On the Road to Self-Improvement

OK, so I'm in training for a 1/2 Marathon in March with my some of my BOHO gal pals and I realize there are good days and bad days when you're attempting to work out AND (more importantly) watch what you eat.

So far I've made what I think is great progress -- approximately 8 pounds lost, which shows in the way my face looks and the fit of my clothes. But I'm struggling to move from the 139.5 that keeps popping up on the scale for the past three weeks. One step forward and two steps back it seems sometimes, as I got sidetracked this week with a visit to McDonald's because Bryce wanted to go there. Since when do I let a 4 1/2 year old dictate what I do?

I am back on track now, but am a little bit nervous because we are headed out for vacation and I am NOTORIOUS for throwing it all out the window and chowing down when I'm away from home. Instead, I am going to go into this trip with a mental goal to NOT GAIN OR LOSE weight, just stay the same, which I think will be a feat of accomplishment if I can do it.

I am packing my running shoes and workout stuff and even though I won't be participating in the 26.2 miles of the Philly Marathon like Jason on the 22nd, I can squeeze in a couple of good workouts while we're away. Wish me luck!

I may not be rich, but I am wealthy when it comes to friends.

The past couple of weeks have had me pondering a very important phenomenon in life. Friendships. Having friends -- good friends -- is a rare and special thing and I think that Jason and I are really lucky to have more than our fair share. A few weeks ago we were visited by Monique during a trip back to Florida from her new post at the soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton in LA.

At the same time we found out that a very dear friend in Sacramento is recovering from three brain aneurysms... Lindsay and his wife Gloria and son Phil are New Zealanders (they own a roofing company in CA) and they are really some of the neatest people we know and love and we've had many, many fun times with them in Chicago, Florida, California and Las Vegas.

Here at home we've got our peeps... it's a long list so I won't mention everyone, but you know who you are...
The Youngs -- starting a long friendship in 1994 that has stood the test of time -- family not friends really.
The Kotters -- Christa was a very close friend in high school and we've reconnected while putting together our 20th high school reunion.
The Rileys -- Sara my workout buddy from bootcamp and Jay who I've known forever doing PR in Sarasota.
The Swifts -- Lisa my walking buddy and co-hort for the Princess 1/2 Marathon... and Jason who we've known through work for a long time. (Funny: Alisa & Jason and Lisa & Jason, right?)

A bit further out are the Foshee's in Clermont and, of course, all of those Clermont BOHOs (love you April!!!XO) that I love dearly for our annual Mother's Day ritual. My "lunch buddy" from The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, Karen Mulroy who lives in Ft. Lauderdale now and I can't forget one of my favorite people Joe Messing, who is 40 years older than me (almost to the day) and one of my closest confidants.

I am forgetting tons of people who make my life special and meaningful, but I am truly amazed by my good fortune of being surrounded by people who love and accept me no matter what. Isn't that really what life is all about????

It's hard not to eat stuff that is delicious and horrible for you.

OK, friends, so this past week along with having Bryce start VPK (pre-school) and Jake start first-grade I started in on a new exercise regimen and eating plan with a goal of actually losing weight. For real this time... no bullshit. No excuses. No greasy pizza or potato chips... or chocolate... or Pepsi.

So, I started on Tuesday (Monday was a dark day of Five Guys lunch with a Dr. Pepper... a farewell meal, if you will) eating healthier and with two walks completed this week with my walking buddy Lisa I have to say that this time it may stick. I really do feel good and I even slipped into two pairs of jeans that I haven't been able to squeeze my fat ass into for more than 3 months. That, my friends, is motivation. (Thank you, Christa, for clarifying that with me!!!!)

I do not believe that I am going to be 115 pounds again. I do not believe that I will turn heads on the beach in a bikini ever again, but I do believe that I can look quite a bit better than I do now. So, let's see how this goes. Like the title says... It's hard not to eat stuff that is delicious and horrible for you, but I'm doing OK so far.

Hi There, Remember Me?

Hi. My name is Alisa Bennett and I have left the blog-o-sphere for the wonderful, addictive world of Facebook. At least on Facebook I know that people read my meandering thoughts since they comment or "like" them once I share them with the FB world. With the blog, other than the few of you that know me and know about it, it's like it's not even here. To be honest, I took my blog address off of my FB page because some of my "friends" might read this and find out some of my bad habits, personal viewpoints and other unseemly things that casual observers like FB "friends" should not be privy to. Well, what the heck. If I'm in, I'm all in (just witness my last visit to Vegas in Feb. 09... not good at all). I will re-post my blog address on my FB page and just see what happens.

A lot, in fact, has happened since I last blogged. Summer happened. High school reunion happened. Still was overweight for high school reunion happened. You catch my drift.

Anyways, school starts for the kids on Monday morning and it can't come soon enough. I am amazed that my children survived the summer. They are two lucky little kids. I am going to try to uphold my committment to this blog. But if I don't it's not like it's really going to affect your life or mine, so let's just see what happens, OK?

Seriously, Folks...

OK, my high school reunion is now less than three months away, so it's time I get serious about those icky 10 pounds that have plagued me since,... oh, I don't know, about 2003, when I packed it all on for "pregnancy!" Who knew having kids would spoil my body THAT much! I mean, really???

Today I ate a Kit Kat and drank a coke at lunch. That was it. I am done. Jason got me the cool running belt with the water bottle and room for my phone so I have NO EXCUSES anymore. I am going to come up with my training program and post it here. I have bootcamp tonight and will keep at that twice a week, but I really need to start up the exercise program...

So, I'm starting off with today's weigh in 143.5. Yikes. I KNOW I've posted this before, but this time I've gotta do it!!!! Really! Really! Seriously!

In the Nooks and Crannies...

of my car's interior I discovered an entire microcosm of detritus... here's just a few of the gems I found whilst cleaning and vacuuming the car.


- 2 plastic dimes
- 1 black jelly bean
- 2 (real) pennies
- a petrified french fry
- plastic baggie with 10 quarters in it (???)
- 3 yellow straws from Capri Sun drinks
- one pair of (dirty) matching boys' socks
- three non-matching girls' socks (all dirty)
- 2 green camo backpacks
- two pairs of girls shoes
- inordinate amount of pretzel salt (like the end of a bag dumped out)
- 3 pens (miraculously all with tops on or near them)
- 1 colored pencil
- wadded up tissues
- wilted green top from a recently (?) eaten strawberry
- Christmas holiday kids' t-shirt

That is my kind of Friday night... life in the fast lane... cleaning the car interior.... does it get any better than this? I'd better not ask that question. Have a great weekend.

Wearing the big Girl Pants...

Yesterday I had to do what I consider to be the hardest thing I have ever done in my professional/working life. Jason and I had to lay off four employees, one of which had worked for us for more than five years, another for more than 3 years. It was terrible. It is extremely difficult to walk up to someone that you really like and tell them something that will change their life and basically wipe away their ability to provide for themselves and their family. I have to say that when Jason started this business nine years ago, I don't think that we ever really planned for that or saw that coming.

This economic situation does not seem to be getting better and I'm afraid that what happened yesterday may have to be done again in the next few months... I hope that isn't so, but at this point we really need to be pragmatic and conservative based on what seems to be the new normal.

I am sad. I am disappointed and I actually thought that I would be relieved after delivering the message to them yesterday, but what happened was the exact opposite. I feel worse and can't sleep.