Remember Me?

Yeah, I've suddenly been reminded that if I'm going to have a blog, I should probably make a post every now and then. Not sure why I haven't been as into blogging lately. I've been very busy, so that could be a part of it. I've also had some writers block in terms of what to blog about.

I'm here today because I know it's been awhile since I've stopped by. I also have laryngitis right now, so I feel a need to share my voice somehow. Before you ask (and I therefore have to kick your ass), I do NOT have Swine Flu. I have, however, been coming up with some very inappropriate Swine Flu/Pigs Flying jokes (get it, flu = flew) that I'll be happy to share with you if I hear any more jokes about me having Swine Flu.

So, what have I been up to recently? Well, lots, of course. One of the things I'm most proud of is the MS Walk I did with my family at the beginning of April.

Here's a picture of my Mom, brother, and nephew during the walk. It turned out to be a great day in Portland, and I know we all enjoyed getting out and walking for a good cause.

That's it for now, but I promise to be back soon with more updates! Before I go, here's a picture of downtown Portland during the walk. If you ever wonder why I love living in the northwest, wonder no more.

National Multiple Sclerosis Walk 2009

For quite some time, I have been feeling a call to action. Maybe some of it has to do with the message Barack Obama campaigned on, and maybe it has to do with personal experience. Either way, this feeling has been percolating inside me for quite some time, and I just had to act.

What am I talking about? Well, I created a fundraising team for the Portland, Oregon Walk MS 2009. What does this mean? It means I will be walking 5 kilometers on April 4, 2009 in an effort to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research.

I decided to participate in the walk because of my mom. If you don't know, my mom has lived with Multiple Sclerosis since the early 1980s. My mom has had MS longer than they've really known what MS was, and consequently, was misdiagnosed for years. My mom is an inspiration to me daily, and I feel blessed to have her in my life.

Having spent my whole life observing my mom struggle with this disease, I felt it was time to do my part to support the cause. I had intended to just walk as an individual, but received overwhelming support from friends, family, and coworkers to create a team. Quite honestly, I was in complete awe that so many people wanted to join my cause. I think this provided the validation I needed to show this was the right thing to do. My team is coming together well, and we're even getting some monitary pledges! Amazing!

So readers, I have one request for you. Please keep me in your thoughts as I prepare for the MS Walk. I'm planning on doing some minor training to prepare for the walk, so I will need support in pushing me with this endeavor. And thanks in advance, because I know the people who truly understand me know how important this walk is to me. I will forever be humbled by your show of support.

$4.00 a Gallon??

The predictions have come true. I was driving home yesterday, and to my horror, saw that gas prices had risen to $4.05 per gallon at my local station. The price of gas had gone up $.20 in a week! It now costs more than $40.00 to fill up my gas tank. Due to this, and the fact that I am employed by the state (good benefits, shitty pay), I am going to have to reevaluate some of my driving habits.

Fortunately, I don't live far from my office, so I will not be spending an exorbitant amount of money on gas due to the drive to work. However, I do like to go to Portland a lot (especially during the summer months) to see my family on weekends. I fear that unless I plan to stay over at least one night, little trips to see the family are officially a thing of the past. :-(

Now for the radical thoughts. What would happen if I bought a bike, and rode that around instead of driving every so often? Perhaps I could prioritize my shopping trips, and do them all at the same time, instead of spreading them out over the weekend? Is there anyone in my apartment complex I could car pool with sometimes?

When I bought my Ford Escape a few years ago, the Hybrid version had just been introduced. I really wanted the Hybrid, but couldn't afford one. I don't plan to get a new car again for a few years, but I will definitely make it a priority to get a Hybrid. Hopefully by that time, we will have made more breakthroughs in the gas efficiency technology. I literally don't think we can afford not to.

Let's get physical

I did something very strange today: went to the gym. No, I am feeling just fine, thanks. I just want to see if I can continue to lose some of the weight I've gained in the last year. For the last few months I have been changing my eating patterns (less sweets, more fruit), and have lost 15-20 pounds. While this is a good start, I know that exercise will help too.

Over the summer I got into a habit of taking walks in the evenings after work. There are lots of good walking paths near where I live, so it was fun to grab the iPod and go out and explore. Keeping up the tan helped a bit too. ;-)

In the fall, I tried taking a faculty fitness class for cardio-kickboxing, but quickly realized that kick-boxing is not my forte. It didn't help that there was a mirror lining the front of the class, and I could always spot my tall-awkward self trying to keep up with the class. I was horrified by my lack of skills, and dropped the class after a few weeks.

Now I am going to try and use the 24 hour gym at my apartment complex (not only do I pay for it, I can see it from my window) with some regularity. If I go often enough, I may be able to make a habit out of this, right? All good thoughts are appreciated.