I purchased this book to read with my Nook app on my phone. Diane Owen a friend and fellow book lover recommended it as a great book for Zack to read. We looked around for it at the time and finally bought a copy for Zachary Watson, resident sci-fi/fantasy critic of the Watson household. Zachary gave the book high marks. I am now a fan as well and am looking forward to reading the next installment.
The football held up well... the boys were quite cold! Here is a similar nerf football. The boys have the full size vrsion not the junior size.
There was a time when it would have been difficult for me to find beauty in the "drabness" of winter. But I have found that if one looks hard enough you can find treasures that are a pleasure to the eye.
Love is a wonderful feeling. Love should be in the air. Christmas is coming. New Hope East Campus is light on attendance this morning. I think that is because of the Pearland Oiler game last night. I have been watching folks as they walk into church. I am looking for the happy folks. Those that will make eye contact and smile at you. I am especially focusing on those who are wearing a New Hope shirt of some sort.
If you are one of those folks then you should work hard to sell "brotherly love." That is not a difficult job! It really is as simple as saying hello and smiling at people. This can make a difference to someone. It might make their day, it might make a difference, that person may decide to come back to New Hope. So, look for me, see if I am smiling. Interrupt me as I type on this computer, really I am sitting here waiting for something to go wrong with a computer...and I am not too busy to talk to or smile at you!
Every Sunday at New Hope East Campus is different, when I am not on IT duty I often sit in the cafe and either stare off into space or I re-listen to the sermon. Today, I am sitting with the trusty mac book and updating the www.pearlandrecycles.org website and posting to the Keep Pearland Beautiful Facebook page. The music was great as usual this week and the sermon about prayer was inspiring. A few people stop and say hello, but since I appear to be busy most just walk on by. Hey everybody! I am sitting in the lobby entertaining myself. I'd much rather be talking to you! Interrupt please...
I know it has been ages and ages since I last blogged. Work, working out, school being back in session have taken over for now. Seems like it was just yesterday that I wrote my last post, but it was not. Since my last post we have had our big fundraiser work, I competed in a Crossfit competition, Keep Pearland Beautiful moved our office and David and I celebrated our 27th anniversary! Next weekend we have our next Saturday KPB sponsored event... Texas Recycles Day. Everything seems to move a fast pace...and not everything gets done that we want to get done.
Yesterday we were at Scouting on the Kemah Boardwalk. It was great! It really in unfortunate that it overlapped with Northern Star's Cuboree. Hopefully next year we can get more participation from our scout units and really show the area what our Scouts can do!
Today we took a break and spent two hours at Frankie Carter Randolph Park with Zachary. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses...or at least the fresh air! I hope to do a better job of keeping up with my blog and other things as we head into Thanksgiving!
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| Zachary at Frankie Carter Randolph Park |
What an awesome workout group today at Crossfit in Common. Sharing a Saturday WOD with Crossfit Bay Area and raising moneya nd awareness for SMA! Thanks to everyone for being encouraging and for caring enough to show up at 9:00AM on a Saturday morning. Click on the slideshow to reach my picasa web album.
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| KPB staff toured the Compu Cycle facility in Houston to learn about proper electronics recycling. (l-r) Linda Cowles, KPB Director, Clive Hess, VP of Compu Cycle, Jeff Michno of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Fay Watson, KPB Assistant Director. |
Happy Anniversary Crossfit in Common and what a great WOD! I never have participated in a group exercise that was also a "drinking game." 100 pull ups + 100 sips (gulps) of Beer (or water in some cases) in 100 minutes... I have concluded that I would much rather tough out 4 rounds with 25 pull ups + "whatever else" - it is a much different experience to tough out! John B did an awesome job grilling! And all the cheering and encouragement given to everyone was just a great experience! I love that about Crossfit and our great BOX! The wall ball I just do not understand...but I guess I am missing that Y chromosome :-) Thanks to Keelee for taking most of these photos!
The most of this week I haven't checked the website to see what wonderful torture would be offered up to us from our wonderful trainers at Crossfit in Common. This morning I did peek and that gave me time (3 hours) to dread the torture I was going to submit my body to at NOON yes high NOON with temperatures pushing 100 degrees F. I am not a quitter. I am sometimes a whiner. I am always trying my hardest. Sometimes you just can't quite make your body do what your mind is telling it to do. Sometimes there is a physical limit. I was close to it today, and the rest of the day has been Fay at about half speed. We walked down to the 200M mark in the park and checked out the shade for doing our burpees. The mosquitoes were hanging out, and immediately attacked - I HATE, I HATE, I HATE mosquitoes. I thought for a few minutes and then decided to sacrifice and do an extra 400M run to get DEET. In retrospect, I should have just let the buggers bite me. I didn't need that extra 400M, it certainly didn't help my time for the WOD. Now I know to be prepared ahead of time...and plan accordingly. I really am impressed with everyone who showed up to do the WOD today, it was tough everyone knew it would be tough but they did it anyways! YEAH YOU!
Wes adds a new dimension to training at Crossfit In Common! IT was nice meeting you Wes. I felt challenged and stretched, I like that! Of course one of the best part of Saturday morning workouts is seeing Miles! Almeda you did a great job! Everyone worked hard, I suppose the water the face helped with motivation :-)! Click on the slideshow to get to the picasa album then you can download photos if you like.
I had fun the three mornings we spent with the kids (ages 6-10) participating in the youth camp this week. I haven't worked with children this age for over a year. Patience is a virtue. It is a virtue that I used to think I had in spades. But I don't know what has happened to it. I think it is middle age. Really, I actually made it through the three days without losing my cool. It is more a feeling of unease that I had. I was reminded that the key to being in charge of young children is to stay in charge of the young children. You can't be their friend. It is very tempting to be cool, to be their friend, play with them, but once you do they don't see you as being an adult, the person in charge. I had forgotten that little gem. That you have to be firm and follow through on consequences. The most amazing thing about children is that if you set the bar high, make sure that standard is challenging, they can and will live up to your expectations. I guess that doesn't just go for children. It is true of all of us. If someone believes in us, and we believe in ourselves we can do just about anything. Stubbornness helps...
Group WOD CrossFit in Common
July 17, 2010
I really think that each group WOD brings more camaraderie between everyone in our Box (and Cary's UHCL trainees). I have also noticed that I perform much better when I work out with others. The past few weeks have been so much better with more people joining David and I at 6AM. If you do Crossfit, or have never done Crossfit, dropping in during a group WOD time is the best time to visit the gym and check out the program and the members of the Box! Find Crossfit in Common on the Web! www.crossfitincommon.com
Thanks to Kevine for leading the kettle bell warm-up First Place Kettlebells - 16kg!
Started reading this book a few weeks ago, then got side tracked by life. Yesterday by the pool I read several chapters and I am hooked by this new Rick Riordan series. Zachary and Jonathon loved the "Last Olympians" and I am enjoying the allusions to the previous series. So, pick up a Children's Fantasy novel! If it engages a teenage boy I am sure it will engage you as well!
Click on the photo to reach the full photo album. Zachary Watson lead the troop's effort to decorate the troop trailer for the 4th of July parade. I think they did a good job with the theme.
How did that happen? I know how it happened it is just the reality of having two twenty-somethings that is just tripping me! A week from now Zack will turn 13. Then it will be two twenty-somethings and two teenagers. It really does seem like just yesterday they were stair steps of each other with Zachary still in diapers. Reality is that life keeps moving forward.
Emily is enjoying living NYC and the boys are all home this summer. They are rambunctious and energetic some times and at others they are sloths! Hard to predict what they are going to be into at any given time. Late at night they will be playing games on the XBOX or watching a movie. They don't fight as much as they used to when they were younger (thank GOD!). We have raised some independent thinkers, who all have their own opinions so if you don't want to know what they really think about a topic don't ask. Enough ramblings from me for now. I am going to think about something else for a while.
David is reading aloud to the boys, the third in a series about WWII written by Jeff Shaara. This is a family activity that we all enjoy immensely. Zachary was playing a game on the XBOX and asked David to read to them. Thanks Zack! What a great idea! AND I think we will have to go back and read the first two books, Jeff Shaara is a good writer.
Just thinking about muscle pain, aches and the tight feeling that is always somewhere on this 46 year old body! If it isn't somewhere then I think I just haven't been working out enough. I am not going for all out I can't stand it and have to take drugs pain. I am satisfied with a dull ache, a tightness, and a feeling that if I could just stretch this particular spot or that spot, it would go away. Stretching well does help a lot, so does rolling out the offending muscles. But a day of rest for the sore spots does more good than anything else. I know most people think I am crazy, and perhaps I have gone a little "OCD" about my workouts, but I am happy with the results and am in the best shape of my life.
As is typical of my attendance at a conference, any conference, I diligently took notes and uploaded them as google documents. I took notes, started this blog entry and then flaked off or something. I need to be a bit more consistent to build a following. If anyone who attended the conference is interested in my notes I'll post a list of the sessions I attended and links to the google docs. I am also thinking about creating a google survey linking to a spreadsheet for our fall clean up wrap up reports (test a theory that if it is online more people will actually do it and do it in a timely manner). The quality of the presentations was good at the conference. Everyone was friendly, helpful and enthusiastic about their topics! The book mentioned the most at the conference was "Last Child in the Woods." I recommend it because it is a good read and makes some great points about what our children missing by not being outdoors exploring their environment. If we could get children away from electronics, get families out camping and hiking together AND change their eating habits it would certainly improve their quality of life and life expectancy!
TEAM Building, Camaraderie and Cheerleading abound when we get together for our group WODs. Thanks to Cody for putting together such even teams, shows how well he knows our strengths and weaknesses!
Running Cindy...YIKES!
This weekend has been one of those. You know, the kind of weekend that goes by faster than you think is possible. Thank goodness we have an extra day this weekend! :-) I am looking forward to being able to get some more NYLT chores done. Found most of the items that were on my shopping list, just need to finish up some of the odd jobs and get my stuff together. This working full time really limits my free time, imagine that! Not complaining, I love the new job and I getting myself organized at the office. Hopefully I'll find time to post some stuff during NYLT.
Yesterday evening I took my mom out to dinner. We started off around 7PM. Dropped by Main Event to give Mr. Z man an extra $10 to spend. Then we wandered a little while around the Clear Lake Area before landing at one of my mom's favorite places to eat, Red Lobster. We had a very attentive server, which reminded me that a bad server can really crush your evening! After eating a dry salad, salmon, broccoli and asparagus and two of those wonderful Red Lobster Biscuits I took my mom home.
I headed back home and got ready for the overnighter at Space City Rock Climbing Gym, in LEague City Texas. The troop overnighter began at 11PM. I belayed kids, bouldered, traversed and climbed until about 0230, then the call of my sleeping bag was too strong. I laid down and slept until the boys got out the ping pong table and I was hit by several balls. By about 0430 I gave up on sleep, ate a snack and started traversing again. I think the boys had the most fun trying to out best each other's times climbing up a certain wall of the gym. They all had David timing them as they took multiple trips scrambling up the wall.
0700 found us leaving the gym and heading back to Pearland. Z man and I stopped at a Donut place on FM 518 near Bay Area Blvd and I treated him to some donuts and donut holes. We continued on to Pearland and were at the Stella Roberts Recycling Center before 0745. Z man was tired and crabby. I helped to loosen soil around trees with a hoe, spread mulch, and fill wheel barrows with mulch. Z tolerated helping until 0945, we talked to some of our volunteers and KPB Executive Director Linda Cowles (my Boss :-)) and then I dropped Z man at home.
Tired, dirty, sweaty and not quite myself I decided I would go ahead and try the CrossFit workout. I am glad that I did. I had a fun time! Ana, Desiree and I worked as a team. We worked well and coordinated the tire flipping . IT was tough, dirty, and nasty but we didn't quit. We handled the box jumps and sledgehammers, I won't say that we were enthusiastic but we gave it our best . I am really proud of Desiree I stuck with her for most of the 800M run with the 25# weight. She gives every WOD her all! Ana is a great cheerleader and so positive that you believe that you can do anything, thank you ladies for a fun, high intensity workout!
Home again, and domestic chores, a shower, and then Z man and I went to get half price diet cherry limeades at Sonic. I showed him my office and put Mariachi Man on top of my desk.
Wow!!! I have really hit the highlights of the past 24 hour pretty well, and it kept me awake for another hour! I hope I can make it for another 4!
My first day of working full time was Monday. I am now the assistant director of the nonprofit group Keep Pearland Beautiful an affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful Keep America Beautiful Round Metal Sign
Although I was at Camp Karankawa this weekend, I wasn't there to help with this year's Northern Star District Cuboree. Instead I was there with the NYLT Staff for our last Staff Development Weekend. I had an opportunity to make some observations and to be impressed with the volunteer can do spirit of the adults of the Northern Star District. Cuboree is a district level family camping, fun activity event for Cub Scouts. With the first line of thunderstorms rumbling in late Friday afternoon, the weekend did not look very promising. And indeed it rained, there was lightning and thunder all through the night Friday night and through the morning. At noon the decision was made to suspend activities and let everyone go home. There was more than one Boy Scout Troop that camped Friday night and were ready to host an activity for the Cub Scouts. There were also Boy Scout Leaders and Boy Scouts who helped plan and run this event for the Cubs and their families. Most of these leaders do not have Cub Scout aged boys anymore, they are just giving back to this program that gives so much to our young boys. Two young men and their father volunteered to run the archery range. They ended up hosting a pavilion full of cubs and adults that were sheltering in place. It is a testament to their love of the outdoors and the ideals of scouting that they came out, stayed and helped to make light of a bad weather situation. These volunteers are my heroes.
Inside the workout classes and personal training class at UHCL you will find people of all ages and all fitness levels. The best part of being in this gym is that it is a great equalizer, at least an intellectual and social equalizer, and as you get more proficient and more fit a physical equalizer. When we walk through the doorway and into the gym for our workout time, we enter this different world. We all wear workout clothes, athletic shoes of some sort and carry a water bottle. Although, I considered myself fit, I have learned a lot from Cary Hair. Since January I have learned how to warm up using joint mobility exercises, how to do the Burgener Warm-Up, how to squat (in all of the wonderful varieties that exist with weights and without), lunge, push up, pull up, box jump, and all kinds of lifts (many that still get confused in my mind)! My max attempt at double under jump rope is still 0 but I keep trying! My handstand push up is taking form, I can ring dip and do a few pull ups without relying on any bands! I really have enjoyed meeting students, staff and a few other faculty that have been working out. The competition of the work outs of the day have been a great motivational tool for me to get stronger and faster (comment if you don't agree with my next statement but I think we have all missed Senthil's braggadocio attitude this week, and I have missed having that little extra competitive push to not lose to him). I want to say thanks to everyone, the cheerleading and positive support have been great. Keep up the good work and keep challenging yourselves.......and Layla - you and your can do attitude are awesome!
We succeeded in starting a new PTA in Fort Bend ISD. The principal was gracious and excited. We were happy to greet a large group of parents and a few teachers. After the bylaws were passed 32 people joined the PTA. I am proud to be a charter member of the Heritage Rose Elementary PTA. I would like to send their newly elected board my good wishes as they help the Principal, Teachers and Staff start up this school. I hope they remember to keep in touch and take advantage of the training that PTA provides to help newly elected officers learn their responsibilities and the ins and outs of how to run a PTA. PTA is a great resource, you are never alone.
Eating Nuts Associated With Improvements in Cholesterol Levels Check out this link, David posted it on Facebook. Perhaps there is an advantage to sticking to foods that we evolved to eat. I really need to do more research on evolution of the human diet. Nuts are a gatherer type food.
Another new school is opening up in Fort Bend ISD. We got a request last week for help getting this PTA off to a good start. I am hoping that we will have 20 people at this meeting and that we can go ahead and organize in one night! If not then we will be making a trip back to actually organize. I hope that it all works out. Sending out an agenda now. We will see how things work out!
Last of my students is taking a final right now. Then a week from Monday I will be starting a new adventure with a full time job. As many of you know volunteering has been my avocation. But what I am most passionate about is environmental concerns, awareness and science education. So on May 17, 2010 I will be starting a new career at Keep Pearland Beautiful. I am excited to be contributing my efforts to KPB and am really looking forward to working with Linda Cowles, the board and volunteers. I want to make an impact on our community and hopefully will leave it better than when I found it!
Chores seem to pile up around here....
Laundry, dishes, paying bills, de-cluttering, sweeping, cleaning all have to be done but time just slips away. This weeks big chore was getting the taxes filed. One that was accomplished it was like a big weight was lifted from Fay's shoulders. But, there is still plenty more to do. We seem to settle into a routine and it works well for a while, then little bugs throw us off our pace. Right now I am counting down to the end of the semester. Finals start the first week of May. I have applied for some jobs so, if I get a full time job life will change around here once again! A new routine will have to be established. I am sure we will adapt to it just fine. That is one thing I am sure of, we are a family that makes transitions well.
Filling up a time void with a quick blog post. Sometimes, life gives us more opportunities to have fun than others. At these times I think it is best to run with ball and see if you can score a touchdown. With this in mind, I started the three day weekend early. I met my friends for libations at Chili's Thursday evening. After that is was a gauntlet of family outings and activities. The Watson Clan had a fun busy weekend. We started with visiting family in Alvin on Friday. Saturday we drove west of Shulenburg on FM 957 to spend the day with friends. Early Sunday morning found Fay running in the neighborhood, grocery shopping, going to church, cooking and then we headed to my mother's for Easter dinner. All in all I would rank the weekend a 9 out of 10, so maybe I scored a touchdown, it feels like I did!
We had such a great day, beautiful sunny weather. The flowers were great because of all of the winter rain this year.
Take 10 Map - 2010 Census Do I really want to know how my community is doing with turning in their census packets? Is it really necessary to play this type of peer pressure game? I am not sure, but it is a cool collaboration between Google Maps and the Census Bureau. In addition to looking at how your community compares to others, you can also see how your community is doing with return rates compared to the last census in 2000. Take a look and let me know what you think about this addition to the Census project.
Thursday mornings, are often the highlight of my week. Sitting at a Starbucks with my closest friends is always a stress relief and time of laughter. Being a team of free thinking women from various backgrounds we seem to be able to agree to disagree on some issues and come to creative solutions for others (perhaps a blog about some these would interest someone, or maybe not). These weekly meetings are one of my keys to survival. Just knowing that I can share things with these women and catch up on their lives is important to my sense of well being. We care about each other and each other's families. Everyone should be as lucky as I to have such good close knit group, not friends in the Facebook sense of virtual friendships, but friends that actually meet face to face, drink a caffeinated beverage of their choice and laugh together in real time in the same place!
A road trip was the plan, a trip made necessary because Emily is moving out of her apartment and flying to NYC. I was ready to leave early this morning, but after hearing the traffic report I decided a brief respite at Starbucks was required. I killed about half an hour there, this allowed the mess on the Katy Freeway to clear itself up. I left around 9:20AM, stopped and filled the car up with gas and then hit the road running. It was a beautiful day for a drive, perfect weather, clear skies and the wildflowers are popping up and adding color to the highway. I arrived in Austin. Emily met me at the apartment. We ran to HEB to solve a few problems and then we went back to her apartment. We walked to a great vegan restaurant called Daily Juice, http://www.dailyjuice.org/blogs/locations this location in Hyde Park is new. After eating lunch, we continued our stroll down Duvall to Quacks. We had coffee and some pastries, wonderful confections! We walked back with loaded stomachs. We loaded the car with Emily's stuff and the futon, and I left to return to Pearland. So, my trip was a grand total of 369 miles and 15.27 gallons of gas and I am grateful to NOT be in my car!
