Day 2 - Full Body Strengthening: I feel like I am standing a little straighter already. My favorite benefit to the workouts is that it really strengthens my arms. Several years ago, Scott and I were selected by the National Health Institute to have a series of medical tests run on us for statistical research. My tests showed that my muscle strength is WEAKER than the average female American my age. Maybe it is time I work on that!
Day 3 - Stress Release: This episode is very helpful for tight hamstrings, neck & shoulders.
In other news....my hipster friend, Linda, has taught me to Snapchat. Now my snapchat friends get very necessary snaps throughout the day such as:
Or....
And, don't forget...
Isn't life great? Before I go, I'd like to say..."Hi Lorraine!"
Every morning for the past 15+ years, PBS has aired a sweet exercise show called "Classical Stretch". I have to admit that I have often flipped past the program and thought, "Isn't that so cute that they have an exercise program for older people." Boy, was I mistaken. At first glance, the exercises look super simple. Try them, I dare you.
Classical Stretch, and subsequently, Essentrics, were created by former professional ballerina, Miranda Esmonde-White. Today, Miranda is 66 years old and can out stretch people more than half her age.
As I work to strengthen my upper body muscles for skeet shooting (more to follow on that in future posts) and to decompress my neck and spine from sitting at a computer all day, I have given myself a Classical Stretch Challenge. I will do 30 minutes of Classical Stretch every week day for 3 weeks. I am going to try to post daily in order to keep myself accountable.
Day 1:
I did Miranda's Anti-Aging Workout I'm getting younger as we speak.
No, I'm not really in Seattle. Nor am I toothless, for that matter. My boss has always had the habit of putting "less in Seattle" behind different words, and when you spend 40 hours a week with someone for 15 years, they sort of rub off on you.
So you see, exactly two weeks ago tomorrow (Sunday), I had just gotten home from a Sunday evening church service and I was very, very hungry. I grabbed a bag of FIT popcorn and started munching. Apparently, I munched right down on a kernel and cracked my tooth. The moment I bit into that kernel, I heard and felt the crack. I just knew that I was headed to the dentist the next day and would most likely be getting a crown & if I was really lucky, a root canal. It had only been 24 hours since I was combing lice out of my hair and I couldn't help but roll on the floor laughing. I mean, why not laugh? There are real problems in the world...these were just annoyances.
The next day I made an appointment and saw my dentist, Dr. Phillips. The funny thing about my dentist is that I've been going to him ever since I was old enough to have a dentist. He's clearly in his mid-70's now and he's still my dentist. Several years ago, I broke my back molar chewing on a pen and had to get a root canal and a crown. He gave me instructions on what to do if he DIED during the month I had to wait to get my permanent crown! Anyway.....so I went to see Dr. Phillips and he insisted on pushing on my cracked tooth. I kicked that chair so hard he said he thought I was going to fly right out of it. Long story short, he said, "It's bad". I said, "Root Canal?" He said, "No. We can't save your tooth". Then he informed me that I would be referred to an oral surgeon where they would put me to sleep, take out my tooth, probably do a bone graft, and then drill an implant in my jaw. He said that I would have to go without a tooth for at least 3 months!!! I tried to hold back the tears but I was scared. I'd never been "knocked out" before.
The next day I visited the oral surgeon. The nurse took me back to the consultation room where I cried. The doctor came in and I cried some more. Then he pushed on my tooth and I nearly shot out of the chair again. That night I went to my eGroup Bible study where I cried some more. I cried because I was finally going to face one of the biggest phobias of my life....being (out of "control") put to sleep.
In the meantime, I read an article about how someone had discovered that trying to calm yourself down was useless. They ran studies and found that if you try to calm yourself down, your body interprets that as some sort of threat. However, if you tell yourself that you are excited, your body will believe it because anxiety basically feels the same as excitement.
Here's where it gets interesting. I tried it and it works!!!! I faced one of the greatest phobias of my life and I was just fine!!! I kept telling myself that I was excited. I downloaded TobyMac's new release called "Feel It" and I pumped myself up by playing it nonstop while I was in the waiting room. When the nurse called me back, I told her I was excited. When the doctor came in, I told him I was excited. The doctor even sang "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters to me. The next thing I knew...I was on my way home.
Unfortunately I wasn't thinking to clearly and I texted this picture to my boss...
Next..."My Temporary Tooth FAIL." Or, "Why I Look Like a Hillbilly."
And if you want to get "excited" and pumped up to face your next fear... (The video takes about 30 seconds before it gets FUNKY.)
I was able to cross something off of my bucket list last weekend....
Contract Head Lice...................Check
You see, I've complained to my hair colorist for the past 2 visits that my head has been itching a lot. I told her that I thought I was becoming allergic to my hair dye (Praise Jesus that was not the case!) She looked at my scalp (both visits) and said she couldn't see any reason why I would be itching. We had even changed my shampoo. Two days after my last visit, Laura & Daniel were sent home from school with head lice. All of a sudden, it made sense. I decided I better "Nix" my hair just in case, and I found quite a few inhabitants.
The next day, I heard myself saying to Scott, "I've had worms, fleas and now lice and I'd choose lice over the other two".
OK...so here's a picture of me with Olive Oil all over my hair. You know, just in case Nix didn't kill them all (it didn't).
And here's a picture of my beautiful and paranoid friend Megan. Megan texted this picture to me on Friday night after coating her hair with coconut oil and covering it with a ziploc bag. Megan also texted me on Saturday morning to let me know that she had shampooed her hair 4 times that morning and still had coconut oil in her hair. I'm pretty sure that Megan is going to hide from me for a while. I love that crazy girl.
Head lice wasn't the worst thing that happened to me last weekend. Please stay tuned to find out why I will NEVER eat popcorn again. It will be followed by, "Hey, watch me spit watermelon seeds out the side of my mouth!" and hopefully, "Check out my temporary tooth!"
Oh, but guess what did happen last weekend.... I got a 98 on my first French test!!!! Woohoo!!!!
Before you start to worry about my mental state, or before you start sending me hate comments, please note that I am writing this post for fun. I'm just hoping to bring a smile & some silly nonsense to your day. I love music and I listen to a lot of it. You will notice that there are no Country songs on this list. That is because I don't listen to Country music and have no plans to ever start. Please note that this list is not necessarily based on current songs....just songs that it seems everyone is supposed to like. You know, the songs that the "Dad Bands" play every week when you are eating outside of a restaurant. Those set lists can be so predictable that I like to try to guess which song they will play next.
Well, without further adieu...and in no particular order:
1. Unchained Melody. (Righteous Brothers) I'm pretty sure it makes me un-American, but this song makes me want to hurt myself every time I hear it.
Um, Gag.
2. Big Yellow Taxi. (Joni Mitchell) I'm part tree-hugger myself, but I hate this song. Clearly, I am in the minority since people keep remaking it with their own covers. I hate all of those as well.
3. Stairway to Heaven. (Led Zeppelin)Just thinking about this song make me want to stick my head in the oven.
4. Wonderful Christmastime. (Paul McCartney) I'm sure that most people think this song is a happy-fun Christmas song. It makes just annoys me and makes me mad.
5. Sexual Healing. (Marvin Gaye) I was a very small child when this song was on top of the charts. I didn't know what it meant but I knew I shouldn't be listening to it. And....the radio seemed to play it all of the time. I didn't like it then and I still don't like it.
6. Yeah. (Usher) This song is just stupid. I'm still waiting on Weird Al to put out a song called "No".
7. Hotel California. (The Eagles) Yes, I know you love this song; I don't.
8. Peter Frampton. His "talk-box" songs are never-ending. I'd like to beat that talk-box with a bat.
9. Burning Down the House. (The Talking Heads) This song makes me want to burn down my radio. Every. Time.
10. Piano Man. (Billy Joel) I've got nothing against Billy Joel. Well, I don't really have anything for Billy Joel either. I just really find this song tiresome.
I'm sure you are saying to yourself, "I wonder what song Julie hates the most". Well that song would be...
11. Imagine. (John Lennon) I'm having a hard time keeping from sticking my finger down my throat just thinking about this song. Unfortunately, like Big Yellow Taxi, this song keeps being remade.
There you have it. And...just because a song didn't make this list it doesn't mean that I don't hate it too.
Sometimes you can hear a song on the radio and it feels like it knocks the wind out of you. You wonder how the songwriter could've seen so clearly into your soul to write the song your heart wanted to sing. Then it's just Jesus and me riding down the road, tears streaming down my face, and I exhale these words...
There are days I've taken more than I can give
And there are choices that I made
That I wouldn't make again
I've had my share of laughter
Of tears and troubled times
This is has been the story of my life
(chorus) I have won and I have lost
I got it right sometimes
But sometimes I did not
Life's been a journey
I've seen joy, I've seen regret
Oh and You have been my God
Through all of it
You were there when it all came down on me
When I was blinded by my fear
And I struggled to believe
But in those unclear moments
You were the one keeping me strong
This is how my story's always gone
(chorus)
And this is who You are
More constant than the stars up in the sky
All these years of our lives
I, I look back and I see You
Right now I still do
And I'm always going to
Or....
And, don't forget...
Isn't life great? Before I go, I'd like to say..."Hi Lorraine!"
