A New Workout

Like just about everyone my age, I've reach that point in my life where maintaining a healthy lifestyle actually takes thought and planning. You no longer can depend on your high metabolism and 'normal' amount of activity being enough. Especially with the sedentary environment of an office every day of the week.

So in years past, I've turned to home workout DVD's with great success. My last experience was with TurboFire, which I loved! To get through the whole program, it was 20 weeks! Yes, you should work out a few days every week, regardless - but the program calls for 5-6 days of working out, which can become hard to stick with, depending on the time of year. It's NOT something you can follow if you do any sort of traveling. But it sure was fun!

Once I completed it, I tried to stick with it, down to just 3-4 days a week, picking out programs that fit into my schedule. But I found that without that schedule to follow, it was easier to shrug off and say, "I'll do it tomorrow or later in the week." Well, pretty soon you push it off until you stop doing it. Bad. SO after doing this a few times, I decided to try another program - one that didn't require 20 weeks, but something I could stick with for awhile, with a given schedule that my OCD self would follow (and freak out if I couldn't).

I again turned to BeachBody, the parent company that put out TurboFire. I had seen a few commercials for this other program called Insanity. Quite frankly, it looked promising, but also looked as if it lived up to it's name - Insane. But I figured if I was going to try to compress results into less than half the time, that's what it had to be. So last night, I began Insanity.

Wow. First thing you learn, just doing the Fit Test, is how UNfit you are! At least in terms on this program. The warm-up for each of these classes is equal to what a lot of people would consider the actual workout! I quickly realized that in the next 60 days, this program would live up to its name.

So right now, my attitude gives me the push and desire to make it through the next 60 days. But as I've talked to a few people who know of people that have done it, I'm learning it's going to be a tough 60 days. But worth it. So I'm hoping I DO make it through the next 60 days. I'm stubborn, so I'm sure I will. At least I think my stubbornness and OCD will help me in this instance, and make me push through any pain.

Rescue Party

I'm becoming a fan of charity events. This one, at least, I was an attendee. Eric and I both were.

Indiana Landmarks is a charity that promotes the saving of historic, or yet to be labeled historic, building and landmarks across Indiana. While we both had heard of them before, we fell into their mailing list last year after donating to them on behalf of someone else. Of course, once your on a charity's mailing list, you get all the fundraising mailer from them. We bypassed this even last year, but this year, we decided to go.

After my experience at Make-A-Wish's even a couple of weeks ago, I had high expectations. MAW really has their event nailed down to a tee - it's run so well! I guess they've spoiled me. Granted, I know not all charities have the same backing or experience, so to think all event can be like that is sort of unrealistic. But I gotta say, Indiana Landmarks did a pretty good job!

They hold the even at their headquarters, which is a recently renovated church. It's a beautiful building, and I've been wanting to check it out since they finished it a couple of years ago - I pass it everyday on my way home from work! As soon as we walked up, we were welcomed with a local craft beer tasting - the brew was created for this event, basically. We proceeded inside, where it was really a free roam of the place, except for the office area. It's huge building, complete with a big sanctuary and, in addition, a small theater type area. Plus, there was a full basement, where they had artwork on display (and for sale). There was a nice spread of food and a bar in every main area.

After roaming around, they began their first of two programs. They started with the presentation of the Cooke trophy, given for best restoration of the year. Quickly after that, they had a cocktail creation competition with three area bartenders. It was pretty fun to watch and kept everyone very entertained. There was a short break before the next program, in another area of the building, where they ran down their list of "10 Most Endangered Places in Indiana" for 2013. This was followed by a charity auction - not quite as big as MAW's.

Eric and I actually left at this point. After the auction, however, they were planning on rounding out the evening with a band and dancing, while the dessert buffets came out. All in all, it was a very nice event! I wouldn't mind making this an annual thing for us - I think it's one of the few charities we both can kind of get behind. So until next year...

Pacers Playoffs!

I'm not sure why I'm all up on the Pacers this year... I think they've just become a fun, young team to watch. And I'm not even remotely a big basketball fan (at any level)! But it's been fun to watch them season!!

Eric and I went to Game #2 of the first round of playoffs tonight. To start, we actually got there on time! You wouldn't think that would be all that difficult for us, but for some reason it has been. So we go to see Boomer (the mascot) rappel from the rafters, and all the player introductions (so I finally know what the disco ball are for!), and all the pregame hoopla! It was actually kind of cool.

They don't take long to jump into the actual game, though. it started out a little slow, but picked up pretty quickly in the second quarter. There were even some seriously good dunks to watch! Still not quite to the level of the Heat game we went to awhile back, but a lot better than the past two games we went to. If we could only get to at least THIS level during regular season games!

During one of the time-outs, they did a competition between two fans - who could get the most shots in from the top of the key in a minute. Interestingly enough, it was an old(er) guy against a 20-something. One look at the gray hair and belly of the older guy made you think he had no chance. But if you went off that hunch, you would've been dead wrong - he sunk almost every ball - almost all of them were nothing but the net, too! He definitely had the fans attention.

In the end, the Pacer won, 113-98. So they lead the series, 2-0. Hopefully, they can wrap in up in Atlanta over the next two games. Go Pacers!

Flooding to Freezing??

So... another weather blog... aren't you excited?!

This week, we've been pounded with rain! As of this evening, we we just above 5 inches for the week - that's a lot! And, quite frankly, the land wasn't ready for it. Nor were the people! We started having flooding and swollen streams/rivers like no one has seen in decades! Areas that haven't ever seen flooding were seeing flooding - a lot of people suddenly had waterfront property!

Thankfully, we weren't one of them.

Most of the rain stopped this morning, but the aftermath was severe enough to cause one neighboring metro area county to declare a travel advisory - nothing but emergency personnel on the roads! The news crews were showing some areas that were crazy flooded (that's what they're supposed to do, I guess). Of course, being the disaster obsessed person I am, I had to go find some myself. But I just went to an area that usually gets flooded and snapped some pictures and gawked for a bit. I was near a river, though, which was actually yet to crest. So I'm sure it actually got worse.

If all this wasn't bad enough, this afternoon it started spitting sleet, and snow flurries even fell a bit. What?? Yep... that last round of storms was a cold front blowing through, and now we're supposed to drop below freezing overnight. This can't be a good combo. Hopefully, the ground is warm enough that nothing actually freezes. The currents are definitely strong enough in all of these swollen waters - they shouldn't freeze!

So tell me... why can't Spring just get here and STAY here? I can handle a bunch of rain and some flooding (I can only say that since my home wasn't impacted), but to drop to freezing?? No. Not having it. I'm starting to think Mother Nature has a deal with one of these companies doing all the fracking... trying to keep us heating our homes longer (and more!) than usual.

Big Wish Gala

Tonight, I got to volunteer at the event of all events.

Okay, so I might be exaggerating a little bit. But it IS a pretty spectacular event.

Tonight was the Make-A-Wish Big Wish Gala! Granted, I've never volunteers at anything of MAW's that isn't pretty awesome. But somehow, I've missed this opportunity in past years. not sure how, but this will become a regular thing for me now!

So, what is it?

Well, this is one of our local chapters big, BIG fundraising events. It's quite a dressy affair (without being too formal), where it's pretty much 100% donation driven. And people who come have no problem with that, as a majority are some of the City's high rollers, so to speak. To start, it was a few hundred dollars just to get in the door. So it wasn't just JimBob coming to rub shoulders with important people because he could. And that donation to get in was just the tip of the iceberg!

Once guests arrived, they got to stroll through the silent auction area, where there were items ranging from pampered doggy daycare, to trips to Hawaii. The also got to buy raffle tickets for a $43k diamond necklace! Also on display were the items that would be up for live auction later, such as an adorable Golden Retriever puppy (and yes, they were walking him around the room)!

Once the doors opened for dinner, guests went in to enjoy a nice dinner with Host, Dallas Clark, beginning the program. Much of the program tugged on heartstrings, which a lot of MAW events often do. It's hard not to when you're talking about kids and the feats they accomplish while going through treatments for some horrible health issue. They even had a 'fairy godmother' come in and grant the wish of one little girl who was in attendance - it was so heartwarming! Of course, shortly after this point was when they mentioned the donation cards on the table, where guests could openly donate as much as they'd like.

After some more stories and dessert, the live auction began! It was done true, authentic, auction style, with the fast talking auctioneer and everything. You could hear it all happening - wish I could've been in the room. I know these 20 items along probably raised over $100k alone! Which is so awesome. If I had to guess, the overall even probably raised close to $500k. But that's completely a guess. I know I had some people checking out with some pretty high totals. Granted, for every person who checked out with something, there was someone who didn't do anything but buy the initial ticket to get in. But there were around 700 people in attendance, so it had to be a pretty decent night of donations.

I have to share one of the most touching moments, though... it happened outside of the ballroom and out of the spotlight. One of the live auctions was a quilt made by a wish child, whose wish was to have a sewing machine. Well, she got a top of the line, do everything sewing machine (think $10k) and made this quilt as a way to say 'thank you' and help raise money. The winner of this quilt was the grandfather of another wish child - he bought if for his grandson. The quilt, itself, was very MAW oriented, with quotes and 'wish stars' on it, so it was very appropriate that it went to a wish child. His grandson was already snuggling with the quilt at the checkout - it was so touching. I wish I had a picture to share of the moment... at least I have the memory to share.

Tonight just reaffirmed why Make-A-Wish is my main philanthropy - the one I decided I wanted to do, on my own, because it was something I felt strongly about. I support other charities, and while they are important to me, this will always be the one that first made a big enough impact on me to make me want to donate more than money - my time can actually do so much more sometimes.

Stop and Think

I'm not old. Some would say I'm not even middle-aged. But that's the thing... how do you technically know when it really is YOUR middle-age? It may have been 10 years ago. It could be 5 years from now. The fact of the matter it, you don't know when your time will be up, so you don't know when your 'middle-age' is (technically speaking). Obviously, I'm not talking about your mental state of mind about your life... I speaking very specifically to your life span.

Late last night, I found out one of my friends from high school passed away after a very tragic accident last week. He was one of those guys that always had a smile on his face, and knew how to put one on your face, too. I'm ashamed to say I really lost touch with him, as I have nearly all my friends from high school. I've even let my college friends slip away more than I'd like to admit. But Nick was one of those guys I really wish I kept in touch with - he was one of those friends that you could call to just talk to if you needed it. Everyone needs friends like that. More importantly, everyone should hang on to friends like that, and not lose touch.

This is not the first friend from high school that I've lost. Which really sucks to say at my age. Unfortunately, I lost one friend early on in junior high, even, and learned quickly how someone can be taken from your life in an instant. And even though they told you it was coming, it slipped right by you and you wonder if you just did one thing differently...

Some of the losses made sense, at least, though not any more acceptable (like military action). But the worst ones are the ones you learn about years after the fact, and they make you feel like absolute crap because you had no idea. You can't even call yourself a friend after that point.

But this time... Nick's passing hit me differently, even though I found out as everyone else was finding out. This was the first one I learned about on Facebook. You don't think about stuff like this in social media. I'm glad I at least learned about his passing, but to see everyone pouring out condolences - not on any one page, but as their status and through old pictures - it became a social memorial, for lack of a better term. You could really see how many lives he touched.

Seeing everyone pouring out their hearts made me think of my own mortality and look at my own life and connections. Are there people out there that I want to reach out to, people who I felt I was good friends with and let slip away? Facebook does help with that, but at the end of the day, it still just a digital time stamp of your life and the people you know. The connections don't get re-established until you do more then friend them and read their status - there has to be some personal effort. Then there's the people who aren't on Facebook - how do you find them?

And when will my 'middle-age' actually be? Has it passed? Is there another friend from high school I'll have to say good-bye to soon? That would suck. That's when being 1000 miles away really kills me. Yes, many others moved away as I did. But we all seem to have that connection to the core of people who are still in the area or moved back after college. It's where our 'adult' life began - where we made our first true friends. Sure, we make other connections... but there's something about that first one.

Life is precious. And while friends may be there for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, each one is important. No matter what point in your life they are there, to lose one is to lose a small part of who you are. All you can do is hang on to that spirit they had and the memories you made together to preserve them within you. After all, that's what the heart's there for.

Spring Tease

Oh, Mother Nature, you are such a tease! You had all of us going earlier this week. It hit a high of 81 degrees on Tuesday, and everyone started busting out their shorts and tees... The sun was shining bright, with the warm breeze hitting us as we strolled down the road. We were happy. It was finally Spring. The winter was a long, cold, brutal one - much colder than normal. But finally, you were giving us Spring.

Until yesterday. Well, Thursday, really, when it rained. All. Day. Long. Then yesterday you gave us a dreary day with a high of only 48 degrees.

Did we do something wrong? Did we not express enough gratitude for the gorgeous weather you gave us?? We really meant to, if we didn't! We won't have a lack of appreciation if you bring that beautiful weather back to us!

But more-so, think of the flowers and tree buds!! They, too, started coming out because Spring was here - don't freeze them out! Our neighbor's tulip tree popped earlier this week, but the wind and rain is quickly making all the flowers fall. Some bulbs started to bloom, but they're quickly becoming stunted with this cold weather! And the birds and other animals... They were so alive and full of spirit earlier this week. Now I barely hear a sound as they try to find shelter for the cold.

Please. Please bring back the Spring we so desperately want and need! There's rumor of the sun coming out today... but it's still hiding behind dreary clouds. Let it shine through and warm us back up. We will express so much more gratitude next time.

Sincerely,
Me

Pacer Pride

Indiana is known for basketball. Our pro team, the Pacer's, have had some off years and some, well, questionable players since I've been up here (ie. Ron Artest). But now we have a very young players, and they're good! They're quite good, actually!

Sadly, we have lack-luster fans in Indiana that don't seem to get behind any team except for the Colts. And that was proven to be a bandwagon that drives through town only when the Colts are a team that's on route to the playoffs - don't let these fans see a bad year because they will jump off that bandwagon before you can even say, 'Maybe Next Year."

So Eric and I went to our second game tonight. I wish I could say we've been to more this year, but Eric's travel schedule really impeded that opportunity. The first game we went to was just a couple weeks ago, and they won that one. But the attendance was SO sad! And while there are some really great fans that get into the games and cheer, there are way more that don't. Compared to the Heat game we went to in Miami, the fieldhouse was so quiet! Almost no energy, except for Area 55 and the G2 Zone.

It's not like tickets are expensive - you can't get resale tickets for less than face value! It's actually kind of sad! With fees, Eric and I can go for around $20. And that's TOTAL, not each!!

Tonight's attendance was a little better. It was 'Family Night' and it was a good team (Brooklyn Nets). The Family Night is something the Pacer's have done for awhile, a few times a season, and usually draws a good crowd. But it still wasn't a sell out. At least not it the sense that every seat was filled.

Unfortunately, they lost. But, they're still heading to the playoff this year. I don't think they'll win it all, but with a such a young team, with no one single big name, this is a great feat! It's no wonder they call out their fans, or rather, lack of fans publicly. Everyone should have a little Pacer Pride right about now. They deserve some recognition and more attention from the people of Indiana.