The Traditional Christmas Hike

Almost every year since we married, J and I have wandered off into the woods on Christmas morning or afternoon.It's time for  just the two of us to decompress after the excitement. This year we had a quick Christmas morning gift exchange and yummy breakfast with the small one, my mom and her husband before driving to Lake Catherine State Park for the afternoon. The plan was to hike the Dam Mountain Trail, but we didn't realize that it closes during hunting season. Better safe than sorry. We did a loop of 2 other trails to get in about 4.5 miles of hike.

The 23rd and 24th of December brought record rainfall to our neck of the woods. Unfortunately it was bad enough to flood several areas, strand a few folks and even displace a few for the Holiday. It also meant that the waterfalls were flowing and we saw some pretty magnificent ones. Beauty and Destruction. Water always wins, no matter what.

We've hiked most of this area before but it looks totally different with that much water.

We had a great time and we can still look forward to going back to finish that Dam Mountain Trail someday.

Christmas Eve Fun and Folly

Of all the gifts in the stockings, or perhaps even under the tree, the boxing Santa pens were a much bigger hit than we expected. The picture does no justice. The Santas not only had boxing arms like Rock Em Sock Em Robots, the eyes lit up red when the arms moved so it was kind of like Possessed Boxing Santa. Not exactly the Christmas Spirit we hoped for, but we take what we can get around here.

I was the recipient of a beautiful tiara and light up wand- to go with my tutu from my day as a Beer Fairy with Sweet Sarah Smiles.                                   

 Yes, I did do a little dance with my tutu and tiara on.

All 3 kids were there along with the fiancee tagging along. The mooch. I guess we have to get used to him being around now. I think he enjoyed his presents though I don't think he understood the purpose of the reusable bag we gave him. It isn't a hat. I don't think.

I had to kick them all off my Wii Fit balance board. Luckily the kids were playing the games as my Mii so now I hold the high score in about every single game!

I had to wait until Christmas Day to use my new EA sports Wii game that I got.

And there was good food. Lots of good, not traditional Christmas dinner, food.

MMMMM pork loin with cranberry chutney and garlic rosemary potatoes with brussels sprouts a la bacon and pine nuts. Dessert was a chocolate pecan pie made by the oldest kid and my molasses cookies that had to leave our house because we could not resist eating them one after another.

Merry Christmas Ya'll!!

I'm late, I'm late...

I feel like the white rabbit. It's been one busy week! I have workouts to log, cooking to do, kitchens to clean. I just got out of the kitchen at 9:40 p.m. I've been in there since I walked in from work at 5:30. And the raspberry pinwheels did NOT turn out! EERRRGGGHH

Monday 14th
4 rounds of
400 meter run (outside)
30 sec mountain climbers
25 kettlebell swings x 20lb
25 wall balls x 10lb

Tuesday
warm up = 60 pushups
5 sets of:
alternating dumbbell chest press on balance ball 10 ea arm x 20lb
chair pushups x 12
front plate raise 15 x 25lb
walking push up 10yd x 10lb dumbbells = OUCH

end with partner curls x 45lb bar rep 10..9..8..7..6..5......1

Wednesday- should have been something else but because people were late and confused, we got sprints and punishment. I don't even remember because I blocked it out. I know it hurt.

Thursday
3 rounds
hang clean x 10 x 65lb
treadmill run 1 min @ 7 mph
chain pushup x 10(feet on shoulders of person behind you, supporting person in front)
400 m run on one round, other rounds
25lb plate push until other person finishes running
tire press- lifted tractor tire overhead and did presses x 10

Friday- that's right I bugged out and regretted it later because...

Saturday- we were supposed to ride but crap got in the way
Sunday- we were supposed to ride but crap got in the way AND we decided to invite a few friends over for a Holiday gathering which explains why...
Monday(today)- GOT A NADA TOO!!! Lazy Lazy Lazy Lazy. But exhausted.

The Lumpy Saga

About 3 hours before the picture above was taken....

This picture was snapped...

It may not look so bad, in all honesty it didn't feel that bad either. Yet. But it was broken. The pain would come.  At the time, it seemed it might have been worthwhile but in retrospect, NOT.

For 8 long weeks I wrapped that little finger in tiny ace bandages and kept a hard plastic splint on it except for the 5-6 times a day I had to take it all off and exercise it lest I lose flexibility which is common with this injury apparently as I was warned by the Dr. , her nurse, and the physical therapist.

After 8 weeks the Dr. cleared me to stop wearing the splint but when I asked how much longer it would hurt she said "Oh, at least a year probably and especially when it's cold." That is not what you want to hear in October. I could handle the news that my knuckle would never be the same, it would always be bigger. But this pain thing...not so much. Good news is, I have great movement and flexibility but it hurts like the dickens. Especially in the cold. Arrrrggghhhh. It's going to be a long winter.

So the other day, J looks at my hand and says "That finger is kind of lumpy, we should just start calling it Lumpy." Thus, Lumpy was born. I expect she might even have her own stocking this year. It will be filled with coban wrap, ibuprofen and bengay.

Excuse me,Lumpy and I have to go sit out on the porch in a rocking chair and predict the weather by her pain.

Friday Fitness Follies

I have no reason to title today's post as such, I just appreciate alliteration.

Sunday- I can't even remember but it seems we did a whole lot of hanging the house, putting up a christmas tree and lights (the poor tree STILL doesn't have ornaments) and some shopping.

Monday- back to reality
A good warm up with core work and mountain climbers
20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest (read that MOVE your lazy butt to where you need to go next)
8 intervals of each = 4 minutes total time at each station:
box jumbs 12"
full sit ups
plate push 25lb
push ups

I felt the need to punish myself with a 9th round of box jumps, sit ups and plate pushes at 4 intervals/ 2 min
Didn't think I could do more pushups but squeezed out 2 sets of 5 before collapsing :)

Tuesday - Nada. SO busy at work and home. Late night from visiting Central High School thinking we might send the small one there next year.

Wednesday- Sprints. OMG I HATE sprints. Mostly because I have no speed and I suck at them.
15 sec x 10 @ 10mph,  15 sec x 5 @ 11 mph
Then we had a "competition". Whoever came off the treadmill first had to do 5 burpees. We had 3 women today, I lost all but 1 sprint- and I'd RATHER do burpees than run!! Hear me!

Thursday-missed my morning class but hit 15 minutes on the treadmill walking hills and 25 minutes of step aerobics at work before I had to bail out for carpool. Add in about an hour of Wii Fit- we tried the Biggest Loser game tonight. I think the decision was the family likes the hula hoop game on Wii Fit Plus more than anything else.  I should post video. Joe Daddy has the high score in super hula hoop right now.

Friday Friday- core work to warm up and a little treadmill warm up
3 circuits of:
20% incline sprints at 7mph x 15 sec
plyo jumps @ 100lb x 15
box jump 18" x 15
single leg box jump 6" x 15
plate push 25lb x 15 yd
tractor tire flip x 15
no rest between sets!

I know I need an endurance workout this weekend but it's so cold. I just don't know. Does marathon house cleaning count?

Christmas in Candlelight

Christmas in Candlelight at Washington State Park was absolutely awesome again this year. This year we were a quartet, having invited one of the small one's friends along for the ride. The girls had a busy morning of placement testing for High School. Terrifying Tales of Adventures in Arithmetic and Literacy kept us entertained thru a quick lunch before we left Little Rock for the drive to Washington. A lecture on reading instructions before beginning a test was served up for dessert.

The first thing the girls found inside the old courthouse was this checkerboard. While J and I were perusing the gift shop and visiting with folks we only see once in a blue moon, the girls took on a marathon checker game. We had to go prod them out of the seats and force them out into the very cold but sun filled day.

One of the small one's favorite things in the park is this beautiful old Magnolia tree. I know it might not be proper grammar to capitalize Magnolia but look at it? It deserves a capital M.

It was planted in 1839 and is on the Register of Historic Trees. I know, I didn't realized there was a registry for historic trees either.


This lovely maid has "knees" that surround her, keeping her upright, and  leaving enough room for a multitude of children and adults to play in her shelter.

Go ahead and say "WOW".

Just WOW.

In the evening, more than 3000 luminaries line the sidewalks all thru the park. It is absolutely breathtaking.

I don't have any night time pictures to post because we were oh so busy doing things like this. Shoveling EarthQuake Cake in our mouths following the dinner of ham, dressing, potatoes both white and sweet, corn, green beans, mmmmm biscuits and 2 count them 2 kinds of gravy at the buffet at Williams' Tavern. Before and after dinner we were serenaded by a quartet and a choir. Lovely! Last year there were carolers in period costume singing while we waited.

Lest you think it's all about food, because I know that with our family, it sometimes is...

Elsewhere in the park is a working blacksmith shop, several historic homes, a candleshop and a print shop that contains some very old and interesting printing machinery. They have a press that was actually unearthed in Murphreesboro that people thought was a headstone because the only part showing above the earth does indeed resemble a tombstone. Cool. There is also a weapons museum at the park and the park is home to a School of Bladesmithing.

In the evening hours, many of the churches and the old WPA gymnasium play host to school and church choirs. The small one had a friend singing in the Bryant High School Choir so we stayed to watch their performance.

Oh my Lordy, peeps! 

Our evening would not have been complete if we had missed these Gentlemen (notice the improper use of capitalization again, and again, it is deserved). The Hempstead County Melody Boys made our evening. In the middle of their set, the small one leans over with her iPod Touch in hand and on it is this note:  

"The Banjo Player is the BEST Thing EVER."

Bless you Mr. Charlie Webb, wherever you are tonight.

Personal Note to The Park Wife herself...we're so sorry we missed out on fun and fellowship while we were in your neck o the woods. So to The Park Wife, Big Buckaroo and the little Buckaroos- NEXT TIME!

Weak Week

The workout schedule was weak this week.
Monday:
4 sets of 6 hang clean- 2 sets @ 45lb to warm up + 4 x 60lb
superset Straight Single Leg Deadlifts w/ 20lb dumbell + Walking Lunges w/25lb plate overhead to 60 reps each
Finish with 1 mile run with call outs. Which meant that every few yards at irregular intervals, C would call out "push up" or "mountain climber" or worse..."squat thrust" and we'd have to do those until he yelled "UP" again. The run was outside. It was chilly.

Tuesday:  warm up with 75 full sit ups
superset Push Press, Dumb Bell Chest Press, and Front Plate Raise to 75 reps each
      Push Press 1 x 15 x 45lb, 2 x 15 x 55lb, 3 x 10 x 60lb
      DB Chest Press 5 x 15 x 20lb
      Plate Raise 5 x 15 x 25lb
THEN we had to walk boxes. 8 boxes from 8-24 inches set up in a pyramid style. first 4 with hands on floor and feet on boxes- do 3 pushups then move feet to the next box without getting up- repeat- in the center, change hands to boxes and feet on floor and do the same-
at the end do pushups to failure. Which for me was 1. :) I was lucky I didn't face plant on the box pushups.

Finish: Shoulder Complex with 10lb dumb bells  7 lateral raise, 7 front raise, 7 rotator cuff, 7 shoulder press.  OMG

Wednesday: Would it shock anyone that I skipped Wednesday?

Thursday:
Warm up with killer Abdominal work led by Chris the Hun.
20 Dead Lifts @ 95 lb     run 400 m outside in the frigid air
20 Kettle Bell swings @ 20lb     run 400 m
20 Overhead Squats with PVC bar     run 400 m
20 Burpees. I heart Burpees.      run again.
20 Pullups. I can't do pullups. I jump, I strain, I try to get there. It's the best I can do.    I ran again though.
20 Box Jumps     run 400 m
20 Dumb bell Squat Clean 5 x 15lb, 10 x 20lb, 5 x 15lb     LAST RUN!!

Friday: Skipped Again. Don't pretend to be shocked. I planned a workout, but I got too busy.

Saturday involved exercisin my table muscles at Subway and William's Tavern at Historic Washington State Park.

Sunday's Plan: RUN! Outside, in the cold, on the hills.