The Perfect Day.

What a great day!  I photographed an 80 year old lady.  Her son wanted a portrait of her in their long time home, by the window in an old fashion chair.  I couldn’t help day dreaming when my son might do the same.  Seeing her smile into the camera brought forth emotions and warm fuzzy feelings; I envisioned her as a loving mom, going through all the motions we've all done raising children. The cycle of life.

Post “hypnotic-photo-shoot” came successful errand running to the bank, Home Depot, Costco, gas station...then to SWIM!  I know my lap times & hit the 5:00 open session.  As the sun set around me, I finished my 2 mile workout. 

Last stop on the way home was the grocery store.  I was hungry & my lane-sharing-swimmer had just informed me that sugar and salt were indeed good for joints.  That being true (until I researched it more) I opened a bag of Buffalo Blue chips & feasted on some salty goodness of Kettle Chips.  Then hitting the produce isle, I munched on some fresh blueberries and finally a beautiful cupcake from the Bakery!  I had my appetizers and dessert, so protein and salad would balance out my evening meal when I got home.  I love grazing through the grocery store.  I consider it my duty to amuse the checkout employees and baggers, who laugh at the 3 things I’ve opened and consumed.  Hey, laugh at me or with me, just laugh.

Working, swimming, feeling strong, enjoying great salty and sweet, editing photos, writing, ahhhh, the perfect day.

Lost Sweet Tooth

As family & friends anxiously watched me compete on Wipeout, my son had his own mission.  He wiggled & wiggled a tooth on & off for an hour as he sat viewing his mom on T.V.  Upon the finale, cheers erupted, my daughter was crying & hugging me tightly chanting "I can't believe you won!"

5,6,7 minutes passed & I couldn't even find my son Nate.  Then magically he appeared, grinning as he bounded down the stairs holding his fist out towards me he exclaimed "I lost my 7th tooth!  I got some floss that Zoe used to make your zip-line on the Wipeout Cake & I made a lasso & I just pulled it out!!!" 

He enjoyed licking blue frosting around the smooth toothless space as he savored his successful night.

Wipeout Cake!

For my T.V. debut on Wipeout, my daughter made an obstacle course “cake!”  The Shape Shifter was a modified iced oatmeal cookie & dental floss for the zip line. pop ‘em donut holes were carefully aligned as the Big Red Balls.  Red Kix cereal balls stuck on to a frosted graham cracker for the Sucker Punch Wall.   I love my biggest fan!!!

I can finally say “I won!”  Deciding to keep it a secret from everyone I know (my kids, brother, boyfriend, friends & parents) made it easy to remember!  Man was it hard to creatively not tell the truth, but scarily enough, like anything else I’m channeled into, it got easier with time!  After a few “I did well,” and the inevitable “well, did you win?” question, I began to avoid the yes or no answer:  “It was a great competition, you’ll have to watch it to find out.”

Sweet lifetime friends & family came over to scream at the t.v. with me.  I love this show.  I loved the crew.  While the super duper thick mud was being perfectly prepared, other contestants were so fun to hang out with.  I wish I could do it again & again!  Watching it at home, hearing comments from the two Johns for the first time was hilarious!

I am so thankful for my amazingly thoughtful friends.  I received candy earrings, boxes of odd candy, cupcakes, bags of great bin candy, signs & cards for support.  Thanks for giving me so much sugar!  I am overflowing!   What a Fan-Sugar-tastic experience!

S'more Please!

Nothing better than gathering around a campfire with some s'more sticks! Besides the sweet company of family & friends, my favorite part is that it's perfectly acceptable to repeatedly attempt to roast & consume many, many marshmallows. The great thing about being in the dark & everyone having their own goal, is that... no one knows I've eaten 12 marshmallows!

 

Fear Not...Anything!

Last week I was asked to photograph (my primary career) a skate competition (held today).  I had lots of excuses why I didn't have time this weekend, but in the end, I love sports & being outside, so I decided to do it.

And once again, A GOOD CHOICE!  It was a blast, the people were awesome, friendly, happy, competitive, & there was good music & food.

But the main thing that made it above my expectation was seeing a friend who exclaimed how her daughter had been experimenting with baking a lot this summer & trying sweet recipes with healthier ingredients.  WHICH IS SO ME!

She got me excited again to finish writing this book I'm nearly done with.  After editing it 4 times, I started to think that it wasn't so special, that all this information is already out there & that I shouldn't publish it.  So after this blog, I'm going to challenge my fear of publishing a book & hopefully you'll see it offered on Amazon Kindle or iTunes in a few weeks.

Rich & Blue & Chocolaty

I'm currently writing a book "How to Have a Healthy Sweet Tooth," & this seems like a perfect example.  Today's creation was due to my chocolate bar melting yesterday & me putting it in the fridge.  Then I bought blueberries at the store, separately.  When seeing them side by side my heart pitter pattered... mmm...quick & rich & chocolaty.  Rich in antioxidents that is!  My perfect bowl of 1/2 of Trader Joe's Swiss 72% dark chocolate bar broken in pieces & fresh blueberries, sent me skipping to the office to write this blog.  It's a good thing I ate up the blueberries because I'd want more of this "lunch bowl!"

Techo Beats

I love techno music.  A stable, monotonous, continuous beat, escalating to a higher level of interest, peaking with great intensity & passion, then coming back down to a more mainstream, acceptable pace.   I seem to be going along in my day to day activities, when the feeling of passion inevitably arises for something - could be a new trick on the trampoline, a new idea to pursue or a new recipe & I run with it...feeling intensely excited & bopping around with great vigor.  After fulfilling my interests & experiencing the rush of breathtaking feelings, I settle back to a normal pace. 

Techno music induces skipping & hopping, leaping & bounding during my run....and making other people smile when they pass me feels good too!

Red Rock Bash

What a perfect day, visiting Las Vegas, to drive out to Red Rock Canyon near Lake Mead.

After hiking for an hour, I lost my footing on a rock & my leg came to a serious halt on a pinnacle of sandstone.  My shin was slashed down to the muscle.  A deep little 2 inch slit that would make us turn back.

No summit, but a blood-dripping hike back down & an new adventure in applying liquid rubber bandage to seal the "larger than recommended" gap with accompanying butterfly stitches, all for sale at the nearest Rite Aid.

Come on mom, keep jumping!

I jump on my trampoline 3-5 x a week with my kids.  As they jump around, I try to jump hard without stopping for 1 full minute, 5 different times.  It's hard!  My kids just keep jumping & jumping & jumping & flipping & it drives me to keep up with them because they are so happy!
 
Jumping definitely helped my endurance & pain tolerance of burning quads when I competed on Wipeout.  (I was able to make a few leaps with confidence after jumping over & under my kids all the time!)

I have to stop & rest every minute...but hearing them say "mom keep jumping with us!" is music to my soul.  Jumping, looking at them jumping, all of us smiling at each other jumping inside this protective net wall around the trampoline.  This is my heaven.

I "Got Sugar" today in a different way ~ sweet, pure love from my kids!

Minute to Win it

Yesterday I got up at 5am (straightened my hair, tried on 4 different outfits & walked the dogs) & drove to Studio City for my 11am audition for "Minute to Win It" Game Show.  I was excited, nervous, sticky with perspiration, felt jittery but pumped & my brain was like a washing machine of ideas on how to "sell myself" to the casting company.  NONE OF WHICH came out of my mouth when they were filming my audition.  I couldn't believe I forgot to tell them I was an event photographer!!!  They asked me about my home town & why No. Cal. was better than So. Cal. (which distracted me & was not what I had planned for my 1 minute of character development.)  Then my 36 cup pyramid crashed partway & I didn't take them down in a "minute to win it!"

I had glimpses of how much fun I was having ("feeling" things I don't normally feel... giddiness, anticipation, butterflies...)  Then the desire to be chosen & the fear of not being entertaining enough overtook those fun feelings.  But still, this is why I was auditioning, to really feel alive!

3/4 of the way through the audition I was not chosen & told to go "enjoy the rest of my day."  I hadn't eaten all day so I quickly found a Taco Bell to fill my sorrows with 3 crunchy fresco tacos!  If anything, this audition kicked my sweet tooth & it's day 1 of no sugar or high fructose corn syrup (I'm not counting 2 glasses of red wine for dinner).

Monster Pancakes!

Regular pancakes are getting boring.  So the kids & I got creative this morning!

My healthy start was 1 cup "Heart Smart" Bisquick (adorned with a Box Top for my school), 1/2 cup wheat flour, 1/4 ground flax seed, 1 grated apple with skin, 1 egg + 3 egg whites, 1/4 cu 1% milk, 1 pat melted butter, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt.

Then we added Chocolate Chips & Butterscotch chips & cereal!  Zoe added Lucky Charms & Nate smashed up Chocolate Mini Wheats!  They were lumpy & chunky & the kids picked them up like monsters (no syrup, no forks, no mess)!

A new breakfast favorite with fruit, dairy, fiber & protein!  I feel like Tony the Tiger "They're GRRRRRREAT!"

Getting this apron from Amazon might be in my future~

Ribbit Chirp Chirp

It's like living in the tropics in my upstairs bathroom, the sounds of nature ...well really 30 crickets living in a plastic tub.  We got 2 new low maintenance pets...Chubby Tree Frogs!


They sit sleeping in one spot all day & sit awake in a different spot all night.  They wait for crickets to hop by them to nab for a meal.

I can't imagine such a limited menu!

Grocery Items

After an hour 'strength training workout' in my living room, (while watching my favorite shows "Modern Family" & then "Minute to Win it") I headed out for some fresh groceries.  As I loaded the conveyor belt to the cashier, I smiled at my selections!  Raw beets, cucumbers, carrots, sweet potatoes, organic mixed greens, peppers, tomatoes, fresh strawberries, whole grain bread, oven roasted turkey, skim milk, free range eggs....& 2 tubs of chocolate peanut butter swirl ice cream on sale: 2 for $5, plus 2 tubs of Cool Whip for mixing with my low fat cottage cheese & strawberries...yummy!  Boy do I know good health AND good SUGAR!

For lunch I baked the raw beet - wrapped in foil for 50 minutes at 400 degrees & it was delicious!  It tasted like corn with a firm potato consistency.  I liked it much more than I thought & I didn't need to wear lipstick after it dyed my lips pink!

The ice cream I saved for after dinner (Amy's Fire Roasted Southwestern Vegetable soup was delicious & spicy.)  Ribbons of peanut butter in the chocolate ice cream felt heavenly in my mouth - definitely worth the wait!

Chocolate Fiber Crunch

Okay, I am on a roll with this healthy chocolate thing & have just melted semi sweet chocolate chips with fiber one cereal to satisfy my sweet tooth & get some vitamins, minerals & fiber!  I remember seeing The Chocolate Bar in Texas sell blobs of Lucky Charms tossed with chocolate, but I'm upping the ante & adding some roughage!  Bon Appetite!

Chocolate Cereal with a bit of health!

One of my daily missions is to find sugar, chocolate & health intertwined & here they are!  Good fiber, whole grain, no high fructose corn syrup & real chocolate!  Special K Chocolaty delight & Chocolate Mini Wheats are good dessert or anytime snacking material!

My Dentist Loves Me

Did I mention my 10 year old filling cracked & I waited just long enough for sugar to decay it MORE.  SO, I just got a new CROWN in my back molar!   But first I have to wear a temporary crown while they officially make my real one which means no eating milk duds for a whole month!

The design of molars have two important features: the trigonid, or shearing end, and the talonid, or crushing heel.  And people say I shouldn't annihilate my suckers - I have the tools!!!

Dark Chocolate RULES!!!

I forget that chocolate is derived from a plant (the cacao plant).  It contains cell-protective phytochemicals, more commonly referred to as "antioxidants." Researchers have discovered that a standard dark chocolate candy bar contains about twice as much antioxidants as a glass of red wine. This is great news!!!

Chocolate contains a surprisingly big quantity of heart-protective antioxidants, most notably plant phenols, procyanidins and catechins. In recent studies, these compounds have been shown to increase HDL (good) cholesterol, reduce blood clots that can cause heart attacks & strokes and may even lower blood pressure. As an added bonus, the phytochemicals in chocolate may also prevent cancer.

Here's a link to Hershey's research: http://www.hersheys.com/nutrition/antioxidants.asp
Data from the recent study sponsored by The Hershey Company and previous data from USDA and others indicate that dark chocolate is one of the most concentrated sources of flavanol antioxidants among plant foods. The antioxidant capacity of 1 serving of HERSHEY'S EXTRA DARK dark chocolate (37g) is equal to 3 cups of tea, 2 glasses of red wine or 1 1/3 cups of blueberries.  Hip Hip HOORAY!!!

Swim when ya can!

Driving home from L.A. I passed a public pool at 6:15pm.  I pulled in and asked when lap swim times were & got LUCKY, 5-7pm! 
Moral of the story: ALWAYS carry your swim suit & goggles in the car.  Even though I only swam for 35 minutes it was rewarding & breathtaking to see the sun set around me!  Swimming always clears my head ~ counting laps, practicing techniques & rhythmic breathing.

Candylicious

The annual trip to Texas to see my brother is only complete with daily visits to Houston's 2 finest stores (thoughtfully side by side):   The Chocolate Bar & Candylicious.

If you want any candy, foreign or domestic, retro or hot off the press, it's at Candylicious.  A framed newspaper article stated that M & M's are the best candy (health-consciously speaking), which couldn't have made me happier since I consume them regularly.  The Chocolate Bar's homemade ice creams, gorgeous cakes, desserts & every kind of item attached TO chocolate are pure extacy.  I'm not kidding.  Each bite I felt the love of that Chocolatier carefully hand crafting my item. 
Who doesn't want 11 vitamins & minerals with their chocolate cereal "bon bon"!!!

Did I exercise?  Yes I did.  YMCA family membership came in handy!

Ordering, finding & tasting all the new products would be the best job!!!
 
http://www.theoriginalchocolatebar.com

Vegas Buffets Rock!

12 friends met in Vegas for 2 days to celebrate my college roommate's 40th Birthday!   On the flight there I customized my cell phone settings, changed it's display & finally read all the "tips" in its manual!  I'd been stuck in my 2007 habits & now I'm in the 2010 decade of shortcuts.

While IN Vegas I was impressed & pleasantly surprised how much our large group of girls did in a weekend!  ate, drank, exercised, spa, craps, watched & bet on The Jets game then The Saints playoff game, ate late dinner, drank, danced, blackjack tables, slots.  Day 2 Repeat, but we included a BUFFET! 

Now, I grew up going to Vegas once a year doing the buffet thing with my blackjack playing dad... it was a special treat to pay $20 for casino buffets.  The girls were hesitant to pay $32 but agreed to try a buffet at The Wynn.   It was unbelievable how much delicious, fresh, gourmet food was offered.  Japanese - sashimi, Southern -shrimp etuffe, Thai -grilled beef salad, Indian - lentils & curried chicken, Chinese - Potstickers, Italian cuisine - fresh butternut squash gnocci & imported olives & cheeses - mustard seed sharp cheddar.  But the icing on the cake were the desserts.  Gelato bar, Perfiterols, peach cobbler, coffee mouse, chocolate souflee, lime tart with fresh rasberries, OMG!  I'm sitting on the plane ride home very satiated, very happy.   On my "50 things you must do before you die" list is: a high end buffet at a big casino at least once, maybe annually, and THE WYNN was outstanding! 

If you go at 11:30 am, you'll be set with breakfast & lunch items, & one meal lasting ALL day.