Merry Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, Festivus, Boxing Day, New Year's, etc, etc, etc...did I cover them all?

Taken from Facebook - unknown origin

As the holiday's approach, or if yours is in full swing right now, I make a nation wide wish for us all...GET OVER YOURSELF.  That's right, you read it correctly, get over yourself and your holiday/religion.  It's all so silly too fight over.  This is supposed to be a joyful time of year for all holiday's involved and instead I feel as though I'm doing something criminal when I wish a "Merry Christmas!" to people I run into.  Like I'm forcing it down their throats or something.  I would love for someone to wish me a "Happy Chanukah!", I think it would be neat!  I would then wish them a "Merry Christmas" right back because we are both celebrating our separate holidays with the same lovely intention. 
  Wish me a Happy Kwanza, Boxing Day, FESTIVUS (and if you don't know what Festivus is I feel terribly sorry for you), Christmas or Chanukah; I promise I won't bite your head off with holiday negativity about equality for all or "Don't push your religion down my throat!" malarkey.  I will accept the greeting in the spirit in which it is intended and respond in kind.

I hope your holiday is just what you want and is a fabulous time filled with family, friends, and great food.  That is my wish for us all.  SO...next time you see me wish me YOUR holiday cheer because I'm wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!" 

I gave us the gift of health this holiday season; won't you join us?

About a month ago, my sister brought a fabulous product into my awareness.  It's called JuicePlus+.  I wouldn't be that surprised if some of you out there have heard of it, it's been around for quite a while, but this is the first I've heard of it and I'm hooked.

The premise is quite simple, really.  Let's face it...NONE of us really and truly get the recommended amount of fruits and veggies we need in a day to not only fuel our body but to *heal* our body and keep it healthy.  Even I, the self-proclaimed health nut of our family, can't get the recommended amount in daily.  Try as I might it just doesn't happen.  Sure, I load my grocery cart up with fruits and veggies every shopping trip and cook a considerable amount of them, but quite frankly most of the fruit (except grapes, oranges, and nectarines) gets over-ripe and gets thrown out, and most of the veggies follow the same fate even though I cook and eat more of those than fruit.  

http://www.stouttakesjuiceplus.com

So here's the question..."HOW can we get the recommended daily amount without spending a fortune and then throwing said fortune away?" 


Think about it for a second.  *If* (and this is a big if), *IF* you were to purchase enough fruits and vegetables *just for yourself* to fulfill the 17 servings (or even on the low end of 9) for one day, how much would you eat?  How much would you spend?  How much would you throw away??  Uh-huh, that's what I thought.  Here's what JuicePlus+ has too offer all of us...

(Taken directly from "The next best thing to fruits and vegetable" brochure for JuicePlus+)

"JuicePlus+ helps bridge the gap between what you *should* eat and what you *actually* eat.  JuicePlus+ is the convenient and inexpensive way to add more nutrition from fruits and vegetables to your diet, every day.  JuicePlus+ Orchard Blend is made from 7 different fruits (apple, orange, pineapple, cranberry, papaya, peaches, and acerola cherry).  JuicePlus+ Garden Blend is made from 10 different vegetables and grains (carrot, parsley, beet, kale, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, tomato, oat bran and brown rice bran)...Just *two* JuicePlus+ Orchard Blend and two JuicePlus+ Garden Blend capsules every day are all it takes to experience real benefits from adding more nutrition from fruits and vegetables to your diet."   

http://www.stouttakesjuiceplus.com

THIS IS NOT A VITAMIN OR A SUPPLEMENT!  It's *REAL FOOD*.  It's *WHOLE NUTRITION*.  What does this mean, you ask?  It means that JuicePlus+ not only contains a wider variety of naturally occurring vitamins than vitamin supplements, but it also contains phytonutrients and antioxidants which are ESSENTIAL to maintaining good health. 

How is it made?  They start with fresh, high quality fruits and veggies that are pesticide and contaminant free.  They juice the fruits and veggies first, then concentrate it into powders using a ..."proprietary, low-temperature process".  Why low-temperature?  Have you ever heard or used the statement "Man, those (insert vegetable of choice here) were cooked within an inch of their life!"

I have.  

It's quite simple.  When fruits and veggies are overcooked, they lose their nutritional value.  It's cooked right out of them.  Hence the low-temperature process makes sure you get all the nutrients you need to improve your health and keep you healthy.  

http://www.stouttakesjuiceplus.com

Here are some shocking (at least they were too me) results from a sampling of studies done on JuicePlus+ (which, by the way is one of the most researched products of it's kind out there). 

The following statistics are taken from my informational brochure information as an Independent Distributor of JuicePlus+, the studies will be in ( ).

*80 million people have some form of heart disease (American Heart Association)

*1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will have cancer in his or her lifetime (National Cancer Institute) **Let me say that right here this statistic has been reached, because I know at least two other women who read my blog, and I would be the third that has had cancer**

*Over 20 million children and adults have diabetes (American Diabetes Association) **Raise your hand if you know someone with diabetes *raises hand* I do**

*64% of adults are overweight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) **We know that's true, all you have to do is step outside your door and go to any public place.  Obesity reigns supreme and that's so, so sad**

*About 59% of adults *do not* engage in any vigorous leisure-time physical activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) **Are you kidding me?!?!  Exercise is so important, as is proper nutrition!**






*Our national health care expenditures were 2 trillion (TWO TRILLION!!!!!!!) in 2005, or $6,700 per person (National Coalition on Health Care) **I wonder what it is NOW and I wonder if we could really, truly take back our health AND health-care system by simply taking JuicePlus+ every day**

http://www.stouttakesjuiceplus.com

NOW here are the shocking statistics ABOUT OUR CHILDREN, the *future* of this world, the generations that are supposed to propel this world forward into the future...it's scary people, and very very sad. 

*By the age of 12, an estimated 70% of our children have developed the beginning stages of hardening of the arteries (Bogalusa Heart Study) **I've been told there is *chewable* LIPITOR for children now.  How sad is that?  Do you realize that by feeding your child nothing but fast, convenient, and not-so-healthy options you are signing their death certificate?  Breaks my heart**


*1 in 3 Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes (Journal of the American Medical Association)


*1 in 4 children is obese (International Journal of Obesity) **Again; walk out your door and go to a public place.  This is true**


*Nearly 50% of obese adolescents remain obese as adults (International Journal of Obesity) **Just watch Biggest Loser**


*7% of school age children are diagnosed with ADHD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

*Over 93% of all children and adolescents *do not consume* the recommended 3 servings of vegetables per day (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine) **Yesterday morning on Fox4 News, they ran a story on this.  It was said that teenagers consume LESS THAN ONE SERVING A DAY and shockingly boys consumed more than girls.  How can they live their best life without fruits and veggies?**

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS?!?!

The US government has spent billions trying to find a cure for heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.  The conclusion??  Disease is *easier* to PREVENT THAN TO CURE.  Government recommendation?? EAT 7-13 SERVINGS OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES A DAY, yet almost no-one does.

So what does JuicePlus+ do for you?  http://www.stouttakesjuiceplus.com


It delivers key antioxidants that are actually absorbed by the body (i.e. gets into your bloodstream, a lot of vitamins don't), it reduces oxidative stress caused by free radicals (translation: it combats the bad things in our food/environment that cause us to age prematurely and develop disease).  It positively impacts markers of systemic inflammation (those of you with lupus and fibromyalgia would greatly benefit from JP+), it helps support the immune system, helps protect our DNA, and promotes cardiovascular wellness. ("Results of independent clinical research studies published in peer-reviewed journals").  

The end kicker is this...the combo of the Orchard Blend and Garden Blend for an adult is around $1.50 a day *and* if you sign up for a year you can sponsor a child (ages 4-18) FREE FOR A YEAR!!!  Who wouldn't want to give themselves the benefit of good health while giving it too their child, FOR FREE, as well??? And again I ask...can you buy all the fruits and veggies you & your family need for $1.50 A DAY?  I think not.


We all know we need to take better care of ourselves.  Our bodies are a wonderous, mysterious machine that we have yet to unlock all the secrets about.  Until we start taking better care of ourselves in terms of FEEDING OURSELVES CORRECTLY to *power* our body, to *nourish* our body, to *HEAL* our body, we will never live too our full potential.  We will never turn this world around.  We will never have a better health care system, and we will harm the future generations of children even yet too be born.


I don't know about you, but I don't want that for this world.  I don't want that for our children, for MY children.  I'm always striving to become a better version of myself, to become a healthier version of myself, and too live my best life possible.  JuicePlus+ is turning my health and that of my husband's around; won't you join us?

http://www.stouttakesjuiceplus.com

Maintaining my balance while the year flies by

I can't believe it's November.  I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone...#craziness.  It definitely does *not* seem like just yesterday that I was running around like crazy getting through marching season, oh no, that seems like a million years ago already.  I just can't believe that this semester is almost over and that we're rapidly approaching Christmas Break!

Ahhh!!!


Where does the time go?  Does it just slip by unnoticed until one day we look up from our cell phones, computer screens, conference calls, pile of paperwork/dishes/laundry, and notice all of a sudden that it's farking NOVEMBER?!  Or does it just move by at the pace it always has and we just have to hang on for dear life because if we don't we'll get thrown off into the stratosphere then spend the next week and a half playing catch up?*laugh*

IF you know me, you know that I lead a cram-packed life, and while many people don't understand what I do, why I do it, or exactly *how* I find my balance let me assure you I do.  I find it in the simple times like this where I'm home *early* on a Wednesday and am sitting still for an hour.  That's enough time for me to re-charge my batteries then tackle the evening to-do list to keep things running smoothly.  I also find my balance in my to-do list.  Knowing me and loving me means knowing that I am very particular in how my house and in how my life are run.  I like order, cleanliness, structure, and comfort knowing that, for the most part, things are going to pan out pretty much how I need them too.  That may not be the way I *planned* it, necessarily, but it's always goes the way it needs to go.

I find my balance in that 30minute hot bath and 30minute workout in the morning before getting ready for work.  I find it in that first sip of the *sweet nectar of the gods* before getting in the tub.  I find it in successfully maneuvering through my day and realizing that *yes* I AM a teacher, I DO know what I'm doing, and I DO IT WELL.  Do I screw up?  Absolutely.  Do I second guess myself?  Heck yes!; but that's what it's all about.  

I found my balance this morning by getting out of bed at 3:45.  Buck woke me up at three to go out & go potty, then woke me up at 3:30 to go out again.  When I went back to bed, I pulled Lilly up for a good half hour of Lilly-snuggles only to have her kick, nudge & lick my chin, sigh, and grumble for me to rub her belly; so I got up.  It was glorious.  I took a 45minute hot bath, and did an hour of yoga, then got ready, packed my lunch, loaded up my car, and hit the road for work at 6:30am.  I'm pretty proud of myself.




The balance this afternoon/evening is jetting right after school to get home and spend some time with my dogs, (and my house), before Tim gets home from hunting and I make dinner.  I immediately slow my pace when I set foot on our driveway.  There's no rush, no pressure, no nothing when I finally get home.  Sure there's always the ever-present *to-do* list running through my brain but I'm able to push them aside for a bit and slow.*thetruck*.down.  I love it when I come home.  Buck &  Lilly are excited as all get out when I get to the door, and it's always #pinkheartsandbutterflies to see their goofy faces even if Buck's barking can be a bit much.  We have a huge reunion then start the routine.  Yes, even for my down-time there's a routine; especially when it comes to the dogs.  We have our "OH my goodness I'm so glad you're home!" moment, then we go get the mail where they can check out the front and side yards.  Usually another kissy-kissy moment as they move across to the side yard, and that's when their body language and barks change too "Ball!  Hey!  Ball time! Now! nownownownownownownow!! Ball.Ball.Ball.Ball!"

It's quite funny actually. *laugh*

Buck will then beat me to the door because *heaven forbid* I forget about him and playing B.A.Double L.  Upstairs to put stuff away, and most importantly change from the school clothes to something super comfortable.  Starting some chores next, usually laundry, then gathering up what I want to take outside with me, which at this point Buck is bouncing up and down literally salivating at the prospect of playing BALL and Lilly is barking her head off like a crazy person.  Outside for about 30min of play time, then I come back in so they run the yard, then I just get to SIT.  I try to sit for an hour.  To just rest.  To relax.  To do absolutely nothing but exactly what I want.  *Sigh*, it's lovely.  I'm currently 5minutes away from my hour being over and the first thing on my list is flipping the laundry and sweeping the basement floor.  After that I'll finish up the reindeer games, give a new workout tape a try, then take a hot bath and get ready for work.  The balance that I constantly am working on is the knowledge that if I don't get everything done it's OKAY because there's always tomorrow.  

Where do you find your balance?

First major milestone come and gone...

One year ago yesterday I was undergoing a bi-lateral mastectomy in an effort to greatly reduce my chances of the cancer coming back, and also in hopes to get rid of all that was left as well.  I woke up in recovery groggily asking "Am I clear? What about the lymph-nodes?", it wasn't until a few hours later when Dr. Ryan came by again that I grasped the fact that he had told me numerous times "The markers were clear, there's no sign of cancer left", I was relieved.  

Now I've hit the huge milestone of being cancer free for a whole year.  My how time has flown.  I still have six months, or so, to go until I'm out of the "risk of recurrence" stage, and I can hang with that.  I think cancer learned a big lesson when it decided to invade my body...it's not coming back (at least we can hope).



So thank you for the support over the past year and a half.  Thank you for going along on this journey with me, and continuing still.  While I wished for lots of things to happen yesterday, it's okay that I celebrated the day away mostly in solitude.  Brunch with the girls was perfect in the morning, then the afternoon to myself was just fine.  I won't be selfish and say what I wish would have happened, because in truth I'm a year cancer free and that's all that matters.

So in the month of Breast Cancer Awareness please make sure to get yourself checked, and if you've already found something *please* go to your doctor and get it checked out.  Early detection saves lives and you can't fix the problem until you know what the problem is.

It's all an illusion I tell you...all an illusion.

Me the Teacher

I have found myself, as of late, using this phrase a lot "It's all an illusion I tell you...all an illusion".  I use it when I'm given praise, complimented, or recognized for something positive and I'm not really sure where it came from or why it's stuck around so far but it amuses me, and I relate to it on a visceral level that I can't quite explain.  

Allow me to try...

First my hair went away

I am coming to believe, realize, *know*; whatever word you want to use there, that some profound shifts took place in me over the course of the past year as I battled breast cancer.  One in particular was the loss of my sense of beauty.  First my hair went, which I had been growing out for so long and had *finally* reached a length I loved; then they took from me what is, too me, fundamental in being a woman.  They took my girls right off my chest and put foreign objects there, in their place.  Talk about weird.  Losing that sense of beauty took me to a level of pure, oh I don't know, purse sense of self maybe?  There was no hiding who I was, what I looked like, or what I was going through.  That was me, the real me, take it or leave it. 

And then they took my girls

Now, I'm not saying that I'm hiding or anything like that; but there is a certain level of...*difference* between who I was before cancer, who I was during it, and who I am now.  So what's the illusion I speak of?  What does it mean?  Why do I say it in reference to myself?  I've come to feel that something bigger than any of us could even *begin* to comprehend is going to happen in the next few years.  I don't know what, and I certainly don't know when, but it's going to happen and when it does, we will all be revealed for who we truly are, and the true reality in which we are to live.  So this, then, this life that we are all trying to carefully craft, nurture, and direct into where we want it to be because that's where *we* see ourselves in five, ten, fifteen years down the road, are undeniably #Crazy and are living in our illusion.

In the chemo chair

I sound crazy don't I?  And maybe I am, and I'm fine with that. *laugh*  it's just that after going through something as stupid as breast cancer, it just seems all so pointless to try and control everything in my life.  It makes much more sense to enjoy what I'm doing, to do it to the fullest extent of my ability, to not sweat the small stuff, and to watch myself closer because every single choice I make effects every thing else in some way so I want to make sure it's a positive effect indeed.

Me the Drum Line/Band Director

Now, don't get me wrong and don't misunderstand.  There are certainly things I do & say that I am not proud of, and kick myself in the pants over after it's said and done...but I'm working on that.  Yet that's what we are all, really, aren't we?  Works in progress.  We're constantly evolving into, hopefully, better versions of ourselves than we were the day prior.  Whether these changes take place because *we* wanted them too, or because something happened (or didn't), or because the divine spirits that reside above decided we needed too.  We're all aiming to become the best version of ourselves we can.

Our fifth anniversary spent at chemo

That's what I want for me, for you, for my students, for my husband, my family, hell even my dogs.  I want us ALL to start living the best life we possibly can as the best possible version of ourselves that we can.  So OWN YOURSELF.  Know that every single decision you make ripples throughout this world and affects everything.  Whether it be positive, negative, big, or small; it affects us all.  

Think on it for a while.  You may just see my crazy talk has some truth too it and if not that's okay, I'm going to keep living my life the best way I know how, enjoying it the best way I know how, being thankful for everyday I get, and continue to work on becoming the best version of myself I possibly can be until the truth is revealed to all of us. 

 

Carrollton Band Day, 2011

2011 RHS Golden Eagle Drum Line and first ever PIT!

They did it again; they captured 2nd place at Carrollton in the Indoor Drum Line Competition!  We also captured 1st on the field with the Band, 2nd in the parade with the Band, and the Guard captured 2nd in indoor auxillary, and 1st in field auxillary!

They did me proud again, and it was a  successful day all around for all. :)

Lined up and ready to go!

My labor of love

Last April I decided on what the Indoor Drum Line show was going to be.  I had the kids listen to it and then they put in their two cents...the deal was done.  It was to be an adventure and we weren't quite sure how it was going to pan out.  The first step was securing people for a front ensemble, or PIT.  I had a couple of girls jump at the chance when first presented with it, then the brother of one of the boys on the Line.  We picked up two orchestra girls along the way, and put one of the cymbal players on Timpani to finish it out.  

It was time to start rehearsing.

We hit the ground running the first Tuesday in June; meeting three days a week for three hours each day, and haven't looked back since.  We started with the "easy" piece, and I say "easy" because the only easy thing about it is that it's in 4.  The first couple of rehearsals I drove home thinking "What in goodness name am I doing?!"  There were also some days I thought "This isn't gonna work..." *laugh*  How wrong I was.  The kids are working and have worked so hard it's ridiculous and it is coming together splendidly.  One more week of rehearsal to go and then it's show time.  I'm ready...

...Almost.


We have about four and a half hours of rehearsal left, and one hour of warm-up/polish the day of.  It's absolutely enough time; we're going to kick this competitions' rear.  *laugh*  We're going to rock the house and that's what matters.  Yes there are things still that we need to polish and work on, and there's always something that could be better down to the very last minute.  I'm just saying that we're in a very good place and it's nice knowing that we're going to be completely prepared for our competition on Saturday.  It feels good knowing that although we did not get the amount of rehearsal time that is our due, we are prepared none the less.  Good stuff.

Here is a link to a performance of our competition show Friday at Bartle Hall at the Black Expo. There's a few wobbles and bobbles and other things to fix, it was a damn good run through and I'm proud to put it out there.  I hope you enjoy it.  Competition Show 2011

Now, if you'll excuse me I gotta get back to some work for Drum Line for Tuesday's rehearsal.  Lots to do you know...