Thursday, October 28, 2010

Random Fact #5: Here Comes the Sun...Again

There was an entire year of my life where I listened to Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles every morning on the way to work.

I think it might be my favorite song. I hear that first little guitar riff and that's it for me. It turns things around.

No matter what kind of day I'm having, it always puts a smile on my face. If you're having a great day, it balloons that feeling. If you're having a bad day, it says just hold on, the sun is coming.

Joey and I planned to walk back up the aisle as a married couple to this favorite from the beginning, but it was even more fitting after the hurricane blew our first wedding to smitherines to finally walk out successfully married to Here Comes the Sun.

So to you from me, a smile in song...


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Let The Octobering Begin!

Or at least the me telling you about it. This month has flown by. Whew!

It's been a crazy busy past couple of weeks! What have the Perot's been up to? See for yourself!

First, was our Butler/Priesmeyer family girl trip to Fredricksburg:


Where we stayed at this little bed and breakfast:


I have never seen more knickknacks in my life! And birdhouses. And decorative pin cushions. And most of them were on the walls.

This was the Seven Dwarves Room and had the most beds. Despite having plenty of room in the rest of the house, we pulled a blow up mattress in the middle of the room so we could fit the most people in slumber party fashion. There were beds lined up on the other side of the room as well. You can see the role reversal: I think the knickknacks were supporting the wall.


And here's me, Mom and Jo.

Cousin Kristin and Jo. (we never called her Cousin Kristin, this is just for descriptive purposes)

It was also Mom's birthday so the band that we listened to on Saturday night made her come up on stage, put on a feather boa and have everyone sing Happy Birthday. She loved it. I'm being sarcastic. No, secretly, I think she probably did love it.


This is Judy, Danielle and Aunt Lisa. Judy and Danielle are my step cousin and aunt, I guess if you want technicalities. Funny story: me, Danielle and my Grandmother were all newlyweds at the same time. My Grandmother married Danielle's Grandfather!


Mom, Gale, Lisa & Amy

More of the gang...


~

Then there was the Great Pumpkin Carving of 2010. Joey and I, along with our back fence neighbors, hosted a pumpkin carving this past weekend for our neighborhood to get all our neighbors and their kiddos together. It was a huge success! Not only did we get to hang out with the neighbors we already knew, we got to meet neighbors from all over "the hood" as well.

Some neighbors were triple threats: skilled in scooping, carving and painting!


As we didn't have kids, Joey was deemed the neutral judge.


Here are the lucky winners! The Pumpkitty took first place.


~

This past weekend was also my ten year high school reunion! And it seems that no one took any pictures until after we left. I left my camera at home and planned on using my phone to take pictures, but then nobody took pics! Haven't seen each other in 5+ years, you would think someone would have started it! Oh well, it was great seeing everyone!

Other than events, there's been a little of this....


And a lot of that...


And guess what?

My mum is still with us!!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Keeping Mum



Dearly Beloved Bloggers, we are gathered here today to say a prayer over the little fall chrysanthemum above.

Oh please, dear one, stay strong. Live in spite of me. Please overlook the horticultural crimes of my past.

I, Jenny Perot, take you, Chrysanthemum, to be my Fall Plant.

I promise to faithfully water you.

But not too much.

I promise I will not forget that you exist.

I will bring you inside in times of frost and out when sunny.

I vow to keep and care for you as long as you continue to bloom.

Amen.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Filling Out My Skinny Genes



NOTE: this is by no means a Whining or Woe-Is-Me Post. Not one bit. It's more of a Personal Wake Up Post that is the culmination of many things, namely the development of love handles and knee bags.

For 25 years of my life I was able to take advantage of the skinny genes that run in my family. By "take advantage" I mean, eat whatever the heck I wanted without an addition to the bottom line. Boy, did I abuse those genes.

Now, before you think that this means I didn't have self image issues, please also know that there were only about 3 years during which I semi-embraced this state. Most of the time prior to this was spent in a perpetual state of gawkward (gawky + awkward). I mean really, I made a stick figure look voluptuous. I was less D.J. and more Kimmy in appearance, if you know what I mean. You don't get the nickname Olive Oyl based on a shapely figure.

Then I got hips that could be termed 'child-bearing' and upon which you could probably hang your coat.

And that's about where it stopped developmentally. I'm still waiting for puberty to kick in on the upper half, hoping I'm just a late bloomer. Oh well.

Where was I?

Oh right, gawkward, but eating whatever I want. It had it's benefits at times, namely Thanksgiving and Christmas when MawMaw made pot roast. My Mom would always tell me that one day I would be grateful.

And I am.

But here's the thing about skinny genes, they catch up with you. I think the slide began around 25. It's not much that maybe some would notice because my height spreads it out a bit, but my metabolism has definitely changed. My size has changed. My shape has changed. Enough to make me take note at least. And I haven't even had kids yet!

I've outgrown my skinny genes.

People with skinny genes are at a high risk for being incredibly unhealthy. There's such a thing as skinny-fat. I'm serious. I mean, I don't have the science to prove it, but I think you run a higher risk of going through your fitness and health life without understanding the consequences because they're not immediately visible. One day you wake up and you realize that because you were spoiled in this manner, you never cultivated discipline when it came to eating and exercise.

This is where I am and why I started doing Bodypump. I've been doing it for the past couple of months or so faithfully and I'm really noticing a difference! Over the past few years I am thankful that I finally learned how to eat healthy. Do I have a lot of discipline in the area? Nope. Still developing. Do I enjoy Bodypump? Hmm...I think I enjoy knowing that it will help, but that's about it.

I don't really know why I'm writing this post except to state my position at the moment or maybe because I wanted to use the term 'skinny genes'. Again, this isn't intended to be a lament, but more of a coming to terms with where I am. For those of you that have struggled with weight and thought my little diatribe is small potatoes, I get it. I know that I know nothing about truly battling weight issues. And to all those that are perpetually waiting for the metabolic tide to turn on a previously labeled 'skinny' person, here you go. I'll be your whipping post.

So I'm letting out my skinny genes and exchanging for more of a relaxed fit.

Is 29 too old to possibly be a late bloomer? I'm still holding on to that hope no matter what you tell me.