Dilemma....

So, I was thinking today about my current exercise situation and how it is going to change in a few months when the winter weather hits. Yes, I know there are plenty of people out there that bundle up and run come hell or high water....which includes snow storms, but that's just not going to happen here. I am definitely a fair weathered jogger...although I do love the chilly mornings, just not the icy ones. Anyhoo, Im faced with either renewing my gym membership or buying a treadmill. It may not seem like such an important 'dilemma' considering other world crisis' that are going on including the upcoming election...blah....however, for me at this time in my life it is an extremely important decision. My health and future depend on it. I cannot afford to go into another exercise slump again or I may never recover. Im on a roll people. I get up everyday at 5:00 am even when I have worked until 1:00 am the night before. Im feeling great, losing weight, and Im nervous about ruining it. So, here is a quick rundown of the pros and cons of each....any opinions would be happily listened to.

1. Treadmill is great option because it is convenient, I can run indoors without anyone actually seeing me run, and I dont have to worry about Denver being home or getting done before he goes to work because I wont be leaving the house to run. It is a bad option because.....it is a little too convenient which could mean easier to make excuses like "i'll do it later" cause its right there in my house. Also, it takes away accomplishment factor of getting up and leaving the house to exercise. I will end up sleeping in which may sound like a good thing but getting up early proves to be great for my day in getting things done.2. The gym is a great option because it has all the weights and circuit machines with which I desperately need to be building some muscle on. It also provides a place for me to get away and concentrate on my exercise without distraction. It has a daycare so if I have to I can drag the kids with me. It has other fun options that I enjoy such a kickboxing classes and hip hop classes (I will try one once I get thinner!) The bad part about the gym is that it requires me to leave the house and so it isnt very convenient (although it isnt far away). I am mortified about running on a treadmill in front of anyone and running is what I want to continue doing but will I do it if there are a lot of people at the gym or will I chicken out? I will have limited time to go to the gym in the morning because I have to get back in time for Denver to go to work and because it is farther away than the street around my house, it would mean I would probably have to get out of bed even earlier.

So, there you go. Now you see the dilemma. If I could afford an entire personal gym then maybe it would solve my problem but I cant and so I must decide.....and soon.

Happy Birthday To Me.....

Yes folks, it is my 37th birthday today. I hesitated mentioning it out of fear that people would think I was seeking overtures and adulation.....however, it turned out to be such a good day that I couldnt help myself from sharing.

I started out my birthday this morning at about 2:30 am, on my way home from an unusually long night at work. Personally, I would have been happy just skipping this day altogether due to the semi-crappy week I have had. Really, nothing has gone in my favor at all and financially we werent in a position to really do much today....so I figured, "Lets just forget about it". To further justify this decision, at 2:30 am while driving home, I completely obliterated a poor helpless skunk on the freeway. Yes, my van now reeks of skunk. The animal had NO chance whatsoever of escaping my van unless I decided to swerve and kill myself, which wasnt going to happen. Not even for a sweet little kitty. And this was NO kitty. Im sure it didnt feel a thing.....being hit by a van going 70 mph is no match for a 20 pound skunk. So, I thought "well here you go. Happy birthday Vanessa". Then, I got home and startled Denver in his sleep who then proceeded to snap my head off (for which he quickly apologized once he woke up)..... there again, a reason to skip the day.

My aunt Debbie called me this morning to see if I still wanted her to come over for our weekly weigh in/accountability session. We missed last weeks session due to Me being in Vegas. I said "of course" and quickly jumped out of bed and onto the scale. I hadnt weighed all week because of said trip to Vegas, not that I went crazy or anything but it was 4 days of no running and definitely no slim fast! Happily, I had still lost 2 pounds! Ok, maybe this wont be such a bad day after all.

Then, Denver says "I won $20 in a sports pool at work, Im going to run and at least get you a card or something"...... Ok then, whatever. He comes back with these Wonderful gifts! Eh-hm I think you won more than $20. Love it! Especially the wallet. I needed one sooooo bad and isnt this cute! The best part about it is that he spent his very own money to buy it. I dont think he has ever done that before (sorry hon).....that made the gifts mean even more to me. Awwwww....

To top the day off, the mail came and we received notice that some money we have been very unpatiently waiting for is here! You have no idea what good news this is for us.....unbelievable news. So, on that note we decided to go out to lunch to the Blue Iguana....Mexican food, my favorite! After lunch we walked around downtown through Temple square. The weather was beautiful. 75 degrees, small breeze. Gorgeous fall day. I am in love with Fall. We topped off my day with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery (so much for my 2 pounds!)......

So, thanks to Denver and my kids for making me so happy. Thanks for sharing my birthday with me today! And thanks to all those who sent wishes my way as well. I have a great life with great people in it! Love you all!

Alisa Dawn Ries

Happy Birthday to a Fabulous Sister-in-law....a Wonderful mommy.....and a Great woman!!! I hope you have a fantastic 21st birthday.........wink wink. ;)

Labor Day in Vegas.....

It's always nice to come home, but we did have a great weekend in Vegas. We left early Saturday morning....like 2:30 am early....right after I got home from work. Why did we leave at such a time you ask? Well, Denver wanted to stop at Sand Hollow reservoir on our way for a little fishing. We have done this before in spite of how crazy people think we are. We arrived right as the sun was coming up and it was sooooo beautiful. Sand Hollow is right outside of Hurricane and it looks like a miniature Lake Powell...not quite as Grand, but really pretty. One thing that I just love about Southern Utah is the contrast in color. It really is a beautiful desert. Blue sky, Red rocks, green foliage....and of course the blue water. It was very peaceful and Denver was even able to catch a few Bass...he was very happy. The kids really enjoyed playing on the rocks and on the red sand beach... it was worth it to stop there and relax a little. I'd live there if it were possible.

So, then we were off for the rest of the trip to Las Vegas...only about 2 more hours away. We got there early enough to have the entire day to spend...another reason why we like to leave so early in the morning. My mom was ready and waiting to take me to see the movie "Mama Mia". She had me all prepared the week before by sending me the Abba CD by which the story is created around. It really is crazy to think that someone took this CD of music and literally created a story from the songs. I had heard very little about the movie itself and was so pleasantly THRILLED with it. It was a lot of fun....so much that that we went back to see the "sing along" version the next day! Yes, it was the movie with the words to the songs on the bottom of the screen to encourage the audience to "sing along"....Unfortunately we had a timid audience so it wasnt what I had hoped for but it was still fun to see it again, and I sang along anyway! If you havent seen the movie and you like funny musicals, then I suggest seeing it, if its still playing in your area! Meryl Streep was incredible. I was very impressed.

The rest of the weekend was spent eating and lounging in the pool. The kids practically lived in the swimming pool. Denver and my dad were supposed to golf on Monday and when they showed up bright and early for their tee time, the golf course told them they didnt have a tee time reserved! Somehow their reservation was lost and in Las Vegas, if you dont have a tee time, you dont golf. It ended being OK though because not too long after they got there, the wind kicked up so strong that it would have been miserable golfing in it anyway....

Denver cooked fabulous meals all weekend....we have an ongoing deal with my parents which is 'they buy the food, Denver cooks it'..... My mom and I sat down and went through all her old pictures so I could take some home to scan. We had a ball laughing at ourselves and others! I enjoyed finding pictures of my parents when they were the age that I am now....kinda weird too. I really enjoyed the walk down memory lane.

So, we are home now and back to the grind. In fact Denver is already at school and Ian is getting ready to start his homework for tomorrow. Its always nice to get home but as reality sets back in, I find myself wishing I was still gone.....:) Thanks to Mom and Dad for a great weekend. Cant wait to see you again!

An update on Don....

I am sitting here trying to upload pictures of our Vegas trip and I received a comment from someone regarding Denver's dad. First of all, we want to thank you all for your concern and prayers on his behalf. Unfortunately there isnt a lot to update. He has good days and bad...he is receiving chemotherapy every 2 weeks I think and it has him pretty sick when he gets the treatment. He did have a better day today though and had enough energy to go shopping at Walmart so that was good to hear. They did a scan recently to see what the chemo has done to the tumors. We hear that the lung tumors are hardly there which was GREAT news. I think they are still going to do a biopsy or something like it on the liver soon to see what is happening there. He was recently hospitalized for a "significant" blood clot in his lung. That was scary...they gave him heparin to get rid of it and now he will remain on Heparin permanently. I guess that is common in cancer patients. Other than that, we really dont have much more news. He is going to continue the chemo I guess indefinitely... It is a day by day thing. No change in the prognosis for now. Thanks again for asking....oh and just a side note, if you leave a comment on the blog anonymously, please type your name at the end of the message so I will know who to contact or thank! Im not sure who left the last one....but thank you for your thoughts.

almost home.....

We are driving somewhere in the middle of the desert. Listening to a little Alan Jackson.... We should be home in about 4 hours and I will post an upadate on our weekend in Vegas!