Here I go again.....Thinking.....

I was thinking. Ya know, I don't do that much when it's late at night. After a full day, I sort of chill and let me mind empty. But as I sit here, it's about 9:45 and I find myself thinking of Dale and Joan. I too like Clay , enjoy learning something new each week as we walk and Joan and I have had more time to talk because we are the SLOW WALKERS. Last week, we laughed about our short leg span, our 2 to 1 steps we take, and our desire to get better at this walking thing. We look good starting out. Great intentions, great expectations, but somewhere around the first real bend in the road, we tucker out.

We talk as we walk. Most of our "gossip" talking was about MEN. No, nothing bad, just a common discussion on communication and how it disappears after many years of marriage. We joked about the lack of understanding one another, the long periods of silence, and the idea that us wives just can't figure out why husbands change so much over the years, Imagine that, THEY CHANGE. God knows it's not us females. We are the same perky, youthful, sparky, young looking girls that drove these men to give up their fun stuff with their friends and dream of having a big family, the cat and dog, and the mortgage that won't be paid off until he hits 72. They change. Yes sir, it sure is not us girls.

WAIT JOAN, slow down, I can't complain and walk fast at the same time. I am losing my breath and I have so much more to talk about. I am not as young as I use to be. ya know, I am in my 50's. Hey look, Bonnie & Bonny are light years ahead of us. Why do they walk so fast? Wonder what they are up to? Even Julie makes Joan & I look bad. SLOW DOWN, enjoy the view ladies...

Ok, back to the complaints about MEN. Will someone please explain to me why men can fix everything, know how to get anywhere, and can tell you useless information, but can't remember to take the garbage out or even know our middle names or birthdate? YES! I remember my first date and the exact song that was playing on the radio when I got my first kiss. HUH? You guys don't????? See, us girls don't change. Men do....

I sure can't type as fast as I use to and my eyes get blurred if I sit at this computer to long. This chair must be old because comfort is no longer the first word that comes to mind when I sit in it for hours. No sir, I don't change. It's the world around me that is spinning and changing.

WOW, that is it.....I don't change. Old habits need to be broken, new habits need to be made.
I need to stop and smell the roses and not just remember the scent. I need to take off my rose colored glasses and look, really look with my eyes wide open. Listen with a open mind as well as being all ears, and remember to give with my heart and not with my "every day" answer that has served me well after all these years. Yep change is needed. Change is good, and I am ready,

Ok, off to bed, I am beat...I will change "tomorrow".....

Rose Francis

Walkers on Jan 26 2008

The group walked a total of 39 miles on our 1/26/2008. That brings our total for the year to 130 miles. Just 1,878 miles to go! By the 4th of July we will be over 1,000 miles and be half way to our goal, if we do 40 miles a every week. We had a record 15 walkers on 1/26/2008. Those that walked were Mary Murphy, Tony, Gary, Bob, Mary Dugan, Deborah, Cindy, Jean, Bonnie Fisher, Joan, Bonnie Powell, Julie, Pam, Karen and Marie. Those missing were Ed, Keith, Val, Dale, Tracy, and Lisa who have joined us in the past and hopefully will join us again soon. We look forward to other friends and family joining us on our walks, too. The more we have walking, the sooner we will get to our "2008" Goal. Our next walk will be Saturday, February 2nd, at the Brandon Parkway Trail at 7:15 AM.

Another Good Morning 1/19/2008

Many of us met again on Saturday at the Brandon Trail and we had what I think is safe to say, another fantastic morning. We saw an excellent turnout. Present and accounted for were many of the regulars; Mary, Tony, Gary, Bob, Val, Keith, Jean, Cindy, Bonnie, Julie, Pam and Marie. We were joined by Karen who has now walked with us for several weeks and I hope she is now thinking about becoming a Saturday Morning regular. We also had Cindy's daughters, Lisa and Tracy join us for this slightly overcast and chilly morning walk. We also had the pleasure of being joined by another Weight Watcher. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have not mastered her name and will make it a point to get it right next Saturday morning. I believe that her name is Dreama...I hope I am correct. In spite of my mental lapse I was thrilled that she was able to join us along with all of our other walkers.

Nameless Walking Group Results for Saturday, January 19, 2008 are brougt to you compliments of Mary and Tony.

• There were 13 members that did the 2.7 mile route.
• Karen and Jean each did a mile route.
• Total Miles Walked for this Saturday 1/19/2008 total 37 (rounded to the nearest mile) miles.
• So far in 2008, the group has gone 91 miles (accounted for).

This Saturday I learned:

From Keith that one of the hottest cameras on the market today is the Canon Powershot G-9. As if from some zen energy source, I'm going to the store on Sunday morning and this radio personality is all over himself about how fantastic this Canon Powershot G-9 camera is! Said if you are even a little serious about photography and don't mind spending 4-5 hundred dollars then give it a try. Keith is a great source of information about cameras and photography.

That Lisa and Tracy, Cindy's daughters, are runners. Tracy, I believe has run a marathon (I think I got that right). Cindy, along with her daughters, was at one time very involved with a Crewe. The Crewe's objective was helping disadvantaged children and battered women.

Julie, Bob and Gary have each been married nearly 35 years (and not to each other). For those of us who get fired up about such things; That's 135 years of the marriage penalty for tax purposes.

I learned I really like finding out about what the walkers in our group do and think. As a result, for this BLOG I'm going to try and feature a different member each week. I'll ask a series of questions that will help each of us learn about each other and what our personal goals are for health, nutrition and exercise.

I believe strongly that if we allow each other to be a trusted partner in achieving our personal nutrition and exercise goals we can all be hugely successful. In the next few weeks we will be introducing some exciting concepts that we believe will make the walking club even more fulfilling and fun. Stay tuned, more on the way very soon!

Later..........

Bonnie, Just Making The World A More Fun Place

And all of you will have to put up with me through the end of April. Aren't you the lucky ones????

I've sent you all some pictures from Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo and the Reef Cup tournament.

Here I am hard at work logging in the Sailfish releases. There were a total of 319 releases during the 4 days of the tournament.

Here is another one of the boats belonging to the "poor folks". The red flags represent a sailfish that has been released.

Oh yes, the entertainment for one night during the tournament was the Marshall Tucker Band. I'm sure all of you know who they are. Me, I didn't have a clue and didn't stay for the whole show because it was too loud for me. Showing my age you know.

See all of you Saturday.................Bonnie

Some Observations From A New Walker

WOW ! What an awesome blog! You all truly are very talented! Thanks so much for the opportunity to walk with you all Saturday morning. It was absolutely a beautiful morning filled with great weather...wonderful wildlife and some of the best people on earth. I have every intention of seeing you all each Saturday as my body and schedule permit. Of course it'll take me a while to get as good as you all but hey all I have is time anyway right? Thanks for including me and I look forward to seeing you all again. Eddie I hope you will be there with me so I'm not the only "rookie" and Jean Jean the danicin' machine....bring those sneakers...that smile and the food for the birds because we're all counting on you to go the distance! (Did you all know that she walked and entire MILE this Saturday!!!!! WHOOOOO HOOOO for Jean!)
See you all soon!
Karen

Note From Clay:
Karen while new to the group appears to be a woman who knows a good thing when she sees it. Karen, thank you for joining us and we look forward to many more walks with you on Saturday mornings.

Jean, for your willingness to get out and join us you get a WHOOOOO HOOOO from me too!

Some Thoughts From Marie

Note From Clay:
It looks like Marie has caught the exercise bug! See the post below. This is very encouraging!

I had such a good walk this morning with everyone, that I was so motivated I actually talked my husband into getting some bikes. I really did, I can't believe he did it too. We went to Walmart and bought some coaster bikes. Nothing fancy, no gears, no hand brakes, just the old fashion bikes. We went out twice today already. Just in our neighbor hood. I really enjoyed myself, of course I am not sure how I will feel tomorrow morning. And my husband Ken might be ready to kill me, that is if he can even move by morning time. I forgot how sore you get. It's been a good 10 plus years since either of us has ridden a bike.

Well, I will see you all next week.

Marie

The Morning Of 1/12/2008

It was a beautiful morning. Pictures were taken between 7:15 AM and 8:15 AM. For those nice colorful pictures I was facing east from the Brandon Parkway Walking Trail. The weather was mild and it seemed at this point that the day had nothing but upside potential. Does a day get any better?

We had a good showing and everyone seemed to be up for a good workout. Let's see, there was Marie, Deborah, Julie, Bonnie, Pam, Val, Cindy, Jean, Bob, Keith, and of course, me. We were also joined by Eddie and Karen, the latest additions (I am hoping) to our Saturday Morning walking group. A good workout with friends.
We missed Bonnie, Mary, Tony, Dale and Joan. Other obligations we know, but you were all still missed. Since Mary and Tony are our technical support and they needed to be elsewhere, we do not have our usual precise statistical entries to share. However, using my version of land based dead reckoning I would estimate that we walked some 2 and 1/2 miles at a 17 or 18 minute pace. If I remember right Julie, Deborah, Bonnie and Marie along with Pam were up front and leading the pack. I think Val was up there too. Keith and Bob were in the middle, while Cindy, Eddie and I watched from the back to make sure everyone was keeping up the pace. Jean and Karen stayed in back of us all to make sure none of us slowed down.

It seemed today was a good day for everyone present. I don't know why it all seemed so good. Did you ever get that "in the groove" feeling? That's how it felt to me today. I even learned a new photography term,the rule of thirds" from Keith and Bob. This may be one of those things that everyone in the world, even New Guinea bushmen with no access to books, knows except for me. Even so, it was fun to learn about it and for those who enjoy photography I am placing the rule as summarized, below. Even if you already know about it, this should reinforce your understanding.

One of the most popular 'rules' in photography is the Rule Of Thirds. It is also popular amongst artists. It works like this:Imaginary lines are drawn dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect.

Isn't this cool?

Sometimes It's All Just About Being There

Just being there! So much potential to be had from little more than just being there. How much better I feel about myself and about life in general when I can help, when I can do something for someone else, when I can contribute to something worth being a part of.

If you feel better about being you when you make someone feel better about being them then HONK like a GOOSE!

Part of the discussion at this morning's Weight Watcher meeting focused on the social habits of geese. My initial reaction was to laugh a little. I think its because I didn't get it at first. It did hit me eventually, right after we arrived at the Brandon Parkway Walking Trail actually.

There was Bob stretching in preparation for an anticipated run. Pam, Deborah, Marie, Julie and Bonnie were topside chatting and getting ready for our Saturday morning walk. A few minutes later Val and Keith showed up. Shortly after that there was Cindy and Jean along with some new friends....Ed and Karen.

Just a very short while earlier many of us sat in a meeting and celebrated each others victories. We talked about challenges that we at Weight Watchers hold in common. We laughed, learned and together created yet another shared Saturday morning experience. We expanded the experience and met with other like minded friends at the Brandon Trail.

Soon we were walking and talking and laughing some more. We missed Mary and Tony and Bonnie. We missed Dale and Joan. For all who could not be at the trail this morning know you were missed and thought about. Through the Nameless Walking Club we are becoming friends. As such we have the potential to provide very real support for each other as we each pursue our 2008 weight loss and health goals. For each of us, what a great opportunity!

How much we can learn from the animals around us. Without all the conveniences we have come to know as people, animals have to fend for themselves everyday just to survive. How interesting that the supportive social habits of a wild bird fending for itself and its flock should serve as a lesson for all of us today. Bird or person, just being there is all the difference.

Yeah, I get it now, not really funny though. Seems being there just might be the secret to a life well lived.

Later.........

Life Can Be Tough For Bonnie

Just one of the boats in the tournament.

Will miss seeing you guys tomorrow and am sorry to say that I haven't done much walking this trip. Am off to Ocean Reef at Key Largo Tuesday morning. More boats there and they are also bigger....................Bonnie

Note From Clay:

Another shot of Bonnie with a note explaining why she can't be with us today. She is posing on the boat of someone who must obviously be a poor coastal fisherman. How can anyone survive with such a small boat. I think we should all go and rescue Bonnie.

Bonnie In Paradise

Well folks, what a difference a week makes. From 10 degree weather to 80 degrees. Tough life but somebody has to do it and I am the lucky one. Above is where I've been spending the week. The glass is empty. REALLY!.......................Bonnie

Note From Clay: I am simply passing on a communication from Bonnie. She is clearly trying to show us why she is unable to walk with us on Saturday. I feel bad for her. Don't you?

Mary and Tony at Disney Safari

Mary and Tony walked in the Disney Safari Walk and Run. Mary completed the 5K in 44:15 and Tony in 44:27.

Walkers from 01/05/08

The 01/05/08 walk attendees were Mary, Marie, Bonnie Fischer, Bonnie Powell, Bob, Gary, Deborah, Cindy, Julie and Pam. The total walking time was 54.21 minutes the group except for Pam who joined us late. The total Distance - 2.75 miles which made the pace just over 19 minutes per mile and our total miles just over 25 miles. I estimated Pam's walk at about a mile, however she ran to catch up with us when we were on our way back to the start. The only wild life we saw was the spoonbill that I photographed. It was cool that morning, as you can see from our clothes. We think it was too cold for Suzie and here relatives to come out. Tony, our official photographer was sick so Mary took these pictures.

New Year! New Me! Here we go again....

Happy New Year.... : )

I had a thought today and wanted to share with each of you.

I have been lazy. I was off from work, off from life, just plain turned off over the last 10 days. Getting rid of my vacation days before year end was not planned well and I had to take the last week off of the year. (bad planning?)

What I did was not my norm. I ate whenever, I slept whenever, and I did whatever I wanted to without reason, results, or even desire. I just did. I found myself not being myself. Ever get like that? It looks like me, sounds like me, but the thinking was not me. I knew better, but honestly, I didn't care. Weird kind of way, I was the OLD Cindy, ya know, the one before my 13 years on WW. I promised myself that I would return right after the New Year. DID I SAY THAT? Did I just say the number one excuse of the year for not eating right? Could I possibly be "one of them"? Go figure. I am human after all.

I read the Blog this morning. I read it for the second time in fact. Something that Gary said stuck in my mind and I wanted to go back and read it again. I wanted to see if I really understood him.The "holidays that he wears" still with him over the years. ( Well, it went something like that.) Gary, how wise your words are. You really need to share more often. We all love the holidays. It is the memories, the good food, the great moments, and the feeling of warmth that is generated over the Holidays that we try to recreate. Year after year. I always said, enjoy the holidays with family and friends and remember not to stress, but ENJOY... I hope you all did.

I was stopped at Publix on New Years Eve. I went in to get a few "last minute" items and had a full buggy by the second isle. Here I am, throwing as much as I can in, (end of year you know) and I get stopped by a former WW member. She greets me with a HUGE smile and proclaims to me, "I'll be back on Sat to see you, I can't weight to go back to WW"......Ok brain say something smart, say something to inspire her, motivate her and make her feel excited to go back. I smile, gently pat her on her arm and tell her all about the 6:30 am meeting that has the best, DID I SAY THE BEST, members that can make her feel welcome, make her feel good about herself, and help her to be successful. I bragged about the BLOG, the walking Club and I named names and even place seatings. I talked for at least 10 minutes. I acted as if I was a Leader or something, as if I had the knowledge to help her get her foot in the door and help her to want to stay. Old habits are hard to break. She asked about the leader. Okay, I am lost here brain, no words, no thoughts. And then it hit me. I put a smile on my face and said, "It doesn't matter who leads, it only matters on who follows"....

Happy New Year..This will be a New one for me as well. I have made a few resolutions, just a few. I hate to over state, and under perform. Take life easy.

December 29 Was The Last Walk In 2007

On December 29, 2007 we had the last official Saturday morning walk of the Nameless Walking Club for the year. Along with me; Pam, Maria, Bob, Julie, Deborah, Joan and Dale as well as their grandkids and the dog were at Brandon Parkway to make this last effort of the outgoing year very special.....and it was. I think Bonnie Fisher was there too. I see her in my minds eye, but I can't be sure if that is reliable anymore.

Tony and Mary, Bonnie Powell, Val and Keith as well as Cindy and Jean were not available due to other commitments, but they were certainly missed. I heard from Mary and Tony via e-mail. Although they weren't able to walk with us in Brandon, they walked up in Jacksonville. Way to go team! Bonnie was fighting her way through mounds and mounds of snow and rescuing birds in distress.

I hope I didn't fail to mention anyone. I do the headcount from memory each week. At one time that was not much of a challenge. These days remembering to comb my hair (all 97 of them) and to put on both socks each day before I leave the house is a chore of epic proportion for me.

Well we are all entering a new year and with a positive and enthusiastic attitude I can only hope.

It has been great fun walking with you all since we started the club. I hope we can keep your interest throughout 2008. I don't know why but I have a very good feeling about this year. We can support each other in our weight management and pursuit of healthier lifestyles. This is the year that we should vow to take charge and put nutrition and exercise at the front of the priority list.

May you always consider the options and make wise choices

Later.....