Challenge Standings

We have finished week 4 in our challenge.

Minutes Exercised:
Cody: 106
Jen: 100

*I just want everyone to know that I was ahead of him as of 7:45 on Sunday evening by 65 minutes, but Cody can't stand to be beat, so her walked/ran 70 minutes today. I thought this was going to be a week off from laundry, but I was wrong. Maybe next week.

Hopefully our treadmill will survive this challenge. It smells a little like it's about to burn up right now.

Pounds lost:
Cody: 8
Jen: 5

Maybe February will be a better month for me.

Hometown News

On Sunday, my mom and sister called to let me know that the old Happy Hotel was on fire. The hotel has been abandoned for years and has fallen into disrepair. In this first picture taken at Christmas, you can see a small amount of the hotel building on the right-hand side. You can go here to see pictures of the fire and its aftermath.

My grandmother and my mother remember Happy when downtown was lined with businesses, but those days have passed. We have talked many times of how we would have loved to buy the hotel, renovate it, and open it back up. My sister and cousins went and looked at it last year to see how much work would be involved, but the amount of repairs that would have been needed was huge.

I just read an article here with the latest news of the fire, and I made the mistake of reading people's comments about the article. I was amazed at some of the things that people said about it. Their lack of understanding was not suprising, as people do not really understand small town life unless they experience it firsthand.

Growing up in a small town of less than 1,000 people is an experience that I wish Cody and I could give our kids. The community spirit, especially in times of trials, is amazing. A friend who also grew up in Happy wrote this article, which captures the essence of the town and its people. My sister, who lives in Happy, wrote about it here.

Please keep the town, its leadership, and the involved families in your prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

Okay, not so wordless...

This is a public service announcement. Please beware of pencil boxes. When skin becomes caught in them, five stitches may be necessary.

Cheer Meet

This is my first try posting a video taken with my new Flip camera. I'm not sure you will be able to pick Josie out in the group. Her squad competed for the first time yesterday. Up until this meet, they have performed as a show team. They got 5th place, which was pretty good considering that one of the girls was sick, and they stuck in someone from a different team at the last minute.

Progress

Here's our progress for Week 2 in our challenge:

Number of Minutes Exercised:
Cody: 141
Jen: 121

Yes, I know...I guess I'll be doing the laundry again this week.

Number of Pounds Lost:
Cody: 7
Jen: 5

So the BIG WINNER (or Loser): Cody

I guess I'd better work harder next week!

The Spivey Challenge

Last week Cody and I began a challenge. We both want to lose weight and be healthier, but we have not been able to get motivated to do something about it. Nothing like a contest that pits us against each other to get the ball rolling. We decided we would compete to see who could exercise the most minutes each week. Whoever has the least amount of minutes at the end of the week has to do the laundry the following week. The thought of not having to do any laundry for a week makes me very happy. I thought I was going to win this week, since I was ahead by 10 minutes. Nothing gets Cody moving like the thought of me beating him, so he jumped on the treadmill and surpassed me. So this week, I am going to work harder to beat him.

We're also trying to make better food choices. For me, this means no more sweets...no more Hershey's kisses dipped in peanut butter...no more Special K bars...no more brownies.... I could go on and on, but you get the idea. For Cody, this means no more fried food. We decided there had to be a penalty for cheating. If either of us cheats, we lose 60 minutes of exercise time. That's a pretty steep penalty, but for me to give up chocolate, it has to be.

For now, I'm off to change the laundry.

You know you're old when...

your anniversary date ends with a trip to the grocery store. And you're home before 7:00 pm.

It's Official!

New Year's Eve-What We Really Did