Well, despite my technical arrogance, I can’t get the internet to work for my laptop and despite my excitement for having JUST RECEIVED MY NEW 3G IPHONE, I do not have the patience to type this post out on its tiny keyboard, one finger at a time!  So instead I am writing down my “blogness” in Word to post at a later time!

I can’t remember if I mentioned this or not, but Kenny, Josh, and I are taking a last minute, quickly planned, mini-vacation at the Disneyland Resort!  It’s kind of funny because we live so close that every night we hear the fireworks go off, so when the employees here say, “So where are you from?” they laugh when we tell them.  But heck, even us Southern Californians deserve a trip to the happiest place on earth!

Anyway, my friend Cathy and her granddaughter Hannah are with us as well, and that just adds a level of fun to the adventure!  Hannah is 2 ½ years old and gets SO EXCITED about things……but I am getting ahead of myself……..

So we are staying at the resort through Wednesday – we checked in a little after 3pm and the boys were EXCITED.  When we entered the parking structure (where I happened to nab an AMAZING space), there was a security officer doing something nearby.  Josh wanted to meet “the officer”, to say hi.  But as much as he was excited to do so, he was “too shy” to go alone.  So we walked over and he said, “Hello Officer!”  We had a very nice conversation and he was VERY good with Josh, so that was a great way to start.

Checking is was cool too and I must say, I JUST made these reservations days ago and had requested adjoining rooms for me and my friend Cathy.  It worked without a hitch and the service here thus far has been stellar!

So we spent several hours at the pool, which is located on the 3rd floor of the hotel and includes a cool water slide, although Kenny didn’t like it too much.  He has been to several water parks AND he said it scratched his back.  Josh was not interested in going at all.  He seemed a little hesitant to do anything at first……

Cathy and Hannah went to go get drinks and the boys and I jumped into the pool.  Suddenly, my REAL Josh appeared!  Swimming, laughing, goofing around with his mother.  Kenny was having fun too, and is a very good big brother.  We had a blast and were happy when Cathy and Hannah returned so we could commence the bonding.

Hannah is a little shy at first…..since I haven’t seen her in a while, it was like starting over.  She was shy with the boys at first too.  Then, suddenly in the pool, the giggles started again and I was like, “YES, she is remembering me!”  But that elation was short lived.  Why?  Because she started having all her fun with Kenny and Josh!  She would sometimes push me or splash me, more because when she did Kenny would say, “Good job Hannah, give me five!”  Sigh.

We went back to the hotel, got changed, and then went to Downtown Disney.  Hannah saw Rain Forest Café and really wanted to go there.  Cathy was very sweet and said, “well, let’s see if the boys want to go there” to which Hannah received two thumbs up.  There wasn’t a long wait – we totally lucked out because the masses arrived shortly after us – and we got a great table upstairs.  That’s when the fun REALLY started.  For, you see, Hannah has a new crush……KENNY!  You should have seen her face light up as she sat next to him, the way she practically sat in his chair the whole time, the way that she would give him food (she passed cheese sticks, etc.)  She likes Josh too, but she LOVES Kenny!  Afterward, she only wanted Kenny to push her stroller!  And you must know, she is VERY attached to her Nana, so this was a big deal!

Also in the restaurant, she was adorable when the thunderstorm started!  When the lights would flash her eyes got SO big!!!  It was adorable!  The second storm she covered her eyes and then afterward said, “I was scared of the storm!” but then giggled at Kenny.  Sigh.  Wow, young love!

Josh entertained Hannah as well.  They shared small pirate knives, checked out items in the lego store, and the three of them would play games and giggle and run, etc.

Cathy and I had fun, too – the food was great, the kids were very well behaved, and although Downtown Disney was crowded, it wasn’t crazy.  It was very relaxing!  I think it was a great first day of the mini-vacation!

Oh, I almost forgot!  Cathy bought boulets (I don’t know how the hell to spell it!  If I have internet access I would look it up!) but those delicious donut like things that are famous in New Orleans.  YUMMY!  They were warm, covered with powdered sugar, and an EXCELLENT ending to a great evening!

Okay, I need to get back to bed!  I woke up at 2:30 am and need my sleep for our first day at the theme parks!  GOOFY, HERE I COME!

Gina OUT!

First of all, special shout out to my dear cousin, Christine!  She is a few weeks older than I am, has always lived states away, yet we are more alike than I realized.  Thank you for always sending me encouraging comments or emails, and always being real with me.  I am so glad you are settling back down and getting online!  I’ve missed you!  And I love you!

The Getty was AWESOME and the day was beautiful!  Rona and I had a nice lunch looking at the clear blue sky, after having seen 90% of the museum!  I love that museum – next stop, Fargo where there are TWO museums!!!!  What’s also kind of cool is that Kirstie went to the Getty TODAY, totally unaware we had gone, and we compared notes!  Woohoo!  The three of us like many of the same things.

Tomorrow Kenny and I are going to the beach to take……SURFING LESSONS!  I am not entirely sure I will actually take them as it is a LONG day (8am – 2pm) and I am not sure how I will look in a wet suit, but Kenny for sure is taking lessons.  He has been waiting SO LONG for this day!  He was so excited tonight I had to insist he go to bed!  And, this old lady best be getting to bed soon too as we need to be at the beach by 7:30!

As for analysis, which I often do, I realized something today.  I tend to see the potential in everything – issues, people, ideas…..the list goes on.  And on the surface, this is a good quality to have.  But my problem, and perhaps yours as well, is when I manufacture potential that is not there, thus creating a hope that is really fruitless.  For example, I often manufacture “the best” in people because, well, I don’t want to acknowledge how their actions are hurtful to me.  I make excuses for them internally, not really saying, “wow, they are treating me like crap and that needs to stop!”  I guess I have taken the “turn the other cheek” theory a bit too far.  Or I tell myself, if I love someone a bit or am really kind to them, they will somehow see how cool that is and will start being nicer.  See how I transfered that?  It is MY fault they are not nice, because I haven’t done enough to “change” them!  Whoa there!  This analysis is getting DEEP!  Or maybe subconsciously I think that I somehow deserve to be treated badly, that to expect someone to be nice to me “just because” is a little off beat.  Hmmmm, I think I better stop writing because this is really getting personal…….

Another thing I realized – I give all I have to people, many people that don’t (or didn’t) deserve it.  Emotionally, physically, financially – I have sacrificed for many people who really don’t give a damn about me today, for myriad reasons.  And I wonder, WHY did I sacrifice so much for them?  To receive some sort of manufactured love?  To make myself feel valuable?  Maybe to make myself feel fulfilled?  All for nothing, it seems, because many of the people to whom I gave the most don’t even pretend to care about me today.  As my dear friend Teddi would ask now, “so, what have you learned from that?”  I am not sure.  I like the part of me that sees a need and tries to meet it.  But I guess my heart is telling me to reign it in a little or at least expect the recipient to treat me like crap.  And that makes me think, was there a string to my love?  Did I do it out of love or to make them feel obligated to me?  Hmmmm.  But I also think takers, just takers, the kind that then stab you in the back and act like you are horrible, suck.  Oh, now I am rambling!

This post is a direct result to me having a migraine today!  A BAD one.  So I guess it rumbled up my brain cells a bit!

I hope to take pics of Kenny surfing tomorrow and will post them!

Gina……OUT!

It was a great weekend.  I spent yesterday with friends playing, what else?, Guitar Hero!  We got the new game, Aerosmith, and it’s COOL!  Rona and I were rocking the house!  Steve and Stephanie did a great job, too.  Shout out to them for BUYING the game for Rona!  Woohoo!

Word of the Day:

Fixation – an obsessive or unhealthy preoccupation or attachment

I had the opportunity of discussing this phenomenon with my therapist recently.  It’s interesting when people fixate on things that don’t make much sense.  I am nowhere near an expert on this, but I have witnessed it a time or two “in nature”.  Perhaps a gift I yearn for is how to RESPOND to such manifestations.  I could definitely learn for sure!

On another note, you may remember Rona’s “Trilogy” comment…..well, here’s a new spin on that!

And here is how kids change:

(and yes, that’s a Minard nose!)

Okay, have to go – there’s another beach day tomorrow and I want to be READY to boogie board with the boys!

Gina……OUT!

So, yeah, today I was called, pretty much, a coward.  But I know I am NOT a coward, at least in the circumstance the related situation occurred.  I have been a coward before, certainly, but other people with unrealistic needs and demands do not necessarily define courage – at least in my book.  And, for what it’s worth, when someone says “this is the last message”, it appears a bit irrational when there are several afterward…….so to me, all “rules” fly out the window when you are dealing with that type of person….especially when you really don’t know them.

ANYWAY!  I went in yesterday for my assessment, to see what (if any) progress I made in boot camp.  First, let me share the standard goals for a first time enrollee:

• 2 pounds weight loss – this takes into account the increase in muscle, which weighs more than fat
• 2-3% reduction in BMI (body mass index – pretty much the fat…..gross)
• about 1/2-1 inch reduction in abs

Here are my actual results (well, that I remember….Sonya needs to email me the actuals…):

• I lost 4 pounds.  This was after being VERY bad in New York eating wise…..
• 5% reduction in BMI
• I consistently lost 2 inches in my upper abs, abs, hips, and butt!
• I can’t remember the numbers, but I did well in my thigh especially and my arms were good.

My instructor was pretty surprised that I did so well, and actually so was I!  So I was jazzed!  All that TOUGH work paid off!  And, if you really want to know a secret to my success, here it is – eat every 2-3 hours!  ALWAYS include something that has protein, eat even if you’re not hungry, and before you know it your portions are smaller and you are always “satisfied”.  I fell out of this habit the last week or so, but I have to tell you – when I was doing it I felt MUCH better!  I never got that shaky, I think I am going to pass out feeling because my body was always energized by the food (and protein).  Another secret is to drink water – enough is to take your weight, divide it in half, which gives you the number of OUNCES you should drink PER DAY.  I didn’t so as well in this area, but I did make progress.  Most importantly, I got up and broke a serious sweat doing cardio, pilates, core work…..crap, I hated it most days!  But it’s great to see results!

So, Sonya and I aren’t doing the next boot camp – it’s kind of expensive – but we ARE going to go to the gym each morning!  I also am toying with the idea of beginning to bicycle ride as I truly hate to run.  So we shall see.

Also, today I had the pleasure of going to the beach with Kenny and Josh.  We had SO MUCH fun!  Kenny and I caught so amazing waves on our boogie boards!  Kenny is getting quite good actually – he totally looks like a surfer dude.  Josh was doing quite well too – he and I “rode the waves” together as well and he is much braver than I thought!  He knows when to dive under big waves, when to jump over them, and when to say, “Mom, hold me for this one!”  It was totally a blast.  Now, I need to find out about surfing lessons to Ken!

Also, update on Edgar’s business – it’s taking off!  Remember, if you need a web designer, check him out!

Okay, if this hasn’t helped you fall asleep, I suggest Advil PM or something!

Gina OUT!