Taser Certification Done

Another trip to the range, another training day in the books. I have a sore throat and not feeling all too spiffy. It’s really cold outside and nice and toasty warm in the house. I may go to bed now (it’s 4:30 in the afternoon) and watch TV and get fat! Ah, but the stitching group is going to Outback for dinner so I guess I’ll stay up!

Just another day

Not an exciting day, just Defensive Tactics Instructor recertification and a Mardi Gras parade (Krewe of Artemis). Back to regular work tomorrow for three days then another training day on Tuesday, recertification on the taser. No, I do not have to get tased again. If I did, I wouldn’t go!

Haven’t stitched today or yesterday, just been too tired from all of this rigorous training! I’ve also started playing a couple of games on Facebook again. Farmtown and Farmville are just fun and I’ve been away for a few months so I have been farming a little. It’s fun to do when I’m bored with nothing to do at extra duty or working parades, etc.

Time for a little “Criminal Minds”!

Shotgun qualified

Yesterday was a long a painful day! We shot about 50 rounds, including buckshot and slugs. I was able to find a shooting pad and I’m thankful to have no bruising! However, it’s hard to lift my arms today because they are so sore. I didn’t realize how heavy that thing gets after five or six hours of drills and lugging it around. And now that I’m qualified they don’t even have any shotguns left at supply to hand out. So, although good training, no fruits from my labor (i.e. no new toys in the unit).

I got home and didn’t work out again because I was really tired. I’ve managed to goof off this morning until now it is afternoon. But I’m going to get up from this computer and go work out. I’ll have to make today a cardio day as my arms are too sore for weights!

Long Day

It was a long day at the range. I used to love to go shoot and it was fun and exciting. It has become a chore. I get tired faster than I used to, my knees hurt from all the up and down activity and shooting while kneeling, my fingers hurt, and I shot the worst I’ve shot in my career. Mind you, I still shot 113/120, but I don’t recall ever having shot so poorly. Maybe it was because I got new glasses and then forgot to look through the bottom of the lenses. Maybe it was because I haven’t been to practice in 6-8 months, or maybe it’s because I’ve been taking medicine for over a week and I was jittery. The fact of the matter is that my shooting sucked! That must be remedied post haste!

I really wanted to stitch some tonight but I think I’m just too tired. Top it all off with not getting my workout in and not reaching 8,000 steps so I’m just grumpy all the way around! Tomorrow is another 8 hours out there, mostly shotgun stuff. Yippee!

Back to work

I had to go back to work today after 10 days off (with a couple of 4-hour extra duty details). Now I have to work 9 in a row without a day off! Sure do like the off days better. But it was a good day, not busy but steady.

After work I went to the gym and walked for 30 minutes. I set a goal of 8,000 steps a day and today I went over 10,000 steps. It ain’t P90X but hey, it’s something! I like walking on the treadmill because I can increase the incline and get my heart rate up without having to run. I was the only one in the gym so it was kinda cool! Plus it’s only about 2 minutes from the house so it’s easy to run to the gym for a quick workout. They have an assisted pullup machine there so I think I might start back on the “X”. I also stayed under my calorie limit today and got in all my water. Cozumel here I come!

I’m struggling through the book of Leviticus and I’m almost done. I am so thankful we are not under that law anymore. There is NO way anyone could keep all those rules! I’m having trouble reading them much less abiding by them!

Off to stitch for a little while to cool down from my walking and then off to bed. I need to go to the pistol range and shoot a box or two of rounds as I have to qualify on Tuesday. Wednesday is shotgun stuff all day and that is no fun! I don’t mind the gun and I shoot well, but it KILLS my shoulder! Friday is Defensive Tactics recertification day, so this week I’ll be getting plenty of exercise at work.

New Year, New Beginnings

I’m surprised at how quickly 2010 is moving along. It’s almost February and it seems like it was Christmas just last week! Some things have changed, others have not. I’m still busy at work, and I have officially entered my last three years before going on the DROP. That’s assuming I don’t do it next year about this time! It’s really a struggle to think of having eight years to go when it could be six, but it would not be financially sound to leave so young. But then again, it’s only two years and with the way things are going in law enforcement, those two years could be the rest of my life! I guess I will just play it by ear and see what happens. In the meantime, I’m trying to work all the qualifying overtime I can to boost my retirement.

I went to Atlanta last week to see my brother and his family. I picked up my mom in Mississippi and stopped in Montgomery for the night to visit my great-aunt. It was a busy weekend, with two girls five and two, mom and I, plus my brother and sis-in-law. They just bought a new home and it is beautiful! I wish I had a basement like that! Talk about the ultimate gameroom/theater! There’s a bedroom down there, so I will have a place to live when I get old and decrepit. I’ll be the creature that lives under the stairs! Hahahaha

Stitching is slowly creeping back in. I’m determined to finish a project that I have been working on for several years. I have worked over 200 hours on it and have about 300 to go. It shall remain nameless as it is a future gift to someone that might pop in here. Those that stitch with me know it well! I have so many projects that I want to do that I often get overwhelmed and don’t do anything! I’ve decided to try really hard not to do that anymore. Stitching is a joy not a chore, so I’m just going to dive in and get back to it!

Does anyone else love their iPhone as much as I do? I cannot stop using that thing and I’m not a newby. I’ve had one since the first generation and still loving it. That’s saying a lot for someone the used to change phones as often as a dentist changes his toothbrush! I don’t know how I got anything done before I had one, and to be honest, I might get a lot more done now if I didn’t have one. What a conundrum! The games are fun, I get my email, I love to text instead of talk on the phone, I have financial stuff, I can even deposit checks to my bank account with my phone and never have to go to the bank! I just love my phone.

My dog Braedon in in the last half of his ninth year. He is as wild as ever and still acts like a puppy most of the time. He is a loving dog and very entertaining, quite the comedian! I am looking forward to another nine years with him!

I also became a “MAC” this year. Well, I guess not totally a MAC, as I still have my PC. But I’m using PC less and less, just using it for a few things that aren’t available on the MAC. It’s a beautiful machine, user friendly, and I mean AWESOME with pictures, media, and graphics! I have been having fun learning the system and I’m getting better at it.

I guess that’s about it for the start of the new year. I would say that I made a resolution to blog more often, but I’ve only kept one resolution that I made and I made it many years ago: Never make another “new year’s resolution”!

Later,
T

Stitching again

I have starting stitching again, at least when I can. I am working on a Christmas present for a friend and on a stocking…of course. The stockings will never end! I have two to do this year, and have a feeling I will be doing two more next year. My sister’s was ruined in Katrina, and I have a feeling that I will be doing one for Chris as well. They seem to be getting along marvelously, so we shall see.

I have so many projects that I want to do and just don’t have the time! I’m lucky that I can get a few stitches in here and there and work, and I could probably do lots more if I could stay off of Facebook! Oh well, I’m sure the Facebook craze will pass…eventually!

I really miss my friends from stitching. I don’t get to see them nearly as much as I would like to anymore. I got to go to an impromptu stitching session at the store yesterday morning and had a really good time. Of course, then I had to work out and was late for work!

Nothing much else is going on. I am about to embark on a financial journey which should have all of my debt including my house, truck, everything, in 7 years and 10 months. If I work hard on the program, I can get it down to hopefully around 6 years, which is what I have left until retirement. How cool will that be?!? Retired, debt free, and all the stitching I can muster! Ummmm….counting the days!

Round 2 of P90X

I started round 2 of P90X on August 17th and will finish the Sunday before we leave for Fiji! Between the end of round 1 and starting round 2, my body fat went down another 2 points to 26%. Only two more percent to get to normal range! Bring on the pain of the X!

P90X Round 1 Results

I finished round 1 of P90X on July 13th and had some great results! I lost 19 pounds of fat, gained 5 pounds of muscle, lost 18 inches, and body fat went down from 35.8% to 27.9%, a loss of 22% of my body fat. It was difficult but I did it and I’m going to start another round in a few weeks.

Change in Priorities

My stitching has taken a back seat to my health and fitness right now. I have so many projects that I would like to work on, but my time is limited, and so for 90 days I am pretty much giving up most things but work and P90X. Let’s face it, there’s only so many hours in a day and I gotta sleep sometime! Most days the workout takes 1:15, yoga 1:45, and by the time you add in sleep, work, some time checking email/facebook, playing with the dog, and doing stuff around the house that has to be done, something had to take a back seat for awhile. It’s not my big stitching season anyway, summer is upon us and it’s time for the yard and diving and all that other outdoor stuff. I did get Ashlyn’s stocking back from the finisher and so the poor child will finally have a matching stocking by her third Christmas!

Speaking of diving, I will be going to the Keys on my regular summer trip and then an awesome trip in November to Fiji! I will check in here now and again, but I am really trying to focus on attaining my fitness goals and most of my free time is spent reading articles about eating clean, healthy living, even trying to learn how to cook some healthy stuff! I spend a lot of time on beachbody.com, milliondollarbody.com, and on Facebook. I will try to update here as much as I can for those that are following my life from here!

My 30-day results were pretty good. I lost 7 pounds of fat, gained 3 pounds of muscle, my fat went down 3%, and I lost a total of 8 inches. Today was day 32 and I haven’t missed a day so far. I am going to Georgia next week for five days and I’m bringing my stuff with me and doing my workouts there as well. I’m going to see my new great-nephew, who was born on April 18th. My nephew and his wife have had her family there for a month, now it’s our turn! I can’t wait to see him, he was a huge baby at 9 lbs 10 oz!

Until next time!