The Booze Runner

I have been looking over more of what my cousin Peter sent me from Guernsey and found something else about my ancestors that I find very interesting and quite amusing!

In one of my previous posts I talked about my 1st cousin 2x removed Linda Mary West, who earned a spot in my "West Women Hall of Fame" since she was such a kick-ass kind of woman.  Well, Linda had a son named Frederick William Harper.  Fred was born in Plymouth Devon, the Garrison town where his father was stationed and his parents liked to drink on weekends and kick roughneck ass.  It was not surprising to learn that Fred was not exactly an angel whilst growing up in Guernsey.  Apparently, his paternal grandfather Jack "Happy Harper, the Laughing Policeman" thought nothing of chasing Fred's ass across the "Bridge", belt in hand to keep him in line.

When Fred was 16 years old, he sailed on the SS Olympic to go live in the US.  Whilst there, Fred got a job running booze trucks over the Canadian border for none other than Machine Gun Kelly, during the height of prohibition. George "Machine Gun" Kelly is probably considered one of the most famous "gangsters" from the prohibition era.  His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson sub-machine gun.  Here is a "mugshot" of him that was taken after one of his arrests in Memphis:

George "Machine Gun" Kelly

According to family history, a watchful eye was kept on Fred while he was in the US by a family member who was a policeman.  This relative advised the family back over in Guernsey to send Fred home before he ended up in the electric chair. 

Fortunately, Fred didn't end up in the electric chair as predicted!  He eventually went back home to Guernsey and married Kathleen Florence Campbell and had 5 children.  Fred died on 09 August 1979 in Guernsey.  Here is a picture of Fred:

Frederick William Harper

What was really amazing to me after looking at Fred's picture is that he bears a striking resemblance to my brother John Martin West, who sadly passed away on 21 October 2009.  They had the same forehead, hair, eyes, nose and face shape!  The only major difference is that John's ears were different than Fred's.  God bless their souls and may they both rest in peace!

Three Weeks in the Red

I have had my "Ladies Time" for more than 3 weeks now, and quite frankly, I am starting to get pretty worried about it!  I was in non-stop meetings for most of the day all of this past week at work and my female problem didn't make it a pleasant experience.  I have also felt very edgy during this time and I know that it is hormone related.  I called my Primary Care Physician's office yesterday and left a message on the nurse's phone. The nurse called me back about an hour later to say that they were going to call in a prescription to the pharmacy, but needed a telephone number. Unfortunately, since I was in a meeting all afternoon, I didn't get to call them back in time to provide a number.  Now I have to wait until Monday to get my prescription, which is unfortunate.  I must say, my doctor and her staff are really great!  They are very responsive and attentive, which is not the usual case during the times that we live in.  My doctor really listens to me and is very open minded, which is also great! 

I also see a specialist named Lisa Gorn at Body Logic for Bioidentical Hormone treatment.  I have been taking Bioidentical Hormones for the past year now to help keep things balanced so that I can enter menopause as gracefully as possible, when that time comes.  I took my saliva test last week and sent it to the Lab because I had a regular quarterly appointment with Dr. Gorn this Tuesday coming up.  Unfortunately, I got a call yesterday from her office to inform me that the Lab is going to have to redo my test, so they will have to reschedule my appointment.  I missed this call as well due to marathon meetings. I really need to talk to Dr. Gorn on Monday.  My PCP's nurse warned me in her message yesterday that the prescription that they are calling in for me could cause blood clots, which has me quite worried!

Hormonal imbalance is not fun and can make life very miserable.  Men and women both suffer from these imbalances and Body Logic has treatment programs for all.  For anyone who might be reading this who has hormonal issues, Body Logic can help you!  They practice preventative medicine vs. traditional medicine, which helps to allay health problems before they arise and get to the root cause of any existing problems. They have offices all over the United States and I am sure that they have international colleagues as well.

Here is their video:

I know that Dr. Gorn will be able to adjust my treatment to take care of my current problem.  I will be glad to get this back under control. It has not been fun this past month!

5/2/12 Update

I just recently underwent some Ultrasound testing which revealed that I have uterine fibroid tumors and ovarian cysts.  The fibroid tumors are small, but there are a good number of them.  I'm still having the same problems that I posted above and I'm certain that the fibroid tumors are the culprit.  I am going to the doctor next week to seek treatment that will stop this problem as I'm very tired of it!

The West Women Hall of Fame

My newly found 3rd Cousin Peter Edwards just recently sent me 3 books from Guernsey as follows:

• I Beg to Report . . . by William M. Bell - This book is about policing in Guernsey during the Nazi Occupation.  It tells about how Jews who lived there were sent to Auschwitz and the local population was dominated and treated horribly.  Police who helped people received harsh prison terms.
• Memories of a Misspent Childhood, by Peter Edwards - This is a hilarious and also heartbreaking account of my cousin Peter's childhood in Guernsey.  To say his family was dirt poor would be an understatement! 
• Family History - A detailed history in both pictures and stories about Peter's Paternal and Maternal ancestors.

I am still looking through everything that he sent me. Although I am quite touched by all of it, there are a few things that have really jumped out at me.  The biggest thing that has garnered my attention is cousin Peter's Grandmother and my 1st cousin 2x removed, Linda Mary West. Linda was quite a woman, and is now in my "West Women Hall of Fame".

Linda was one of ten children born to my Great Grand Uncle William West and Selina Harriet Thoumine on Roland Road in Guernsey, Channel Islands on 4 August 1874.  Linda married William Henry Harper on 3 July 1894.  According to family oral history, William Harper certainly met his match when he married Linda. 

William was a gunner in the Royal Artillery and in 1897, he and the family moved to Plymouth, Devonshire, England, which was a Garrison town where drinking and fighting was the norm on weekends.  According to family oral history,  William and Linda took great pleasure from these weekend activities and would hit the town after wagering who could knock out the most roughnecks, and Linda invariably always won!  There ain't nothing like a kick-ass woman, especially a West Woman!

Here is a picture of Linda circa 1923 :

Linda Mary West circa 1923

Sadly, she ended up dying at the age of 58 at 7:30 PM on Sunday, 21 May 1933.  Apparently, she had stuck her foot into a boiling tub and it ended up becoming "septic".  She underwent an operation at Country Hospital two days previous but it was too late to help her.  It is said that right after this operation she was getting off of a bus to go home and had to pass a couple of roughnecks fighting.  Her son ran off of the bus to make sure that she wouldn't get hurt, but by the time he got there, both of the roughnecks were unconscious on the ground.  Apparently, Linda had knocked their heads together. Lord have mercy!   It is a shame that such a healthy and physically powerful woman ended up dying for such a strange reason!

Long live the West Women!

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep . . .

Throughout my childhood, my mother always had a beautiful picture of a guardian angel hanging in our bedrooms.  The angel was a lovely blonde woman in flowing robes looking over two young children crossing a dangerous, rickety bridge. I used to ask my mother about those children in the picture as I was worried about them getting hurt.  My mother always told me that we all have guardian angels looking over us to protect us from harm   Here is the picture:

My Childhood Guardian Angel

I know that this has to be true, since there have been more than several occasions where I thought for sure that I was going to get seriously hurt, but something happened at the last second to avert disaster. I'm sure that it was my guardian angel protecting me from harm as it was not my time to die.

My brothers and sister and I always knelt down by the bed before we went to sleep to say our prayers, and this was one of our prayers:


Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day,
be at my side
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.

It's a Catholic prayer to a Guardian Angel.

The reason I am remembering all of this today is that I saw something very disturbing on the TV while working out at the gym late this afternoon.  The news reported that Sarah Burke, the 29 year old Olympic Women's Freestyle Skier died today from brain injuries that she sustained a week ago during skiing practice in Utah.  I was shocked by this news!  I remember seeing her and Shaun White skiing at an Olympic event not too long ago and she was fantastic!  She was a pioneer who got her particular genre of skiing onto the docket at the Olympics.  It is likely that she would have been favored to win her event in the 2014 Olympics in Russia. What a tragedy!  She was such a beautiful and talented girl, not very much older than my own daughter!  Here is a video of Sarah:

All of this is a poignant reminder that we don't know how long that we have on this earth.  When it is our time to die, that will be the end of our time on this earth.

For some special reason, it was Sarah's time to die.  I pray that she was escorted to heaven by beautiful angels, where she will be at peace for eternity.   Meanwhile she lives on here on earth in her skiing legacy.

Rest in Peace, Sarah!

Send Me An Angel

Fortunately, I am feeling a good bit better today than I did yesterday.  I only worked a half day today.  I got up and got in a really good cardio workout at the gym, then went home, ate breakfast, then took a nap. I got into work at 1:00 PM and stayed there 4 hours.

I have read over my last few posts here and have given alot of thought about the way that I have been feeling lately, especially the last few weeks. I am very blessed in the fact that my immediate family is a very good support system  and they really do love me and I love them too. I am also blessed because I have a very good job which enables me to support and take care of my family.  I have worked very hard to be able to do this, but there are many people out there who have also worked hard and have not been as fortunate.

Although I do acknowledge my blessings, I have come to realize that there is something missing in my life and I cannot find it. It is a very lonely and empty feeling. I have been searching and reaching out, but nothing has come back.  I know that I am not going to find what I am looking for on Facebook and that I have been reaching out to the wrong people and in the wrong direction.  I need to find the right way.

After all of this thinking that I have been doing, something jumped out at me today.  It is actually a beautiful song by the Scorpions called "Send Me An Angel".  Here are the lyrics to the song:

Wise man said just walk this way
To the dawn of the light
The wind will blow into your face
As the years pass you by

Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close our eyes and your will find
Passage out of the dark

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

Wise man said just find your place
In the eye of the storm
Seek the roses along the way
Just beware of the thorns

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

Wise man said just raise your hand
And reach out for the spell
Find the door in the promised land
Just believe in yourself

Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and you will find
The way out of the dark

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star
Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

So, here I am, will you send me an angel who will help me to fill this emptiness.  Here I am, in the land of the Lone Star.

Here is a picture of Michael the Archangel:

Michael the Archangel

Here is the Scorpions video:

Please help me to find the passage out of the dark . . .

Pour Some Sugar on Me (Please!)

I am in a really terrible mood this afternoon!  It is so bad that when I was at Target about an hour ago, I felt like running over every person that got in my way with my cart!  Even though there were some really flipping inconsiderate people blocking the aisles with their carts while they did nutritional analysis or price comparisons on something, it is so unlike me to feel this way!  I can honestly say that around 99% of the time I have a genuine smile on my face, but this is not the case today.

January is a very bad time for me, and the wind outside sounds like a screaming banshee.  Although this is not helping my mood, it is not the true reason for it being so bad.  I am not going to go into the real reasons for my melancholy state today, lest it make anyone who might care to read this think that I am an idiot.  Truth be told, I feel like a real idiot today.

So, in keeping with what is becoming my usual style here on my blog, I am going to put some appropriate music here to go with my words.  As such, I will summon up Def Leppard to accompany my post today, because I am in such a bad mood that  I beg of somebody, somewhere to pour some sugar on me, please!

I hope to wake up in a better state tomorrow.

Until then . . .

You Can't Always Get Want You Want

I will be the first to say that I am blessed.  I work very hard, but have a good life, thank God!  I also have to say that I have had some aching disappointments since 2012 has dawned, and these disappointments are people related.  I have absolutely no right to have any expectations from those involved, but I can't help but feel somewhat sad about it all. 

I have really wanted things in the past and am now thankful that I never got them as it would have been disastrous had my hopes been realized.  I have always been a daydreamer and got in trouble for it at times when I was a kid in school.  My grown up daydreams have helped me to get what I am missing in my life and relationships, even though it is only in my mind. So I guess that my daydreams will just have to stay put in my mind, until I can find some new ones to replace them, and it is certain that the new ones will eventually become disappointments as well.

So, I will embrace the wisdom of the Rolling Stones for tonight's post by saying "you can't always get what you want".  But the part that I have to remember is "if you try sometimes, you get what you need".  Fortunately, I have all of my basic needs, but there is something missing and I have not been able to find it, not even in my daydreams.  Hopefully, I will find it one day before I leave this earth.

I will close my post tonight with a very appropriate song by the Rolling Stones:

Don't the Stones just say it all!

Until tomorrow . . .

The Guernsey Connection

I've talked about my passion for ancestral research in previous posts and I'm sure that I'll talk about it again many times.  I've had some pretty exciting discoveries during the last few months! Just to bring you up to date with recent events, around two years ago my research led me to Ann Kent Dennis, my 2nd cousin 1x removed.  She and I are related on my father's side of the family.  Her g-grandparents were my g-g grandparents John and Alice Hussey West. At the time, Ann was 91 years old and surfing the internet!  Sadly, Ann passed away on November 22, 2011.  Here is her Obituary, which was posted in the Fresno Bee on Christmas 2011:

Ann Kent Dennis Obituary



She was so amazing!  I am glad that I got to talk with her some before she passed away.  I learned some about my father's side of the family from her and I helped her out with her research on her mother's side of the family.  Her granddaughter Erin contacted me via email to advise that Ann had passed away.  Erin found the emails that Ann and I had exchanged in Ann's effects and wanted to know if I could share with her whatever I knew about their family.  I sent her pictures and information about the Wests, Kents and her g-grandmother Geneva Rayfield's family.  She was delighted to receive what I sent to her!

As Erin and her parents sorted through Ann's effects, they came across some artifacts that were of great interest to me. One of these artifacts was my g-g-grandfather John West's U.S. Citizenship Certificate!  The other artifact was what my brother Mark and I are now calling "The Kent Envelope".  The Kent Envelope is an envelope yellowed with age that my g-g-aunt Mary West's husband Thomas Kent presented to her on Christmas Day in 1890.  Here is a picture of part of "The Kent Envelope":

"The Kent Envelope"

This envelope contains the names of all of their children, their birth dates and for the ones who had died, the date of their death.  Obviously, this envelope served as family record as somebody kept adding names and dates after 1890.  It also contains death dates for my g-g grandparents, which provided confirmation of my research and a death date of 1888 for a William West.  The death date for William West was very exciting information as it proved that he was a relative and was likely my g-g grandparent's son!

My g-g grandparents John and Alice Hussey West emigrated from Ireland to Guernsey in the early 1850s to escape the Potato Famine and find work.  Up until recently we thought that John and Alice had 6 children:  John (my g-grandfather), Peter, James, Mary, Margaret and Micheal.  Past research of the Guernsey censuses revealed that a William West and his family lived 4 doors down from my g-g-grandparents, but we couldn't find a connection between the families.  Well, "The Kent Envelope" has provided this connection!  We are now quite sure that William was our g-g grandparents John and Alice West's son.

After seeing "The Kent Envelope", I starting looking around on Ancestry.com and found a guy by the name of Peter Edwards who was related to a William West who died in Guernsey in 1888.  I sent a message to Peter and he responded promptly.  After comparing notes, we confirmed that his William West is one and the same as ours!!!  So, Peter is my 3rd cousin, and the real kicker is that he lives in Guernsey!  He doesn't know much about the West side of the family, so I gave him access to my West Family Tree and he gave me access to his tree. We are both learning so much!

My brother Mark and I both remember a story our father told us about one of our g-grandfather's brothers drowning in a lobster trap.  Apparently, this was William West. Cousin Peter Edwards has a book that he wrote with a bunch of pictures and information about the family and he is going to mail it to my brother Mark and I.  This book tells of how the "clan" dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey and I also believe that it tells of William West's death in "the lobster pot", as Peter calls it.

Mark and I cannot wait to get Peter's book!  We are also waiting for our cousin Erin to send us pictures of our g-g aunt Mary West Kent.  Ancestral research can be quite tedious sometimes without much results, but if one keeps digging, they will eventually find something and sometimes it can be from very unexpected sources!

Until tomorrow . .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update on August 26, 2012

Cousin Peter did indeed send his books to me and it turns out that William West didn't die in a lobster pot after all.  According to Peter, William was a sea captain and was critically injured from being hit in the head by a marlin spike.  This injury caused him to have horrible "fits", which I'm certain were seizures.  His was put into a closet in the family home whenever he had these seizures and Peter said that there are claw marks to this day in that closet.  How horrible!  Rest in Peace, dear Uncle William! 

An Escape to the Caribbean

We have been discussing going somewhere warm during Spring Break this year in early March, just to get a break from the cold, dark days that wreak havoc with the way that I feel. Well, this afternoon this desire led me to book an escape to the Eastern Caribbean.  It's a 7 day long cruise on Holland America. Holland America was the best choice this time because they have a reputation for catering to a more sophisticated crowd that enjoys fine food and drink, elegant surroundings, and good service.  I would much rather enjoy a beautiful dinner and then some wine on our balcony or a show after dinner than wild, drunken partying!  We don't care to hang out in bars either.

Here is the itinerary we purchased:

Eastern Caribbean Itinerary

Fort Lauderdale
This vast array of wonderful beaches offers you opportunities to swim with the dolphins in a tropical lagoon and come face-to-face with alligators during an Everglades air boat tour. Or stroll through a tropical rainforest while hundreds of butterflies flutter above you.

Turks and Caicos

At first glance these oddly named and misshapen islands may not be the prettiest in the Caribbean, covered as they are with cactus and thorny acacia trees. They are, however, fringed with exquisite beaches and several hundred miles of coral reef that keeps the Turks & Caicos on the world's top 10 dive list. 

San Juan
The capital of Puerto Rico and second oldest city in the Americas is a lively modern metropolis. Underscored by stunning beaches and cobblestone streets lined with churches, houses and mansions, the city is a unique fusion of resort atmosphere and world charm. 

St. Thomas
"Sweet Sugar City" is a fertile isle dominated by a verdant rainforest, volcanic slopes and sugar cane fields. Cool trade winds caress its shores, and the brilliant golden sun warms the exotic black sand. Petroglyphic symbols and human figures are a testament to the island's ancient, pre-Columbian history. 

Half Moon Cay
Fish the bountiful waters in search of barracuda, wahoo, snapper and grouper, or para sail over this lush island and view the vivid scenery. Snorkeling tours enable you to explore the coast of Half Moon Cay, which teems with a plenitude of aquatic life.

Here is a picture of how our stateroom will look:

It is always good to have something to look forward to that will take you away from the dreariness of winter!  However, until March comes, I will be sitting under my Happy Light every day, trying to beat the winter blues.

Adeline's 4th Birthday Party with Family

We had Adeline's 4th birthday party with family yesterday and it went really well!  Most of her grandparents, her mother and father and her cousins were there to help her celebrate being 4 years old.  It was good food, family and fun!  Here is Adeline checking out the decorations before the party:

Adeline Checking out Her Princess Castle

This princess castle and table cover was the cutest thing I have ever seen for a girl's birthday!  There are pictures of each of the princesses on the table cover and when you press on one of them, that particular princess speaks a "royal" birthday greeting.  She also had a balloon that, when pressed, had Cinderella sing Happy Birthday.

She had a princess castle pinata that we stuffed full of princess candy, lollipops and little toys.  Hernan strung it up in the garage for the party.  Here is a picture of Adeline before the party checking out her pinata in the garage:

 

Adeline was Cinderella for Halloween this past year, so we dressed her up in her costume for the party.  She looked so cute!  Here is a picture of her in costume sitting by her princess castle and balloons.

 

Cinderella Sitting with her Castle and Balloons

Here is her birthday banner:

Adeline's Birthday Banner

As family members started to arrive at the party, we did a little photo session which each person.  Here is Princess Adeline sitting with her Grandpa Jim:

Princess Adeline and Grandpa Jim

Here she is with Grandma Karen:

Sitting With Grandma Karen

Here is a picture of her with Granny Tina:

The Princess Sitting on Granny Tina's Lap

Here she is sitting with Abuelito:

With Abuelito on the Couch

Next came Daddy:

Adeline and Daddy

Then Mommy:

Cuddling with Mommy on the Couch

Then Uncle Joe-Joe and Cousin Alex:

Uncle Joe-Joe, Adeline and Cousin Alex

Right after the "photo session", cousins Alicia and Sophia arrived: 

The Three Princesses

Once everybody arrived, dinner was served.  Dinner was brisket, macaroni and cheese casserole, broccoli cauliflower medley and oven roasted potatoes.  Everything tasted so good, especially the brisket, which was slow cooked all night long.

Dinner was Delicious!

After dinner, everybody headed out to the garage to see who could break the pinata.  Here is a video of the pinata proceedings:

Once the pinata was broken, everybody headed inside the house to sing Happy Birthday to Adeline and watch her blow out the candles on her cake.  Here is a picture of her cake:

Adeline's Princess Cake

Here she is blowing out her candles:

After the cake, Adeline opened her presents.  Here are some pictures of her and her cousins opening her presents:

A Princess Tent from Aunt Jamie, Alicia and Sophia!

Looking at Stickers With Sophia (a.k.a "Wonder Woman")

Getting Help from Alicia

Unveiling the Big Present Upstairs

Here are some pictures of Adeline having fun with her family:

Alicia and Adeline

Sophia "Princess Belle" playing at the Princess Table

Sitting on the Couch With Alicia

Visiting With Aunt Jamie and Mommy

Cinderella vs. Uncle Joe-Joe in a Wrestling Match

Playing Kitchen with Sophia

Everyone had a wonderful time!  Let's do it again for her 5th birthday party next year!  Happy Birthday Princess Adeline!

I Can't Make You Love Me, If You Don't

This is going to be a short post tonight, but I have alot to say in a small amount of words, and these words are . . . I should have known better!

A certain someone sent me a message on Facebook back when I was flying out to Hawaii for the holidays.  I was unaware of this message until I read a post from Morgan McMichaels yesterday on Facebook, where he lamented the fact that he missed a bunch of messages because they went to an "Other" button under his messages. After I read his post, I checked the "Other" button on my Facebook account and found some messages from guys I have never met wanting me to contact them, which I promptly blew off.  However, I was very surprised to see a message from this certain someone.  I believe the reason why I never saw this message is because I am not friends with this person on Facebook.

So, I replied to the message and figured that they would not see it as we are not Facebook friends.  So, I ended up sending a "Friend Request" to them, which I am now starting to regret.  I sent the message and friend request yesterday evening and it is now after midnight the next day and I have not received a response or acceptance of my friend request.  What a mistake I have made, and I should have known better!  I love my family and the few friends that I have and all I was asking for was friendship. I rarely seek friendship from anybody who is not my family.  What a waste of effort! I just have to face the fact that I can't make this person love me, if they don't. Quite frankly, it has become very apparent that they don't give a rat's ass about me!

So, here is a song by Bonnie Raitt that I am sadly making the theme song of this post tonight:

I have nobody to blame but myself, for expecting something from somebody who has nothing to give!

But, I have something to give to those who care about me.

With Love from Dallas (for those who care)

Until tomorrow . . .

Update on Sunday, January 8th - I went into Facebook and saw that it is possible to cancel friend requests, so I cancelled the friend request that I sent to this person.  I feel like a huge weight has lifted from my back!  Just like most people, I really hate to be rejected.  It really hurts!  This way, I won't have to face rejection.

Update on Sunday, October 14th - Earlier this month I sent another friend request and I'm now friends with this person.  I'm finally learning how to reach out and not be so uptight about it!

On the Right Track

I have worked out regularly and eaten a low fat diet for a long while now but have not been satisfied with how my body has looked to date.  I work out at 24 Hour Fitness and they have an excellent personal trainer program.  As a matter of fact, the show "The Biggest Loser" uses 24 Hour Fitness' program!  I really want to see results this year, so I hired one of their Master Trainers for a few months to get the results I want.  I get personal training from Brad for 50 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I do 45 minutes of cardio on my own on Saturdays and Sundays.

The personal training package consists of cardio, resistance training and nutrition counseling.  I started the resistance training and cardio last week and the nutrition yesterday.  Brad is with me for the resistance training and tells me what exercises to do and then watches me do them to ensure I have the proper form.  I never realized how important form is when exercising.  Brad is helping me with my posture so that I can pull my shoulders back more and strengthen my core.

The nutrition part is really cool, where you use what is called the "Bodybugg" program.  You login to your account and enter what you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and the calorie, protein, carbohydrate and fat for each item is tallied.  You are supposed to eat 20% protein, 20% fat and 60% carbohydrates each day to get the best results.  I am on the APEX 1200 Calorie Plan so that I can lose a few pounds and gain more definition.

Here is my Nutrition for today:



Mae's Nutrition for 1/4/2010

 

As you can see, I am doing pretty well today as my Nutrition totaled 20% protein, 17% fat and 63% carbohydrates.  What is so surprising about this is that I was not eating enough before, especially carbohydrates.

I also bought a "Bodybugg" yesterday after training with Brad.  The Bodybugg is a device that looks alot like a pedometer.  You strap it around your upper arm and it actually measures the calories that you burn each day.  You can upload your results into your iPhone or a computer and your trainer will evaluate them.  The Bodybugg is said to be extremely accurate.

After I finished training yesterday, I picked up Adeline from Daycare and headed home.  Here is a picture of me driving home with my "mini Copilot" at her command post in the back:

Mae and Mini Copilot

I hope to see results soon!

Until tomorrow . . .

Happy 4th Birthday, Adeline!

Adeline turned 4 years old today!  We had a small party for her at home tonight.  Her big party with balloons, decorations, relatives, etc. will be on Saturday.  Here is Adeline blowing out her "4" candle on her cake tonight:

What a sweet girl!  May she have many, many more birthdays!

Well, the holidays are over now and it is back to work tomorrow.  It is always very hard to go back to work after the holiday break, but we must get back into our daily routines.  I hope that 2012 will be a good year!  I pray that everyone in the family makes it through the year in one piece, that we all keep our jobs, and we remain healthy.

Here we go, 2012!