Nathan ~ the man who most changed my life

Nathan.

To say he changed my life is an understatement.

  He shattered it and then helped me put it back together again.

It was thirty years ago tonight that Nathan came into my life and it hasn't been the same since. And I count that as a VERY good thing.

 

You see, I was single & selfish.  I had no clue I was even selfish.  My parents lived five hours away.  I had married at 20 & divorced at 22.  My brother and I had been roommates but I had just moved into an apartment on my own.  I only had myself to care for & about so it didn't seem selfish.  I worked out a couple hours every evening (body building) then I went to my favorite bar, slept, got up & went to my good paying, tolerable job; repeat.  I drank entirely too much and all the men I dated were from "my" bar. 

My life wasn't unsatisfactory to me but it was meaningless.

And then, one night, my contraceptive failed and somehow I KNEW the next day that I was pregnant.  Back then you had to wait a couple of weeks to take a pregnancy test at the doctor's office.

So I waited. 

Yep. 

Pregnant.

If you've been there or ever had a scare & thought you might be there, you know all the things that ran through my head.  Yet I knew from the onset that I would have this baby.  And that I would have to change some things in my life.

I just had no idea how many things.

Flash forward to THAT day.  The time exactly 30 years ago now when I'd been having minute-and-a-half contractions for two hours already.  My mother was there.  My best friend was there.  But no one else.  You see, when you're living a shallow life only for yourself, you find yourself very much alone in times of need. 

12 more hours of hard labor & a million expletives later, I met Nathan.  As he lay in the warming bassinet getting cleaned up, he just stared at me. 

Quietly stared. 

And that was it.

I was a goner.

I was hooked forever and, whether he knows it or not, he is still somehow holding my heart in his hand.

 

And I realized over-night how much my mother knew and what I had put her through.   I like to say her intelligence tripled that night but we all know that it was just my awareness of motherhood that changed.  You see, despite my unwitting selfishness, my parents were ALWAYS there for me. I knew that moment for the first time that I had the best parents on the planet. And that I wanted to be that kind of Mom.

Nathan and I lived with my folks until he was two and then we moved back to Dallas where I got to experience the joys & pains of single motherhood.  I remarried.  I had a beautiful daughter who also manages to hold my heart in her hand.  I divorced.  I remarried (you can read all about that story here).

But I never overcame what happened to me 30 years ago. 
Nor do I want to.
You see, Nathan was born that day.
And in addition, a mother was born.
And she is much better off than she was before - despite the fact that her heart has to live now in two different places with her children.
I thank God daily that I had my kids.
That He broke into my life and reduced (unfortunately, not removed LOL) the selfishness and replaced it with a love that I could not even fathom before.

Nathan.

My first-born.

The first "love of my life".

Happy Birthday Son.

I love you more than you could know.

Arting with Friends

A year ago, my friend Ellen (above) and I took an encaustic class from Ellen Koment

in the Paseo Arts District here in Oklahoma City.  It was a long hot two days.

We learned a lot. 

And then, because we didn't use it right away, we forgot a LOT. 

So yesterday Ellen came over and we practiced, practiced, practiced.

And if you know either Ellen or me, you know we talked and talked and talked.

But that really helped us be loose in our experimentation.

(More on the experiments at the bottom of the post.)

Here's the only piece I made from scratch and finished.

Well, I'm not quite sure if it's done.  I think so but . . .

Makes me think of grapes for some reason

(maybe cuz I am ALWAYS hungry?  LOL)

The next piece is one I started in class and didn't like.

So when I first whipped up my batch of encaustics, I covered it in white.

And I still didn't like it!

So I scraped and dug and put green wax in the cuts, scraped some more, etc, etc, etc.

Still didn't like it!

So yesterday I pulled it out and covered it in black.

Then I scraped in a tree which I filled with gold.

A lot more scraping and torching and this came out.

I like it.  But it's nothing like what I usually do.

Which can be a very good thing some times.

Ellen and I had so much fun! 

By the end of the day, I think she was as in love with scraping as me. 

I'm telling you, it is soooooooooooo relaxing ~ even contemplative. 

And I'm pretty sure she'll be buying a kitchen torch soon. 

They are so much less intimidating than those big old tank things. 

And easier to control. 

My friend Roz loaned me her torch but I'm going to wait to use it til I do something BIG! 

You see, I am deathly afraid of fire and I burn myself all the time in the kitchen. 

Yeah, I'm a little confused as to why wax is my favorite medium. 

Talk about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone!

In my last post I mentioned I was working on 3 art group projects.

This year we're doing a round robin of boxes.  Very cool. 

When they're all done, I'll share pictures.

In addition, every month the hostess gives us a "challenge".  

I've got to admit, I am pretty lax about doing them.

But in May, Lynda gave each of us an unfinished curved wood cabinet door.

LOVED IT!

and I came up with this ~ After the Fire

Working on the curved surface was tricky. 

But again, something new can yield wonderful results.

Also in the last post I showed some works in process.

Here is one of them with a few more steps of wax collage & color.

Looking pretty different, huh? 

Well, I think it's about to change.

You see, while we were experimenting and talking yesterday, guess what happened?

I got distracted (surprise!  not) and ignored a piece

on the heat for a little longer than I should have.

And I loved the glass smooth finish it gave the wax

so I'm going to do it with this piece on purpose.

I have no idea how it will work becuz you just never

know what the wax will do when it gets hot. 

Okay, you know it will melt, but will it run, pool, slide completely off?

I'll let you know what comes next with this.

I love arting with friends.  New ideas just seem to form in the air.

And while most of the women in my art group do work entirely different than me,

I always come away so inspired.

I am so glad I revamped my studio so there's room for two or three to play.

There's even room for small class of four.

If you're in OKC, let me know. 

Maybe there's some arting in our future.

She's Baaaack!

Yep.
My muse is back and I'm feeling myself again.

It all started with art group. I'd fallen WAY behind on the round-robin projects so I had three of them to work on.  And the inspiration really kicked in while working on the top of Lynda's altered box.  She wanted words and sayings on her box so I wrote some of my favorite sayings all over the top.

About the same time, my daughter Dani asked me to make one of my Cut-Ups! for her (oh!  I just realized I hadn't told y'all about these other than the initial idea in a December post  - I'll tell you more later but in the meantime you can see them on my Facebook page) in the very color I was using on Lynda's box!  And when your daughter asks for something in a different color, well, you do it.  And I have to admit this little guy is adorable!

I was having so much fun that I pulled out a pink heart piece I've been working on for months.  Since I showed you the rough draft (in the same post mentioned above), I had scraped off all the natural wax and the speckled paper.  And then it just sat there.  From time to time when I had a minute to walk into the studio, I pulled it out and stared.  But mainly it just sat there.

Then last week I had an idea.  I wrote out some thoughts on tissue paper.  I stamped some scrollwork.  I pulled out the Pan Pastels and the "white" wax.  And of course, I torched and scraped and, voila! ALMOST OVER YOU is finished. 

AND I'm happy with it!!  Without the natural wax, the pinks are much more vibrantly pink!! And the three or four more layers added a lot of depth.  I was reminded however that fusing each new layer gives you yet another opportunity to mess up the earlier layers.  Which made me invent a new way of warming the piece/
Unfortunately, when my muse came back she brought along another source of inspiration.  Just not ART inspiration.  The kind of inspiration that says "you should do this" and "you should do that" about all sorts of little projects you really don't need.

No I'm not talking about cleaning - I killed off that little you-know-what years ago.
I'm talking about things like "you should move your computer out of the studio" or "you should make such-n-such for Christmas gifts" or "you'd use that supply more if you could see it".

You know.  The LITTLE ideas that become HUMONGOUS projects.

And I suckered to the first one. I realized that the internet was just too distracting whenever I hit an art block and that art was always too distracting whenever I was supposed to be doing accounting so I moved the computer & officey stuff to a guest room.  It's sooooo nice in here - I can even sit on the bed and watch YouTube art videos HUGE becuz I'm using a TV for my monitor!

And the best part? All my great shoes are on display.

  

The bad news is that this is what my studio looks like.

 

That's the problems with this little instigator ~ she doesn't always tell you about the consequences!

I'm also working on a 24x48 collage and trying to remember to take photos after every step.  It's surprising how much that slows things down!  But I want you to see a piece start to finish.  If I can, I'll try to give you my thought process as well.

Phew!
Think I tried to make up for my extended absence all in one big post.
It's good to be back.

Now to go work on that messy studio for a little while ;-p

death BY taxes

Benjamin Franklin famously said "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."  But I think this year for my creative mojo, the outcome has been death BY taxes. 

Not only did tax season wipe out my time, energy and creativity while I was working (thus my lengthy absence from this spot), I think it may have wiped it away for good!!!

Okay, okay, there have been glimpses of life ~ perhaps it hasn't flatlined yet ~ an idea in the middle of the night, a stirring of the soul at the sight of something beautiful, actual success at my part of a group project.

So don't write me off yet ~ hopefully I'll have something pretty to post soon.  In the meantime, I'm going to move around the stuff in the studio.  Nothing inspires like actually touching the art supplies.



(LOL ~ write off ~ still talking tax lingo!)

what I'm thankful for

I’m thankful for forgiveness, grace and mercy becuz I am in dire need of them all.

I pray that I will practice forgiveness, grace and mercy with others.

I'm thankful for my mistakes as they've made me who I am and I like who I am now.

I pray that others will learn to forgive themselves, live without regret, and, most of all, like themselves!

I’m thankful that I live in this time, in this country where women have the same freedoms as men to vote, to speak, to pursue their dreams.

I pray that this will continue here and that all people everywhere will be free from oppression & repression.

I’m thankful for the constitution that guarantees my right to practice my religion.  Or not.   Where I am guaranteed the right to speak my mind, to protest my government, to assemble.

I pray that we will remember the price paid for those freedoms and value them accordingly, that all people everywhere will have these same freedoms.

I’m thankful for my parents, Uni & Bill Ball, who not only taught me the rules but taught me to love without condition, to think for myself, to value the thoughts of others, to have compassion for those less fortunate, to appreciate the differences – not to mock them.

I pray that I might be a loving parent, spouse and friend as modeled by them; that I will value what makes people different from me and not try to force them into a mold.

I’m thankful for my husband, Patrick Schoenfeldt, who loves me, not inspite of all my weirdness but becuz of it, who tells me I’m beautiful so often that I believe him, who knows my dreams and works toward them with me, who inspires me to be loving, who understands that domesticity is not as important as passion.  (If you want to know more you can read the blog posts about how he saved our marriage here)

I pray that I will love him as well as he loves me and that he will always be here with me.

I’m thankful for my children, Nathan Opdyke and Dani Turner, who give me so much joy, who actually like to spend time with me, who are affectionate and smart and kind and good friends to their friends; that I can see myself in them yet see how different they are from me and from each other (tho this took me some time to see).

I pray that they can learn from my mistakes, that they will know the love I’ve known, that they will have all they need and then some, that they KNOW they are loved beyond measure.

I’m thankful for my home that is a haven from the craziness of the world, that’s cooler than the summers and warmer than the winters, that is often filled with family & friends, fun & laughter.

I pray that people everywhere will have a safe haven, a place to weather storms; that they can too be surrounded by those they love.

I’m thankful for art – both in the big sense of the word and that I am pulled to do it; that I now have time & space to do it; that it’s brought me in contact with other creative people who contribute so much to my life on so many levels.

I pray that I will never cease to have new creative ideas and the time to try them.  And that people will “get” it and be willing to pay for it.  J

I’m thankful for work for both Patrick and myself; that Patrick loves architecture & gets to practice it at a firm that actually has work; that I’m good at accounting & that in these tough times I am able to pick-n-choose between assignments; that I don’t have to do it 60 hours a week any more (see the previous section).

I pray that we will always be able to do what we love and know that that is more valuable than money.

I’m thankful for friends, the ones in-person and the ones on-line who I’ve never met up close; for all they contribute to my life and my art; for the support they’ve given me and the times they’ve set me straight.

I pray that I will be a good friend, honest, loyal and giving.

I’m thankful for Facebook & Blogger where I’ve reconnected with old friends, met new art friends and been able to get to know two younger cousins.  I’m also thankful that I can hide, unfriend, block or ‘mark as spam’ those who only contribute negativity.

I pray that I will be a positive contribution to the online world and appreciate the differences in our great, vast world.

I’m thankful for my mind.

I pray that I use it well and it lasts as long as my body – or longer.

I’m thankful for Diet Coke™, margaritas and dark chocolate (tho not margaritas with dark chocolate).

I pray that I can learn to exercise moderation.

I’m thankful for high heels.

nuff said  J

I hope you have a wonderful day with family, friends and food

filled with laughter and memories

and that your grattitude is known by all

What was I thinking?

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to start another blog and start teaching beeswax workshops. I was constantly behind before that! And now that the extended tax deadline is a month away, I find myself unable to breathe!!! 

Apparently my life motto is
"to catch up on one thing you have to be willing to fall behind on another"

But no matter what I was thinking, I have discovered that I absolutely LOVE teaching.

I need to find somewhere to teach in Tulsa and Dallas becuz I can NOT get enough of it.  I love the interaction with other creative types as well as all the things I get to learn from them.  But mostly I love seeing someone's eyes light up as they discover that they're ARTISTS not "just" crafters, stampers, scrapbookers ("just" being an adjective they use about themselves).

Eventually, when I'm caught up, I'll have a workshop page on my website.  In the meantime, if you're interested in learning more about the classes, click here.

Well, writing this has caused me to fall behind on something else so I better get going. LOL

Getting Wiser

I've started walking again ~ if you don't remember how much I love that, click here.

Anyway, when I walk in the morning, my brain likes to come up with new things to do (NOT becuz there's not enough to do already) and lately it's been dwelling a lot on things I've learned in life as well as things I wish I'd learned earlier.

So I decided to start a blog about that very thing:  Getting Older . . .  Getting Wiser?

I'd love to have lots of guest posts so
please contact me if you have some words of wit or wisdom to share
or if you have a good story about a lesson learned.
 

Nekkid Again

or maybe I should say I'm talking about nekkidness in art again.

Some of you might remember that in a post titled Risqué or Okay? I stressed about posting art online that contained nudity - not a problem with nudity in art but with putting it online.

After receiving a few comments and several emails, I decided to go for it. 
So here's the scoop on the piece

FIRE

(formerly known as Fifty-One)*

This piece is large - 31 x 41 - and unless you're at least 15 feet away,

it just appears to be abstract.

It's made up of 51 of these 3x3 squares that are portions of a highly pixelated photo.

But when you stand back far enough

you can see the nekkid woman!!

Since online you see the entire piece at once,

you don't get to experience the sense of discovery -

which is why I'm hinting at it with lots of close up shots

(plus, with these detail shots you can see a lot of the layers and texture).

Anyway

here she is

Thanks for helping me to be more brave!!

* Do you ever work on a piece and have a title in mind only to change it after viewing it for awhile? 

This piece was originally called Fifty-One because, well, it was started the year she turned 51 - thus the 51 squares.  But it took me so long to finish her that she was no longer 51!!  As I continued to view it, the canvas just looked like it was on fire with charred edges and the white flame in the center.  So she got a new name. 

Plus she's pretty hot for a 51 year old - hehehe (I said that just for my husband's benefit)

Vision

This morning I was looking thru my old poetry to find something to write on a current collage when the vision of my life just crystallized perfectly AGAIN in my head. 

As with so many of you, it is my dream and my ambition to be a full time artist.  But is it what God wants for me?  Did He open my eyes this morning or was I just wishing?  To pursue the dream seems so very selfish (after all, this isn't as noble as MLK's dream!) yet I know I'm better to people when I'm following this path.

Here's what the above journal page says:

I saw again the vision

Of how my life should be

Of how the art flowed from me onto paper, canvas

Of words and paper

Of timeless, no, time-free immersion in my art

Of a life spent as I've spent only moments until now

Of being me all the time, unencumbered by financial constraints & concerns

Of me loving & living my best

Of being a temporary vessel allowing art & words

             to flow thru me

hmmmm, maybe I'll go write that on this art piece

Risqué or Okay?

In mid-December, I finished a piece that I'd worked at on-n-off for 2½ years.
It is my favorite piece by me.
Ever.
I absolutely love it.

So, I know you're over there saying,
"lemme see, lemme see"
but I'm afraid to post it cuz,
drumroll please,

there is, as we used to say in Houston, a NEKKID woman in it!!!!!
I have no problem with nekkidness and I don't think it's naughty to make or view nekkid art.
My question (Risqué or Okay?) isn't about the art but about putting them
on my blog, my Facebook page and/or my website.

I have a fear of being banned on Facebook or of getting an over-18 label on Blogspot.
 
Heck, can you tell by my cagey terminology, I'm afraid of
dun-dun-dun
web-crawlers

I don't know a lot about SEO or webcrawlers but I don't want to be
labeled as naughty because I use the real word for nekkidness.

Now I've completed another piece with this issue.

TOTALLY different from the first but nekkid just the same.

To make this even sillier, you can't see the body in the top one unless you're

standing 15 or more feet away.  And a few people have even seen

the second piece up close and don't realize it's a body.

So what are your opinions - not on nekkid art but on the consequences of posting said art?

Do you know much about crawlers and labels and banning, etc?

Should I be worried or should I post away?

(It sure would be nice if someone from Google or Facebook would just call and tell me the scoop!)

By the way, the top three photos are from the piece

FIFTY-ONE also known as FIRE

and the lower three are from the new piece

OKLAHOMA HILLS.

Great Weekend

I had the BEST kind of weekend - I got to spend it arting.

I'm trying to get a piece ready to submit to the OKLAHOMA FRIENDLY show

but I can never do just one thing!

So I did background prep on a LOT of journal pages (above)

and I worked on two pieces for my art group and two other canvases.
The piece for the show is the one on the bottom right.

This is how I left these yesterday morning when I went to work -
piles on the floor and incomplete pieces on the desk.

In addition to arting, Patrick and I went to a FUN party Saturday night -
I  just LOVE to dress up in a costume!

AND
I sold a piece of art!
I'm telling you it was a GREAT weekend!!!

There was no art yesterday since it wasn't just Valentine's Day
but also our 20th anniversary of loving each other.
I can hardly believe how lucky I am to have him.

Hopefully I'll get to work some more on these tonight.

If not, I'll at least pick up that humongous pile of painted papers off the floor ~
last night I did move them from the hall to the studio at least!!!

I'll share more pictures of these as they get done.

Thanks for continuing to drop by ~ Sherry

Joyful 2011

While we know so many have had setbacks and  even loss the last few years,
our wish is that 2011 will bring you peace and joy, love and friendship,
laughter and great memories no matter what your circumstances.   

We celebrated our fifteenth anniversary in December and had photos taken to commemorate. We both agree that while last year wasn't the easiest in some ways,

it was the best year of married life yet and we hope to top it this year!!

Photo by Katelyn Swanson

Our wish for you is that 2011 will bring you joy in whatever you endeavor to do ~

Sherry & Patrick

************************************

All the way back in early December when I made the heARTfelt gifts, I made this collage just so I could use it on my Christmas cards. HA!!!  Then, when we decided to have some photos taken for our 15th anniversary, I decided I'd use both in New Years cards.  Then sick. Then tax season. blah. blah. blah.  You've heard it before.  Well, I finally mailed the cards yesterday so I thought I'd share them with you as well. 

I truly do wish the very best for all of you.  Thank you for joining me on this art journey, even when I don't post regularly.  I hope you know how much it means to me to have this community.

Thank you ~ and have a Joyful 2011 ~ Sherry

Bye-Bye 2010 - Hello 2011

It's time to say good-bye to 2010 and hello to 2011;

time to reevaluate our goals and the steps we're taking to achieve them;

time to look back & analyze and to look forward & hope.

What are your goals?
Are you going to go a new direction?
Do you care if you sell or do you only create for yourself?

 After moving at the end of 2009, I didn't enter many art shows
and didn't do a single craft show in 2010.
Yet as I look back, I realized I actually SOLD more art during 2010 than any other year
(thank you FaceBook!!)

I took an online class, went to a conference and read lots of articles

in order to learn more about how to do this art business. 

Blog.  FaceBook.  Etsy.  Twitter.

Some of these are easier for me to do than others;

some I haven't even tried yet.

What about you?

But the biggest thing I've learned is the thing I've always known -

the thing that's easiest for me to do cuz I get lost in it,

yet hardest for me to do consistently cuz I'm so easily distracted -

get in the studio and

CREATE

and then get the art in front of a lot of different people so the

right person can see it at the right time and make it theirs.

So, my goals for 2011?

GET IN THE STUDIO!!!

I want to continue to explore this abstract thing - I feel so free while I create - 

and I want to take some encaustic classes - I think I'm in love with wax!

GET IN SHOWS!!!

That's why I've joined every local art association I could find and

I'm so excited about getting five pieces in the show next month.

PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE

(ok, I lied earlier - this is the hardest part!)

If you've already taken steps to change/grow next year, please let me know -

after all, we're all in this together.

As far as non-art decisions, I've decided to try to STOP eating when I get full.

If I accomplish that, I'll work on reducing my diet coke intake.  Again.

ps ~ the pieces above are the ones that I sold last year

pps ~ I have a FaceBook page now if you'd like to come LIKE me

(remember: promote, promote, promote - hehe)

Happy Christmas

I absolutely LOVE Christmas.

I do it up really BIG.

As I mentioned the other day, Patrick and I have been married 15 years. 

But it's a wonder we even dated after that first Christmas becuz he walked in and asked

"Who barfed Christmas in here?"

I guess I decided he had a sense of humor!!

These days he does way more than half the holiday decorating here so I guess I'll keep him

*WINK*

I thought about walking around the house and counting how many Santas and Nativities

and Reindeer I have but the thought of all that work wore me out. 

So instead I'll just share a few pictures of just a few decorations and

wish you the very best Christmas day ever.

15 Years

Patrick and I are celebrating our

15th Anniversary!!!!

so far, year 15 has been the very best

but I think we're gonna try to top it next year.

I love you Patrick.

ps - not long after this photo was taken, the tablecloth caught on fire!!

THE great debate

Do you call it dressing or stuffing?

Do you put it in the bird or bake it in a pan?

And, most importantly, white bread or cornbread?

Yesterday I made three batches of sweet cornbread cooked in bacon grease. 

Today I cut it up and mixed it with lots of melted butter, sauted red onions,

chopped jalepenos, chicken stock and spices.  Right now it's baking in a covered pan -

later I'll remove the cover so the edges can get crispy.

It is easily my favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast.

My family is from Michigan and I was raised on white bread stuffing which I also love;

once when my son was young he called it white boy dressing. 

My brother still makes it with the wonderful addition of sausage -

you can't go wrong with pork products if you ask me. 

However you make it, and even if you don't (tho why wouldn't you?  hehe)

enjoy your feast with your family and friends today.

And thank you for sharing part of your day with me ~ Sherry

Gratitude

Thirteen years ago, I read a book about getting what you wanted out of life thru the use of all sorts of visualization techniques in all sorts of journals.  At the time I was working full time with two kids under 15 so I decided that if I did everything she suggested I wouldn't have time to pee let alone become a highly respected artist.  But I did take one idea away from the book - keeping a gratitude journal.

And that gratitude journal changed my life.  It sounds a little melodramatic, but it's true.  It changed my relationships with my family because I was focusing on all the good instead of the day-to-day - and cuz I was no longer complaining about my job in every conversation.  And it changed my relationship with God because I realized if I was thankful, I must have someone to thank. 

I made up pretty little journals and gave them to friends.  I gave simple little books to everyone in my family and to everyone in my women's group from church.  I don't know if anyone ever used them or if using them changed their lives.  I just know how important it was to me.

After reading a friend's blog this morning about things she's thankful for, I wondered where my gratitude journal was.  It was right in front of me but the fact that I wondered let me know that it had been far too long since I'd written in it.  Sure enough, two years.

Life is hard and times are tough for most of us much of the time yet I still have so much to be thankful for.  It's human nature to talk negatively more than positively as anyone who deals with the public can tell you - or anyone who's turned on the TV prior to the elections. And I'm no different - when I don't spend enough time reflecting on the good, I lack a certain graciousness in my speech and actions. 

So it's definitely time to write about all I'm grateful for:

my husband

my kids

my parents

my home

good friends

time to do my art

steady contract work the last two years

getting almost out of debt

the blogosphere

etc, etc, etc.....................

(the picture of my family is an oldie - it's hard to get everyone together at the same time these days)

The Top Three Reasons I Hate to Exercise

I don't like to exercise - what about you?
I'm sure that you know all the reasons why we should be exercising just like I do.
But doing it?  That's a different story.

Here are the top three reasons I don't like exercise:

#3 - SWEAT

I know some folks who barely sweat.

I am NOT one of them.  Not only do I sweat, my hands and feet swell and my face turns red.  Basically, I look like a very plump, very ripe tomato that has just been washed.

A photo of me looking like does NOT accompany this paragraph.

#2 - PAIN

Whoever came up with the idea of "No pain, no gain" must have been a masochist. I mean, really, why does everything good for us have to be so painful?  I wear some of those funny shaped walking shoes that are supposed to make your butt look better (mine are by Fila and I really do love them tho not nearly as much as I love my Christian Loubotin high heels - but I digress) so when I'm done walking, my calves, thighs and padunkadunk all hurt.  While this means I might possibly be beginning to achieve my goals, I still don't like it.

#1 - TIME

This is the one thing I know we all agree on - there just is NOT enough TIME.
And exercise takes up a lot of it.
Nuf said.

Here are the top four reasons I do exercise (at least sporadically)

#4 - HEALTH

As I mentioned earlier, we all know WHY we should exercise. And this is it. Reduced risk of heart disease, alzheimers, cancer and even osteoporosis. And so much more. This should be enough of a motivating factor, especially now that I'm so old, but...NOT!!!

#3 - MIND-WANDERING

This is my favorite part about walking. My mind goes anywhere and everywhere. For instance today, I composed a whole blog post about how hard it is for me to exercise. (Now, this one does NOT work when I'm at the Y lifting weights. I have to count and all sorts of stuff that doesn't allow my mind to wander.)

#2 - TIGHTER

I will never be skinny again.  Thank goodness! I mean really, check out these knobby knees. OMG!

but I do want to have fewer jiggles when I move and fewer rolls when I sit.

#1 - EATING

The number one reason I exercise when I do is cuz I LOVE TO EAT. Good food. Bad for you food. Fast food. (Unfortunately, I don't like veggies tho).  When I exercise, I can eat more and not gain weight. ALRIGHT! This is more motivation to me than a longer life. I know. That is sooooo wrong, but I'm trying to be honest with you.

So there you have it.  Why I usually don't exercise like I should.  Why I do exercise when I do. 

What about you? How do you stay motivated?  Or do you?

Well, now that I've cooled off I can go get in the shower.

Then I can hop in the car, waste some fossil fuels by driving to the 7/Eleven and buy myself a Milky Way Midnight.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm - that was worth the walk!