Big Fat F!!!

So, it's time for me to renew my driver's license... I haven't had to go in for the last two renewals, and the DMV makes me come in to give a thumbprint, take a new picture (sweet with my LONG hair!), and take a vision exam.  No biggie.  Been driving with no DMV drama since I was 16.

I go in with an appointment -- a MUST out here in LA County --  I get in, wait maybe 10 minutes, they call my number, and I take my vision test -- with my contact lenses in, naturally.

"Read the last line you can read on the chart."

I knock out the smallest line, no problem.

"Cover your left eye and read the smallest line you can read."

No problemo.  Bam, smallest line again.

"Cover your right eye and read the smallest line you can read."

Uh... well... I can't read any of the chart.

"Can you read the first line?"

Um... nope.

"Okay... so you failed the vision test.  You need to take this form to your eye doctor & get it filled out."

Come again?  Form? Wha?  I've been driving for 23 years, and this is the first I've heard about a form.

"You have to have 20/40 with both eyes... AND 20/40 in one eye alone... AND at least 20/70 in the other eye alone.  I can't test your left eye, so you have to get the form filled out."

Sooo, what happens if I DON'T have 20/70 in my left eye?  Because I can tell you right now, I don't.

"Your doctor will have to explain on the form what the problem is & then we'll make a determination."

You are shitting me.  (yep, I actually said that.)  Is this a new thing? I don't understand... I don't drive with only my left eye.  I drive with BOTH eyes... specifically the right one, which works just fine.  I couldn't make it to the car in the first place with just my left eye.  I got my license at this very DMV when I was 16, and I've been driving with this one eye ever since.  No doctor form. *just begging*

"Let me look in your records... this isn't new.  I don't know how you passed before if your eyes have always been bad.... nope, no form on your record.... that's weird."

Oh well, I guess I'll call Dr. Kelsey & get the form filled out.

I call Dr. Kelsey's office... he won't be in until the afternoon... I go in that same afternoon & get an eye exam.  Dr. K knows me... he knows my vision history... he knows all about my sad left eye.  He still goes through the motions with me every appointment:  "1 or 2... 1 or 2... 1 or 2.... okay, don't worry about it."  LOL.    My mom told me as a child I memorized the eye chart.  I would rattle off the letters & Dr. Kelsey would be impressed... until she busted me: "JoLai can't see that chart! She memorized it!"

Dang, I should have thought to memorize the lines while I was waiting at the DMV, but I had no idea my bad left eye would cause me to fail the test!  *making mental note for next time...*

I've been literally "blind in one eye, can't see out of the other" my whole life.  I see pictures of myself as a little girl with no glasses, and I wonder how I made it through those first 3 or 4 years of life in such a blur!

Come to think of it... I don't know how any of the Draper Girls got around as kids... I don't think any of us could see!  LOL!

Probably the most "telling" picture... squinting that left eye... I still do that today.

Still squinting...

Are you wondering what happened with the form?  Dr. Kelsey is working on it.  He assures me I'll be able to take it to the DMV and drive away with a passing grade.  I have a temporary license that will last two months, and I have to bring the completed form back within that time.... *fingers crossed*

Toodles!

Checking In...

It's been a while! This is gonna be short & sweet! I'm still at it with my workouts (see calendar), but I've made some changes. I'm no longer doing the Six Pack Mom bootcamp in the mornings. My work schedule is a little too crazy for that. But I did start a new DVD called ChaLean Extreme... I promise I'll tell you all about it soon!

Gotta run! Jazz Festival today! I may post from there ;-)

Toodles!

Fitness Inspirations...

Okay... so this post was inspired by my sister, Dr. Kimberly Manning.  I got a call from her this morning, and she had a question about my last post.  In the last post I mentioned that Serena Williams was one of my fitness inspirations.  And I stand by that 100%!  The girl is bad!  Kimberly asked me if I meant to say Venus Williams... because I couldn't possibly be talking about Serena!  LOL!  Yes, I was talking about Serena, and yes, I think her body is great.  Serena is gonna be Serena... she can't help that she may have a mannish body.  As she recently said, she thinks her arms are too big, but they pay her bills. Ha ha!  I love Serena's body because she's curvy and has muscles.  That is what I strive to have one day.  I'm not going to be long and lean like Venus or Jennifer Aniston, because I don't have that type of body.

So this post is dedicated to my celebrity fitness inspirations!  Some folks are inspired to work hard by seeing pictures of overweight/obese people.  I am inspired by healthy people who are physically fit!

Let me make a few points right up front:

1.  I know these people have access to trainers, plastic surgeons, whatever... I get that.
2.  I picked people that actually work out (okay, so I've seen tabloid pix of them working out or leaving the gym)... even if it's with the help of a trainer, they still have to get up and do the work.
3.  Never mind the fake boobs or if you think they've had liposuction... it doesn't change the fact that their bodies inspire me!

Alright, here we go... in no particular order:

I'll start with Serena, since she prompted this whole thing!

I have always loved Demi Moore... she's 47 & just as fabulous as ever!

Kim Kardashian...

This is one hot body.

Gabrielle Union... 37 years old...

Jennifer Lopez... 41 in a couple of weeks... mother of young twins...

And this picture was taken in January.  Killin' it.

Jessica Biel... loving that beach body!

Mel B... can you say "Six Pack"?

Nia Long... always looking fantastic...

and she'll be 40 in October.

And now for my Fab Five Faves...

Regina King.  I really could go on about her...  look at her!

If that's what 39 looks like, sign me up!

Of course, Beyonce... I don't care if she's 10 years my junior...

B's body is just insane. Period.

Speaking of B... here's the Queen Bee...

The One. The Only.

Halle Berry.  Enough said.

She's gonna kill me for this, but my sister, Kimberly, is absolutely one of my fitness inspirations.

That's a 39 year old mother of two right there!

Kimberly & her boys: July 4, 2010

And finally, I can't forget the completely fabulous,

First Lady of the United States of America:

Michelle Obama!

What I love about our FLOTUS is that she is fit, strong, and not afraid to show it to the world.  I love her!  I love that she's championed the childhood obesity epidemic with her Let's Move! campaign.  I love those arms and shoulders... and I love every time she wears something that makes the Good Ol' Boys & Girls cringe!  That just makes me love her more.  Did I mention I love her??? (smile)

She caused quite a stir in this strapless number at the Obama's first state dinner:

Flexing her famous muscles!

And, most of all... I love the example she sets for her daughters & all women... and I love seeing a First Lady that looks like me!  (Her hubby ain't so bad either!)

President & First Lady Obama

So there you have it... some of my celebrity fitness inspirations!  

Do you have any?

Early Morning Musings....

I really have nothing specific to talk about his morning.... I popped up awake at 5am on a Saturday morning, and I couldn't fall back asleep.  The scene above is from a beach house in Florida.  I'm supposed to be going out there with my family for Labor Day.  So that should be fun!

Since I'm up, I'm watching Serena Williams in the Wimbledon Final... she's kicking butt right now. I'm hoping she finishes before I leave for bootcamp at 7:40am.  :-)  I realize my body knew I wanted to see this match, so that's why I woke up at 5am on 3 hours of sleep... I just love Serena.  She's actually one of my fitness inspirations... by no means a small woman... she has a butt & boobs... most of the time she's not super crazy muscular, but just right... She's about 5'9" or 5'10"... but she's what I would like to sorta look like one day.... of course a 5'2" ten year older version... (smile)

I don't know if it was the June Gloom or what, but I have been craving bread for the past week.  I made the mistake of buying some bread products at Costco last weekend, and I've been on bread patrol all week!  Good grief!!!  I'm going to have to limit my bread intake for a while.  I can't be eating random bagels all week.  Even keeping within my daily calorie range, it's probably not a good idea to eat so much bread.  It won't stop me from treating myself to a Subway Veggie Delite every week... no cheese!

Seriously, I love this sandwich... Thank you, Subway

Five... five dollar... five dollar footlong!

Speaking of meals that I enjoy.... the lunch truck outside of my building makes the best chicken tacos!!!  I enjoy them every now & then when I don't bring in my lunch.  Two filling tacos for four bucks?  Yum Yum!  And they aren't measly tacos... these suckers are pretty substantial!  When I'm not super hungry I just get one & it's totally enough for my lunch.  Sometimes I get it without cheese... but not often. :-) Check out the picture I took one day during lunch:

Since I've been kinda half-assing it on my eating this past week, I vow to have an excellent eating week... starting right now!  Not starting Tuesday after the holiday... starting NOW!  No time like the present!

Holiday Weekend Tips:

1.  DON'T OVER-INDULGE!  Have a big, healthy salad with lots of veggies before you go to that BBQ!  Fill your belly with good stuff & it will help you avoid the bad stuff!

2.  DRINK WATER!!!  Try to drink 64 ounces a day!  Great for your body.  Great for your skin.  And a good way to fill you up with something other that mac & cheese... potato salad.... pies.... cakes.... cookies.... chips.....  (you get it)

Gabby drinking her water

3.  DON'T SKIP YOUR WORKOUTS!  I'm headed to bootcamp in an hour and a half.... a holiday weekend is no reason to skip out on the fitness.  Sunday morning, I think I'll go for a hike (probably the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, below... or I may venture out to Runyon Canyon)... and Monday, my day off work, means I get to treat myself to Claudine's bootcamp class at 24 Hour Fitness!  (Yipee!)

"The Beast" aka the stairs at the BHSO

4.  HAVE FUN!!!

Claudine, Nichol & I having FUN last weekend!

Daddy & Zachary watching fireworks in Decatur, GA (2008)

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!  ENJOY!!!

PS -- Serena won!  and it's 7:21am!  FOUR WIMBLEDON SINGLES TITLES!  THIRTEEN SINGLES MAJORS! Now I can get dressed for my workout!  Toodles!

Lucky Girl....

Alright... so this isn't really going to be about working out... I'm just in a mood right now... a great mood.  I have a core of wonderful friends, which is truly a blessing.  But even more so, I was blessed with a built in crew.  I was born into an exclusive club... the 4th and final member of the Draper Kids.  I know that there are three people on this planet Earth who share a bond with me.  No one else in the world knows what it's like to be the child of Tony & Cheryl Draper except Kimberly, William & Deanna (with me, above).  No one else knows how wonderful it is to be the child of Tony & Cheryl... except the four of us.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be approaching 39 years of age, and I genuinely LIKE my three grown siblings.  I think if a parent can raise 4 distinctly different children who grow up and still like each other, that's a success.  LOL.

I could go on and on and on about them... We're VERY close... we grew up VERY close... Will was born in Jan '67, Deanna in Aug '68, Kimberly in Sept '70 & I came along in July '71.  So my parents had 4 kids in less than 5 years... like I said, we were packed together, and I had a built in posse from day one.  We're not all sunshine & roses.... we have our differences every now & then.  Something interesting is that I can not ever remember having a fall out with any one of them (outside of a childhood tussle over toys or Kimberly being on my side of the room).  As a teenager, college student, adult... I've never had any issues with the three of them that I can remember.  Perhaps it's my personality... and it may have something to do with the fact that I live in California & they all live in Atlanta.  At the same time, I can say that I am equally close to all three of them.  I have a different & special relationship with each of them.  As the Draper Kid who is out of state, I always want to feel like I'm not missing out, so it's important for me to communicate with them as often as possible.  In a seven day week, I may talk to Kimberly 5 days (she likes to talk on the phone)... Deanna & I talk on the phone & through Facebook.... Will & I don't talk on the phone much, but we generally talk once a week either through Facebook, text or the phone.  

I guess what's prompting all this sibling talk right now is the sister a step above me.  Kimberly is a little over ten months older than I am, so we grew up side by side.  A grade apart (except when I skipped first grade & did second & third grade with her... that's a whole different blog post... LOL!) 

One thing I love about Kimberly is how outgoing she is.  Actually, all three of my siblings are more outgoing than I am.  Maybe that has something to do with why I've never clashed with any of them... Hmmm...  this is like a therapy session...  Okay, I digress...  Kimberly was always in drama club, loved to perform... I have never wanted that... outside of cheerleading, I pretty much have been content to stay in the background.  I'm the planner.  I like to make a spreadsheet, make sure everything is running smoothly, check off my To Do List.... so I've always been drawn to people who are opposite of me.  I love the person who is the life of the party, because I'm not like that... and I need that person to draw me out of my shell.  My best friends, Stacy & Sharon, are both very outgoing... Claudine, my friend and trainer?  She's always the first person to get the party started... she's good to get me out of the house to have some fun.  Kimberly? She's always enjoyed the spotlight... not in a vain way, but she has always been comfortable in that role.  She was Miss Morningside in high school, Miss Tuskegee in college, in school plays, etc.  And I've always been her biggest cheerleader & fan, along with the rest of our family.

Kimberly is a doctor in Atlanta (www.gradydoctor.blogspot.com) who does a weekly segment on the Fox 5 morning news called "Good Day Atlanta Housecall".  I am able to watch it on line every Wednesday, and she does a great job.  That gig led to two appearances on the Dr. Oz show... which was, in the words of her two boys, Isaiah & Zachary.... AWESOME!  To see my sister on national television, holding her own next to Dr. Oz was just.... really there are no words to explain how proud I was of her.  For her to marry the doctor in her with the performer in her is completely natural... Duh, of course Kimberly belongs on television.  It only makes sense!

On Sunday, we got a text from Kimberly saying that she was on her way to CNN to do a segment about Manute Bol's passing.... and they even sent a car for her!

Hold up... did you say CNN... as in CNN CNN???  Like, the news network that everyone all over EVERYWHERE watches???  My sister??? The one who I shared a room with growing up??? on CNN???  Stop the presses!!!  And she knocked it out of the PARK!  Yes, I'm biased... I won't lie... but seriously, she was incredible.  Let me find a thesaurus, because proud just doesn't cut it... like... what is way, way, waaaaay above proud?  That's what I was... hell, I still am.

Above is a video I made of her appearance... CNN.com did not post the video (yet?), so I had to do it old school to share with everyone.  My sister on CNN!  Shutchomouf!  LOL!  I'm still floating.  One thing about the Draper family is that we celebrate each other's successes... so this is a homerun for our entire family.  The sky is the limit for her, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her next!

Biz & Miz

Stay tuned... Dr. Kimberly Manning is going to be a household name one day... you just wait and see.  Yep, my little-big sister... We've already claimed it!  

I love you, Miz!

Dance Fever!

My knee has been hurting a little bit for the last couple of days.  So I haven't done any impact workouts since Saturday.  Today, I felt like I needed to do something, so I decided to dance.   Perhaps I was inspired by "So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox... but it was probably more like "Dance Your A** Off" on Oxygen.  LOL!  I wasn't dancing hard, but I was moving for 30 minutes...  it was a lot of fun.

"How low can you go?"
(What's up with my "dance face"??? LOL!)

The pictures are me dancing at a party a couple of weeks ago...  Soul Train line, of course!  I wasn't quite so dressed up tonight.  It was more like sweats, socks, and a tank top.  And I am not ashamed to say I have "Macho Man" by the Village People on my playlist, and I repeated it a few times!  Dance to "Macho Man" on repeat, and I guarantee you will have a smile on your face & your heart rate will be elevated!

My tip for today is if you're in a rut, put on some good music and DANCE YOUR A** OFF!!!

P.S. -- Make sure you drop it like it's hot for a little extra leg work!

Burn, baby! BURN!

Howdy, howdy!  I'm having a great day today... it's only noon & I've already burned 1300 calories (thank you bodybugg!) Once you get that morning workout in, your body keeps working for you all day!

All is well... I must admit, my mom's recent visit plus the Lakers playing in the finals have gotten me off track with my eating and drinking.  I ALWAYS work out... that's not a problem... but I've fallen back into a snacking pattern that is no good for me.  That all stops... RIGHT.  NOW.  In case you hadn't heard, the LAKERS are back to back WORLD CHAMPIONS... so I have no excuse to snack & watch basketball for at least 4-5 months!  (See photo above: me... HAPPY!)

Along with working out & enjoying time with my friends, I have my little nephews in town.  They're a bundle of energy!  Here are a couple shots of them "working out" with Auntie JoLai in my home gym:

Weight Lifting...

...and cardio! :-)

Happy Saturday!  Get in a workout today & burn, baby, BURN some calories!