Down Comforter :o)

In these tough economic times, I thought this was very apropos :o)

Are you a Poacher? :o)

We are what we eat :o)

I found this cartoon amusing on several levels.

First, I know some people who obviously must snack on legumes, and they absolutely are what they eat :o) Beth and I were laughing tonight because we love our dry roasted peanuts, and we articulated that there are good nuts and bad nuts :o) We like to believe that we fall into the first category.

Second, in a recent edition of Time Magazine, there was an article that talked about exercise and losing weight, and one point that stuck out to me is that a pound of fat burns two (2) calories per day, and a pound of muscle burns four (4) calories per day. So that means that if you put on 10 pounds of muscle, you will burn a whopping 40 extra calories per day. I know that my workouts have lulled me into a false sense of security. The true key is to watch what you eat, and to not let any exercise program (aerobic or weights) make you believe that you do not need to watch the intake (a single muffin after a 30-45 minute run will wipe out the exercise gain). I know this was a real eye opening read for me.

Got Your Back :o)

When I first saw this cartoon, I thought of Detroit Mark, and how he did not want us travelling to his neighborhood; then thought about his bike accident(s), and it all became clear - you need to look forward [Just Teasing Mark].

Then, as I further contemplated this cartoon, it made me think deeper. It makes me thankful that I am one who continuously looks to the future, and to re-emphasize how important it is to not dwell or obsess about the past.

Hope this finds you looking forward and outward :o)

American Abundance :o)

I certainly know that I do my share to spread the wealth :o)

My question to you is whether you are one of the rats feasting on the abundance, are you filling the can with waste, and most importantly - are you thankful for what you have?

You know how we feel about recycling and going green, so when I saw this cartoon on my calendar (Thanks Kim & Steve), and with the way our whole economy and behaviors are changing, I felt it said a lot.

Over the last few years, we have certainly been striving to simplify our lives, and we certainly feel very at peace with that.