It is Finally Here!

The Oscars are underway, but none of the major awards have been announced yet. So, I want to let everyone know my official picks. They are the same as what I initially predicted with one major change - I think Letters from Iwo Jima will win Best Picture instead of The Departed.

So, happy Oscar Night everyone! Let's see how well I picked this year...

Girls Rule, Boys Drool

Well done, ladies of American Idol! The ladies were much better than the boys last night!!! There were 4 that really stood out to me - Lakisha (the last to go) was awesome, but I hope Stephanie (the 1st to go) doesn't get forgotten. Sabrina was really good and so was Melinda Doolittle (the former background singer). I think Jordin is a wildcard (the 17-year-old). She was really good last night and with a little more practice, I think she could blow people away. Sabrina mentioned a strategy that I have been saying since Season 1 - don't sing ballads!!! Ballads don't have a good track record.
Here is my advice:
Choose upbeat songs with strong vocals. And don't choose a song that we have all heard a million times. A perfect example of what NOT to sing would be R.E.S.P.E.C.T. How many times has that song been used in commercials and movies?! Sing something that people may recognize, but don't know so well that we could hear it in our sleep. Of course, I know all the contestants, and America, are dying to hear what I have to say!

So, here is who I think will go home:
Girls - Amy Krebs & Antonella Barba. I'm making Leslie Hunt an alternate.
Guys - Rudy Cardenas & Nicholas Pedro. I'm making Paul Kim an alternate.

Check out http://www.americanidol.com if you are interested in more detail about the contestants.

Tune in tomorrow for my official Academy Awards picks!

Updates, Cold, & American Idol

Updates: Had a cold over the weekend; took some time off of walking to get over the cold; had 2 of the busiest days at work thus far; haven't had time to be online in several days.

Last night, I got back to walking. It was hard. I felt really weak when I finished. I don't think I ate enough during the day, probably because I was so busy, I barely noticed I was hungry. But I am proud of myself for walking last night. That is the hardest thing to a fitness program - making yourself start again when life gets in the way. So, hopefully I will be able to walk again tonight.

Last night I was NOT impressed with the guys on American Idol. It is hard to have your own opinion about the songs when you hear the judges' opinions. But I think I can say that I wasn't impressed with the song choices BEFORE the judges said so. We'll see how the girls do tonight. I like American Idol. It is the only reality show I enjoy. Most other reality shows seem so far from reality that is difficult to watch. Who goes on national television to find a boyfriend? Or live with a bunch of strangers? I mean, we all know the real reason they are on these shows - to get publicity! So, it is all so very fake to me. But American Idol is different. There is no pretention because gaining publicity is the whole point of the show. Of course, I fully believe that some of the stuff on American Idol is staged, especially some of those "bad" auditions.

An Update & Some Big News

Last week, I started the "Walk Away the Pounds" 6-week program. I walked every day I was supposed to for as long as I was supposed to. I'm proud of myself. I walked 2 miles on Saturday!! The other 4 days I walked one mile. I can't quite get to the required speed yet, but I'm not too worried about that. I know that if I keep at it, I will eventually be able to do it. I only got in my water twice last week. Oh well.

But on to much bigger news. This past weekend, my best friend in all the world got engaged!!!! I am so happy for her. I can't believe we are going to be two ole' married women :)

One Decision

First, let me update on my goals. I have completed my walking every night this week, and I drank 64 oz. of water yesterday and Monday, but not Tuesday. Not bad! Tonight is a free night - there is no scheduled walking according the program.

Today is a huge mile marker in my life. Ten years ago today, I made a decision that would completely change my life forever. I stood up for myself and finally told someone, "No." I don't really want to go into the details on here. This decision, though, was something that I don't think anyone thought I had the self confidence to do. In fact, I didn't. The only explanation I have for this is the Holy Spirit. I didn't know why I did what I did, just that I knew it had to be done. And when I acknowledged that, I was filled with the strength to do it.

I can't believe it has been 10 years. In some ways, it seems like a lifetime ago. I am a completely different person than I was then. The Tonya back then was suffering from depression. That time in my life is sort of hazy in my mind. Depression was such a part of my life, that it clouds my mind's images. Depression zaps all energy from life. It is being mentally trapped in some cold, dark, small place. Your mind has been stuffed down this hole. Everywhere you look, you see nothing but the black abyss that surrounds you. It isn't just feeling sad. I would wake up and not be able to get out of bed. Not because I was sad, but because I had absolutely no reason to do so. All I could see was the nothingness. And who wants to get out of bed and face that?

On the flip side, today I can get out of bed each morning and face each day with possibilities. I am no longer stuck in that hole. I can see clearly and make decisions with confidence. Now, this change wasn't overnight. And, just like anyone else, I have my bad days. But, that helping of strength I gained ten years ago is still there, guiding me.

One Day Down

First of all, let me say...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEREDITH!


Yesterday was my first day of the 6-week walking program "Walk Away the Pounds." You were supposed to walk a mile in 30 minutes, and I did just that. I walked a mile on the treadmill and I did it in 28 minutes. Yay! I also drank 64 oz. yesterday. Tonight I have to do the same thing. Tonight I am going to walk while American Idol is on.

I was unsure I could walk a mile because I am so out of shape. But I did it, and it wasn' t horrible. I was proud of myself. A part of me is scared my back is going to start hurting in a few days. That is the problem with back pain - it doesn't happen right away. It is a gradual thing. Whenever I start a new activity, I have to wait a few days before I can really tell how it will affect my back. So far, so good though. They say that walking is the best exercise for your back.

In the "Walk Away the Pounds" book, she has a lot of success story blurbs. One of these is a woman that suffered from migraine headaches. But once she started the program, she never had another migraine. I wonder if that could happen to me. I never thought about my migraines being associated with being overweight or out of shape. When I started getting migraines, though, I was in high school. I was young, healthy, and full of energy. So I don't know about that. I guess we'll see.

New Goals

Meredith, Crystal and I met last night at Meredith's house to discuss our "healthy goals" for last month and set new ones for February. Nobody was perfect last month. But I think we are making a big step in just talking about it and focusing on setting these new habits. This month, we will continue to strive to break old habits and form new habits. We are going to keep in touch at least once a week to see how we are doing.

MY GOALS (for privacy reasons, I am not going to post Meredith & Crystal's goals. They can certainly post their goals on a comment, if they would like :)

Drink 64 oz. of water a day 5 times a week. I'm getting better and better at this. It is definitely becoming a habit of mine. But I didn't just start last month. I've actually been working on drinking water and cutting out cokes for quite some time.

Stick to the "Walk Away the Pounds" 6-week program. I am excited about this. I bought this book last week that lays out a 6-week program for walking. The first week you start out by walking 1 mile a day. By the last week, you are walking 3 miles a day. It has a lot of helpful hints to keep the walking interesting. The author has videos you can buy that are like aerobics videos, only it is walking in place. Because I have a treadmill, I am going to do my walking on it at first, at least to make sure I stay consistent. Once I get more advanced, I might try a video. Of course, when it gets warmer and stays lighter longer, I can go outside!


Last month none of us reached our goals, so we didn't earn our rewards. I think that is a sign that we set our goals too high. This month, we set up a point system. We earn points, and when we earn a certain number of points, we are rewarded. We get a point for each goal we reach daily. We can earn a maximum of 5 points for each goal a week. So, we could each potentially earn a total of 10 points each week. Last night at our meeting, we forgot to set how many points would get us a reward, so I will have to update this when we decide on that.

MY REWARDS:
1) A movie
2) A portable CD player

I'm a little late

Calling all H.P. fans!!

Since H.P. VII's release date was announced, Harry has been on my mind. Mitch and I have a debate on a certain character. There are soooooooooooo many opinions out there on this very topic, and blogging about this is so "last year." But I didn't have a blog when this topic was fresh, so I am doing it now. Here it goes:

Is Snape good or not?

Reading While Driving

You know what I love? Books on CD. Now that I have a long commute, I find books on CD a great way to pass the time in the car. I like to listening to mysteries the best because it really makes the time fly! I mean, my one hour commute feels like as long as a TV commercial. It is amazing. You know what else I like about books on CD? It allows me to read more than one book at a time. Having a book at home that I am reading and a book in the car allows me to have the time to "read" more.

Currently I am reading:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon at home
The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult in the car

Speaking of books, did you hear? Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows is coming out in July!!!! I am excited but also sad. I don't want this series to end.