The Post of Shame

So there's this new website/tumblr out there called Dog Shaming where people submit pictures of their dogs posing with signs that detail the dog's misdeeds.  This site is hilarious.  Do yourself a favor and take a look at it.

Sinatra has done his fair share of shameful things.  He once ate an entire pack of gum out of my purse.  He likes to eat Kleenex out of the trash.  He figured out how to push apart the corners of his crate and escape (thus all the zip-ties that now adorn the seams of his crate).  But really, he's never done anything that would warrant a submission to Dog Shaming.

Until today.

It's a good thing he's cute.

Favorite Things: Exercise Edition

Well, we may need to just pause for a moment to acknowledge that I am using the words "favorite" and "exercise" in the same sentence.  Quick!  Someone bring me some creamy jalapeno dip to bring balance to the force.

Believe it or not, my life has become more fitness-oriented in the past year (including but not limited to the P90X workout program, becoming a ZUMBA® fitness instructor, and losing about 20 lbs), and as a result I have some very favorite items that I wanted to share with you.

Bloch Wave Sneaker

There are a lot of good shoes out there for dance fitness, but this one is my fave.  The shoes are super light-weight, supportive, and boast a "spin spot" for ease of turning.  My legs don't feel weighed down during a work-out, and I don't have to worry about my foot sticking to the floor and injuring my ankle or knee.  The "spin spot" even works on carpet, which means I can practice my moves at home in front of the TV if I want to (and I usually do).  I have had good luck with Bloch brand shoes before-my character shoes for theater are Bloch brand and I love them-so I was excited to find that they made a shoe that I could use in class.  Several dance stores in my area carry the shoes, but I ordered them from my favorite supplier, Discount Dance.  If you ever need dance clothes, check this site first.  They always have great prices! One last thing-this particular shoe runs about 1 size larger than your street shoe size.

Jelly Belly Sport Beans

My friend Amanda is an avid runner who is training for the NYC marathon in November while also rehearsing for the revival production of Annie on Broadway.  Seriously, she is super-woman.  She knows a lot about nutrition, fitness and keeping a body running at top-performance even in the most hectic of schedules.  She turned me on to sport beans as a way to replenish electrolytes and grab quick energy before, during and after a work-out.  An entire pack is only 100 calories, and for me these little beans do the same work as a bottle of Gatorade, with considerably less junk being put into my body.  If I am on a day of multiple, back-to-back workouts, or just feeling really wiped, I will eat 3-4 beans about 30 minutes before I exercise.  The important thing to know is that you must drink A LOT of water with them as they can make your stomach feel a little strange at first.  Amanda recommends the lemon-lime flavor, while I am an assorted mix girl.  I found these at HEB in the health food section, but they can also be ordered online.

Tupperware Large Eco Water Bottle

I tend to sweat a lot (those who have danced with me know this may be the understatement of the millennium).  As a result I have to have plenty of water with me during a work-out.  I don't like having to lug multiple water bottles to class, so finding bottles that hold 1 L of water each is huge.  Made by Tupperware, the bottles are high-quality and eco friendly, with a wide mouth and easy screw top lid.  Love them!

Chilly Pad Cooling Towel

This is another gem of a suggestion from Amanda, a fellow soldier in the fight against excessive sweat.  This little item has saved me!  I wet the towel before a workout and then use it to wipe away sweat while exercising.  Even though the towel is damp, it successfully removes every last drop of perspiration and leaves me feeling cool.  I don't understand the science.  All I know is that I have never loved a towel so much.  I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but you can find them at sporting goods stores, Amazon, or online at the Frogg Toggs website.

Feel free to chime in with your favorite exercise item or the snack you ate ironically while reading a post about fitness (like I do when watching The Biggest Loser).

We won't discuss the number of times I've watched this video . . .

I'm pretty sure this dog is Sinatra's long lost cousin.  Enjoy!

If you can't say something nice . . .

Facebook and I have a love/hate relationship.  On the one hand, FB has allowed me to keep in touch with friends all over the world.  I've been able to reconnect with friends from high school and college, offer comfort and encouragement to people who are hurting, and rejoice with friends on the arrival of babies, promotions, weddings and birthdays.  Facebook allows me to effectively stalk follow my friends and their friends, perform amateur background checks on others boyfriends and girlfriends (because I care, y'all), and creep on view all the awesome photos people post.

But lately, I feel like there is a lot of FB abuse going on.  FB is no longer about silly status updates or the sharing of pictures and awesome youtube videos (meaning any and all "Call Me Maybe" lip dubs and parodies).  Instead it has become a place to say hateful things to or about people from the comfort of our couches.  While there isn't complete anonymity, I am convinced that it is a lot easier to say ugly things from behind a computer screen than to say those same things to someone's face.

About two years ago, God really convicted me about how I was using Facebook.  It was during a time of great frustration in my job, and I chose to share that frustration, un-edited, in my FB statuses.  After an anonymous note in my work mailbox cautioned me against venting in such a public forum, I decided to take a break from FB and get my issues under control.  What God showed me was that I shouldn't write anything on FB that I wouldn't be willing to say to someone's face, or that I didn't want put on the screen in a faculty meeting or at church for everyone to see.  Basically, He tweaked that old adage-"If you can't say something nice  . . .  you really shouldn't put it on Facebook."

I think as humans we seek instant gratification in many areas of our lives, and FB feeds that need.  Having a crappy day?  Post about it and instantly get feedback.  Dealing with a psycho co-worker?  Tell everyone about it so that they can give you really bad advice for dealing with the problem.  Fishing for compliments?  Talk about how fat you feel and instantly have your spirits lifted by your friends.  Angry that people never post on your wall?  Compose a passive-aggressive status update and really stick it to them.  Concerned with the state of politics, society or America?  Post harsh words that are sure to make a difference in the world.

When I returned to Facebook after my hiatus, I promised God that I would only post things that would encourage and build up the people who read them.  Essentially, I use Phillipians 4:8 as the plumb line for my posts.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

As a result, I don't post nearly as much, and in many situations I find that I have to stop and think before I speak, or close Facebook and walk away before I shoot off a thoughtless response.  It has forced me to focus on the positives in my life.  It has changed my perspective, and I hope, brought glory to God for all that He has done for me.

As a Christian, I feel an additional responsibility with my words and my witness.  I value my relationships with others, whether they see things my way or not, and I certainly don't want a glib status update to hurt my ability to share or show Jesus.  I wonder if Jesus would have used Facebook had it been available.  I am no Biblical scholar or spiritual giant, but I notice that Jesus spent His time face-to-face with others.  He didn't post generalizations about sin; he got to know sinners.  He spoke-not posted, typed, texted or emailed-the truth in love.

Each one of us can choose how we will use the power of Facebook.  And I pray that what we decide to post will be pleasing to God.

Right Now

Right now . . .

• I'm writing a blog post!  It's only been more days than I care to discuss.
• Sinatra is giving me the "it's time to walk" stare-down.
• I'm still in my pajamas.
• I'm suffering from Olympic withdrawals.
• I'm trying to motivate myself to walk the dog then do my plyometrics work-out.
• I have a headache.
• I'm dreading the next three months of trash-talking  and mud-slinging known as political ads.
• I'm drinking Crystal Light Peach Tea.
• I'm wondering if posting this will cause people to expect more blog posts in the future.

For my dad

Below is a copy of what I said about my dad at his memorial service last Wednesday:

There are about a million things I could tell you about my dad.

• How he loved to do the YMCA
• How he listened to the sound track to Top Gun and Urban Cowboy on every long car trip
• How before a long car trip he would pray and then quote one of the last lines from Back to the Future-"roads, where we're going, we don't need roads"
• How he loved quoting from the movie Bring It On-"These are not spirit fingers-these are spirit fingers!"
• How he helped us both with our math homework and displayed an unbelievable amount of patience when we would inevitably become frustrated and start crying
• How he had many "dad-isms" like:  "Physics tells why"; "Life is a series of proportional challenges"; and "Nothing good happens after midnight."
• How we could count on him to sing "Today is your birthday" each time one of us turned a year older
  
• How he danced to the CSI theme song-a full choreographed number he would do every time we watched together
• How he loved a good organ solo
• How we called him "White Shadow" or "Tomato Man" based on how he looked when we went to the beach
• How he schooled us all playing four-square at Thanksgiving
• How he told us that eating our vegetables would put hair on our chests-'cause that is what every little girl really wants.
• How he really was "High on Life"

But the Lord brought a sweet memory to my mind on Thursday night, just hours after hearing of Dad's death, and I think it paints a picture of what I love and will remember most about my dad.

Last year, I signed up to participate in the Rodeo Run 10K.  I'm not really a runner, so this was a pretty big deal for me.  I trained for 6 weeks and was running close to 6 miles by the day of the race. My husband Sean came downtown with me and was there to cheer me on at the starting line. I began the race with much enthusiasm and a decent pace.  By the time I got close to mile 2, though, my burst of adrenaline had worn off and I realized that I still had 4 long miles to go.   So to look up to see my dad and my sister standing on the sidewalk with handmade signs gave me a much needed boost.  My dad has always been a cheerleader to both of us girls-whether it was coming to every drill team performance or volleyball game, or supporting us as we pursued our careers in the liberal arts, where at times support was financial as well as emotional.  Dad's encouraging spirit is a trait I have seen manifest itself in my sister, Lindsay-and so it really shouldn't have surprised me to see them both there, early on a Saturday morning, screaming their lungs out.

I didn't see any of my family again until I approached Minute Maid Park and the end of the race.  My dad was strategically standing on the corner that marked the beginning of the last .2 miles of the race.  He waved his sign and shouted "Way to go, Katie" as I rounded the corner.  Right before the finish I saw my sister and husband, and after crossing the line, I waded through the crowds to find my family and thank them for their support.  When I found Sean and Lindsay, I noticed that dad hadn't made it back to them.  I asked where he was, and Lindsay informed me that he had called and said that he was having so much fun cheering for people that he was going to stay at the corner and cheer for the rest of the participants.

Remembering this now, I feel so blessed to have had a dad:

• who sacrificed so much for his family-including sleep on a Saturday morning
• who took joy in every moment of life-even standing on a street corner downtown
• and who encouraged others to run well and finish strong-both that day at the Rodeo Run and every day in their relationships with Christ and the race toward eternal life with Him

Reading in March

Books read in March
12.  Monsters of Men-Ness (Book 3 of the Chaos Walking Trilogy)
13.  Prom and Prejudice-Eulberg
14.  What Happened on Fox Street-Springstubb
15.  The Complete History of Why I Hate Her-Jacobson
16.  The Pioneer Woman:  Black Heels to Tractor Wheels-Drummond
17.  Sworn to Protect-Mills
18.  The World According to Humphrey-Birney (audio)
19.  Pursuit of Justice-Mills

I'll probably finish #20 today, making it my first book for April!