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  1. Eating Right

    May 23, 2010 by Leanne

    My travel life has definitely picked up in the past few weeks which has delayed me from my blogging duties.

    After my annual physical earlier this month and meeting with the dietitian I’ve made a commitment to eating healthier.  And this comes after I thought I already WAS eating healthy.  With the exception of my monthly indulgence in calamari with Mike, I rarely ever eat anything fried. I seldom ever touch pizza or any kind of pasta. I eat brown rice, not white rice (rare exception of the sushi encounter).  Whole wheat bread never white bread.

    The new changes in my routine will be to eat more organic in my food selections and to cut back on red meats and pork, use natural sweeteners over artificial ones, eliminate caffeine, and start eating more fruits and vegetables – organic, of course and to eat more foods rich in antioxidants.

    The first step I took may seem trivial but was a major ordeal for me – giving up my morning Diet Dr. Pepper.  I did this not only because of the dietitian, but because my dentist also advised the same thing.  The dentist believes that the soda was ruining my gums.  So, it’s been 21 days since my last Diet Dr. Pepper.  I know I’ll have one again soon, but I won’t be going back to a daily routine of 2-3 day. I think God will forgive me if I have one a month.

    Eating organic is definitely more expensive and harder to stick to but I’m going to give it my all.

    Any of you live the organic life?  How has it impacted you?

    Category Daily Life | Tags: ,, | 1 Comment

  2. Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

    May 2, 2010 by Leanne

    Yoga.

    Downward dog.  Plank. Sun Salutation. Warrior. Child’s pose.

    Breathe out the toxins. Breathe from the abdomen.

    I’m learning folks – I’m learning.

    I started taking yoga classes for the first time on a regular basis last month.  I’m 5 weeks into it attending 2 classes a week and attempting my own work out at home on occasion.

    I went into it thinking I wanted to focus on flexibility which would lead to a leaner look.  I quickly learned I am so not flexible and it has nothing to do with the body-type.  I see a person with what appears as a “not-so-great” physique being able to twist, turn, flex and hold poses I can’t even fathom!  The instructors are great though. They remind us  in every class that we’re all made differently and not everyone will ever be able to do the same poses with great flexibility. That does make me feel somewhat better.

    The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is how important the breathing is.  It is by far the number one element to learn.  I find myself focusing on breathing through the nose and from the gut all day long. The instructors tell us this will help us in all areas of our lives – in mentally focusing, in ridding our bodies of toxins, in better digestion and so much more.

    At today’s class we learned the phrase “loka samasta sukhino bhavantu”.  It was a little odd to chant this – as I am not a chanter. But I did it.  You can Google the phrase and see what it means.

    Namaste.

    Category Daily Life | Tags: , | No Comments

  3. A Fine Line

    April 24, 2010 by Leanne

    I’ll be brief today.  My thoughts this morning:

    It’s a fine line…

    Between being arrogant to being confident.

    Between being too personal to being social in a business world.

    Between being polite and non-intrusive to appear uncaring.

    What are your fine lines?

    Category Daily Life | Tags: | 1 Comment

  4. It’s “Working Out”

    April 18, 2010 by Leanne

    I’ve been very busy the past month creating my new workout room in my home.  My gym closed down last November with no notice. One morning I went to workout and the doors were locked with a sign stating they were closed for repairs.  Then a week later I received a phone call that they indeed were permanently closed.   This was a big loss for me. This was a boutique gym that was easy to get to, only 2 miles from my home and a place where everyone was familiar and comfortable with each other.  It had every strength machine you could want and plenty of cardio equipment. For goodness sakes, even Tiger Woods worked out there. OK, maybe that’s not such a good endorsement. LOL.
    Anyway, the club didn’t leave us high and dry.  They worked out an arrangement with the YMCA to transfer all our memberships there. I was ecstatic about this and immediately went to the nearest Y to sign up. Did I mention that in October before they closed I had just renewed for an entire year? This news meant I have a year’s membership at the Y! While as exciting as this sounds, it turned out to not be so great. The closet YMCA is 6.5 miles from home, 3 times as far as the old gym. With the extra miles and stoplights to get there it would have added an additional 30 minutes in the morning to go there (round trip). Even worse, the Y was constantly packed with people at all hours of the day.  This place was very popular.  And I was also surprised to see how much less  fitness equipment they had.  The Y is great for families – it offers so much for them.  Plus it has great amenities that I would probably never use.  After about 6 or 7 visits to the Y, I gave up. :(   All I want is a true hard-core gym with enough equipment that I don’t have to wait in line to workout.

    So, after gaining a few pounds back I determined I needed to get things under control.  I have a room in my house that is totally under-used.  I call it my piano room. It also served as Mikita’s playpen when she was a puppy. I’ve turned this extra room into my new home gym. This is what I’ve been spending the past few weeks working on:

    It has a treadmill, ab crunch machine, 5# 10# and 20# weights.  A bench to do flies and chest press.  A step machine.  A TV and stereo.  And of course, my piano should I just get the urge to sit down and belt out a tune or two.

    I worked hard, too, to make it appealing to me to go in there.  I’ve decorated it with a black and white theme. I got the beautiful rug from Overstock.com at a great price with $2.50 shipping.  It’s one of the thick rugs, not the cheap kind you see at discount stores. I found the gorgeous curtains at an outlet store near the Florida Mall. And the photos on the wall above the bench are pictures of the ocean in Cozumel, taken during our 7-night cruise on the Disney Magic last December.

    How’s it going so far?  It has only been fully put together for about a month but I’ve been faithful.  I miss the variety of equipment found at a normal gym, but this is serving a good purpose.  It’s really all about commitment.  The mirror is my motivator.

    Category Daily Life | Tags: ,,,, | 3 Comments

  5. Flower Power

    March 28, 2010 by Leanne

    This morning while walking the dogs I came across a flower sticking through a brick wall that took me back in time a few decades.

    I don’t know what this flower is but I remember it growing along the fence at the daycare center my mom took my brother and me. It was located at the hospital where she worked as an emergency room nurse.  The smell of the flower is distinct. The small buds blossom into a variety of colors. And they attract bees. I remember the daycare play yard located right next to the hospital and alongside a railroad track. The yard was made of mulch and smelled like sawdust.  There were several huge tires we played in plus a sandbox with very gritty sand and a swing set.  I was around 4 – 6 years old.  Isn’t it funny how this flood of memories comes back  just by seeing a flower?

    The rest of the photos are some other flowers we found today on our walk:

    A wall of azaleas in full bloom.

    I think these are pansies.

    This bed lines an entire block – it really is beautiful in person.

    And I proudly display the one LONE flower in my yard. :)

    Category Daily Life | Tags: ,,,, | 6 Comments

  6. DC in March

    March 22, 2010 by Leanne

    I just got back from visiting Mike in DC this weekend.  The weather couldn’t have been more spectacular.  We headed to DuPont Circle on Saturday and walked around the White House that night.

    Sunday was the perfect day to be outside so we made the most of it by heading over to the National Mall to check out the happenings.  And happenings are what we found!  At the Mall was a huge march and rally for Immigration Reform.

    There were thousands of people waving flags, holding up posters, chanting and speaking their minds. It was all well organized.

    It was very interesting to watch “live” since my only experiences with anything like this has been via the television news channels. I’ve never seen a protest march in person.  Orlando is not exactly the most outspoken city.

    We wandered from the National Mall over to the Capitol to see what was going on there with the Health Care Reform.  At first it looked like a very sad showing of people.  We saw just a handful of protesters with signs.  Then  we heard a loud roar coming from the other side of the building. As we made our way up the hill and around the trees we found the big anti-health care reform protesters doing their thing.

    It was very cool to be there on that historic day, whether you believe in the bill or not. And we didn’t see any of the mean protesters that made the news – no spitters at this location.

    Lastly, I couldn’t help but snap this photo at the Capitol and consider it for an entry into Glamour magazine’s “Do or Don’t” section or send it to “What Not To Wear”.  Low-rise jeans and low-sitting chairs are not a good mix.

    Have a great week everyone!

    Category Daily Life | Tags: ,,,,, | 1 Comment

  7. Happy 5th Anniversary (to me!)

    March 15, 2010 by Leanne

    Five years ago I started this blog to share my stories and adventures of my life in Hong Kong. I was headed overseas for a 4-month assignment and thought a blog would be a cool, inexpensive way to stay in touch with my family and friends. The blog was originally named “The Life of Leanne”.

    me, Mike Hyland at Hong Kong Disneyland, 5 months before Grand Opening

    I can’t believe 5 years have passed. Since then I’ve been back to Hong Kong for another 2-month stint in 2006, spent 6-weeks in Paris in 2007, toured Madrid and Barcelona in 2007, been to 4 Super Bowls (7 total) and so much more (WDW Moms Panel, Disney Parks Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and so much more.)


    Super Bowl XL in Detroit  and trying to look deep in thought in Paris 2007.

    What kind of a mom would I be if I didn’t bring out the baby photos!?! (Please don’t click away – these are worth seeing and there’s not very many of them.)

    This is one of my favorite pictures of Jefferson. Total action shot!!

    Here’s a photo of Ashley- my very first dog. She lived to be 14 years old and was quite a girl! She was an awesome dog.

    And then came Mikita in December 2007.

    And following Mikita’s arrival was the re-friendship with Mike. :)

    I’ve had some really wonderful life moments shared with you here on the blog. I’ve been struggling lately trying to figure out where it goes from here. I have to be honest, I’m confused with all the advice I read on blogging and the “rules” they establish for bloggers and realize I don’t fit into this realm, based of what they consider the “right” way to blog. I blog about everything in my life – my dogs, my man, my friends, my work life, my home life… everything. Yet the “experts” say I should have a niche and focus. This thinking has me all confused and wondering if I should even continue on.
    But I will. I enjoy this, even if it’s not what a blog expert says it should be. I hope you continue to read my blog. It will be what it has been for the past 5 years – a blog about my life. A blog about what I do, who I am, what makes me happy. I don’t write this for advertisements so I have no guiding light other than my heart. I hope you continue to stop by once in awhile and enjoy what you see.

    Category Life | Tags: ,,,,,, | 11 Comments

  8. Cool thing to do with your iPhone

    March 4, 2010 by Leanne

    Saw this on Twitter from @lee – it is very cool! (Added bonus – gotta love the French accent!)

    Category Fun Stuff | Tags: ,, | 3 Comments

  9. Most Awesome Dog Video Ever

    March 3, 2010 by Leanne

    This has to be one of the most awesome dog videos I’ve ever seen. It was shot for a Pedigree commercial. I may just have to reconsider dog food brands after seeing this.

    Category Daily Life | Tags: ,,, | 2 Comments

  10. My ESP Wacky Moment

    February 24, 2010 by Leanne

    This morning I woke up at 3:00am and had trouble falling back to sleep.
    doughnuts

    While I was tossing and turning one of the bizarre thoughts that entered my mind was hoping I would find some of my family recipes that I’ve lost over the years. Two in particular came to mind – my grandma’s “Fudgies” and my Aunt Theona’s doughnuts. I had the recipes for many years on note cards I kept in a small green plastic container – which is nowhere to be found. I was really thinking this morning about Aunt Theona’s doughnuts. I wondered how many people in this world have probably never experienced the pleasure of eating a homemade doughnut. Doughnuts are so readily available and pretty cheap, why would you go to the trouble of making them at home? Once you’ve tasted one, you’d understand. My aunt’s doughnuts were so darn delicious!
    The whole point of this story is – I was up at 3am thinking about how people don’t eat homemade doughnuts and then the wackiest thing happened when I opened today’s paper.  Look at what was on the front page of today’s Orlando Sentinel:

    OrlSen 022410

    You  have got to admit this is WEIRD!!

    Maybe now I’ll find that recipe.  Really weird!

    Category Life | Tags: ,,,,, | 3 Comments

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