Another Week...Gone a New one Begins!

This past week has been filled to the brim with appointments and running around. We finished all of hubby's VA medical evaluations so that part is done unless they decide to send him for further testing. We fought the battle about his promotion and who was to cut the orders, which has held up our ability to clear post. We are still awaiting the final word on who on Fort Bragg cuts those orders since we have been assigned to the medical hold unit.

I spoke with my mother and the results from my sister's surgery and biopsies is back...it looks like the got it all and the other two places biopsed were negative. So that was a piece of good news indeed.

Hubby's blood pressure has been a little high but the doc says with all the stress of running around, trying to pack and sort through everything, promotion crap, and a cross-country move that he is not surprised by it. It is very minimal so no real concerns there. We just need to get this business on the road and get out of here. Time to start our new life of retirement. Which I thought would be when I was much older but I am very thankful it is now. LOL.

My Birthday was a quiet one spent doing little or nothing really. I cooked a nice meatload for dinner and enjoyed quiet. I did manage to get over to BoneSpear and have Don check the healing of the tattoo and he set me an appointment to come in on Sunday and have more work done which I did.

Sunday's appointment was not bad at all, the hip bone area is still very painful but I could have sat there much longer and let Don work but my skin began to swell and he was not happy with the way it was taking the ink so he called it a day until next Sunday. But I got more amazing progress on the bamboo and next week will be more on the tiger. I cannot help but love it more each time I look at it. It is coming into a life of its own, literally. Don's awesome talen with shading and shadowing amazes me...the tiger it starting to appear to be moving out of the bamboo and I can see depth in his face. I will never be able to thank Don enough or praise him highly enough for the beautiful work he is doing. This is the latest progress....red irritation and swelling included..



Well today is another day, the tiger gets more work on Sunday and meanwhile...let the running around begin.

A work in progress!

What a day, it was day 2 in the hands of the capable Don Carter of Bone Spear Custom Tattoo. The more I look at this tattoo the more I love it. Friday was night one and there was much swelling to be had after a couple hours of inking. Well today there was still a little swelling and I was swelling much faster. Gotta hate it when you have that kind of skin. Anyway, Don began the shadowing and color in the tiger's face and also hit some of the shadowing in the upper bamboo section. Now I must heal for 1 - 2 weeks and then return for him to finish up the color and shadowing.

I really am in awe of his work, as he works (when I got the chance to peek) he has such an expression of extreme concentration. But it goes a bit beyond that...it is something you only see in an artist or craftsman when they are focused. I would not have been surprised if the Tiger did not actually talk to Don. LOL Well I guess you would have had to been there and seen it for yourself.

But, this is the wonderful tattoo he is doing....



More as we go but that is all for today! Don, if you read this....I LOVE IT! Thanks so much.

The things we do on a Friday night!

I think sparring that little guy would have been more fun than my Friday night. Most people would think about dinner and a movie, bowling, roller skating, bar hopping or any other hundred things but I spent mine on a tattoo bench. I must be crazy!

2 hours of inking and another 2 hours to go tomorrow to finish it. But I know it is going to be awesome when it is finished. Besides the tattoo symbolizes so much for me. I totally love the design that Don at BoneSpear came up with. It is all about the transformations in my life and the new beginnings coming up. So I was tickled when I saw the design because it captured it all.

Don does such beautiful and truly artist work that I could not imagine anyone else doing mine. And husband trusts his artist skills so that was a major plus coming from someone with such artist qualities himself. Don uses a lot of color blending/washing and fading and creates a painting of sorts. As an example, my tiger is going to be done in earth tones mixed with the orange to resemble more of a real tiger as opposed to one of those neon/bright orange tiger tats you see everywhere. I cannot wait to see it finished. So to plug Don's shop, http://www.bonespear.com/

Life aside from that goes on...more appointments, more briefings, more tossing stuff away, tons of packing and looking forward to the move finally being over. YAY! Then the fun can begin...relaxation and de-stressing. Life with my best friend, lover and soulmate, my best girlfriend/sister and her family and our kids. Oh bring it on....I am so ready!

My fitness and bodybuilding journey is continuing it just has minor interruptions here and there but I will reach my goals...no doubt whatsoever. Off to shower and wash my tattoo and kick back for the afternoon. More later and pics too!

Healthy Cohabitation and Relationships...

All of the running around, plans, appointments, arrangements and mind-blowing paperwork of trying to get out of teh Army and ready for this move across country are enough to make anyone pull out hair. I am trying to keep positive and focused but there are days it all really gets me down.

I was thinking about everything and ended up asking myself a question...Why am I going through all of this? The answer was so simple...I am going through all of this for my wonderful husband. To be able to have him and spend my life with him working on our dreams and goals. That is more than enough reason to go through this crapola and such much more, if needed. It also occurred to me that we literally "live" together so well...and there are words of wisdom and insight on such matters.

Sharing Space And Energy ~ Cohabitating Positively

Our homes are our havens. These places where we come to rest, recharge, and dream in safety and comfort allow us to better face the challenges of the world outside our doors. When sharing a living space with others, an awareness of the thoughts and feelings of everyone involved is essential in creating the peace we all desire. Regardless of where we lived before, each time we cohabitate with others it is important that we make the effort to share the space in a way that supports everyone. We need to remember that in a shared space, everything we sense can also be sensed by another person. Peace will not likely be the result when the senses are filled with the sight of unwashed plates, intrusive sounds, unpleasant smells, the feel of a foreign substance beneath bare feet, or the taste of food tainted by an uncovered onion in the fridge. But if we communicate and listen with respect to those with whom we share a space, we may find that one enjoys washing dishes to end the day, while the other can take out the garbage during their evening walk. Working with another's schedule, you can still meditate or exercise to your favorite music while the other is out, and save reading for the times when they are trying to sleep. Being thoughtful of the energy that is required for something to be cleaned up may make everyone aware of being neater, whether that means taking off your shoes at the entrance or wiping up juice spilled on the kitchen floor. In the same way, pent up resentment toward your living partners is just as easily felt. Keeping the energy clear requires the effort of communication, the awareness of another's feelings, and courtesy toward the space you share. While that sometimes requires changing your schedule or habits, there are many times when having a caring someone nearby is worth all the effort. Living with others can help us learn to mingle our energies at home as well as at work and in the world at large in a way that benefits us and everyone around us.

There is benefit in sacrifice and strife, even within duress when it occurs. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to seeing the finished design for my new tattoo...I will see it Friday evening and get it started then too. With all of the wonderful changes taking places and transformations within myself and with my physique, this tattoo will say it all for me. I am excited and also nervous...but then again who wouldn't be nervous about lying half naked in a tattoo shop for a few hours of someone poking you with a needle or two? But it will be so worth it.

So onward and upward as the old saying goes...Life is Good, Love is Good and Marriage is Ecstacy and fabulous!

The joys of a pulled muscle!

As I stroll into nearly a week of dealing with a pulled pec, I can honestly say that I had never thought much about the pecs or how much they are used until I pulled it. It hurts to breath in or out, sit, stand, move, lie down. This I could easily do without in my life right now. We are moving along rather rapidly with VA appointments, final appointments and running around to get out the Army, and I feel like a partial invalid. Sheesh and they say timing is everything.

Somehow, luck was on our side and Husband and I have the house all to ourselves for 2 nights. Last night we enjoyed the silence and spent some well needed "us" time. It seems we managed to get rid of all three kids until sometime on Sunday. We are not questioning it, juswt taking full advantage of it. Neither Husband or I have even gotten dressed this morning and may not get dressed all day...and for no other reason is than...we deo not have to! Amazing how simple things unveil themselves when you get tiems like these. We both still remember how to operate the remote control for the TV and Cablw, we were able to find the remote, Silence can indeed be bliss and life is good quiet every now and again.

Things seem to be at odds in the universe as of late, some of the BuffMothers have suffered losses recently, some are facing losses and it hits me at times like this, exactly how old I am. My sister has just undergone her surgery for skin cancer on her back, my best friend's father undergoes surgery for colon cancer Monday and my the reality of my parents' mortality has been in the forefront of my mind a lot lately. I think this is due to the fact I am about to move across the country away from them ... permanently. It bothers me at some moments but I also know that this is what WE must do for ourselves, our life and our future. My parents made their choices and did what was right for them and expect nothing less from me.

Workouts have not been good of course thanks to the pulled pec, but I am going to try Monday to start putting some weight back on it and working it out. It will have had a bit over a week to start the healing process pretty well, I will just have to take it easy on it for a bit.

But aside from all of this Life is Good...and QUIET!

This and That

Life has been ever so busy as we get closer to retirement. I never realized there could be so much paperwork and appointments and such for this process. But it will all be worth it soon, I can finally take my hubby and head to the northwest and start relaxing. YAY!

Workouts have been so-so, the extreme heat in the gym along with the general hot as blue blazes weather has made getting an effective workout a hard thing to do, but we still work on it. On the AC in the gym front...they have finally decided that the entire thing must be replaced. Well Duh! So we should have AC in the Gym after 10 weeks, about the time I leave the area. Figures! But that is life...on we go.

Cheyenne is getting excited as she gets closer to her birthday...turning 10 seems to be a really important time for her. She is growing up so much and changing so quickly that is amazes me. She amazes me sometimes. She will make a wonderful young woman one day, at lease from a bias mother's point of view I think so.

Stephan on the other hand is getting a big taste of adult responsibility, I do not think he likes be 22 any more and would most likely go back to those years where mommy took care of him, if he could. Well that will not happen, so he is job hunting and making plans to find a place for himself when we move. He is going to stay here in NC so he is closer to his son in Florida. At least for the next year that is the plan, then he is looking at moving to Florida with his girlfriend. I wish him luck and will always be here to listen as he finds his own way in life.

I myself and looking forward to my Birthday later this month...43 is going to be good. I am happier now than ever in my life and I feel very confident about the future. I am looking forward to having so much free time with hubby.

Meanwhile, I am worrying a bit about my sister, whose cancer surgery is on the 8th. I hope it goes successfully and they get all it. Skin cancer is a scarey thing. Apparently all those years as Beach Bunnies in Florida snuck up her, I thankfully have not had to deal with that and hope I do not have to. But we will see what life brings.

So the immediate future is showing many VA appointments for my husband so lots of running around. But...we are almost done...YAY!!! So enough catching up for now.

A few moments to reflect....

It has been a hectic couple of weeks with appointments and chasing down paperwork and information, however, I have managed to eat well and get my workouts in. We still are without AC in the gym some 8 weeks later but I resigned myself to the fact that no matter what happens I have less than 2 months left in this area. I can handle anything for 2 months so whatever.

The entire situation with my oldest has been on my mind. I want him to grow up and stand on his own but I also want to protect him to make sure he does not make life altering mistakes that he will not be able to undo later. It can be very difficult to assist only so far but as Mom it is the best thing I can do...steer him in the right direction but let him walk his own path.

As I interact with the ladies of BuffMother more, I find myself feeling closer and closer to each of them in various ways. It is nice to have such a wonderful support group and be able to find encouragement from women going through the same or similar things. Michelle has created exactly what she set out to create...a safe haven for women to talk, find friendship, support, encouragement and laughter on their way through their daily lives as mothers as well as on their journey in fitness. Some are there to lose weight and get in shape, others to work towards a goal as a figure or fitness competitor and some, like myself, working towards a goal in bodybuilding. But no matter what the goals, there is always a friendly ear. It is amazing how personally attached to individuals you become with such daily interactions. You notice when someone is missing or someone is having a rough time. It is great to be able to jump into her Rally Room and just let your hair down, thoughts and ideas flow, emotions run loose or laughter over flow. She is continuing to realize her dream with BuffMother and doing an excellent and important job in helping others along her way. Ya just cannot help but love her to pieces.

On a military move note, I really should start getting off my butt and begin going through things and packing stuff. I have gone through some things and tossed some stuff but my goodness at the tons of stuff we have accumulated. Sheesh...I must make time to get on that.

Marriage is wonderful, hubby is fantastic and I am thankful every day I wake up and can spend it with him...I can only imagine how wonderful retirement is going to be in a few months. Scarey thought in some respects but also so long overdue for us to be able to experience it.

On my journey...I seem to be adding muscle and burning fat ... at the same time. So my scale is stuck at 131 but I see changes in my physique each day. Irritating really because I want to add more weight and mass...but all in time I guess.

Well life is good, family is good, love is great and friendships are fabulous.

Catching Up

Life comes with ups and downs which has been proven to me over the last couple of weeks. There are days when one's strength can be tested to its very limits. It is not up to us as individuals to be able to control all things that occur or the how and when they come to us...but our decisions once we are faced with them determines our inner character and true strength.

A friend/acquaintenance has just recently lost her mother and yet another is spending her final time with her father and affording each moment of the opportunity for those opportunities to make even more lasting memories. Myself, I have been faced with seeing the mortality of my own parents as their health issues became very prevalent in my life over the last week.

Having come to the realization that I cannot fix everything for everyone as I always have, has been a disheartening yet enlightening process. Life and time move on and so must I. So I will do the best I can to help my family when my help is necessary but I will continue to live my daily life with my future and goals in my mind and in the focal point.

Things with the military are moving and nearing completion which has been a long time coming. We stay busy each day with running around on the never-ending paperwork chase. But it is all coming together finally. Now we are scheduled for all of our retirement briefings and junk, doctor's appointments for myself and our daughter as well as all of his clearning medical appointments. So our days are busy busy for sure. During all of this, I still must find time to pack a house, prepare a move across country, arrange times for visits with various family members from coast to coast and get in our workouts each day. Thank goodness for the workouts or I think hubby and I would lose our minds.

September 20th is a long way off but yet so close. :) YAY!!!!!

Things are starting to move...finally!

Things are finally starting to move here with the Army. Dare I say that it is about time. Sheeesh. So we have a our final dates; Last day active duty 9/20, sign out and free to go 8/31. Now I have to pick up husband's orders next week and go to transportation to arrange for the moving of our household goods. Meanwhile, I am getting organized to begin going through stuff and getting rid of what I do not want or need so that I can begin packing. It always amazes me how much junk you accumulate (especially with kids) in a few short years.

Workouts have been good and eating good, just not enough. I am struggling to get it enough solid food during the day. I have always have the tendency to eat less once the heat gets up there and it has been hotter than blue blazes. So, I am adding more protein shakes into my diet to make sure I am getting the calories I need each day. Sheesh I really dislike the heat of summer when I am trying to eat 1800 - 2000 calories a day. I am keeping hydrated and that is the most important thing for sure. YAY!

This week I start my new workout schedule and am going back to a mixed body workout. I think It was working much better for me with much better results, to do heavy ~ medium ~ light days and varying the body parts. At least I saw better results. So we shall see.

Today is all legs YAY!!! I must admit that I do love leg day. We are now on week 7 with no AC in the damned gym...unbelievable. I cannot wait to go in today and see what the latest excuse is. For anyone who cares...NEVER waste your time or money on a GOLD'S GYM membership...they truly suck. The worst thing is, for such a large customer base and great reputation, their corporate offices obviously make no difference either because I have spoken with them, the district manager and the gym and get nothing but BS. So, needless to say that this is my first membership with Gold's and it will be my last.

Off to plan the weekend.

Interesting Discussion....

I frequent several online chat areas and forums and last night I was chatting with a woman who wanted to know why I am bodybuilding and lifting weights. She seems to think that women should be soft and round because well that is what women do. My opinion is that is a load of crap.

The female body is not only a work of art but an incredible piece of equipment that was hand crafted for flexibility and to have the ability to transform. We transform through puberty, through pregnancy and through middle age. Our ability to put our bodies through these things is a depiction of the true strength of a woman. So why should we look 'round and soft'? Because it is expected? That is so stone age.

So if you ask why I bodybuild...the answer is simple I want others to see what I feel about me...I am strong and I am a woman. Deal with it or don't it is your choice. It is my choice to display what I feel not what others think I should display. That is the great thing about humanity, we are each individual and we are free to make our own choices.

Have a great safe holiday weekend.