Anaheim

I made it to Anaheim safe and sound for the ALA Conference. They say around 25,000 librarians are here. I'm starting to realize that the real value of attending these conferences is not entirely in the sessions, but in the people you meet. Isn't it who you know and not always what you know? I think there is some value in the sessions, but more importantly, it's making those connections.

I've been to Downtown Disney every night this week. It's a neat area, with shops, restaurants, live music, etc. We ate at an excellent tapas bar last night, and a great pizza place the night before. The only bad thing is that I'm not working out a lot. We walk quite a bit, but it's not like a work out. Oh well...there is time for that when I get home I guess.

Car

After seven years, thousands of miles, some nickel and diming, interesting memories, and a few roads trips, "Noonen" is officially retired.

I just got a new (used) vehicle this afternoon - an '06 Nissan Sentra. I'm just tickled pink that I have a cd player, keyless entry and air conditioning!!

I'm not crazy about having a car payment (for the first time), but I guess I need to get used to the "American Dream" like mostly everyone else. What are you gonna do? I was able to trade Noonen in for more than I thought, and I was able to save enough for a decent down payment.

I got my money's worth out of Noonen, but as of today, it had no a/c, a broken inside door handle, some leaking oil, a driver's door that would not open from the outside with the key, a window that would not open, and probably some other things I was unaware of.

So.....I deserve this!!!

6

I'm down 6 pounds since Memorial Day. That's a good thing, and I can already tell. My stomach feels flatter and the love handles are starting to diminish.

Today I have to teach kickboxing at noon, and Elizabeth and I are training with Shaun after work. It won't be fun. He tortured us last week, and I was sore for days. Today is going to be tough, but I'll muddle through somehow. Last week when we were doing tricep dips off the bench, Elizabeth said, "hey, if this isn't a good reason to lose weight (as in, the less you weigh, the less you have to lift yourself up), I don't know what is!"

Amen, sister!

Crooked Lake

Well, another fun time was had up by the lake. Too bad the weather wasn't better, but we still had fun. We took a ride into Lakewood and visited the fudge shop, because it rained for the better part of Saturday. Tara and I didn't get back to her cottage until 8:30 am yesterday ("after bar" was slightly extended). When her Aunty Bev asked where we were, she said, "I'm 31, so I no longer have to tell you." Hilarious! And true...

4

I'm down four pounds since last week, which is a good thing. If I can drop another 8-10, I'd feel even better. Tonight I start my "buddy" personal training sessions at the Y with my friend, Elizabeth. Shaun will be our trainer for 5 sessions. When he asked what we wanted or where we wanted to focus, I just said, "kick our butts." I'm sure he will, and I'll be grateful for it.

Pet Walk

Kelly and I did the Pet Walk on Saturday, with proceeds going to the Bay Area Humane Society. I was a little worried about how she would do around the hundreds of dogs, (seeing as she doesn't really like other dogs), but she did very well. As long as I kept her moving and close to me and some mutt wasn't trying to sniff her butt during a water break, she was fine!

She didn't have any trouble with the 3.1-mile walk, and even had energy to spare!