I was watching the news earlier tonight and I was reminded of why I try to avoid watching the news. What a waste of time. In case you haven't been paying attention, let me catch you up: people are dying, the dollar isn't worth anything anymore, our consumption is catching up with us, the rest of humanity despises us, and gas is still super expensive.
"The paper says the whole world's on fire, but this street is quiet."
- Modern Life is War
That's the glory of America, isn't it? At least it has been in the past. The world is wasting away, but it always seems to waste more quickly somewhere else. It's never us. Give it time, though... Let's see where this recession and potential bank crisis takes us.
I'd like to think that we will bond together as a people and turn things around. I'd like to believe that things will get better. I'm hard pressed to be too hopeful, though. I have faith in the Father. I don't have too much faith right now in His people.
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote 'the world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part."
- Morgan Freeman, Se7en
So it goes, I suppose.
The Bible refers to the earth as a creation of God and, essentially, God's kingdom. The Garden of Eden was His kingdom and glory. The Word tells us that His kingdom will come again to the earth.
I am glad that I trust in a God who is loving and merciful beyond our understanding because I have absolutely no idea how this could have been, or could be again, any sort of kingdom in which any sort of God would take pride. As I've said before, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will most likely live the rest of my life without ever fully understanding how He could ever rationalize that any of this would be worth His one and only Son.
Anyway, so here's to the world and the fact that it's been driving itself downward more and more quickly every day since the day it was created.
And I'm done rambling.
Stay Gold,
MMK
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Have Heart
Have Heart - "Watch Me Rise"
So I say to the slaves of depression,
"Carry on, and sing the sweet redeeming song
about living this life free and long."
It goes:
"Watch me, watch me,
watch me rise for miles and miles."
So I say to the slaves of depression,
"Carry on, and sing the sweet redeeming song
about living this life free and long."
It goes:
"Watch me, watch me,
watch me rise for miles and miles."
Sunday, July 13, 2008
This Week
This may be a couple of days old, but it's still worth mentioning:
We went to Vermont earlier this week to tour the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory. It was simultaneously educational, entertaining, and delicious. Here's a picture:
How delightful.
Besides that, the week has been fairly routine. We've worked out most days, read more books, watched some DVD's, and really just took it easy. Friday evening was spent in Portsmouth. We decided to have our anniversary dinner a couple of days early, so we went to a Japanese restaurant where we ordered sushi and edamame. It was my first time actually ordering sushi and deciding to eat it as a meal, but it turned out well and I actually enjoyed the meal. I'm sure we'll go back again in the future.
Our actual anniversary is tomorrow. I don't think we're planning on doing anything special. We might go see a movie and get some ice cream.
My grandpa Mabon called me yesterday morning to let me know that he had sold my car for me. While it was a good car, I am glad to have it sold. It was one of the few things leftover from the move that had yet to be resolved. Having it sold now takes a little bit of a weight off of our shoulders. The sale means, too, that I will be able to go out and make the very masculine purchase of a large TV. I have had my eye on 42" LCD flat panels for some time, but I think we will end up getting a 37" screen. It will still be plenty big and will serve our purposes. Five inches less never hurt anyone.
That's what she said?
Anyway. I don't really have a lot more to write about for this afternoon. We are going to go pick some blueberries and fruit with some other hall directors in about an hour. It should be a good time. I hope they have raspberries, too. Or green beans.
Let us know how you're doing if we haven't talked in awhile, eh?
Stay Gold!
MMK
We went to Vermont earlier this week to tour the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory. It was simultaneously educational, entertaining, and delicious. Here's a picture:
How delightful.Besides that, the week has been fairly routine. We've worked out most days, read more books, watched some DVD's, and really just took it easy. Friday evening was spent in Portsmouth. We decided to have our anniversary dinner a couple of days early, so we went to a Japanese restaurant where we ordered sushi and edamame. It was my first time actually ordering sushi and deciding to eat it as a meal, but it turned out well and I actually enjoyed the meal. I'm sure we'll go back again in the future.
Our actual anniversary is tomorrow. I don't think we're planning on doing anything special. We might go see a movie and get some ice cream.
My grandpa Mabon called me yesterday morning to let me know that he had sold my car for me. While it was a good car, I am glad to have it sold. It was one of the few things leftover from the move that had yet to be resolved. Having it sold now takes a little bit of a weight off of our shoulders. The sale means, too, that I will be able to go out and make the very masculine purchase of a large TV. I have had my eye on 42" LCD flat panels for some time, but I think we will end up getting a 37" screen. It will still be plenty big and will serve our purposes. Five inches less never hurt anyone.
That's what she said?
Anyway. I don't really have a lot more to write about for this afternoon. We are going to go pick some blueberries and fruit with some other hall directors in about an hour. It should be a good time. I hope they have raspberries, too. Or green beans.
Let us know how you're doing if we haven't talked in awhile, eh?
Stay Gold!
MMK
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Billy Sunday said these things about alcohol
Personal liberty is not personal license. I dare not exercise personal liberty if it infringes on the liberty of others. Our forefathers did not fight and die for personal license but for personal liberty bounded by laws. Personal liberty is the liberty of a murderer, a burglar, a seducer, or a wolf that wants to remain in a sheep fold, or the weasel in a hen roost. You have no right to vote for an institution that is going to drag your sons and daughters to hell.
If you were the only persons in this city you would have a perfect right to drive your horse down the street at breakneck speed; you would have a right to make a race track out of the streets for your auto; you could build a slaughter house in the public square; you could build a glue factory in the public square. But when the population increases from one to 600,000 you can't do it. You say, "Why can't I run my auto? I own it. Why can't I run my horse? I own it. Why can't I build the slaughter house? I own the lot." Yes, but there are 600,000 people here now and other people have rights.
So law stands between you and personal liberty, you miserable dog. You can't build a slaughter house in your front yard, because the law says you can't. As long as I am standing here on this platform I have personal liberty. I can swing my arms at will. But the minute any one else steps on the platform my personal liberty ceases. It stops just one inch from the other fellow's nose.
When you come staggering home, cussing right and left and spewing and spitting, your wife suffers, your children suffer. Don't think that you are the only one that suffers. A man that goes to the penitentiary makes his wife and children suffer just as much as he does. You're placing a shame on your wife and children. If you're a dirty, low-down, filthy, drunken, whisky-soaked bum you'll affect all with whom you come in contact. If you're a God-fearing man you will influence all with whom you come in contact. You can't live by yourself with my business?"
If I heard a man beating his wife and heard her shrieks and the children's cries and my wife would tell me to go and see what was the matter, and I went in and found a great big, broad-shouldered, whisky-soaked, hog-jowled, weasel-eyed brute dragging a little woman around by the hair, and two children in the comer unconscious from his kicks and the others yelling in abject terror, and he said, "What are you coming in to interfere with my personal liberty for? Isn't this my wife, didn't I pay for the license to wed her?" You ought, or you're a bigamist. "Aren't these my children; didn't I pay the doctor to bring them into the world?" You ought to, or you're a thief. "If I want to beat them, what is that your business, aren't they mine?" Would I apologize? Never! I'd knock seven kinds of pork out of that old hog.
Monday, July 7, 2008
fashion show. fashion show. fashion show at lunch.
If you couldn't tell from the title, Marshall and I have been watching The Office constantly for the past couple of days. I highly encourage anyone who has a sense of humor to watch the show...it's pretty much amazing.
Marshall and I are continuing our newly formed healthy habits. We are both finding a high level of satisfaction in our health focused behaviors and are beginning to see some results. While my weight seems to be increasing (mainly due to the building of muscle mass), Marshall is witnessing a decrease in his weight! WHOHOO! I am so proud of him!
Grace (Marshall's sister) had shown some interest in the specifics of our health plan. And honestly, most of our current behaviors are simple...and rather common sense ideas and practices. The most important thing I have learned in regards to health and wellness, is that a person can have an extensive amount of knowledge, but if the individual does not possess intrinsic motivation (or a belief the change is beneficial)...well then, nothing will happen...and the knowledge is never applied.
I believe Marshall and I have a few different sources of motivation, but the biggest influence is probably just having each other. We've already had those days where one of us just wants to lay around all day or eat the gallon of ice cream. But thankfully, we have both been good about encouraging each other and helping each other see the benefits of working out and eating in moderation on those trying days. Just having some around to ask, "Do you really need that extra serving of Mac n' Cheese?" brings a sense of accountability to the day-to-day challenges.
Another source of motivation is our family history. Marshall has a strong family history of heart disease and other health issues which are making him want to lose weight and lower his blood pressure. My family history also includes some warning signs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and struggles with maintaining healthy body compositions. We both want to live happy and healthy for our friends, our family, each other...and hopefully someday, for our children.
So specifics. Well, I haven't baked since we have moved. I know, sad day, right? If any of you know me well...you know I LOOOOVE to bake. I worked in a bakery all through college...which only reinforced my desire to bake. Anyways, the trouble with me baking is...as you can guess...Marshall and I eat the goods. Both Marshall and I have trouble with moderating sweets. So the best way for us to lower our sugar (and caloric intake) is to just not have it around, and it really has benefited us! We have a bag of marshmallows in the freezer pretty much all the time which helps to curve our sugar cravings quite a bit. AND, one mallow only has about 25 calories and 3.75 grams of sugar...as opposed to a cookie with probably has at least 4 times as much!
What else. We force ourselves to look at the top row of cereals of the grocery store. (As I am sure most of you know, the healthy cereals are placed at the top...conveniently leaving all the kiddy..high sugar and low fiber containing cereals in the middle and at the bottom shelving units. So much for trying to lower the childhood obesity, right?) So we eat breakfast, EVERYDAY, while getting at least, if not more, 4 grams of fiber in the morning. This gives us energy for the day..(and the soon-to-come workout) and helps to keep hunger away until lunch.
Hum. We don't buy beef. We've gotten pretty hooked on ground turkey and frozen chicken. We don't buy or use mayonnaise, real butter, regular dressings, etc. Mustard (spicy) is great for cold or grilled sandwiches. We buy frozen vegetables for stir-fry to go with our rice (we got a rice-maker for Christmas last year from my parents...also, AMAZING). We have been pretty good lately about buying fresh fruit and veggies. Grapes tend to satisfy my sugar cravings as well. We only buy skim milk and low-fat yogurts...and always have (low-fat) cheese to provide some extra flavor on our food. We have been dinning out a lot less...and when we do, we try to pick health options...and if possible, we split something. Splitting cuts down on calories one individual consumes and has also helped save us some money! I am sure there are more food decisions we have made...but I think those are the main ones...
As far as exercise. Just get out and move! Marshall and I walk to the post-office to get our mail, we walk to the grocery store, and walk just to walk. Walking is so good for the body. We do spend at least an hour a day at the gym. I enjoy cardio more than lifting weights...so I run on the treadmill, or use the elliptical for at least the first 30 minutues. Then, depending on how I feel, I will lift some weights, use the row machine, or whatever else I can set my mind and body on doing. Marshall really enjoys lifting, so mainly his routine is focused on that...but he makes sure to get some cardio in there as well. (BTW, YAY baby, for running 20 minutes straight!) The main thing about exercise is to find activities that are enjoyable...not painful. Who wants to do an activity that is painful...or boring?! And Marshall and I are trying to listen to our bodies. If a certain part of our body is sore, then we will work that part less and focus on a different part. We take at least one day off from the gym a week as well, just to give our bodies some time to rest and recuperate.
Whew, this is a long blog (and maybe boring for some), but I just wanted to share some of the changes we have made...and are continuing to make. Being healthy...and well..isn't like a test...where you study all you can and then just go in and take the test...and then it's over. Wellness is lifelong. You have to be in it for the long haul. But isn't living a healthy and enjoyable life better than living in constant distress and agony that could have been prevented?
Be well!
SLK
Marshall and I are continuing our newly formed healthy habits. We are both finding a high level of satisfaction in our health focused behaviors and are beginning to see some results. While my weight seems to be increasing (mainly due to the building of muscle mass), Marshall is witnessing a decrease in his weight! WHOHOO! I am so proud of him!
Grace (Marshall's sister) had shown some interest in the specifics of our health plan. And honestly, most of our current behaviors are simple...and rather common sense ideas and practices. The most important thing I have learned in regards to health and wellness, is that a person can have an extensive amount of knowledge, but if the individual does not possess intrinsic motivation (or a belief the change is beneficial)...well then, nothing will happen...and the knowledge is never applied.
I believe Marshall and I have a few different sources of motivation, but the biggest influence is probably just having each other. We've already had those days where one of us just wants to lay around all day or eat the gallon of ice cream. But thankfully, we have both been good about encouraging each other and helping each other see the benefits of working out and eating in moderation on those trying days. Just having some around to ask, "Do you really need that extra serving of Mac n' Cheese?" brings a sense of accountability to the day-to-day challenges.
Another source of motivation is our family history. Marshall has a strong family history of heart disease and other health issues which are making him want to lose weight and lower his blood pressure. My family history also includes some warning signs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and struggles with maintaining healthy body compositions. We both want to live happy and healthy for our friends, our family, each other...and hopefully someday, for our children.
So specifics. Well, I haven't baked since we have moved. I know, sad day, right? If any of you know me well...you know I LOOOOVE to bake. I worked in a bakery all through college...which only reinforced my desire to bake. Anyways, the trouble with me baking is...as you can guess...Marshall and I eat the goods. Both Marshall and I have trouble with moderating sweets. So the best way for us to lower our sugar (and caloric intake) is to just not have it around, and it really has benefited us! We have a bag of marshmallows in the freezer pretty much all the time which helps to curve our sugar cravings quite a bit. AND, one mallow only has about 25 calories and 3.75 grams of sugar...as opposed to a cookie with probably has at least 4 times as much!
What else. We force ourselves to look at the top row of cereals of the grocery store. (As I am sure most of you know, the healthy cereals are placed at the top...conveniently leaving all the kiddy..high sugar and low fiber containing cereals in the middle and at the bottom shelving units. So much for trying to lower the childhood obesity, right?) So we eat breakfast, EVERYDAY, while getting at least, if not more, 4 grams of fiber in the morning. This gives us energy for the day..(and the soon-to-come workout) and helps to keep hunger away until lunch.
Hum. We don't buy beef. We've gotten pretty hooked on ground turkey and frozen chicken. We don't buy or use mayonnaise, real butter, regular dressings, etc. Mustard (spicy) is great for cold or grilled sandwiches. We buy frozen vegetables for stir-fry to go with our rice (we got a rice-maker for Christmas last year from my parents...also, AMAZING). We have been pretty good lately about buying fresh fruit and veggies. Grapes tend to satisfy my sugar cravings as well. We only buy skim milk and low-fat yogurts...and always have (low-fat) cheese to provide some extra flavor on our food. We have been dinning out a lot less...and when we do, we try to pick health options...and if possible, we split something. Splitting cuts down on calories one individual consumes and has also helped save us some money! I am sure there are more food decisions we have made...but I think those are the main ones...
As far as exercise. Just get out and move! Marshall and I walk to the post-office to get our mail, we walk to the grocery store, and walk just to walk. Walking is so good for the body. We do spend at least an hour a day at the gym. I enjoy cardio more than lifting weights...so I run on the treadmill, or use the elliptical for at least the first 30 minutues. Then, depending on how I feel, I will lift some weights, use the row machine, or whatever else I can set my mind and body on doing. Marshall really enjoys lifting, so mainly his routine is focused on that...but he makes sure to get some cardio in there as well. (BTW, YAY baby, for running 20 minutes straight!) The main thing about exercise is to find activities that are enjoyable...not painful. Who wants to do an activity that is painful...or boring?! And Marshall and I are trying to listen to our bodies. If a certain part of our body is sore, then we will work that part less and focus on a different part. We take at least one day off from the gym a week as well, just to give our bodies some time to rest and recuperate.
Whew, this is a long blog (and maybe boring for some), but I just wanted to share some of the changes we have made...and are continuing to make. Being healthy...and well..isn't like a test...where you study all you can and then just go in and take the test...and then it's over. Wellness is lifelong. You have to be in it for the long haul. But isn't living a healthy and enjoyable life better than living in constant distress and agony that could have been prevented?
Be well!
SLK
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