Awesome Weekend of Hiking and More!

After two full days of hiking, my legs are a bit sore and thankfully the hiking boots did not create any new blisters. The new sandals created plenty on Friday.

Friday
An early departure from work provide me time to catch up with folks in Bloomington and enjoy a nice dinner at Shanti Indian with JL and KK. Though spicy, the dinner was quite tasty. Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice walk and some Jiffy Treat on the east side of Bloomington.

Saturday - McCormick's Creek
Pauline and I enjoyed a wonderful day at McCormick's Creek. The rain held off and we completed about 5 miles. The day started with a 2 mile moderate hike to see Wolf Cave and the Twin Bridges. After a brief break for lunch, we continued on to complete another 3 miles of moderate hiking in the southern half of the park. It also included a climb up one of the few standing Fire Tower's throughout Indiana.

After the hike, it was time to try another international cuisine. We enjoyed dinner at Basil Leaf. I had a Vietnamese cuisine with a Thai Iced Tea both of which were delicious. The evening concluded somewhat nicely minus the constant interruptions about the weather happening north of Indy as we watched the first game of the Stanley Cup.

Sunday - Yellowwood State Forest
Have you been to Yellowwood, if not I definitely suggest a trip. The hike is more like backcountry hiking and animals are more abundant throughout the park. I saw geese and their little ones, a frog, turtle, deer, some sort of lizard, multiple chipmunks, and squirrels.

Today's hike lead me on two self-guided interpretive trails learning about the management of Yellowwood's natural resources and exploration of the various habitat types throughout the forest.

The journey started on the Resource Management Trail (1.5 miles/moderate), which I completed 2/3 of before continuing along the Lake Trail (5 miles/moderate). The Lake Trail led into the Jackson Creek Trail (1.5 miles/easy) and then back to the Lake Trail.

Two hours into the hike, it was time for some reading and lunch. I'm currently reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Additional report on the book will come later. Lunch was delicious. Since Subway and Jimmy Johns were not open at 9:30 am, I decided to try out Bloomington Bagel. I should have gotten two bagels because they are so delicious. I enjoyed a cinnamon sugar PB&J bagel sandwich.

Two hours later, it was time to hit the trails again. 1/2 an hour later, I ran into the Scarce O'Fat Trail (4 miles rugged). It was not time to head home and I need to get use to a lot of hiking before I hit Washington so off I went on the Scarce O'Fat Trail. The trail then ran into the High King Vista Trail (.5 mile moderate but 1/4 steep). Thankfully, the 1/4 steep hill was downhill from the direction which I came. Then there was still another 35 mins to hike along the Lake Trail to get back to the car.

To say the least, I was worn out when I got to the car and feeling a little stiffness in the right calf.

The weekend is now over and I will post some pictures soon for you too see of the weekend hikes.

Weight Loss Update

Yikes, it has been a month since I have updated the blog. I apologize. The month has escaped me.

The workout is not going so well. The daily walking Mon-Fri is still fairly on pace with a day here and there with little walking. The eating habits are struggling at the moment with no cafeteria food and constant salad. I enjoyed lots of food out this weekend but did not gain any weight so that is exciting.

Current Weight 185 lbs, which has stayed steady for a couple weeks now.
Total weight loss thus far 22 lbs. Goal of at least 10 more by mid-July.

It was exciting going shopping with LB and Pauline on Monday at the outlet malls. I actually could look for clothes in sections that were not viable last time.

One-Way Flight to Seattle, WA - Booked

What was your first thoughts when you saw the heading? It has stirred some comments on Facebook that is for sure.

Yes, the heading is correct. I purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle, WA today, which was a big step in life. It marks the beginning of what shall be an exciting, fun, thrilling two-week adventure starting and ending here in Franklin, IN.

Anyone interested in giving me a ride to the Indy airport for my departure flight on June 20? At least, I changed my flight to a 7:15 am departure instead of a 5:30 am departure.

So what happens during those two weeks is still up for debate and maybe some of you can provide some insight. Upon arrival at 11:02 PST in Seattle, my friend (SF) and I have approximately two weeks to arrive back in Franklin, IN. The goal is to celebrate America's Independence in Bloomington so if you live there look for some more info to come soon.

The overarching places we plan to see on our eastward adventure of the northwest:
Seattle - Arrival Day
Mt St Helens
Ellensburg (where SF lives)
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
Devil's Tower
Mount Rushmore
Badlands
Corn Palace (SF found last time she drove)

Any other sites we should hit from Seattle, WA to Bloomington, IN?
Any specific places you would suggest us going within any of these areas?
Any words of wisdom at all for our adventure?
Anyone have a nice hiking backpack I could borrow for a couple weeks that works as a carry-on?

Definitely more to come about this journey and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, but for now I must get some sleep.

Getting in Shape!!!!

The new goal is to lose weight but also to get into shape. As mentioned previously, I signed up for a health assessment class here at FC. We received a workout plan several weeks ago but I have failed to engage in the program until now.

New workout plan started, Thursday, April 30 with encouragement from my student trainer.

Thursday April 30
- Warmup walk and stretch
- Approx. 10 min jog
- Cool down walk and stretch
- Dumbbell press, bicep curls, and a few other arm exercises.
- Set of crunches

Friday May 1
- Normal lunchtime walk with some definite soreness in the legs

Saturday May 2
- Dumbbell press, bicep curls, and a few other arm exercises.
- Stretching
- Walk to Masonic home and back to watch the FC Grizzly Grand Prix (Bike Race)

Sunday May 3
- Warmup walk and stretch
- Jog 10 mins same run as Thursday but went about 50 yards further.
- 5 min walk/stretch
- Jog 5 mins back to the start of the original jog.
- Cool down walk/stretch
- Weight Room - Leg press, leg curl, leg extensions, lat pull downs, seated row
- Crunches and more stretching

Goal to lift weights three times per week and jog four times per week for starters.

Weight Loss Update - Current weight 189
Goal by the time I see my family in July 175 lbs another 14 lbs for total of 32 lbs since January.

Three Things..Learn some new things about me

This is for those friends not on Facebook.

3 things: Now, here's what you're supposed to do. And please do not spoil the fun. Start a new note, delete my answers and put in your own. Tag all your friends and tell them to tag you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known things about each other.

1. Three Names I go by:
Robin
Murph
Starky (in college)

2. Three Jobs I have had in my life:
babysitter
department store cashier/stocker
campus security dispatcher

3. Three places I have lived in:
Bloomington, IN
Georgetown, KY
Paducah, KY

4. Three TV Shows that I watch:
My Boys
NCIS
Brothers & Sisters

5. Three places I have been to:
Perth, Western Australia (plus southwest corner)
Ghana (from south to north)
Stratford, Canada

6. Three people that e-mail me regularly:
Earline
Amy R.
Kerri S.

7. Three of my favorite foods:
Cheese
Dark chocolate
Egg, Cheese, and Bologna Sandwich

8. Three things I would like to do:
Mission Trip to Africa
Travel to the Holy Lands
England to find family

9. Three friends I think will respond:
Chris V.
Sarah F.
Julie D.

10. Three things I am looking forward to:
An eastward adventure of the west in June/July and going MIA
My Boys Marathon with a friend
Having a family one day

Health Assessment Class

Wow, it has been a long and rough few weeks since I last updated you on my health status.

The workout, even the walking, has drastically disappeared in the last few weeks. I hope now that my first big event is over and things went well. I can again focus on working out, getting in shape, and eating healthier. In the next few days, I will be getting a nutrition plan from my student. Until then, I will try to workout and continue the walking.

Update on the weight loss...
10-week program I lost 17 lbs to put me at 190.
Two weeks ago I lost 2 lbs but this week I have gained one of those lbs back.

How are you doing?

KYR SCCA Event #2

Results from the first autocross of the season and unfortunately, I am not sure how many more I will attend. It's amazing how fast weekends fill up.

It poured to start the day, cleared off in time to race, and rained again to finish the day off. Here are my times in order of runs:
47.206
44.593
45.052
45.621
44.798

NO CONES - The car handled a lot better than I thought it would in the rain. I am in dire need of seat time to improve.

The winning G Stock time was 41.608.
28/34 in PAX
32/34 in RAW

Top 100 Places to Live - Lexington, Columbus

Relocate-America's™ Top 100 Places to Live in 2009

Lexington, KY ranks in the top 12 best places to live.

Did you know that in 2008, Lexington was ranked as the 2nd most educated city in the U.S. behind Seattle, WA? This comes from Business Facilities.

Did you know that Toyota is apparently a major employer of Lexington? Unfortunately soon Lexington is going to eat up all of the neighboring towns into a greater Lexington area.

Check out the blurb about Lexington for some other interesting insights.

A couple other interesting cities to me and my other readers in the top 100 include:
Columbus, IN (approx 20 miles south of Franklin)
Noblesville and Fishers, IN
Columbus, OH

Enjoy the reading and finding your next location to live!

What a Weekend

First of all thanks to all of those who allowed me to visit and/or stay with them this weekend. It was awesome to see each and everyone of you.

For those I did not see especially those ill, I hope you get to feeling better soon and do not worry as this story continues, you will see I will be back maybe sooner than later.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

Congrats and Best Wishes to Dr. French! He served Georgetown proudly for 33 years and all of his fellow humans will never forget the compassion and love he showed for each of his students. By the way class starts at 9:30 Naval Observatory Time, you better set your watches appropriately. It was wonderful to see and catch up with professors, staff, and alumni.

Saturday was my first experience of Thunder over Louisville at least that I can remember. I did not actually head downtown for Thunder, but I did catch it on the TV at my friends, RJ squared. It was a lovely production and maybe one day I will venture down to the river to witness it first hand.

Autocross season is HERE. Though a very rainy, rainy day, I enjoyed my first autocross of the season and am now trying to rationalize going to EKU next weekend. Or maybe I should check out the rest of the month and rationalize another event. Either way, I really do not know if I can wait until June to race again. Also if I plan on being in anyway competitive this season, I must practice.

My overall results were not stellar today. I finished 28 out of 34 cars with my second run being the best of 5. The car was quite impressive and stayed under me plus no cones were taken out. The braking before the turns seemed to be good but the line was not all that smooth. The key to improvement is practice and driving the car approximately 300 miles a month is not very good practice.

Children, Children, and more Children The cute little ones of all of my friends was a joy to be around this weekend. I definitely had a good fill of children this weekend though very glad when mom, dad, and grandma were around to take care of the dirty diapers. :-)

Those are just a few of the many highlights from this weekend.

Please keep me in your thoughts this week as I prepare for a large event on Saturday.

12 Loads of Laundry for 1 Person

The weekend is here. I am on call for work so what better thing to do but clean the apartment. It is now 8:30 pm and the work is almost done. It all started about 12:30 pm.

12 Loads of Laundry, only 9 loads for the dryer - Seriously, Yes
I asked myself the same question earlier today and so did my friend Pauline when I told her. But after examining the contents of the 12 loads, it does not seem as crazy.

Loads Contents
2 Sheets
1 Mattress Pad
1 Blankets
1 Towels
1 Fleece Jackets/Sweatshirts
1 Sweaters
1 Reds
1 Jeans/PJs
1 Lights
1 Darks
1 Underwear/Cleaning Rags/Workout Clothes

So really only 6 real loads of laundry for about 3 weeks, which is not too bad especially since some were small loads.

Anyone want to come visit now that the apartment is clean. Everything has been cleaned though there is still a bit of clutter around the apartment.

Dump Your Plump - Conclusion - 10 Full Weeks

10 Weeks of Dump Your Plump is over and I met my weight loss goal of 7 lbs and exercising at least 30 minutes 5 days a week was accomplished. It has all gone down hill the past two weeks, but hopefully next week I can get back into the groove. This week has been really busy with work and preparing for Easter.

After Week 10 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 9 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 8 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 7 - 190 (-1 lb)
After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Dump Your Plump - 8 Full Weeks In

Well, I did not gain weight this past week nor did I lose. I will take this considering my eating habits over the past week. I hope to engage in healthier eating for the last two weeks and see how much I can lose after 10 weeks.

Current weight loss 17 lbs.

After Week 8 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 7 - 190 (-1 lb)
After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Health Update

Well as I am sharing what I am doing to lose weight and become healthy, I figure I might as well share some of the other progresses.

On March 3, our insurance did a free blood draw (actually we got $25 for doing it). The results came in today and in comparing them to my cholesterol results from early December, there is some good progress though everything is still out of normal except HDL.

Total Cholesterol dropped 29.
HDL dropped 4 which puts it on the border of being too low.
LDL dropped 10.
Triglycerides dropped 73.
Glucose dropped 6.

Overall, the three month turn around is very exciting for me. I just hope everything continues to drop except HDLs.

Update 2: I am not feeling so great about this weeks Dump Your Plump progress. Life has been very busy, not necessarily stressful, but busy. And through that I have been doing a lot of snacking and eating things that I really shouldn't be. We will see how I survive the weekend and if I can get a bit more active, this weekend.

Update 3: The pants which I have purchased in the last 8 months because the others were no longer fitting. Are now the ones no longer fitting? I am being swallowed up in them, which is exciting though now I need to check out the closet and find the old pants that now fit. I am not comfortable with the fit yet of the size lower but hopefully a few more lbs and I will be less concerned.
Thanks for all the votes of confidence and congratulations!

How are your efforts going?

Health Assessment Classes 1 and 2

As mentioned previously, I have turned myself over to the FC Health Assessment class.

Class 1 was spent getting all the necessary background information. We had to complete some forms about our history and then have several tests taken. The calipers came out to measure our body fat in three different locations and the tape measured was used for the waist, chest, thigh, and arm measurements. The students also took our blood pressure and pulse. We got on scales that not only measured our weight but also did some sort of body max index. Then there was a hand held object as well that measured BMI.

Results were not so great. My blood pressure was a bit high though nothing too concerning. My body max index is high putting me in the obesity class III category. Goals outlined previously have been defined as attainable and we will be working on exercising and healthy eating.

Class 2 tested our cardiovascular health. After a warm-up and some stretching, we walked as fast as we could for a mile around the track. Then it was to the aerobic step blocks, which about killed me. The left leg is definitely is in need of rehab. After a short period, I could no longer lead off with the left leg, which resulted in my right leg tiring out faster as well. I made it the 3 mins of stepping but it was not strong. After each activity my pulse was taking and so we will see next week what the results of my cardiovascular health is.

Class 3 will be a strength test.

Dump Your Plump - 7 Full Weeks In

The pounds keep coming off though a bit slower than initially. I cannot complain too much because my eating habits have not been the best in the last couple of weeks. The munchies are taking over as I am working a lot and just have the munchies. The bowl of dark chocolate m&m's has disappeared a lot faster within the last week to almost emptiness. The bowl will most likely be empty by the end of this week at the current rate.

Tomorrow is back to health assessment class a full report to follow soon.

Current weight loss 17 lbs.

After Week 7 - 190 (-1 lb)
After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Whats your favorite flavor of popcorn?

How many flavors of popcorn have you ever seen or had? Well if you like popcorn and would like to try more, I have just the place for you. Even if you are not a huge popcorn fan, you definitely will be hooked after a visit.

Not Just Popcorn in Edinburgh, IN has over 240 flavors. Divided into 5 categories: Premium, Gourmet, Savories, Chocolate Covered, and Chicago Cheddar.

Today I tried several including Pina Colada, Amaretto, Chicago Mix (Chicago Cheddar & Caramel), Banana Split, Root Beer Float, Dill, Mexican Salsa, Extremely Blue Raspberry, Caramel, Key Lime Pie, and more.

I left with a FC tin of Caramel because I really couldn't decide what I wanted and the Chicago Mix was a bit too expensive. It definitely is not a cheap item to purchase but something nice every now and again. The smaller bags are a lot less expensive but they would never last long enough.

There is a large variety of tins to purchase and fill with popcorn. If you return with the tin, all future fills are 1/2 the original cost.

What else can you do in Edinburgh? Head to the outlet malls and not too far out of the way on your way to Franklin you can see the grave in the middle of the road. Additionally, there are many wineries close, hiking, and an old movie at the ArtCraft in Franklin. I enjoyed great entertainment tonight and saw the all time classic "Hoosiers". So let me know when you would like to visit.

The Skullbuster Rally

Another event on last weekends schedule was a Road Rally. The first rally in several years and the skills were a bit rusty, especially at the beginning.

The Skullbuster Rally was a Time Speed Distance rally in northern Scott County, which actually went through Skullbuster, KY. G and I paired up once again to work on defeating the men's teams as well as all others. The skills as mentioned earlier were a bit rusty and sleep deprived, but that did not matter as we still finished 2nd. We defeated all the teams we really sought out and will look to improve in the future.

Definitely had some eventful moments with 2-3 missed turns and one navigator second guessing, which resulted in a couple minutes loss plus a potty break. All worked out as I was able to correct our time and purchase a time allowance to keep us inline for a victory. I try hard not to take time allowances but with a potty break there was not a whole lot of options.

Key things learned from this and past rallies:
- Remind driver to have gas in car.
- Keep driver from drinking too much before the event starts especially caffeinated beverages.
- I really need more sleep before starting and I'm definitely the nerd with the calculator and table for calculating :-)

I encourage you to try it out. If you like to drive and enjoy the country side, it can be fun times. The next event is a Gimmick rally which does not require time calculations like the TSD rallies. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance as I have to be within 15 minutes of FC, but it should be a lot of fun. Check out the CKRSCCA website Rally Schedule.

Basketball Madness Before March

Last weekend was full of basketball.

Transylvania hosted the men's and women's HCAC Division III basketball tournament, which was great but not great. Not great because Franklin men had a chance to host the tournament had they defeated Defiance the week before. Great because I was headed to Lexington anyway that weekend therefore I could actually watch the games.

Friday at Transylvania
- Franklin women were defeated by Transy in the semifinal game during the early afternoon.
- Franklin men revenged the loss to Defiance to gain a final berth.

I enjoyed watching the second half of the game, unfortunately I was unable to leave in time to watch the full game or the women play.

Saturday Basketball
The afternoon started off with a nice walk from Transy to Rupp Arena to watch the UK vs LSU game. Reminder section 231 is a standing section, but I had a wonderful time with friends and Father. Unfortunately, the end result was not so great.

Previous post mentions the great dinner I had at Sawyers before walking back to Transy in the sleet/freezing rain to watch the Franklin vs Transy men's game, again an exciting game but one with unfortunate results. Franklin loss at the end.

March Basketball
A blessing in disguise may be at hand. With all the work ahead of me, I have not been watching a lot of basketball minus last weekend and doubt a lot will be watched in the upcoming weeks. Therefore, I will not be saddened by the fact the majority of my teams will most likely be missing from the tournament and keep on losing. I wish them all the best.

GO TIGERS!!!! They play tomorrow in the championship of the NAIA MSC in Frankfort.

Dump Your Plump - 6 Full Weeks In

A little late on this post, but thought I would share quickly anyway. Last week I had a weight loss of 1 lb though I am pretty impressed with that after last weekends fun.

Friday, February 27 was a light day but Saturday, February 28 was nothing but unhealthy eating. It was quite delicious and savoring, but not so healthy.

Saturday the enjoyment of a bacon, egg, cheese bagel from McDonalds. Lunch at Galvin's in Georgetown for a semi healthy buffalo chicken salad w/ blue cheese. The kicker comes Saturday night with a lovely, delicious famous Sawyer's burger with bacon, provolone, mushrooms, ketchup, and mustard, along with some fries and a Bass.

At least, I did get some exercise on Saturday walking to and from Transy and Rupp along with lots of standing at the UK/LSU and Franklin/Transy games more on that in another post.

Sunday included a wonderful breakfast at Alfalfa's but again not the healthiest. 3 blueberry/blackberry griddle cakes, over easy egg, bacon, and fruit. I did try kiwi for the first time. It is a very sweet fruit.

Well that is last weeks update. This weeks update will be forthcoming after Monday.

Current weight loss 16 lbs.

After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Try to forget...Duke vs UK 1992

A quick check of the latest local news in Lexington resulted in the following article New Ad Features Laettner, Pitino.