Andrew Weil, M.D. - Fat Facts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvcK6A-yEoQ This is a video about how fat is not in fact making us fat. Take a look.

Fortunately Vulnerable aka How to Be Happy

This video is very powerful, funny, and eye opening. Take a look!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o It's 20 minutes and well worth your time.

Plans for the New Year?

I try not to make any real resolutions though I do have some plans worked out. 

1. Try to read more books, more spread out instead of clumped together.  I missed my target of 2 books per week last year by 8 books.  In the end I decided I wanted to spend the holidays with friends and family (and writing) instead of just buried in a book, no matter how delightful.  Oh, 2 books at 52 weeks = 104 books, this year I'm going to make it.  I just need to find a balance between novel speed binges and nonfiction slowness. - READ/LEARN

2. Trite, I know, but relose the weight I've gained over the past 2 years. It crept up on me and the six weeks of broken foot didn't help.  Any weight lost beyond that is just gravy (*snicker*). I've been doing yoga in the morning for a few weeks and expect that to continue, and I'm back on my treadmill. - TAKE CARE OF BODY

3. Write more.  Maybe the writing raven fairy can inspire me.  - CREATE

4. Remember to breathe, remember that I like people and doing things, remember to let go of control ... - RELAX

Really, all 4 of these in one form or another are constant activities/goals and not just once a year things. 

As for other kinds of plans... 

I'll be going

• Boise in January to attend the ILA board meeting
• Boise in October for ILA conference
• Spokane in August, I'm hoping to present with Karen at the PNLA conference there
• Yellowstone a couple more times in order to make that parks pass worth it's while
• Rock hunting/camping in the Tahoe region for Summer Solstice
• ??? depending on where Nick is

I'm sure there are going to be other adventures. I can't help myself.

Christmas/Holiday Activities: Part 2

Image: Emailed Greeting card from my Alma Mater.  Though it was the College of Arts and Sciences when I graduated with my history degree.

23rd – Thursday - Christmas Eve Eve party in Utah

Bringing
• Cheeseballs & crackers
• Devilled eggs
• Mostacholi
• Presents for kids, Salt scrubs for women

I ended up not getting presents for the kids. I didn't know how old Glen's kids were so I just bagged the idea altogether. We left around noon and arrived right at 2:00. We'd have been early if the fog hadn't slowed us down. Dinner was great and it was good to talk to the fam. Sam may be leery of dogs, but Tom sure wasn't he followed Barkley around and around and around. Nick had bathed him the night before and had fluffed the poodle into one big puffball. He is irresistible. When Tom wasn't following the dog, the dog was following the kid. He knew Barkley sat for us on command, but his high pitched voice didn't register as a command with the dog, who ignored him. I read many chapters of the Harry Dresden book 'Small Favor' on the way down and back. The feasting was good, the conversation awesome. I'm hoping we can do this one again.
Attendees: Aunt Susan and Harry; Glen, Nicole, and their kids Zach and Abigail; David, Jen and their kids Amy, Aubrey, Sam, Tom and Jen's mom.

24th – Friday - Christmas at home with family
In the end Rebecca and Hannah went to Texas so it hardly seems like it counts for a social activity since it was just the three of us. We kept it low key but had a great time.

25th – Saturday- Christmas at home with family

Menus
BREAKFAST
• Homemade bread (machine)
NOT • Sourdough bread
NOT • Boiled eggs
NOT • Tomatoes
NOT • Cucumbers
NOT • Cheeses: Havarti, Swiss ...

Simplify, simplify, simplify became our motto so a simple breakfast of eggs and homemade bread worked great for brunch. We decided to SLEEP in.

LUNCH
NOT • Veggie tray

DINNER
• Persian chicken and rice stuffing
NOT • Dolmathes
NOT • Greek olives
• Pita bread
• Swiss chard ala Nick
• Greek Salad
NOT • Tiropitakia
NOT • Baklava

The simplify motto came into play for dinner too. We're going to bring the baklava and tiropitakia to New Year party instead. Christmas was awesome, we sat on the sofa's and opened presents and laughed and enjoyed each other's company. I got the cutest fairies EVER, and a movie I had been dying to see (The Expendables). Shanna snagged a cloak and Nick got a new GPS along with a stocking full of mini-bar items. We also received many other wonderful gifts such as the bird book from Melinda, hand crocheted scaves & hats, clothes, kitchen stuff...

26th – Sunday - Breakfast with Annie
Shanna and I met up with Annie at Elmer's where we had a great breakfast and talked and talked and talked. Nick had pain in his back so he stayed home and worked on thesis.

29th - Wednesday - Visit from Sarah & Lance Bitter
Weird. It was weird seeing Lance again after 30 some years. Seeing him in the context of him marrying my sister was even weirder. I'm sure it'll get more normal as we see each other more often, and I am very happy for her. He is a nice guy and she deserves nice, funny, kind. They're great together, it's just weird.

27th – 30th Mon-Thu (South Family xmas Party)
(NOT) The South family party never got off the ground. We're all just too busy at this time of year. I think that next year I may suggest moving it to November, cause after Xmas just didn't work.

31st – Friday New Years Eve party
Nick is making roast lamb and chicken with olives. Shanna and I are making baklava and tiropitakia. Dinner should be awesome...

And it was, other people brought greek salad, hummus and pita chips, stuffed saffron rice, rum soaked fruited couscous. We were joined by Nancy & Dan, Janet, Heather & Duo, and of course Maura & Jim - it was their house after all. We sat and ate and talked and laughed and talked and laughed and Jim shared some of his alcohol from foreign countries and we laughed and talked some more. We started toasting the new year at 10:00, it was the new year in New York, and then at 11 for Chicago ... I just wish we'd started the silly idea earlier in the evening. We never got to the movies though we did manage to stay up till midnight.