I read a book...

Well, okay I guess I've probably read a couple more than one in my life.  However, this is the first book I recorded for the public to hear.  While I was away in California in August, I not only received a copy of my documentary debut, but I also narrated my good friend Michael Hebler's children's book The Night After Christmas.  I know many of you have little people to buy for this Christmas.  I highly suggest this book.  Not only is the text catchy and fun, but the illustrations are enough to keep any child interested.  Take a look and a listen and let me know what you think.

A workout involving wine? Sign me up!!

As the fall season comes upon us and the dark mornings and crisp weather are abound, it becomes particularly hard, at least for me, to drag myself out of bed any earlier to get in a morning workout.  However, this fall the times they are a changin'!  

Not only do I have an awesome new running partner Jodi, who is a lightning fast runner, she also has some really creative ways to motivate people around her to keep in shape.  What is Jodi's magic you may ask?  Well aside from her upbeat personality, which is much appreciated during our AM workout regimes, she uses the Pavlov's Principle of rewards for good behavior.  

Now I know what you are thinking, how does this work?  Why would you workout only to consume the calories back?  Although if you want my opinion, isn't this why we workout anyways?  It's my love of food that keeps me working out harder and harder because the more I workout, the more I can eat!

However, this is a bit of a different model- allow me to explain...  For about the past two weeks, I have been participating in a push up/sit up wine challenge.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I would do just about anything for a glass (or two) of good wine and in this challenge it is no different.  Every day, I must do the agreed amount of sit ups and push ups and if I forgot or fail to do so, I must buy the remaining people in the group a bottle of wine.  Each week the number of sit ups/push ups increase and the object of the game is to be the last chick standing (or sitting and pushing up ;p).  Since there are 13 people in the group, there is a possibility to get a case of wine.   

Now when Jodi invited me to do this challenge one thing that she didn't realize is that I take these things very seriously.  With my determined spirit and a tight budget, I refuse to lose.  Hopefully in a few months from now, I won't be whining so much about working out in the cool weather as I will be consuming a well deserved bottle or 12 of wine!  Game on!

On another note, a special congratulations to my sister Kelly, as she qualified yesterday for the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:36!!!  This is an especially sweet victory as she missed qualifying in the spring by only 10 seconds.  I am so proud of you Kel!  You are my running idol!  During the race, she was surrounded with the support of my parents, my Aunt Diane and of course Gram, who never misses a beat.  As Gram said to me, "Well, I guess now we all have to go to Boston."  I'm very much looking forward to April and can't wait to be there to cheer her on!