Set In Our Ways...

is the name of my Tuesday night co-ed volleyball team. I play on a lot of team sports, but Tuesday night always provides lots of laughter over a few beers and of course sand volleyball.

Anyways, our summer league ended so my friend Christine and I were in charge of awards for the season. We decided to give everyone volleyball frames with them doing amazing shots - of course these were not serious.

Good times and great laughter. Above is a pic of the team and one of my favorite is below, a shot of our friend Josh - who always gets picked on. Maybe if he decided to show up a little earlier and more often he wouldn't get picked on?

8 Weddings and One Unexpected Insight on Love

Last summer it was wedding central, but this year I seem to have a bunch of them jam packed into the Fall season. I thought about this blog after my roommate, pictured with her husband Tom, got married and their relationship was catapulted into a level I never saw before. They have made each other laugh, scream, cry and many other emotions over the past 11 years but it all came together and made sense when they got married September 6, 2008.

So, with all this wedding hoopla I have spent quite some time talking about love and life with a lot of people and what the future holds for not only me, but them… I had a lot of the- who’s the right one conversations recently and one of the best ones and most surprising ones was with Tom just days before their wedding. After being with Jodie for 11 years, I asked him what it was that made him know she was “The One”. Simply put, Tom said, “I love her, she makes me laugh, we put up with each other’s vices, she’s Jodie – come on, who doesn’t love her and I have her!” And at that moment, I realized that Jodie and Tom have the love everyone wants – the one that has stood the test of time, through their breakups and make ups at the end of the day they are still madly in love with each other. Right then and there, I was the most happy I have been for Jodie in my entire life!

I have been living with Tom and Jodie for quite some time, Jodie 4 years and Tom unofficially 2 years (more so as their house get rehabbed). They might shoot me for writing about them, but nothing too much revealed. But living with them I went through a lot of their relationship and saw it all come together on their magical night. So, after thinking about it all and seeing how happy they were I truly believe what my Mom always tells me – “Love is crazy, love is passionate, love can be your worst enemy but if it’s the one no matter what you go through you go through it together and at the end of the day you can get into bed with them and want nothing more than to intertwine your feet and take in their scent.”

That simply put is my outlook on love. I am a lover and a giver, so being optimistic is what I do best in a relationship – I can be oh so angry and bitter one minute and love you the next. I want what Jodie has - a true soul mate. But, do I think we all have one soul mate –NO! I’ve been in love before and am in love now but each time it was slightly different. I love this quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, “ People think your soul mate is your perfect match and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, a person who shows you everything you are holding back. The person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you will meet in your life because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.”



Why do I love that quote??? Because I think it has truth to it. My past soul mates that have come in and out of my life showed me something, a side of me I may not have ever known. Forced me face things I didn’t want to, pushed me to scale a mountain in Mexico, allowed me to discover a new country and city on my own and much much more. Without them, I wouldn’t have done that- I wouldn’t have tore down my walls I built to protect myself from being hurt. They wouldn’t have allowed me to let new and undiscovered aspects of my life in. They showed me true pain and pleasure all at once.

I have no idea when/which soul mate is the one – and a billion people can give you advice on love and you just don’t listen to it until you are ready…so maybe it’s all about being ready who knows. For Tom and Jodie it took 11 years but they are more happy now then I have ever seen them! I do know I want a love that challenges me and makes me laugh, but at the end of the day it’s just us is this hectic world and I wouldn’t want anything more…and to Jodie and Tom who have found that!

PS. The bear is Gilby, their baby that has been with them since the beginning. He's sort of a phenomenon.

Online Friendships Saves Babies Life

The video below is amazing and shows the friendships that can forge between the simplistic social networking we all do online via social networking sites like Facebook.

If you watch only the first two minutes of the video you will get the picture and probably have a little softspot awakened in your heart. These two women met through www.babyfit.com, a sister site to the website I focus my efforts on, www.sparkpeople.com

It's amazing that two woman on totally opposite sides of the world can mean more to each other than they could ever have imagined! This story has been featured many times in many places and will be featured tonight on Inside Edition so tune in!

Flip Flops & Skyline

I play on a softball team every Thursday night, in fact I am actually the coach. Sometimes I ask them totally random poll questions I wonder about or sometimes ask them just to get a good response. So I made today one of those days all because of the following:

One of my co-worker's wear this shirt that the guys in the office call his "Towel Shirt". This is becuase it is made of a terri cloth like material that looks like you could just throw it on when you get outta the shower. Also, we get a lot of product to try at work and received these flip flops that are somewhat stylish but provide a work out when you walk. So I thought, great this is an opportunity for random poll question day.

So below are the questions with some great answers I received back. So thanks to the team and thanks to those who really know me, and know I can't resist a great set of calves:)

Would you rather be forced to….

1. Eat Montgomery Inn Rib’s Sauce on every meal for the next week
2. Eat only Skyline Chili for a month

Would you rather wear…

1. An article of clothing that doubles as a towel
2. Shoes that have elevated soles that provided a work out when you walk (which promotes great calves)

The winners are:

Skyline and Shoes....below are the reasons why:

"Montgomery Inn Rib’s sauce on every meal because I don’t think anyone’s digestive system can handle a full month of Skyline" Damon

"An article of clothing that doubles as a towel, because the elevated sole on the shoe as a workout theory is a bunch of bunk. Or else every woman that wears high heels would have killer calves"Damon

"Shoes that provide my calves a workout – only because I know how much nice calves turn you on sweetheart ; )" Keith

"I think I will go for the towel shirt. That would be awfully comfortable" Michael

"Montgomery Inn sauce and towel, I'm all about the comfort" Chelsey

"Montgomery Inn Sauce, just add a little hot sauce and I’m good to go" Megan

"We all know how much we dig on some good calves" Megan

"I would fart even more if I always ate skyline" anonymous

"I already own a teri-cloth shirt. They are way comfortable" Jim

"I would like both a towel shirt and the shoes as I never have any clean towels and honestly need to work on my calves" Andy

"I don’t think I would really wear a towel shirt. If you come up with a hat that doubles as a pillow, let me know" Dan

"While neither could or should be considered fashionable, I could maybe get away with platform shoes. I vote for the calves" Kylee

So the answers are out folks and this poll is complete. I'm going to have to agree with the team on question #1, I would go ahead and eat Skyline for a month. WIth the ever expanding menu I think I could always find a different option to not get too burnt out to quick. For #2, I will have to go with the shirt. I always have a hard time getting out of my towel when I get out of the shower, the shirt is a good substitution. However, I do love me a great set of calves on a man...you gotta have nice calves or I am not even going to consider you as an option!

Dragons Poo Fat Free Ice Cream

So, did that title catch your attention? Yep, that's me with totally random thoughts and ideas. But, in my quest to achieve the perfect body I have become to come across tons of workout myths and dieting tips that crack me up - so I made one up myself, dragons poo fat free ice cream!

I mean I love the idea of eating lemon, maple syrup and water for a week straight, but on top of pancakes, chips, bread and all sorts of yummy stuff. These diets are horrible for you!!! Not only does your body get totally out of whack, but you have little to no motivation to get off the couch!

The best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle is eat right, excecise and be aware of your own health. To shed a few pounds just cut a few things out, about 3,500 calories = 1 pound. Below is a link to ways to shed a few calories without really even thinking about it.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1183

I'm trying to be more conscious about what I eat and increase my workouts, even 10 extra minutes a day helps out. So don't listen to anyone telling you some crazy Hollywood fad diet will last forever, the only way to maintain a healthy weight level and keep it off is your lifestyle. A diet is a quick fix but it needs to be a lifestyle change to stick with it. You can't live of 1,000 calories a day for the rest of your life, so go about it the healthy way.

Or...if you want purchase your very own dragon and make millions selling fat free ice cream that taste good:)

I Salute You!

By no means posting this photo am I saying I am a feminist, far from it. Actually, I have always been a guys girl throughout most of my life. However, the older I get the more I realize how important girlfriends are!

As I have begun my healthy lifestyle and started to keep myself motivated, it's the women in my life who make me feel stronger and sexier! To each and everyone of you out there, you know who you are, there have been times in my life I could not have gotten through without you!

So to the girlfriends who walk with you, laugh with you, cry with you, tell you that dress looks amazing on, indulge in ice cream or margaritas, force you to buy a $300 pair of jeans becuase your ass looks great in them, etc. - I salute you!

What's In a New Job?

I started a new job this August at a company called www.SparkPeople.com. SparkPeople equips people with the know-how, motivation, tools and support they need to achieve goals in many areas of their life. The program starts by helping people improve their health and fitness, and use the energy and momentum as a springboard to help them succeed in other areas (family, financial, professional, etc.) and change their life into a long-term healthy adventure.

Needless to say, we focus on staying fit and healthy in ways that are manageable for your entire life. We have a small office in Cincinnati, OH and like to have fun and play around with some new equipment.

The video above cracks me up becuase it pokes a little fun at the crazy antics people go through to stay healthy sometimes.

Tutu

July 22nd would have been my Grandma’s 93rd birthday. The woman I grew up with for 27 years of my life and for the first time in 27 years, I didn’t celebrate a birthday with her having a glass of Kentucky Bourbon and Deviled Ham Spread on Wheat Thins….sounds gross huh? But I guess it is a generational thing, because Deviled Ham was my Dad and Grandma’s favorite and they passed it along to me – the meat that looks like dog food but when mixed with mayonnaise is amazing!!!

Her passing and her birthday jogged a lot of memories about her I felt compelled to write about to express my sorrow. So here it goes, what I loved most about her....

The way she made Bracke’s toast and jelly, how her house smelled when she made fried chicken, being “washed over” by waves in our beach chair on Kiawah Island, everything Kiawah, riding bikes on sea shells in Kiawah, thinking she broke her arm when she fell off her bike, staying up late to watch SNL, her front porch during storms, swimming in the make shift pool in the summers, laughing about nursing home stories, sharing lunch for her first year in St. Margaret Hall every day possible, playing gin, playing rummecube, squeezing into her bed with Brad and me during sleepovers, telling her everything when she was sick, holding her hand before she passed, her blue floral suit she wore every year in Kiawah, going to St.Cecilia festival, taking the bus downtown when we were kids, going to KidsMart to see her at work, her Old Fashions, swimming at her brother Eugene’s pool with their dog Tarzan, her Alicemont house she lived in most of her life, her scent and a ton more.

For those of you who know me, you know this has been a tough year for me. With life and love - death is inevitable, but knowing that our loved ones are in a better place and we are the ones left suffering brings a sense of peace. I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I hold it all together, but I’ve learned that falling apart and losing a sense of who your are happens, but if you let it happen all the time it becomes a habit (a little insight as well from Eat, Love, Pray)– and who wants to be around those people? Finding your own peace and making sense of things takes time, but eventually the hurting goes away and the paing still lingers, but you learn to forge on.

I could go on for days and months and talk about those I’ve lost the past year and some previously, and one blog won’t be enough to talk about these people. But in loving memory of the following people I’m just mentioning their names because they too won’t be and can’t be forgotten.

Richard Jay Uhlmansiek (Nov’99 – my Dad), Jack Kaine (Nov’07 – My Grandpa), Dan Kaine (Aug’07 My Uncle), Peyton Mckenna Asman (Nov’07 – my Cousin’s Baby), John Alexander (’07 – Friend), Kevin McCallum (June’08 – Friend) and of course Henrietta Uhlmansiek (Jul ’08 –Grandma)

I think the quote below sums up most of these people so I wanted to end with this...

“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels. The round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things just a bit differently. They are not fond of rules, and they fear the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them, because they change things, they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, I see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do.” John Alexander