Why Is It That....... Part 7

Why is it that.....

• I start getting fit enough to wear certain clothes, but now I'm too old. 
• the first place I lose weight is my boobs.
• simple things like a new haircut make you happy.
• someone you thought was your friend isn't.
• when your vacation starts, the weatherman predicts rain.
• you really need a drink and there is no ice.....or anything to drink.
• I got so lucky to have wonderful girlfriends
• losers are so good at hiding their true colors
• I wear my heart on my sleeve.
• do I let things bother me so.
• I just discovered the glory of mani/pedis

What have you got??

You're going where on vacation??? Yep Cleveland

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The bus outside is Johnny Cash's tour bus

Admittedly when people asked me where I was going on vacation and I said "Cleveland" the reply would be "Cleveland??" Yes... Cleveland. Even my husband questioned me... but whatever, when you visit friends you go where they live and these friends happen to live in Cleveland. It is also the home of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum which for me is mecca. That made it more understandable to those I explained my vacation plans too. Whatever I would say and roll my eyes. I have a friend in Indianapolis, which is the quietest city on earth and no one ever questioned that decision. She even left the bustling city to drive to Cleveland with her daughter and visit me and her new friends.

Another confession and the only reason my daughters [ok and me] wanted to visit was, Cleveland is the home of the cutest baby ever... remember this post. I want to have another man's baby , she lives there too. Addison is just the most adorable, easy going baby ever. [of course we didn't believe the stories of her waking  up her parents at four am that morning] She proved to be worth the visit and let everyone hold her, toss her around and feed her. Diapers you ask, not my job. :)

Audrey is holding Addison, Emily is being.... Emily

Pool fun

So besides visiting Addi and her just as cute sister Audrey, we visited the Rock Hall. That is the tourists did, Adam and his wife Jenn stayed home and prepared for the BBQ they were hosting that night. Later in the afternoon, Jenn and her girls joined us at the hotel pool and enjoyed a refreshing swim. [did I mention Cleveland is 1000 degrees in July], Adam stayed home to watch the ribs as any good husband/host would do. When we did show up to eat we had a delicious meal of BBQ ribs, home made brucetta and tomato hot sauce spread. Leah [Adams mother] made Ambrosa salad and a dish whose name fails me but was made from the filling of perogies, it was delectable too.

Delicious bruschetta and tomato sauce

A heated game of Guitar Hero... the girls ruled

We got the ribs at the West Side Market a truely must see when in Cleveland. It. had. everything. Pork, beef, bison, fish, bakeries, prepared food, and things I had no idea what they were. My donation to the festivities were perogies and fresh baked bread. Jenn bought some wonderful pastries.

It was a lovely day catching up with old and new friends. It was fun to meet a couple twitter friends, Kasey and Julie and a new facebook friend Leah.

Enjoy the pictures and I will thrill you with more Cleveland adventures later..........

West Side Market

West Side Market

Steve's Gyros has also been featured on Man V Food

Pink Flyod display at the Rock Hall

Bon Jovi's butt was on that bike

Diet Challenge Finale and Melt Bar and Grilled

It was on vacation that the Diet Challenge Finale was determined and tah dah.... I was the biggest loser!! I lost a total of 16 pounds in 6 weeks. I am thrilled as this brings my grand total so far to 36 pounds. I'm not sure how well Adam did for his final weigh in but he said I won. He is going to post his finals soon so keep checking back. I offered to cancel since I was overcome with a bout of diverticulitis and was limited in my eating and therefore had an advantage, but Adam said no and who am I to argue over a free meal.

My prize meal was a delicious Godfather at Melt Bar and Grilled. [see picture above] Check out the link, the food is delicious and the restaurant very unique. We had all seen it on Man v Food  with Adam Richmond, on the Travel Channel and were excited to try the food. My daughter even wanted to try the challenge, a four pound grilled cheese, but was told it wasn't as tasty as it sounds and would take an hour to prepare. We had already waited over an hour to be seated [there is a very small dinning room] so she opted for the Purple Parma instead. It was a wise choice and delicious. [really go check the menu it is amazing]. For those of you that like to save money, if you get a tattoo of their logo on your body, you get a 25% discount for life.

As I said above we waited almost 2 hours for a table, but we were warned and spent the time laughing and talking in the waiting area. Little Addison took a nap on her daddys shoulder and the older girls took turns feeding her when she woke up.

Most of us didn't finish our sandwiches but there is always room for dessert and we shared some deep fried Twinkies... it was a perfect meal with perfect friends. [more vacation stories to follow]

Week 1 -2.5
Week 2 -1.5
Week 3 -0
Week 4 -5
Week 5 -3
Week 6 -4

Total loss -16

I've Returned From Vacation...sort of

Fried Twinkie from Melt Bar and Grilled 

More on my vacation soon-ish. I'm tired and back to work.
Teaser......it was a blast
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My Daily Dose

My kids say my daily dose is starting to look like G-Pops

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My Vacation History... or why not to travel with me

Per usual my vacation got screwed up yet again. I am sick. I have a history of diverticulitis and it has hit me again.  I am on the mend thanks to some powerful antibiotics, one of which likes to try and disolve before you get it down. [remember how asprin used to be]

In 2008 I went to England, alone, a 50th birthday present to myself. The trip was wonderful, but no sooner had I got off he plane [or gern tube as my husband calls them] I got the flu. 24 hours of tossing my cookies..

Shortly after my oldest daughter and I drove to NYC to see Oasis play a gig at Madison Square Garden. It was amazing and we did a whirlwind tour of the city and as we left the Empire State Building and headed back to the hotel to leave I fell and twisted my ankle, and banged up my arthritic knee.

Summer of 2009 I have planned another trip to NYC with both daughters and I fall sick and end up in the hospital with Mono [yeah at my age] and acute renal failure from dehydration. That trip got cancelled all together but did have a few nice day trips to Boston to see the Tall Ships.

In February of this year I headed to the mid west to see friends in Indiana and Ohio and I was thrawted the whole way by snow. I did finally get to my destinations but missed one night in Cleveland. Both legs of the trip my luggage arrived after I did.

Now this week isn't starting so well with this dreaded disease. I ask the doctor why since I am exercising and trying to eat better. [i lost 50 lbs when I was younger and ended up with shingles]. She figured with the extra fiber I'm not drinking enough water and distressing my bowls [lovely I know].. I have also been enjoying the fruits of summer, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries and eating whole grain breads etc... I think all of it combined finally took its toll. So the water is being drank and I am taking it easy on any foods for a bit...but the trip to Cleveland is ON.

A trip to Rockport and Diet challenge week 5

Rockport Harbor. You can see Motif Number 1 in the distance [red building] Most painted building in the US

Yesterday my husband and I went to Rockport, MA for the day. We went sans kids which doesn't happen often and had a great day. It's a quaint little town which we have visited many, many times over the years. My husbands mother was raised there and he summered there as a boy.

The following are pictures I took as we walked around the town. The stores take great pride in their appearance, as you can see. Most even leave bowls of water by their doors for the dogs.

We visited Tuck's Candies and bought some home made salt water taffy for the kids.. It is delicious. We ended the day by going to Halibut Point State Park. It was a bit of a hike but it is beautiful. On the hike we pass old granite quarries which are not a sanctuary for birds and various animals. You could hear the bullfrogs gretting as we passed. The end of the hike takes you to the ocean. My husband fished a bit and I enjoyed some quiet time in the sun. The following are pictures of the hike.

 Quarry

 Atlantic Ocean

It was a great day and if you ever find yourself on the Northshore of Massachusetts Rockport and the surrounding areas are a must see.

Now for the diet.. I did pretty good this week. Seems the gym bike and yesterdays hikc paid off. I lost 3 pounds.

Week 1 -2.5
Week 2 -1.5
Week 3 -0
Week 4 -5

Week 5 -3

Total loss -12

Don't forget to visit Adam at Throwing Quarters and see how he is doing in the challenge.

Friday 55- Vacation

Vacations here,
One more shift.
Don't drag it out,
Hope it's swift.

When it's over,
Morning it'll be,
Might have a drink,
We'll just see.

Off to Cleveland,
So who's this King James?
Hear he's a traitor,
Being burned, up in flames.

What do I care,
I'm there for the food,
Visiting friends.
Getting stewed.


For more Friday 55 visit g-man

picture source

Naughty Blogger

picture source

I have been a naughty blogger lately. I have not posted as often as I would like, my poetry has all but disappeared and my commenting is laxidazical at best. I certainly appreciate you all that are still visiting and commenting. 

I know you have heard all this before, from me and other bloggers. The blah blah blah of various reasons why we aren't playing by the blogger rules, if there are any, but I am going to give you mine anyway.

The gym takes up a good deal of my time. After the biking and weight training I am lucky to be able to keep my eyes open, and after some lunch usually hunker down to sleep. [I work the night shift]. There are always pesky chores to do and kids... who knew they would take up so much time.

Anyway, I am on vacation next week and hope to be busy busy doing fun things with the family and friends. Me and the daughters are off the Cleveland to visit Adam and his family along with Rush and her daughter who are driving over (?) from Indiana. We will be visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame plus the many fine eateries of Cleveland. The weight loss challenge with Adam will be over and I plan on enjoying some good meals. Relaxing by the hotel pool with a martini is also on the agenda. Rush, I want to hear all the great tales of your visit to Australia. I know isn't she lucky!

Miss me while I'm gone and I will post and do some reading when I can.... Cheers.

I Went to the Monster Ball with Lady Gaga

This past Friday my daughters and I went to see Lady Gaga and her Monster Ball. I don't dislike her music, but I don't love it either. My girls on the other hand love her songs. Lady Gaga's genre isn't one I tend to listen to in the first place. I have never been "into" Britney or Madonna either. Sure there is probably one or two songs of any artists I could find and enjoy but doesn't  make them "ipod worthy".

We went to her second show at the TD Bank North in Boston and it was a site to behold....and I mean the fans. There were woman AND men dressed like the Lady herself. It was eye candy for anyone who likes to people watch. As Lady Gaga herself said, "there are no freaks here"

We started out the evening meeting friends at Kelly's Roast Beef and  having a laugh before we ventured off to the show. My friends went their own way as their seats were in a different section than ours. Pat offered us ear plugs but we teased her and declined.

My friends section was directly facing the stage in the louge, ours on the other hand were in an upper tier as far as they could go...our view of the stage was great and luckily the their were big screens to watch [although bigger would have been better].

This is our view of the stage

I would have to call the show more of a musical than a concert. There was a definite beginning, middle and end as Lady Gaga took us to the Monster Ball. We were often referred to as her "monsters". The sets changed often as did her costumes. That would have to be one of my complaints about the show. Even though music played and images were shown against the dropped curtain, it seemed to slow things down. The show was over two hours and she sang about 18 songs [according to my daughter]. I am not familiar with a lot of her songs but I did enjoy the ones I knew, in particular Bad Romance which was her closing song. She sang a new song call You and I and said it would be on her new cd. I will admit it was beautiful. She accompanied herself on the piano and I would say it was my favorite part of the concert.

This was the opening of the show and you can just see her through the "curtain". Images were shown on this curtain during set and costume changes.

I knew to expect costume and set changes but not as many as there were, and along with her talking too much I otherwise enjoyed the experience. Experience it was since it is unlike any other concert I have been too... and I have been to many. When I could understand what she was saying her message was a good one. "Be who you are and don't let anyone call you a freak"

I am glad I went and my daughters LOVED the show. Even up in ourneck of the woods the concert floor shook as most danced through the entire show. Remember those ear plugs Pat offered us? I wish I had taken some because my ears were hurting half way through... It was louder than most rock concerts I have seen.

Who opened for her? A band called Semi Precious Weapons. They were loud, hard to understand and really nothing I care to remember. My girls say they are better on itunes than live, either way I won't be listening to them again.

Final thoughts? I am glad I went, it is one style of show I can check off MY LIST and I enjoyed watching my daughters dancing and singing along.

A couple pictures of the many sets

Concert pictures credit my daughter. Opening picture google images.

Diet challenge-week 4

Week four of the diet war challenge with Adam brings more success than last week. Yippee. I lost 5 pounds this week... FIVE. I am so excited. Makes up for a miserable last week.

I continue on the stationary bike at the gym and I have graduated to the alpine setting on level 4 out of millions a lot, but it is still a work out for me. I have been biking an average of 2 minute miles for an average total of 16 miles a day. I am trying to go the same pace and time as on the manual setting so hopefully the workout is more effective... So far so good.

Cucumbers are still a favorite although in the comments last week I was reminded of celery and peanut butter, which will now be put on rotation. I want to thank everyone for their great suggestions and if you didn't read the comments from my last post, go back and have a gander... lots of great diet tips. Nice to know I'm not alone on this journey.

Now go visit Adam at Throwing Quarters and see how he did this week. Our final weigh in is closing in and no matter what happens, I have lost weight and will enjoy a great meal at a great Cleveland restaurant.

I'm not brave like Adam and won't be posting my actual weights but here is a run down of the loses.

Week 1 -2.5
Week 2 -1.5
Week 3 -0
Week 4 -5

Total loss -9


Tune in tomorrow for my Lady Gaga concert review !

picture credit