Merry Christmas to All!

It's Santa CLAWS!!

Where did December go? This month has flown by! We have been having winter-like weather here in the high desert - crisp and cool and I love it!

We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas with our family and friends. We will miss our kids on the east coast this year - the couldn't make it west this year but they have had a busy year working and traveling and I know they will probably enjoy a quiet Christmas this year.

We were able to spend some time this month with good friends from the PTW years and our theater friends and that has been great. Having our other kids here with us has been great and we are glad to have our son home for Christmas - he has missed too many over the past 5+ years! I hope that you have a wonderful holiday and are with friends and family you love. Take care, be well and have a great week!

Happy Trails and Happy Holidays, Rox

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, our neighborhood is starting to look like Christmas! Our house is another story but at least we got all the decorations out of the attic today - now they just have to be unpacked and put into place which will happen over the next several days.

Have you seen Amazon's new KINDLE yet? It's a new wireless reading device - quite a nifty little gadget. Check it out - pretty cool. A bit on the pricey side still but cool just the same.

Alexa and I finished our cake decorating class - Alexa is becoming a master of making the rose - me not so much, but I did OK. Check out our final cakes - the yellow and purple one is mine.


Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Be safe and Happy!

Until next time...

Happy Trails,
Rox

Arrr... Talk like a pirate

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day! Arrr!

My pirate name is:

My pirate name is:

Iron Anne Flint

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Energy Vampires

I hang out all day with vampires... energy vampires, otherwise known as kids. They can be energizing and draining all at the same time - what's up with that?

Camps are going well for the most part. Week 4 of 9 is almost done. next week we have our largest camp yet - 50 energy vampires...err, kids!

I do enjoy the summer - it's a lot of organizing and hard work but fun and very rewarding. I just wish the vampires would stop taking all my energy because it really makes me tired.

Enjoy your summer!

Happy Trails

Long Time, No Blog

OK - I have been lazy about blogging... but I have been busy!

Saturday will mark 2 months going to the gym, and YES, I am still going. I have managed to get to the gym 5 days a week most weeks. Actually I just looked at my log and I have made it 5 days a week 5 out of 8 weeks - not bad!
Here's a progress update of the last two months:
Weight Lost - 8 pounds (trying to make better food choices but I am no longer in to deprivation - so trying to master moderation - MOST days)
Evil Eliptical Machine - went from .90 miles in 15 minutes on the lowest resistance and incline to 1.5 miles on levels 4 of 10.
Treadmill - went from 1.80 miles in 35 minutes on flat level at 3 mph to 1.80 miles in 30 minutes at an incline of 5 (out of 10) at 4 mph.
I gave up the lifecycle - it was just too painful - if they only made them with a gel seat!
Weights - in brief:
Leg Press - from 3 sets of 12 at 100 lbs to 3 sets of 12 at 150 lbs
Vertical Row - from 3 sets of 12 at 30lbs to 3 sets of 12 at 60 lbs
Tricep Ext - from 1 set of 12 at 30 lbs to 3 sets of 12 at 30 lbs (my lower arms suck)
Crunches - from 3 sets of 12 to 3 sets of 25
There are many more things that I do (I generally spend 60-90 minutes there) but I won't bore you.
I'm happy with the progress and it hasn't been horribly painful. It's going to be difficult to keep up with it this summer but I will try.

What else have I been up to?
Enjoying having half of our herd home (Ben and Alexa)
We went to see "Wicked" last weekend (a Christmas present from dear friends) Fabulous show - if you haven't seen it - you should!
Worked a ConQuest convention in Sacramento in April.
Had great Murder Mystery audiences.
Played a 2-day gig of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Ventura County Ag Classic.
Went to Big Bear for a long weekend and got hooked on GeoCaching
The 13th season for Fairy Tales in the Park opened to huge audiences and great press!
I'm in rehearsal for the next Fairy Tale - "Witch Switch" - my friend Pat and I are having fun playing the witches - that's us in the photo!
Getting ready for Summer Camps
Looking forward to a Mexico cruise in a week!

Lots of things going on - getting ready for the busiest and most rewarding time of year - Camps - 28 of them this year! Woo hoo! Fortunately I am only teaching 11 of them - I have two other directors doing the rest and I get to spend 4 of the 9 weeks at home!

Hope you are doing great and looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer. Drop me a comment and let me know what you are up to!

Until next time,
Happy Trails

The Gym - Week 2

I made it a second week - all 5 days - hooray!

This week I have decided to post how much time, miles, repetitions I spent doing various things this week. Hopefully it will motivate me for next week since I am working so hard but haven't lost a pound! Here goes...

Evil Eliptical Machine - 54 minutes, 3.5 miles
Treadmill - 62 minutes, 3.76 miles
Bike with Evil seat - 30 minutes, 5.1 miles
Totals: 2 hours 43 minutes, 12.36 miles

Weights
Leg Press - 100 pounds - 108 times
Leg Extensions - 20/30 pounds - 108 times
Leg Curls - 20/30 pounds - 108 times
Calf Raises - 20# 108 times
Vertical Row - 30# - 72 times
Vertical Chest Press - 30# - 72 times
Tricep Extensions - 30# - 72 times
Other various arm exercises with 10 - 20 pound free weights - 564 times (good grief!)
Crunches of various descriptions (some using weights) - 228 times

Amazingly, I have a few sore muscles but not like last week. Whew!

I can't even imagine the number of reps and miles that Ben has logged this week - he runs circles around me - he is my inspiration!

Lest you think I spend all my time in the gym these days... I also taught 21 kids how to cook spaghetti and meatballs! In addition to the drama classes and manners classes I teach for kids, I have started teaching cooking classes for kids - it's lots of fun for me and the kids! Check out the photos from the first class I taught earlier this year in Camarillo -- www.kidscancooktoo.com.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter! We are looking forward to Easter with Ben and Jeongah and wish Miki and Sina could be here too. Unfortunately, they have a fun weekend planned learning to lay tile in their bathroom - ugh!

John and I go to Sacramento next weekend for Gabe's ConQuest convention - the kids are babysitting Hamlet and Mouse - hopefully they behave!

Take care - Happy Easter!

Rox

My life at the gym - Week 1

I went to the gym 5 days in a row last week. I still don't believe I did it but some of my muscles do... The week went like this (all the while trying to keep up with all the other hats I wear!):

Monday: 35 minutes on the treadmill and 1.8 miles; 20 minutes on the bike and 2.3 miles. Not bad. Feel pretty good.
Tuesday: 35 mintues on the treadmill and 1.95 miles; 15 minutes on the eliptical and .92 difficult miles, but I made it and my heart didn't stop beating! Evil machine!
Tuesday evening after standing in classes for 4 hours: why do my calves hurt so much? Ah, the eliptical machine. Made mental note to stretch more. Soaked in tub.
Wednesday: Bike: 1.4 miles in 10 minutes - ready for abs, back and weights for upper body. Ben is becoming my personal trainer and showed me all the excercises I need to be doing for abs, back and upper body. He, of course makes it look easy! He's good - he doesn't push but doesn't let me slack off either! Stretch! Abs and Weights: did 3 reps of 12 or 15 of most everything. Not bad. Why do my calves AND my hamstrings hurt now? Remember to stretch. Shopped all afternoon with the kids. Went home, soaked in tub, applied Tiger Balm. Stretched. Hobbled around all afternoon. Applied heat and more Tiger Balm (a miracle ointment - the patches are awesome if you can find them!). Applied more Tiger Balm and an Icy Hot patch to my lower back (like Shaq), took two Aleve, went to bed.
Thursday: My hands, feet and face DID NOT hurt - most everything else DID. Soaked in tub, applied more Tiger Balm. Reluctantly went to gym. Warmed up on the eliptical for 8 minutes for .63 miles and the bike for 10 minutes on rolling hills for 1.5 miles. The bikes have evil seats and my tailbone must be the skinnest part of my body because it is now raw. Ouch! Legs still hurt. Did ab and back work. Went home. Took 2 Aleve, applied heat and Tiger Balm. Stretched. Repeated several times before bed.
Friday: TGIF! Legs feel better today - still very stiff. Lots of stretching. Warmed up on treadmill for 10 minutes. Screw the bike until next week - my tailbone is still raw! Did ab, back and upper body work. Treated myself to new pants to work out in because I survived the week! Leg soreness was much better by Friday - a little soreness in my back and arms but not bad.
Saturday and Sunday: Legs are much better. New muscles in my arms that I didn't even knew I had are sore! Taking Saturday and Sunday off - Looking forward to Monday!

Growing Older But Not Up! -- ACT II

Oh my goodness - I turned 50 last week! Amazingly it didn't hurt too much!

Celebrations commenced on March 10 with a wonderful group of friends that John and I used to work with - 4 of us are March babies so we had an "Allotta Birthdays" celebrations which was great fun. On March 12 the baby of the family and his wifey came home after 5 years in the Army and 2 tours to Iraq - that in itself was cause for celebration! We wish they would stay forever but we know that won't happen so we will just enjoy the time we have them with us while Jeongah (Alexa) finishes her last few college courses and they gear up for the next stage of their life together (Ben has a milestone birthday this year too - he and Alexa both turn 25!

March 18 was double celebration day - the cast of our current murder mystery threw a surprise after show party with the help of my dear friend Loretta and then it was off to Casa de Logue for more celebrating with John, Loretta, my John, Ben, Jeongah and Claudia.

March 20th brought a package from Mom and Dad (John's parents - but mine too!) which included a hilarious book "Sex Kittens: Single Cats Seeking Same". Laughed until I cried.

On March 21 there was a pre-birthday dinner at Red Lobster.

March 22 (5-0 Day) there was just enough time for breakfast muffins as a gift arrived (a 2007 Alaska Iditarod (AWESOME) Fleece from John) which was just in time to take with me to the Ventura Harbor where the 4 of us (the kids and us) went on a whale watching tour! On the way there Ben and Jeongah gave be a beautiful picture book entitled "Gray Matter - Why It's Good To Be Old" which has some amazing photos of elephants with cool quotes to go along with them. There was also a cd that they put together for me called "Mom Mix" which has some great songs from over the past 50 years!

On the boat the sea was very rough and choppy - just the way I like it - and cold (my new Polartec fleece was AMAZING!). We didn't see the first whale but saw THOUSANDS of dolphin - Fabulous! The captain wished me a happy birthday over the loud speaker (thanks to Ben) as we docked back at the harbor then we went to Macaroni Grill (compliments of our cast and friends - thank you) and had a wonderful dinner and Ben arranged for them to bring me cake with a candle in it - the perfect ending to the meal!

When we arrived home there were two packages waiting - one was beautiful roses from the love of my life, John and the other was a YUMMY (and beautiful) Godiva basket from Mik and Sina. I am savoring that one bite at a time! The only thing that would have made the day more perfect is if they had been here!

Thanks to all my friends and family for helping to make this birthday a very wonderful and memorable one!

So... Act II, as I am referring to the second half of my life, promises to be just as exciting as the first half but (I hope) or at least that is my goal.

Some of the things that I hope to achieve in the next year include:

Getting Fit - I just joined a gym Monster Fitness (if you live in the AV check it out)! Losing weight would be a nice bonus but the focus is moving, keeping my bones strong and making my muscles stronger so I can keep up with Hamlet, hike with John and the kids...

Spending time enjoying my Family and Friends

Volunteering on the Iditiarod Trail next year - or at least getting to see the official start...

Attending at least ONE Jimmy Buffett concert...

Having a FUN and SUCCESSFUL year of camps this year - can't wait!

Challenging myself to do new things, have new adventures and LIVE!

Stay tuned.....

Congratulations Jeongah!

I should have posted this yesterday...

I'd like to introduce you to one of our newest LEGAL American Citizens... Mrs. Alexandra (Alexa) Jeongah Harrison!

Jeongah passed her citizenship test/interview and will have her ceremony in late February. We wish we could go to the ceremony and celebrate but we will just have to wait until she and Ben get here in March. Congratulations Alexa! We are so proud of you!

Here she is at the base of the Washington Monument with a picture of the man himself!

Thanks for Voting!

Thanks to all that voted for Hamlet at DogShow USA. He didn't get in the top 10 in his category but I know alot of folks who think he should have and that makes us all happy! Thanks!

Hamlet is continuing his education and has begun his intermediate class. He constantly amazes me in class. This week they had to sit, stay and come with distractions. His distractions were hand fulls of Pupperoni sticks between me and him. He LOVES these things and I had visions of him inhaling them as he made his way across the floor! He didn't even look at them and kept his eyes focused on me the whole time! It was amazing - I was so proud!

The heck with DogShow USA - he's already a star!


Rox

Vote For Hamlet

Hamlet has been entered in Dog Show USA and you can vote for him! Be sure and make sure all 5 stars are GOLD when you vote so his rating goes us! Go here to Vote

http://contest.dogshowusa.com/portal/rate?id=35160&r=5

Hamlet says - THANKS!!

Happy New Year to All

AnimalLog January 2, 2007 -- Hamlet and I are glad to be home! We had a great time visiting with everyone in Kansas and Maryland and but we are glad to be back home where things are familiar. We spent the weekend eating and playing and sleeping. Daddy had to work some but we were glad when he and Mommy sat on the couch to watch TV so we could snuggle on the couch with them.

The weather here is still cool - 30's at night and 60's during the day - just the way we all like it!

Our last day or so of the trip was rough. I'm afraid Hamlet and I weren't very good and kept picking at each other. Actually, I picked at him more and got him in trouble a lot! I'm sorry I was so bad. I was very bored and tired of being in the car. We have made up though and are the best of friends... most of the time. I like going on car rides but I hope that the next one isn't so long! Happy New Year Everyone! Hope your 2007 is Puurrrrrfect! ---Mouse

Hi everyone, Mouse is right - we are all glad to be home! I just got back from a walk around the neighborhood and said hello to some of my friends I haven't seen in about a month. Later today I am going to the dog park and will get to play with some friends -that will be fun (I went the day that we got home but it was very muddy there so I didn't get to stay as long as I wanted to)! Next Monday I start my intermediate obedience training class (if Mommy doesn't have to go to jury duty) and I'll get to see Cody (a yorkie) and Zoey (a maltese) from my last class. They are both really small but I play gentle with them and they like me - sometimes I get to play with Cody at the dog park.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is looking forward to a wonderful 2007. Hope you enjoy the pictures of Baby and me - we had lots of fun playing in her big back yard (and in the house but we always got in trouble when we did that!)! Love and wet kisses to all -- Hamlet