Walking the Treadmill

Yesterday we cleaned the house and did some shopping for items Dee needed for menu for a new "eating plan" Dee wants to try from SHAPE magazine. We printed out the shopping list for the three week plan, and then went and purchased some of the items for the first week. We also learned that my sister Jan and her husband Mark will be passing through en route to Chicago on Sunday. We look forward to giving them a place to rest as they make that long journey from Philadelphia to Chicago.

We also had a nice lunch at a new place that opened at the entrance to our housing plan. It's called Stone Pepper's Grill. They have a varied "sports bar" type of menu with lots of large screen televisions. The food was good. That makes 5 restaurants in the little strip mall about a mile away.

We finished off the evening by watching some of the programs we'd recorded, like episodes of "Monk" we'd missed. I've also been using the treadmill each day to walk about 2 miles. I've been watching the History Channel's 7 episode series of the "Seven Deadly Sins" while walking the treadmill. Interesting stuff. So far the topics have been on the history of "lust" and "envy".

A Quiet Day

New Years Day we had traditional pork and sauerkraut for dinner. Dee made it in the crock pot and it was delicious. During the day we just hung out and watched part of the Penn State game. Depressing as PSU got trounced by USC. Later I read some of my FDR book on his first 100 days in office, and then Dee and I played the FIT. We're having fun trying to beat each other and our own old scores. I like the hula hoop exercise. It gives you a good exercise for balance and endurance training. Whew! Dee seems to excel on the Ski Jump one.

We did talk with Kerri a little and with Dee's friend Kathy. But otherwise it was a quiet day. I did my 45 minutes on the treadmill too. Gotta get those steps up to 10,000. We hope your New Years Day went well and was safe.

Happy New Year !!

Happy New Year !!

2009 has arrived! The new year is filled with the promise of change and a fresh start. It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year since we retired from active ministry. It's been a big change for both Dee and me. We're doing well and still feeling our way along regarding what it means to be "retired." From what I read about it, we're in the stage known as "early retirement." We're both still very active and aren't quite ready for senior centers and bingo just yet. Dee works three days a week and has found her work and friendships there as well as the affirmation she gets regarding her work ethic very satisfying.

Our New Years Eve consisted of nice conversations with my mom on the phone about my dad and about her stay at my sister's place for the holidays. (December 31,1999 is the anniversary of his passing into the next life with the Lord.) Dee and I both got to talk with Faye for a long while too. That was nice. Later Dee talked with her sisters Ruth and Donna and then Kathy N. about going to their place on Sunday for dinner. (It seems Dee spends a lot more time talking with friends and family now since we've moved back to Western Pennsylvania.)

We went out to the Longhorn Restaurant for dinner (We decided to go earlier rather than later, and it's good we did (even with call ahead seating) because the place got packed shortly after we arrived and were waiting for a table. We really like the food there and resolved while we were there to eat smaller portions in the new year. (I've started wearing my pedometer again and try to put some time in on the treadmill (if it's cold outside, which it is 16 degrees but feels like 8). I've done about 6600 steps the last two days. I want to get that back up to 10,000 soon. We also played the Wii FIT for our New Year's Eve activity. I learned that some of those activities (soccor ball head butt and slalom skiing exercises are a lot more difficult than they look from the side as a spectator.) When you're on the balance board it's fun, but not easy. But we'll stay with it and try to improve each day. Maybe we can work it into our daily routine.

There's about an inch of show on the sidewalks (added to the two inches we got yesterday). But the roads are clear and just wet and the sun is shining. Happy New Year everybody and thanks for taking the time to read my daily ramblings.

Kerri and Patrick's place

Several people had asked about Kerri and Patrick's new place so here are some photos Kerri had sent me before she moved in...(Remember you can click on the picture to enlarge it on your screen.)

Reflections...

Yesterday Dee and I had a nice lunch at Freedom Square Diner. They'd sent me a "Half Birthday" card for a free meal, so we used it.

Then we headed home. I continued reading my FDR book as Dee did things around the house. Later we went to the Campbell's house for a lovely dinner and good conversation. Earl showed me some of the tools his grandfather, a blacksmith, had made to use in his trade. Fascinating stuff and still useful today. He also brought me up to date on the home improvements he's made over the last few months. He's turning that place into an up to date home with lots of useable space and rooms.

I called my mom during the day and chatted with her, and also talked with our daughter online a couple of times. We broke open one of the puzzles Kerri gave us (the one with no straight edges and 5 extra pieces) and began sorting the pieces into groups that looked similar. There are 750 pieces so this may take a while.

It's been quite a year... Our retiring and moving to Mars; Kerri and Patrick's wedding; the death of Dee's mom, Valora Kennedy; new opportunities for me to spend time with my mother in Monongahela; our joining a local Presbyterian Church; my joining the Greater Cranberry Barbershop Chorus (Bogmeisters); Our celebrating Dee's birthday with a surprise party for her complete with about 40 guests in all; Dee's going back to work part time at McGinnis Sisters; my doing some supply preaching for local churches (and helping lead a couples communication workshop for the Air Guard) and my working part time at Treesdale Golf Club as a starter/ranger (and golfing for free) and also serving as an axillary chaplain at the 171st Air Refueling Wing for four months; Kerri and Patrick announcing their anticipated birth of a daughter in April 2009 and their moving in to their new place in Ashburn, VA; our week at the Dude Ranch; and of course the many opportunities we've had to renew friendships with family and friends who live in the Pittsburgh area. Some of those friendships go back to high school days (and for Dee to elementary school days) as well old neighbors as well as friends from our three Pittsburgh churches (Mooncrest Community Baptist, First Baptist of Pgh. and Wilkinsburg Baptist). Yep - quite a year... God is good!

Employees' Christmas Party

Dee had to work yesterday so I went to get the dog at the kennel in the morning. He'd been groomed and didn't look any worse for the stay at thee kennel while we were gone. He was happy to get home.

I did some reading from my FDR book, and just relaxed until Dee got off work. Later we went to the Employees Christmas Party at Treesdale. We sat with a couple of the other rangers and their wives. The food was great and we had a good time. There was a DJ, but no one seemed to be dancing so we chose not to. It could be that some people danced after we left. The food was made to order and it was very good. Here's a photo from last night.

We ended the evening with a dip in the hot tub. Though the air temperature was relatively warm, there was a brisk breeze and that tends to cool anything off that is above water. We enjoyed to bubbles and gets as they relaxed our muscles. Nice way to end the day.

A Day of Exercise and Puzzles

Here are two photos of the hibachi volcano and pre-volcano from the Japanese Steak House on Christmas Eve.

Sunday we went to the local Sheraton Four Points Sunday Brunch using the coupon we'd received from them some time ago. It was a nice buffet with lots of choices and a very relaxed atmosphere. Many of the patrons wore their Steelers jerseys in anticipation of the big game.

After lunch we went to Walmart to pick up a couple of items. While we were there I saw they had one Wii Fit left, so I bought it. Interestingly, in the directions it indicated that if you are pregnant you should consult with your physician about whether or not you should use the game. Hummmm.

When we got home, we each had some house chores we wanted to complete before watching the game or playing the "Fit". We did the house things and then watched the rest of the Steelers win over the Browns. Then, we got the "Fit" out and tried it. I didn't really know what to expect. It has 4 sections of "games" or exercises. (Balance, Aerobics, Strength Training and Yoga) It measures your body fat index, helps you select a goal for weight loss and emphasizes posture and balance at all times. (When you stand on the "balance board" it calculates if you are leaning on one side more than the other. Then, the key is to do the challenge games while keeping your posture and balance centered.) We laughed a lot as we played. Some of the exercises (games) had a demo to show you how to do them before actually beginning the challenge - that was nice. Then each time you did them, the Fit kept track of how you did and how much time you are spending on the Fit.

We finished the evening completing the puzzle we'd started a few days before Christmas (puzzle number 7 I think). Here's a picture of the completed project.

For Christmas Kerri gave Dee two puzzles to build. They are mystery puzzles: One has two puzzles and a story. There are clues in the puzzle to solve a murder. AND the two puzzles are in the same bag (not separated!) AND there is no puzzle art so you don't know what the two puzzles look like; the other puzzle has no edges and 5 extra pieces. They'll keep us busy for awhile.

Then we finished the evening trying to solve word puzzles from our "Brain Workout book". We're actually having fun doing these and it gets us away from the couch potato watch television mode.

Dinner with New Friends

Here's another picture of Kerri and Patrick on Christmas Eve. Kerri is starting to have a belly showing as the baby is now about 5 months along.

Yesterday we just played catch up here at the house and then went to the Diner for lunch. Dee wanted to get a picture frame for the kitchen so we found one we liked at Joann Fabrics. We'll change the picture in the frame from time to time with "coffee cafe" pictures from a calendar we found that has some neat pictures on it. The picture frame came with it's own wall mount and hardware and even a level built into the wall mount so you could be sure everything was hung properly. It looks nice.

We worked some more on the puzzle and then went to dinner at a Bogmeister friend's home. They'd invited Dee and me and another couple. It was a fun evening with lots of laughs. The hostess has an embroidery business and she showed us her machines and explained how she got into it. She sends things all over the world. They have a lovely home with about 100 "nutcrackers" from just a few inches tall to over 6 feet tall. She starts putting them out the first week of November and they stay up until the second week of January. Very nicely done. We sang to a player piano for a little while. It had a nice honky tonk sound.