a July thread tomorrow unless anyone thinks we should keep weekly threads.

 

[dragonfly411]

Rod - Glad to see you! I''m sorry about your grandmother! But excited for your new iphone! I might have to try the app you mentioned!

DeeGee- sorry about the root canal!

SS - grilled zucchini sounds oh so good!

I worked out really hard last night. I combined running stairs with sculpting moves for a full hour workout. Amazingly I am not sore today!

 

[somethingshiny]

Marcy~ Happy Anniversary!

df~ I''ve seen a lot of grilled fruit lately (on tv). I''m considering trying it....

 

[merilenda]

I''ve been doing great with food choices this week! I''ve also been doing the 30 Day Shred and swimming every day. I think I''m on Day 7? I kind of lost track. The first couple of days I was so sore, but then I think I adjusted. What''s weird is that yesterday my thighs got SO SO sore. We''re still on level 1, so I have no idea what''s up with that. I may take today off and maybe go for a walk instead.

One thing I really need to do is work on drinking more water. I just get really tired of it. I found a little recipe to make spa cucumber water - with cucumber, lemon, and mint - so I think I''m going to run out and get stuff to make that.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

 

[BeachRunner]

Boo! PS ate my post.
Short version: Got 8 miles in this am; had straberries, watermelon, and hotdog for lunch. Dinner will be pork, broc, and sweet potato. I got fruit pops for dessert.

marcy- Happy Anniversary! What''s the secret?

What did you guys do in Denver?

SS- 14 days, so close!!

merilenda- Your water recipe sounds devine. I could drink ice water w/ lemon all day long. Actually, I do. Water is the only thing I drink besides green tea and coffee. I have warm green tea every morning w/ soy milk, or coffee on weekends or before early morning runs, again with soy milk and a teaspoon of sugar infused w/ vanilla beans.

dragon- Awesome workout! As crazy as it sounds, I think stairs would be harder on my knees than running.

 

[marcy]

Since we already have a weekly thread we may as well keep it that way.Thanks for starting this week’s for us Dragonfly!

Happy Wednesday.We had a busy few days.We got up at 5 am yesterday and headed to our corporate offices in Denver.We both had meetings then spent the rest of the day shopping.We celebrated our 19th anniversary yesterday.Yay!

For lunch a bunch of us went to a BBQ place and I had some great beef brisket, fruit and a little mac and cheese and lots of pickles.Then we went to Cherry Creek Mall and wandered around for about 3 hours.Marty got some iPad accessories and yes I drooled over Macs and Sony laptops but didn’t buy anything.The new pink Vaios are hot pink which I don’t much care for and the Macs are so darned expensive.I would also have to get completely new software.

I also got to visit my favorite jewelry store.I was very sad to leave empty handed.I am sure going to miss my monthly teaching check.

We stopped at an Italian restaurant ½ way in between Denver and home and I had ½ an order of spaghetti and meatballs and did not eat all of it.We got home pretty late.

This morning we had breakfast and a popular local restaurant that is usually too busy to get in on the weekend.We then went to play golf.Marty played, I rode in the cart.I did get out and help them locate their golf balls quite a bit though.We were so hot one drink at the 19th hole pretty much buzzed both of us.We went to a Mexican restaurant and ate.I told Marty we should stop at the park and waddle around the lake on the way home but he was too full and tired.

We had a nice couple of days.

Beach Runner, I am hoping being outdoors everyday will help my allergies calm down a little bit.I quit taking antihistamines because they made me very tired and really cranky.That is absolutely crazy the restaurant gives your husband a week off because there is a holiday.One day less is understandable but a week?Wow, that stinks.Good idea they took away those delicious cookies.I am a sucker for cookies.Thanks for the anniversary wishes.I think we have done well for 19 years because we don’t take things too seriously, don’t fight over small things and try to respect each other.Luckily, what we do works.We shopped at Shane Co, Cherry Creek Mall then ate at Biaggi’s at Centerra Mall.It was fun.Our lunch was at Dickee’s which is close to our corporate offices.

Deegee, I am so sorry to hear about your tooth but glad they got you fixed up today.Best wishes for a speedy recovery!I don’t mind a weekly thread it’s just we aren’t as busy as we were.Of course the weekly thread is easier to catch up on.I am glad your allergies are doing better.Good luck with your project tomorrow.

Appletini, yay for a good stretch at yoga.My niece and her fiancé will be moving to Houston in August.He is working on his doctorate their and she will be looking for a job.

Pink Tower, good luck on your masters and good for you going back to school.I decided it was too expensive for what it would gain for me.I also can’t see having the time to work on it while working full time and teaching.But I am going to miss teaching a lot.You take care too.

Dragonfly, sounds like you picked up a lot of healthy food at the farmer’s market.I tried fried alligator one time; it wasn’t bad.My favorite summer veggies are the much better fruits and veggies I can find in the stores and yes I do need to go to the farmer’s market.That is great you aren’t sore today.

Rod, I am so sorry to hear about your mom.I am glad she is doing better.Very scary about both her and your dad having car trouble.I am glad they are both home and safe and sound.Getting your iPhones sounds like quite the ordeal but how nice Apple make it bearable for the amount of time people had to stand in line.I would get one if Verizon would get them as one of their phones.You will like this – I am so used to my iPod by now I got a pdf in email on my PinkBerry and I tried to use my fingers to expand it and make it bigger on my screen.Of course Blackberry phones are not touch screens.LOL.

Somethingshiny, I bet you are excited for Lily’s arrival.Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.Thanks for the anniversary wishes.

Merilenda, it sounds like you are doing great on food and workouts!I am fortunate that I like ice water.Of course it usually has more ice than water in it because I like it really cold.

Take care.

Marcy

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[Rod]

Hey....I should actually be at the gym, but I woke up with a near-migraine headache and it never went away, so I just decided to bag the gym and come home to have dinner with Charlie. There''s really not much to report since I checked in last night. My plan is to go to the gym tomorrow after work. At least that''s the plan. We''ll have to see if it''s executed.......With my work schedule these days, I''ve just had to recalibrate and not beat myself up if I miss the gym. I talked to my brother tonight. We''re going to have to make some difficult decisions about our parents soon. I promised we''d come up later this summer to try to talk our folks into considering assisted living options. It won''t be well received, but it''s just going to be necessary soon.

deegee, I''m so sorry about having to have a root canal. I''ve had a couple in the last few years and while people often cringe at the perceived pain, they don''t seem to hurt me very much....I''m glad your iPhone wasn''t drowned in the puddle. No problems with my phone whatsoever. I know the press would leave one with the impression they''re riddled with reception issues, but to be honest, the new phone has exceptional coversage (much better than my 3G) and it''s a zillion times faster, plus with all the new features, it''s so much fun. Facetime is an amazing feature for sure. Charlie and can call each other and see each other at the same time! Don''t let the press disuade you if you''re interested in upgrading......Thanks for your thoughts about my mom. She is doing much better.....

How exciting that Lily will be joining you soon Shiny! I''m sure you''re so ready! Yes, the phone experience was an event, but I really enjoyed it!!

BR, I''m glad to see you''re keeping up with your running schedule. It''s good you weren''t too bummed about not getting 1/2 a cookie. The way you run, you probably burn calories very fast. Thanks about my mom. It''s tough when your parents arrive at the age where you know they won''t be able to care for themselves much longer. I know it''s going to be very difficult for them to give up their independence. And yes, the app that syncs all your email accounts, calendars etc., is pretty cool.

Hey dragon........I wish I was talking about my grandmother, but sadly, I''m talking about my mother. You see, I''m the "old" man of the HLT. I''m likely old enough to most everyone''s father here, but I don''t look it, or more importantly, feel it!! Yay for exercise and healthy eating........An extra yay for your hard workout last night.

Happy Anniversary Dear Marcy and Marty! 19 years is wonderful. This Sunday, will be our 30th year together. We were going to try to go away for a couple days, but every resort is gouging for the holiday weekend and I just wasn''t willing to pay nearly $400/night for even a mediocre room. So, we''re just going to a really nice restaurant for dinner, timed to walk out the door just in time to see the fireworks!! I had to laugh when you said you tried to expand a picture with your blackberry. My boss has one and she showed me a picture a few day ago and I tried to do the same thing.......LOL

Hi merilenda......I don''t think we''ve met. I''m the one and only guy on the thread!

OK....If I make it the gym tomorrow night, I probably won''t check in later, so have a great Thursday everyone.....

 

[marcy]

Rod, I hope your headache is better now.It will be hard convincing your parents to move but it sounds like they can use the help.Facetime sounds great!I so want an iPhone.Thank you for the anniversary wishes.Congratulations to you and Charlie for 30 years together.That is something to celebrate.

$400 a night is a bit much for a room so I think staying home with a nice dinner and fireworks will be a marvelous way to celebrate.I love to watch fireworks too.Too funny about us both trying to expand a document on blackberrys.I take my pink phone with me to my work station and I have 2 pink wireless mouse there as well and sometimes I try to move my phone to work one of my PC’s.I am such a blonde sometimes.

 

[appletini]

Marcy, Is this the neice that was in College Station? I hope so that way the August heat won''t be too much of a shock for her!

 

[marcy]

Appletini, yes it is. They are moving to Houston about the 5th of August. They''ve been in College Station for 2 years now so it won''t be a total shock to their system.

 

[appletini]

I made it to my SLAM workout class today. I had meeting this morning and was worried I wouldn''t make it but I was just a few minutes late. Not sure what I''ll do tomorrow, its my Friday to work so I might go to a class during lunch or do a video/walk when I get home (weather permitting).

 

[marcy]

Appletini, that is great you made it to your SLAM class today.

I spent most of my morning catching up on email from being out for 2 days. We had subway sandwiches for lunch and burgers on the grill for supper. I''ve had a few almonds tonight, I am really hungry tonight for some reason.

This weekend we have a going away party for someone at work, a BBQ for my niece''s rehearsal dinner, my niece''s wedding, cards with friends and of course fireworks to watch. I can''t wait till the weekend arrives.

Rumor has it we will get off work 2 hours early tomorrow too.

Have a great Friday!

 

[merilenda]

Hi Rod! Nice to "meet" you!

I definitely understand on the migraine. I''ve had one the last two days myself.

Marcy - I had a Subway sandwich for dinner. Burgers on the grill sound so good though!

I''m continuing to have a great food week, but I''ve gotten a little lazy about working out yesterday and today. Managed to go for a walk yesterday, but haven''t done anything today.

 

[deegee]

Hello everyone! The governor ended up giving us the day off today. He said it was so that we could attend the memorial service for Senator Byrd, but I really think it was to clear out the capitol area for the thousands of people who would be coming and to have empty buildings to help with security. There are so many important people here today! I''m watching it on tv instead and thinking "wow, that''s where I work. Look at all of those people." My tooth is feeling so much better today, but the top right side of my mouth has had 10 shots in the past week and it''s still sore, but it''s not exposed nerve pain like it was. Eats have been pretty light this week. Exercise has picked back up too. We''re heading to Cincinnati this weekend to visit Matt''s family. I always dread this trip because Matt''s mom is such a meanie, but I do like visiting everyone else - especially my 5 nephews!

shiny - How exciting that you''re so close to greeting Lily! Yay!!!! I love that name too. I don''t have kids, so when I adopted my sweet puppy I wanted a really special name for her, and the name Lily came to mind. She''s my little Lily Pie!

beachrunner - It has been really hot here (95 and above) with high humidity, but this week has been very pleasant. I think it has been below 90 all week and the humidity has been low. It feels wonderful! That''s crazy that your hubby has a whole week off for the holiday.

marcy - Happy belated anniversary! Sounds like you and Marty had a relaxing couple of days. Matt and I always talk about taking a long weekend to go out of town, but it seems like every time we plan something, we end up having to cancel because something crazy has come up at work. I hope everything goes smoothly with your niece''s wedding. Have a great time, and I hope you did get off work a little early today.

rod - I dropped my phone again the other day so hard that part of my case popped off, but it still works. I''m hoping to get the new phone before we head to Seattle next month. I need something to play with in the airport! I have a blackberry for work and my screen has fingerprints all over it where I keep forgetting that it''s not a touch phone. I don''t blame you for not wanting to pay $400 for a mediocre room someplace. Congratulations on your 30th! Sorry you''ve had a migraine, those things really stink.

Hi merilenda and appletini!

Have a great, safe weekend everyone.

 

[zoebartlett]

I haven''t read the rest of the replies to DF''s opener yet, but I''ll join in (late, I know).

DF, in answer to your question, I love fruit in the summer, and I enjoy fruits more than veggies overall. I''d love to try grilled fruits but I haven''t tried them yet. I''d love to grill peaches and pears, but I''ll pretty much try anything.

I got a stern talking-to by my doctor today, and I really need to lose weight. More than I care to admit. But I''ll start with one pound, please! I love my doctor, and I want her to be pleased when I see her in October for a check-up. I also want to be pleased with myself, too.

So, time to get started and read the rest of the replies. I just wanted to check in first.