The Sasquatch of Squash

April 13th, 2015

I don't have a good track record with following directions. Even back in elementary school I struggled. Remember those mean worksheets that teachers would give with crazy, out landing instructions like "circle number 5", "underline number 12" and then progressively the instructions would get even weirder like "shout your name three times" resulting in an obedient "AMY! AMY! AMY!" and my feeling of pride that I was the first one to shout my name three times, so I must have been the furthest in the class. I was awesome. Then it would turn out that the instructions of the worksheet said something like "read every instruction before beginning" and the last one would say "Do not do anything listed. Turn your paper over and put your head down." I walked into that trap every time.

Its the same now with cooking recipes. Too many words, if you ask me. When I copy recipes onto notecards, I can summarize the whole thing in a few words. This sparked an idea for me- I want to start a collection of recipes that are EASY. Like, stupidly easy. It would come in handy for people like me who don't like to read instructions and for busy people, moms, lazy people and dumb people. I've started creating a few, and one of them required spaghetti squash.

It turned out REALLY good and it was so easy! I went back to the grocery store to get another spaghetti squash and was so lucky- there was only ONE left. It was about four times the size of the one I cooked before, but I'd figure it out, right?

Well, I managed to pierce the skin of the sasquatch squash with my scary cutco knife, but couldn't get much further than that. I wiggled, jiggled, pushed and pulled, but the thing would not come out and I knew that if I tried any other angles, I was going to end up in the hospital with one or more fingers missing. It was the first time in my life that I cussed out a vegetable. After a bit more struggle, my brain power FINALLY kicked in and I got out the meat mallet. I started tapping the knife with the mallet and it acted as a wedge and split the whole thing open. Success! Then, out of curiosity, I googled "how to cut a spaghetti squash" and there it was- my brilliant meat mallet wedge idea. Damn.

Early Mornings

April 11th, 2015

My husband and I have been waking up early to workout before we go off to work. He goes to a near-by gym and I prefer my home-workout DVD's. I need to clarify what I mean by early, because I know that people have various ideas of what early means. When certain people claim that they have "slept in", I don't know where they mean that they woke up at 7:00 instead of 5:00, or if they rolled themselves out of bed at 2:00 pm. I like to be at work at about 7:15 each morning. My workout takes about 45 minutes, and I have an unwavering need to watch an episode of Friends on Netflix before I hit the road. Then adding in my preparation time, I wake up at 4:15.

A lot of people think that I'm nuts- why on earth would I wake up at 4:15 when I could wake up 2 hours later, still get to work on time and then just workout after I get home from work? There are so many reasons.

1. Afterwork, the chances of my actually working out are cut in half. I'm tired at that point, and don't feel like doing anything.

2. At 4:15 am, I don't know whats going on enough to second guess doing it. I'm done before I'm even fully awake.


3. You won't believe it until you try it, but there is an amazing ENERGY BOOST. I'm not kidding, I am not even tired after work anymore. In fact, I've been running 2.5 miles when I get home just because I have excess energy. You might be rolling your eyes at me right now, but don't knock it till you try it! You will surprise yourself.

4. It's better for you metabolism- your body will burn fat at a faster rate all day long.

5. The sunrise. Oh, that beautiful sunrise. I never want to miss another one by "sleeping in".

There is No Limit

April 9th, 2015

"There is no limit"

I have to admit that I am having a difficult time deciding exactly where to start. A lot of people have that defining moment, the moment that they consider to be the spark that started the great fire that is now their success and happiness. Or they have the low point- the rock bottom that ricochetted them back into normalcy, eventually leading them to what they have become. I struggle to pin-point either of those moments in time when it comes to reflecting on my life journey. My defining moments have been sporadic, happening when I least expect them and usually when I am not looking to find them. At times, when I am at a crossing point and need to make a decision, a defining moment re-surfaces to me. Things people have said to me that didn't mean anything at the time pop back into my memory and save me.

"There is no limit"

This January, I began a second job as a beach bodies coach. This is not the subject of my first post so I will skirt around it, but warm up to it now because it has become a huge part of my life and will be the subject of many future posts, I am sure. The coach of my first challenge group (Ali, for future reference) asked me a question and a decision had to be made. She asked me "would you like to become a coach, like me?" She of course told me all of the benefits and was extraordinarily convincing. I wanted to. I wanted to very, very badly.

The problem was, I am a middle and high school music teacher and director of theater at the school. For about four months out of the year, I am so busy with putting a production together that I am barely a person. How in the world would I find time to be a coach?

"There is no limit"

Last year was my first year at this school. In order to ease me into the theater program, another teacher with many years of theater experience took on the role of head director with me as the assistant and musical director, with plans of transitioning me into becoming head director the following year (NOW). About half way through, I vented to her saying, "I am already so busy with teaching classes, putting on two concerts (I was K-12 last year), organizing choral festivals, and working on this production. For the first time, I feel like I have met my limit, and I am terrified to have to do even more next year! I don't know how you are doing all of this!"

Her response was "Your limit? Haven't you learned yet? There is no limit."

"There is no limit"

She spoke those words to me over a year ago, but there they were- like they had been waiting in the back of my brain all of this time just waiting to float back up to the front and help me to make this decision.

I said yes and started my coaching business in the midst of what I formerly referred to as "hell month". If there were a limit, I most definitely would have found it by now. Trust me, there is no limit.