The Garden Is Growing

I spent a couple of hours out in the yard this morning with M, doing our best to chop through the overgrown bushes and rake up the leaves that have been hanging out on the ground since... October.  The time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch!  Although the dent in the yard work isn't a huge one, it is finally Springtime and so no longer is foul weather a valid excuse for failing to go outside and be in nature.

Today the bushes were conquered... tomorrow we head back outside for some paintball! :)

Walking the Town

I failed to update the blog yesterday even though I did get quite the workout in. I have decided that to try to save some money on gas (I hear it is going to reach near $5/Gallon this summer) that I would try walking or riding my bike to my errands in town instead of hopping in the car for 3 minutes every time I need to go four blocks to the grocery store.

I tried the experiment out yesterday, walking both to the bank and to my friend's house a couple miles away, and was surprised to find that while I was away from the house for an extra 20 to 30 minutes compared to what I would have been driving, the difference in time wasn't so significant that I can't use it as an excuse to NOT walk to the bank, grocery store, favorite restaurants or friend's and family homes.  By ditching the car I not only got my workout in without really trying, but I also discovered that I don't need those four wheels as often as I think I do.  I didn't even miss out on listening to music during the adventure, plugging a pair of headphones into my cell-phone and listening to music that I downloaded to it long ago.

Even though the left ear-piece on the headphones stopped working on the second leg of my journey, the trip was a success and I discovered that listening to the Hamster Dance in only one ear only makes you go half as crazy by the end of the song.

It's Raining! It's... Sunny?

I had a strange walk this morning, 2 miles around the block through what seems to have been a wide enough loop to go through a couple of weather cycles.

It was nice and warm this morning (a balmy 53 degrees last I checked) so I headed out into the world to get a walk in before buckling down for a consultation with a tax accountant.  I'm trying to get myself psyched up for a chat about tax filings, exemptions and deductions and I figured I should put my best face forward.  So, to get clear-headed and pumped full of energy I hit the pavement in what started out as a light sprinkle.

About halfway through the walk I was suddenly drenched as the cool, calming sprinkle turned into a sudden downpour.  The benefit of the downpour was that it inspired me to walk faster... and I apparently walked so fast that I escaped the cloud altogether because the skies broke loose and sun spewed forth!  My walk ended with me wet, warm, sweaty and wondering... is Mother Nature off her meds?

Three walks in a single week - It's a trend!

On my third trip around the neighborhood for the week, I realized how far I've come in the scheme of things.  I beat myself up a lot for not working out as much as I'd like, not making getting a gym membership a priority and not eating exactly right 100% of the time.  But really, when putting one foot in front of the other on a cold January day, it is amazing to think about everything that I've accomplished in the last year.  Since it's all fresh on my mind, I figure I'll list everything I can think of here:

1) Quit my day-job to write full-time and support my husband's business.
2) Began writing weekly for sites like Associated Content, Yahoo!, Examiner, Rivals and more.
3) Managed three blogs (almost) weekly.
4) Started an exercise routine.
5) Moved my mom in with me and my husband.
6) Helped my mom move back out on her own.
7) Finished writing a novel.
8) Started writing a second novel.
9) Began submitting writing to contests, magazines and journals (still keeping fingers crossed that those pan out someday).
10) Kept up with friends and family as best I could.
11) Went to Disneyland.
12) Went to Legoland.
13) Went to Dragon*Con.
14) Played paintball more times than I can count.
15) Suffered a death in the family.
16) Had to put a pet down due to illness.
17) Started reading again.
18) Started sewing again.
19) Started crocheting again.

The list goes on, I'm sure.  It's a lot - much more than I thought could possibly fit all in one year, but there it is. 2011 is shaping up to be even more jam-packed, and I am glad that I've been able to stick to my desire to live a healthier lifestyle through it all.  Of course, I'm not perfect, but the changes to my well being have stuck and that is what matters.

On that note, I'm off to do laundry for the first time this year.  Thank goodness for clean underpants!

Back in the Saddle Again...

After taking a 3 week vacation from the workout circuit, I have slowly begun feeling like I'm moving a bit slower and having a more difficult time getting going in the morning.  The need to get up and do something has been building like a pot about to boil over on an unattended stove and finally today I gave in and got outside.

I didn't dive headfirst into a "too much too soon" workout though.  I've done that in the past and have finally learned that doing so leads to disastrous results.  The last thing I want to do now that I'm ready to get back into my workout is to pull a muscle or stretch a tendon.  No, instead I headed out the door with Pooch (he looked far too comfortable sleeping on the couch) at my side and the two of us plunked along on a mile walk around the neighborhood.

The walk was amazing despite the cool weather and foggy mist that left my sweatshirt drenched after 15 minutes of moving around in it.  Just being out and moving coaxed my body into releasing some of that pent up energy and now I'm feeling ready to tackle the rest of my "to-dos" with gusto.

If you have gotten back into the rut of taking too much time away from your workout... take heart.  You aren't the only one feeling the guilt and shame of replacing afternoon walks with 5lbs. of fudge.  Now that the holidays are over, it's time to put down the ladle of gravy and put on those sneakers!  Let's get back in motion before Valentine's Day rolls around.

Elves, Reindeer and Calorie Burn

Today was a day for the exercise books.  Not only did I get some running in, some squats, a bit of jumping and crouching, but I got to do all of it while shooting at elves and being backed up by my reindeer peers.  Heck, I even got to take photos with Santa!

No, I didn't bump my head on the treadmill and spend the day in a Christmas-themed coma.  I went to a paintball event called Elves Vs. Reindeer and got to play outside all day!  Happily, the rainy weather took a break this afternoon during the second half of the event, and there was a great turnout so there were plenty of folks to shoot paint at.  It was fun, and I burned a ton of calories!

Another big bonus is that my newest pair of paintball pants, which I had purchased a size too small (they were on major clearance a few months ago) fit perfectly now.  I was able to zip & button them up and run around in them all day without any pinching or "sucking in" of my tummy.  Exciting!

Rooftop Chores, Chutes and Ladders

Today's calorie burning adventure took place on the roof of my house.  As I was checking the mail a few days ago, I happened to look up and see that the entire north side of the roof was sprouting moss by the bucket load. Leaves were peeking out of the gutters, and the house magically added "home maintenance" to my weekly To Do list.

Mr. Kawaii and I headed up the ladder this afternoon when the sun peeked its head out from behind the fall cloud cover.  After a couple of hours of bending over to scoop sloppy leaves from the gutters, traversing the incline to sprinkle moss-killer across the shingles and hunting for loose or torn shingles we were left sweaty, soggy and proud that our rooftop is heading into winter prepared for Mother Nature's worst.

As much as I enjoy hitting the gym for a focused workout, I prefer the opportunity to burn calories while I work on an physically demanding project.  It makes me feel more accomplished, self-sufficient and proud of my own abilities.

So, how's your roof looking? ;)

Paintball... PAINTball... PAINTBALL!!

By the time Mr. Kawaii and I finally rolled back into town, I was just too tired to update the blog.  Today I have just a little more energy... so I thought I'd pop on and give an update on the activities going on at the Kawaii household.

Yesterday we went out for another great day of family paintball.  If you've never played, here's a brief synopsis of the way the game is played.  Step 1: Get geared up.  Step 2: Wait in anticipation for the Referee to announce the start of the game.  Step 3: Duck, dive, dodge and run from bunker to bunker - do your best to mark your opponents with paint before you get hit.

We spent a total of 4 hours at the field, and of the 4 hours I probably spent 2.5 walking, running and crouching.  I got a full body workout, and so did everyone else that attended.  The best thing about outdoor sports like paintball is that you get your workout in while having fun!!  It's a way better time to play with family and friends than it is to jog on a treadmill facing a blank wall.

No matter what your sport is - if you have a chance to meet up with someone to play, take it!

 

They Call Me... The Rose Whisperer

Today I decided to take it light (at least I thought I was taking it light in the beginning) because it is my birthday.  I debated neglecting to mention that it was my birthday - but knowing my reader base, someone would have mentioned it anyway I'm sure. ;)

This morning I decided rather than undertaking a huge exercise endeavor, I would simply trim back the neighbor's rose-bush for her.  When we moved in several years ago, the neighbor had a very large rose bush on the property line between our houses.  Over time the bush has grown progressively larger, wider, thornier and deader.  As of this morning, it was roughly 10 feet tall, 12 feet wide and 8 feet deep.  With the permission of the neighbor I headed out with a hack saw, a pair of gloves and a set of clippers.

Very quickly it became obvious that my little "light" project was a labor intensive and difficult undertaking.  Close to two hours passed before I was done clipping, sawing and breaking throngs of dead, dying and overgrown bush.  Deep down in the center of the bush were four green branches, but it took a lot of sweat and blood to get to them.

Unfortunately, when I had hacked the bush to bits, I suddenly realized that the pile of dead branches was much larger than my already mostly full yard debris bin could handle.  So now, the neighbor's bush looks fantastic, and there is a huge pile of horrible looking dead rosebush hanging out in my front yard awaiting it's turn for disposal.

At least I got my workout, even if my yard looks like it got eaten by a rose bush.

   

Duplication Be Damned; Producti-wha?

I am going to do my best to not just completely copy yesterdays posting.  I have been astonished, astounded, amazed, some other 'A' word that means "surprised", that I have suddenly become able to conquer all.

This morning M and I had vowed to work in the garden after neglecting it for three weeks of holidays, birthdays and family crisis.  We got out all of our tools and gloves (M was itching to break in her new ultra-grippy gloves with Nitrile palms and fingers) and headed out back to weed between the vegetables.

Three and a half hours later.... yes... 210 minutes later... we finally wrapped up.  In that time we were able to not only weed the entire back yard, but also turn the mulch in the compost bin and dig out the good decomposed stuff.  We spread mulch around the plants, shoved all the weeds / vines / thorns into the yard debris bin and laid a plastic barricade where the eventual fire pit / brick patio is going to go.  We scooped all of Pooch's poo while he looked on stoically, and even remembered to water things while we were out there.

It is incredible to me that after weeks of only being able to work for an hour or two at a time, today we were able to push through so many projects with minimal breaks.  I've always considered myself a pretty active person (when I was able to talk my butt into getting off the couch) but the last couple of days of being able to keep active through the majority of the day has really shown me what "active" can be.

I've spent so many years struggling to fit 30 minutes of activity into my day that I had forgotten how awesome it is to spend an entire day outdoors, working with your hands and making your own little habitat a little better.  I feel encouraged with this whole exercise business... who knows... maybe I'll find myself a new career in botany.

On second thought... all the plants would probably die and we'd all starve.  Maybe I'll just stick to writing and keep gardening as a hobby.

Track Attack

Tacked onto yesterday's work-out schedule was an additional afternoon of painting primer in a family members' living room.  I give credit to the morning's yoga routine for escaping too many aches, pains or stiffness this morning from the endeavor and aside from a sore shoulder survived the endeavor unscathed.

Although Mondays are typically a day for rest and relaxation, today has been an exceptionally busy day of trying to catch up on all the chores and errands that were neglected over the last three days of Yard Sale and Father's Day celebration.

In the midst of a brief window of time between projects where there was about 90 minutes of unscheduled chaos, M and I headed out to the track and spent an hour walking 2.5 miles in the mid-day mugginess.  The exercise gave us both the afternoon boost we needed, and now that I'm back to the tasks at hand I feel much less groggy and lethargic than I did a couple hours ago.  It's amazing how exercising can make you feel as rested, yet more alert, than an afternoon nap!

In an effort to entertain ourselves as we made yet another left turn, we played around with swinging our arms while we walked.  The wider we swung them the longer our strides got, and by swinging in short several-inch bursts we took many quick little steps.  The result ended up being pretty comical (the track "regulars" kept staring at us in horror as we swung far and wide, almost hitting one another) and made at least a couple of the laps fly by before we knew it.

M has decided that walking the track is her favorite type of exercise, and I will agree I like the opportunity to be outside and moving without having to think about where I'm stepping.  I keep trying to convince her to give Yoga one more try, but she turns up her nose (while doing as little stretching of the neck as possible) at the idea.  We're scheduled to meet K at the track again tomorrow, but maybe later this week I'll be able to convince her to do Sun Salutation with me.

The Driveway Monsters Have Been Defeated!!

We did it! M and I went back out to the North side of the house this morning and pushed ourselves to finish cutting back the gargantuan bushes, clean up the driveway, mow the front yard and sweep the pavement.  The first thing that we noticed when we went out, looking like members of the Green Thumb mafia with our gardening gloves and tools, was that our neighbor apparently reads this blog.

I haven't said anything to him since the day I went out and pulled several heaps of trash out of the bushes I had been able to cut back, but when we stepped onto the battlefield today we noticed that the back sides of the remaining bushes had all been cleaned out, trash thrown away and overgrown weeds pulled.  So to the neighbor I would like to say: Thank you, and I'm sorry that I have been too anti-social and full of chicken poo to be able to confront you about the mess these last few months.  Your yard looks SO much better and we really appreciate not having to look out on the trash from our dining room.

The second thing that we noticed was that the bushes I hadn't gotten to pruning yet had all had another wild growth spurt and that they had somehow learned to growl like rabid dogs.  We barked back and pounced them with the prowess of botanical ninjas, and two grueling hours later had beat them back into the neat and trimmed little row of plants they were always meant to be.  

M was surprised at how hard the whole endeavor ended up being, especially when she had her own personal battle with a rabid push broom.  In the end we got to take a minute to step back and enjoy the drastic improvement that was made with our efforts, and although it was exhausting the yard is much more enjoyable now than it has been since we purchased the house.  As M said, projects like this are always more enjoyable when you have someone else to do them with.

 

The Paintball Exercise Routine

Today's physical adventures centered around a day of family paintball down at Warpaint International's outdoor field at Chemawa.  We woke up early and headed out in a caravan of anticipation and excitement to the field in Keizer, Oregon.  After getting everyone signed in, geared up, and going over safety rules, we headed out for over five hours of dodging, ducking, diving, dipping and dodging.  Our group of 12 all got an excellent workout as we hiked from field to field, hid from the zoom of enemy fire and rushed to attack the other team.

Although we took plenty of breaks for hydrating, getting more paint and sharing some of the best bar-b-que of the season (thanks to Papa S for bringing out a grill!) there was plenty of time to work up a sweat and work out muscles that have been dormant since our last paintball adventure in May.

The best part of the day was the opportunity to introduce most of our group to paintball for the first time.  Everyone had fun as they played between bunkers and burnt out vehicles, particularly one sneaky woman member of our party who hid in a dilapidated van and had the opportunity to wipe out many of us.  Whether getting shot out or opting to surrender when surrounded, we all battled it out in good fun and proudly compared bruises at the end of the day where we had become one another's target.

Now that we're back home, showered and napped (I was so tired afterwards!), it's apparent how much of a workout we really got.  I ache in my hips, knees and thighs from all the bending and twisting and I think I am going to take the day a bit easy tomorrow to let things rest and stretch out again.  Paintball is so much fun, and we can't wait to do it again!!

Workin' the South Side

While making progress over the last few weeks in the back-yard and North side-yard of the house (it actually looks like someone lives here who cares what their yard looks like... weird.), I have been obstinately refusing to work on the South side of the house.  Spending as little time on that end of the property as possible has become a relative tradition at our house.  We avert our eyes from the ugly mess of shrubs that overgrew themselves and then died leaving throngs of dead branches to claw at you while you get out of the car.  We've learned the avoidance tactics used by many when they see their Uncle Rico at summertime family reunions, and when forced to be on that end of the house we walk as quickly to the nearest door as humanly possible.


This morning I decided that before the heat of the day hit, I would head out with my clippers and prune (and tear, and saw) the bushes back to the few remaining live branches at their core and clean up all the debris caught in them as possible.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, and in no way did I think that doing a little yard clean up would end up making me so.... mad.


Here's my beef with the scraggly bushes.  Yes, I know that we neglected to cut them back last year and so they look less than pleasant.  Yes, I know that the mass of maple-leaf ground-cover from last fall' adds to the aesthetic of depression that the bushes exude (it's called "decomposition" and "mulch").  And yes, I know that the only thing that we do on the South side of our house is store our garbage / recycle / yard debris can and park our cars.  BUT... why does that give my next door neighbor the right to stuff his garbage in the ugly bushes?  Why?!?!


Now, I'm sure that if I bring up the discarded batteries, soda cans, cookie and candy bar wrappers, garbage bags, broken toys and newspapers that I discovered shoved between the branches on their side of the bushes this morning that they would probably tell me the monster bushes pounced them in the middle of the night while they were putting their garbage nicely in their garbage can, ripping the refuse from their arms, clawing at their faces with the scraggly fingers of prickly branches and devouring their trash piece by piece with the fervor and passion of a Creature From the Black Lagoon.  And if they told me that's what happened, I'd have no choice but to believe them seeings how I have also been attacked by the bushes in the dead of night, losing whole bags of groceries and a small child (someone else's, not mine, so it wasn't that big a deal) to their wicked appetites.  But it seems that if the bushes did attack them in the dead of night that they would have said something.  I know if their bushes ever attacked me I'd hurry over to ask them to put a leash on them or else threaten to call the county Arborist to come and put the bushes down before they hurt anyone else.


All right, enough of that vent.  Back to the exercise portion of this blog (it made me so mad!!).  After a little over an hour with the mutant bushes, I was able to cut down about half of them to reasonable size and pile all the dead branches to be burned later on.  I got some good upper-body workout done with the hand-saw on the thicker branches, and got a fair share of squats in as well with all the scooping up of fallen twigs and garbage.  I was going to continue down the line and finish what remains of the work, but it started to get pretty warm so I decided to save it for another day.  Maybe I'll be able to convince M to help me with them later this week... I'll be sure to warn her of the bushes down and dirty reputation beforehand though.  I'd hate to lose her in the bushy void.

Bark and Bite

You may have noticed that I didn't get around to posting on this blog yesterday, and sadly that is due to the fact that I also never really got around to exercising.  The day was dedicated to a variety of errands, and while there was some walking from one office/store to another there was little in the way of sweat or exertion.

I made up for the lapse today though by spreading red-bark by hand around my precious vegetable garden and chasing Pooch and Dummykins from their hiding spots behind the 3" tall Geranium border (neither of them have ever been very good at spatial relations).  I also managed to weed the full length of the flower bed at the front of the house, separate some stubborn clumps of ground cover and spread it out in the yard, and plant three Hastas by the front door to greet people where the big void of dirt used to be.  I even got the chance to lay out a brick walkway connecting the path on our property to the dog kennel, a feat in its own right.

Now that I have been successfully made sore and bruised from shoulders to toes, I feel that I've more than made up for my lack of initiative yesterday.  My calves, thighs and bubble-butt all agree!

In The Back Yard... Again

I've always dreamed of having a brown pressure-treated fence.  Those white picket things are far too "Stepford" for me.  And now, after nearly 5 hours of toiling away in the back yard, I have one!  Husband built it this morning while I played Tarzan and yanked out the last mass of weeds and M turned soil and planted flowers.  The fence has been a desperate necessity as it is designed for the rabid Honeysuckle bush to hold on to instead of destroying everything else around it.

This Honeysuckle bush is a very "Denise-Friendly" plant.  It thrives in spite of all I do to it; watering incessantly, neglecting it until the yard becomes a barren wasteland, over-fertilizing it, attacking it with hedge trimmers, etc.  Unfortunately, it doesn't just thrive, it goes "mutant plant"every summer and gets into a life-sized game of Risk with the blackberry bushes.  In an attempt to tame the beast, we have built it a series of stands, cages and climbing contraptions for it to adhere to and it has promptly grappled with and then broken all of them.  This year's solution was to build a fence anchored by cement blocks and covered in chicken wire for it to climb up and across in hopes that the structure will distract it from the delicious looking tomato plants being planted within arm's reach.

The fence is beautiful, and I am again in awe of my husband's building prowess.  We've got all the beds cleared and spent some time digging out the arbor that will cover the entryway (it's enchanted) to a yet-to-be-built private patio with a fire pit.  It's all coming together now, and the three of us certainly got our combined workouts done for the day.

Now we're all sweaty, tired and enjoying lemonade.  The perfect end to a perfect morning in the sun.

... And We're Walking!

I got's me a workout buddy this week, and this morning we decided that in a break in the rain that we'd go for a walk.  Now, I'm not one to pick a fight with mother nature, but this rain thing is getting ridiculous. It's June for rice sake!  It's been raining since April, and I've had about enough of it especially since it continues to cut into the time I have available to be outdoors fighting slugs and spiders.

But I digress.

This morning we walked for over an hour, pushing one another to do quick bursts of speed at different points on the walk.  This is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn extra calories while improving your endurance!  Just good business all the way around.  After walking comfortably for a few blocks, we'd select one block to walk as fast as we can while swinging our arms as high and wide as possible to get our upper bodies involved.  The results are comical (I've always thought power walkers looked hilarious and it turns out they feel hilarious too!) and energy-charged.  Pooch got a good laugh at our expense and we all worked out those abdominals with a few reps of chuckle-giggle-smirk.

We were fortunate that the rain held off for the hour that we were outdoors, and it looks like maybe if we're lucky the clouds are lifting.  Although I'm sure they'll hang around for a while, I'm hopeful that the rest of the day is dry so we can get some more time outside and enjoy the flowers.