tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49696696569582902402024-03-11T21:50:27.165-07:00My Life from the BleachersDonna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.comBlogger328125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-90614174299105946832021-05-16T11:13:00.001-07:002021-05-16T11:13:41.766-07:00The Joy of Life...<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week has been filled with good news and joy! We were blessed to be a part of 2 weddings this week. At the wedding yesterday I watched a beautiful bride fill the entire room with joy. She was so happy! There is nothing like a wedding to give you hope for the future. And the guests! They were as happy as she was. They ate, laughed with friends, danced and had the best time! </div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Covid has taken a toll on all of us, and that needs to be addressed, but I know we will be fine. A very long time ago my grandfather was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle. I can still see him standing in front of his destroyed restaurant in Kemah Texas. The reporter asked what must be the classic obligatory question from Adam on down..."What are you going to do now?" My grandfather looked him straight in the eye and said, "The hurricane took it all, except my will...So I WILL build it back - just watch me." And you know what? He did...</div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3k0Efse9Gmsn70M7ZZTFerG2PnI9Plkdd_hrbLYhHiGqR0Poqk0lBmBf9eM2Q5ZW3P490jO4CbLM9D5SYBsBoZLQFzWeYszQfqg3nm7RTzElX7umEk5hitoO-2wOwgyQ4fLDEd_vTMEi/s733/08966555-07E0-478D-B3A1-A71853A2ACFF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="733" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3k0Efse9Gmsn70M7ZZTFerG2PnI9Plkdd_hrbLYhHiGqR0Poqk0lBmBf9eM2Q5ZW3P490jO4CbLM9D5SYBsBoZLQFzWeYszQfqg3nm7RTzElX7umEk5hitoO-2wOwgyQ4fLDEd_vTMEi/s320/08966555-07E0-478D-B3A1-A71853A2ACFF.jpg" /></a></div><br />We all have been in a place to start over and build again. For my husband and I it was the recession, we were knocked down to the very bottom. After some dusting off, we built back. For others it's covid that destroyed them, for some it's a terrible health problem, or a divorce...there is no end to what this world can throw at you. But don't worry....as my uncle told me the night before my mother's funeral..."you can get through this, you are made of better stuff." I believe that, I believe that with all my heart. We are made of better stuff. To those who are starting over from covid - you can do it. To those rebuilding after the riots, you can do it. To those of you in pain, any kind of pain you can get through it...There can be joy in starting over. Enjoy this beautiful spring, embrace hope and focus on what is right in the world! xxoo</div>Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-29216008303833313032021-04-15T00:37:00.000-07:002021-04-15T00:37:14.599-07:00Write your own headlines. "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself"<p> I just read an upsetting post on facebook, that's nothing new, but rarely are they personal. This one was personal, so I responded, I didn't necessarily feel better but I was compelled to say something, so I did. The person who posted the article was immediately apologetic after she read my comment. I know she never intended to scare or harm me in any way so although I can't unsee what I read I accepted her explanation and it's over. </p><p>That's not always the case. I have followed the facebook page of a woman who absolutely means psychological harm as she mocks precious things. I shouldn't take it, but I do, I also should unfollow her but I don't, ( some kind of masochistic tendency on my part). I have facebook friends who are philosophically opposite of me. I love smart people who disagree with me, but we don't try to trigger each other. We still talk about grandchildren, recipes, work and getting older. We don't <b>mock</b> each other, and that is rooted in respect. One has had heart issues, not similar to mine but anytime a surgeon touches your heart you have an immediate kinship for someone else who has. Another is just like me but we are photographic negatives politically. She is passionate, bold and never suffers fools...I like her. (I could say we are both a pain in the ass but that might not be politically correct)</p><p>After I thought about the upsetting post on facebook tonight for way too long, something else I read came to mind.....This is from an 87 year old man in a conversation with someone who was finished with all the bad news and wanted to give up on the world. The old man said, " I learned a long time ago not to see to the world through the printed headline. Instead I see the world through the people who surround me. I see the world with the realization that we love big. Therefore, I just choose to write my own headlines:</p><p><b>HUSBAND LOVES WIFE TODAY</b></p><p><b>FAMILY DROPS EVERYTHING TO COME TO GRANDMA'S BEDSIDE</b></p><p><b>OLD WOMAN MAKES A NEW FRIEND</b></p><p>So, like the old man I've decided to write my own headlines. I will let others write about what they see and I will write what I see. My words will come from what I know for sure. My headlines will be about the people around me also. </p><p>Today my headlines come from Rumi, a 13th Century Persian Poet. I read some of his work when I was simply at my lowest I embraced his philosophy of hope and I refer to it often....</p><p><b style="text-align: center;"> "Live life as though everything is rigged in your favor"</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">And</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing </b><span style="text-align: left;"><b>myself</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">Remember the little girl who was throwing starfish back in the water after they washed up on the beach? A man came by and made fun of her efforts by saying, "There are too many starfish on the beach you can't possibly make a difference." She picked up another and while holding it in her hand said, "It will make a difference to this one." And she threw it back in the sea. We can all make a difference today...one kind word, one nice note, one hug...</p><p style="text-align: left;">Today let's write our own headline of love, hope and optimism. xxoo</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgHHyMi2DiX6BiqO3thy2Lcu0hBJOLJ2_oc_g_aiFjCg1M2dyT6ww7HTxkcIcd1-bdK4Lxa4UN3fDEG9LyW2uOGzGviFN6eocaW-ChDlBvIPCd6DJ546QiFK3MSC5AFY2431EgKnzemLy/s301/the+starfish+story+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgHHyMi2DiX6BiqO3thy2Lcu0hBJOLJ2_oc_g_aiFjCg1M2dyT6ww7HTxkcIcd1-bdK4Lxa4UN3fDEG9LyW2uOGzGviFN6eocaW-ChDlBvIPCd6DJ546QiFK3MSC5AFY2431EgKnzemLy/s0/the+starfish+story+2.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><p></p>Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-33731619381527417492021-03-22T20:46:00.002-07:002021-03-22T20:47:17.059-07:00There is Hope ... I promise<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqYYFM2A5cvvS-cQAfRcI-f5kwn186D9dSR3dxpKma-xz04p1twy9B3kNrI7XeE6NZy7_IfCQgzjpBL10k6V-JkheJnzXWJfVaBInQ5eM1yoEFRFVZk0rmkiNykadoG9Lf6nqpm57B_Vm/s1600/Hope.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqYYFM2A5cvvS-cQAfRcI-f5kwn186D9dSR3dxpKma-xz04p1twy9B3kNrI7XeE6NZy7_IfCQgzjpBL10k6V-JkheJnzXWJfVaBInQ5eM1yoEFRFVZk0rmkiNykadoG9Lf6nqpm57B_Vm/s320/Hope.jpg" width="320" /></a></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">This morning I started the day much as you did. Incredulous, afraid, anxious. I still hadn't found any kind of peace when I pulled into a parking space at Sam's several hours later. The events of the last three months, and then the horrific murder of George Floyd has left me empty...except for outrage. As I got out of my car I noticed a woman in front of me loading groceries in the back of her car. </p><p>She looked over and gave me a huge smile (I know this because our masks were down around our necks, but we were about 10 feet apart) She quickly asked me how I was and I thought I could say fine....but I didn't. I looked at her and said, "To tell you the truth, I am completely unsettled..." She asked me why and I told her "I have no idea what to do, and I feel powerless." Without any explanation she knew exactly what I was talking about. She smiled at me and said, "Don't worry, everything is going to work out, it's going to be fine." She went on to say, "This is when we lean on our faith, and remember most people are good, very, very good.The fact you stopped to talk about this gives me all the hope I need." I tried to explain that I have many black friends but I have been afraid or nervous to approach them because I think I will say something wrong and that is the last thing I want to do. She told me not to worry....to just say what is in my heart. </p><p>She reminded me what Martin Luther King said, "I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Then she told me the best thing I may have ever heard. She said, "I'm going home now to tell my grandchildren about our conversation...I am going to make sure they know people are good and love is all around us, and that everything will be ok." I just stood there and cried...I cried for George Floyd, I cried for what is happening right now in our country and I cried tears of gratitude for this incredible woman who spent time helping me feel better. We couldn't hug, but she blew me a kiss and said, "I'm Mary, it was so nice to talk to you, can't you just feel the hope?" </p><p>It's true I did, divine hope, because of a chance meeting between two women in the parking lot at Sam's....we had everything in common, groceries, age, and grandchildren...everything except race and it made no difference at all.</p>Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-87831911192088509592021-03-22T20:32:00.000-07:002021-03-22T20:32:10.696-07:00<p><b><span style="background-color: white;">This morning I started the day much as you did. Incredulous, afraid, anxious. I still hadn't found any kind of peace when I pulled into a parking space at Sam's several hours later. The events of the last three months, and then the horrific murder of George Floyd has left me empty...except for outrage. As I got out of my car I noticed a woman in front of me loading groceries in the back of her car</span><span class="text_exposed_show" face=", , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif" style="display: inline;">. She looked over and gave me a huge smile (I know this because our masks were down around our necks, but we were about 10 feet apart) She quickly asked me how I was and I thought I could say fine....but I didn't. I looked at her and said, "To tell you the truth, I am completely unsettled..." She asked me why and I told her "I have no idea what to do, and I feel powerless." </span></b><b>Without any explanation she knew exactly what I was talking about. She smiled at me and said, "Don't worry, everything is going to work out, it's going to be fine." She went on to say, "This is when we lean on our faith, and remember most people are good, very, very good.The fact you stopped to talk about this gives me all the hope I need." I tried to explain that I have many black friends but I have been afraid or nervous to approach them because I think I will say something wrong and that is the last thing I want to do. She told me not to worry....to just say what is in my heart. She reminded me what Martin Luther King said, "I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Then she told me the best thing I may have ever heard. She said, "I'm going home now to tell my grandchildren about our conversation...I am going to make sure they know people are good and love is all around us, and that everything will be ok." I just stood there and cried...I cried for George Floyd, I cried for what is happening right now in our country and I cried tears of gratitude for this incredible woman who spent time helping me feel better. We couldn't hug, but she blew me a kiss and said, "I'm Mary, it was so nice to talk to you, can't you just feel the hope?" It's true I did, divine hope, because of a chance meeting between two women in the parking lot at Sam's....we had everything in common, groceries, age, and grandchildren...everything except race and it made no difference at all.</b></p>Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-68884643678086389692020-05-18T17:01:00.001-07:002020-05-18T17:01:05.581-07:00Some Fabulous Finds and Food<br />
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In twenty years or so I hope I have a conversation with my grandkids about "What did you do during the Plague of '20?"<br />
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What did I do?<br />
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I missed my kids, I missed my friends, played with my plants, tried lots of new recipes and walked a lot. I also discovered the goodness of people all over again. We were able to cook for friends and clients which in turn gave us an opportunity to pay some bills. Our little business didn't qualify for loans or assistance but once again we were shown there is always a way. Follow the Light!!<br />
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The news gets better because even in a pandemic fun things can occur. I rarely come across things I love so much I have to recommend them but in the last week I came across THREE! Three things I have to tell you about.<br />
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The first one was an answer to, well maybe not a prayer but definitely an answer to some really painful feet which was making my job even harder. Last weekend I delivered food to a fabulous friend of mine. As we were talking she noticed I was standing on one foot then the other so of course I suffer by committee so I loudly mentioned, my feet are killing me! She then showed me her shoes and said I had to get some as they were the most comfortable ones she had ever had. I told her I would try (right...) Well she and another friend buddied up and surprised me with a pair! They are amazingly comfortable and podiatrist approved. With the best name ever! <a href="https://www.oofos.com/?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw5Ij2BRBdEiwA0Frc9UZrydkS22u5XNeRVL4dRySRq724RPEj4ZywDQTaN1iwRg7C1DTuVxoCjv4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">OOFOS</a>! Aptly named a recovery shoe I have such a crush on these shoes!I am not in any way being compensated for this glowing review, but I will be compensated if you get some and enjoy them as much as I have. I was running out of options for how badly my feet hurt. I am so glad I didn't keep my foot discomfort to myself that day! Love my friends!!<br />
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Aren't they fabulous? And they feel like foot heaven...</div>
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Wait there's more! Please know this never happens to me to run across things that I love like this! My kids gave me an incredible product for Mother's Day called<a href="https://www.sephora.com/product/the-face-illuminating-self-tan-drops-P424988?skuId=2012235&om_mmc=ppc-GG_1165716884_53825935180_pla-419861857344_2012235_257731949903_9030824_c&country_switch=us&lang=en&ds_rl=1261471&gclid=CjwKCAjw5Ij2BRBdEiwA0Frc9byAtW-Gv4q8adUZYflLp-xSeYoamdEKPWq5oxwkKpZKrNi14IevTxoCgWAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank"> Tan-Luxe The Face</a>. You mix it with your own moisturizer for the best self tan you have ever had. My legs and arms were ghostly white and blotchy but after one application I looked tan and the spots were less noticeable. Honest! It was so easy!! The color is natural and really made a difference. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sgWsr5jRP9bgoP0LOg-Qo0EzcEg-GyZ1OpViVLr3vzkprr04Qt9u_YfleQ8Z3BZGrUsrIsAD71f1RPKtqPmxc6e283MBHjuMl1MxWuRuhqCWgMp-Wxca13GjuUHoso_RdQZru_tGAVqz/s1600/A1CCA370-F8FD-442A-A832-2F8B17C28655.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sgWsr5jRP9bgoP0LOg-Qo0EzcEg-GyZ1OpViVLr3vzkprr04Qt9u_YfleQ8Z3BZGrUsrIsAD71f1RPKtqPmxc6e283MBHjuMl1MxWuRuhqCWgMp-Wxca13GjuUHoso_RdQZru_tGAVqz/s320/A1CCA370-F8FD-442A-A832-2F8B17C28655.heic" width="240" /></a></div>
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The last thing is chocolate! I made chocolate covered strawberries with a product called <a href="https://www.sephrausa.com/chocolate-fountain-chocolate/all-chocolate" target="_blank">Sephra</a>. A friend gave me a bag and nothing has been easier. I microwaved it in the bag it comes in and the chocolate is delicious! Did I mention it was so easy? An added benefit is it makes an incredible fondue. Perfection...</div>
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I know these are totally random things so I thought to make the blog complete I thought I would add some food...</div>
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This is a recipe several people asked me for when I made it for mother's Day. The sauce is the thing and again...so easy, but so very, very good. Think fried chicken with a delicious twist. I wish I had a great picture of it...but when <u>you</u> make it, however it looks, will be perfect!</div>
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Chicken in Basil Cream</div>
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1/4 cup milk</div>
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1/4 cup panko (you can use bread crumbs but I like panko better)</div>
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4 skinless boneless chicken breasts</div>
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3 tablespoons butter</div>
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1/2 cup chicken broth</div>
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1 cup heavy cream</div>
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1 (4 oz) jar of pimentos</div>
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1/2 parmesan cheese</div>
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1/4 cup chopped fresh basil</div>
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1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper</div>
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<li class="subcontainer instructions-section-item" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 0px; position: relative;"><label class="checkbox-list" for="recipe-instructions-label-0-0" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><input class="checkbox-list-input" id="recipe-instructions-label-0-0" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;" type="checkbox" value="" /><span class="checkbox-list-checkmark" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 32px; position: relative;"><span class="checkbox-list-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 24px;">Step 1</span></span></label><div class="section-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin-top: 8px;">
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Place milk and panko in separate, shallow bowls. In skillet, heat butter to medium heat. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. Cook in butter, on both sides, until juices run clear (about 10 minutes). Remove and keep warm.</div>
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<li class="subcontainer instructions-section-item" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 40px; position: relative;"><label class="checkbox-list" for="recipe-instructions-label-0-1" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><input class="checkbox-list-input" id="recipe-instructions-label-0-1" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;" type="checkbox" value="" /><span class="checkbox-list-checkmark" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 32px; position: relative;"><span class="checkbox-list-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 24px;">Step 2</span></span></label><div class="section-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin-top: 8px;">
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Add broth to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in cream and pimentos; boil and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat.</div>
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<li class="subcontainer instructions-section-item" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: 40px; position: relative;"><label class="checkbox-list" for="recipe-instructions-label-0-2" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><input class="checkbox-list-input" id="recipe-instructions-label-0-2" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;" type="checkbox" value="" /><span class="checkbox-list-checkmark" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 32px; position: relative;"><span class="checkbox-list-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 24px;">Step 3</span></span></label><div class="section-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin-top: 8px;">
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Add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through. Pour mixture over chicken and serve! I put pasta on the side, I recommend bowties because they look so great and hold up well. </div>
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If you have run across some things like this that you absolutely love...SHARE! We all need something new to online shop for...right?</div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-82772040555737437242019-11-20T07:35:00.001-08:002019-11-20T19:39:23.127-08:00Today is a very special day....<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<b>Today is holy day for me.</b><br />
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<b> Rebirth is far too heavy a word for it so I have settled on holy. This day three years ago I was close to death, in fact most people with an aortic dissection do die - about 80%. But for whatever reason, I didn’t.Each near death experience is different and not all include white light, encompassing love and seeing your whole life flash before you. Mine was clinical and then mysterious. </b><br />
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<b>The entire first year after my “event” was a fog. I spent it trying to get better which simply did not occur on my time table. I believed each doctor when they said I would be better in about 6 weeks. What garbage that was. Open heart surgery is as intrusive an operation as one can have. Your arms are tied back (no one told me this and I wondered for weeks why my shoulders and arms were so sore) for the duration of the surgery, your chest in hacked open in a way only Genghis Khan could appreciate and every tube in the hospital is inserted into each orifice you have not to mention the 10 or 15 they invent. Then after the surgery you are tasked with the new job of surviving - evidently the first 24 hours being the most crucial (I always thought every 24 hours in our lives are crucial) followed by a long, in my case, very long journey of healing. When I woke up from my surgery the first thing I did was look down my hospital gown at a nasty incision. I thought I looked like an autopsy. Then I looked around at the faces of my worried family and immediately realized what must have occurred. I had uncharacteristically terrified my family. That feeling of guilt stayed with me for a long time. But I did what I always do when I don’t like what is in front of me - I put it behind me. I ignore it. I have done this my whole life. </b></div>
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<b>When my mother left I cried and then put it on a shelf.</b></div>
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<b>When my mother died I cried and then put it on a shelf. </b></div>
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<b>When I found out I was adopted, when I moved from Texas, when I had a miscarriage, and then another, when my children left on missions, college and marriage and even when my parents died. I bottled up each difficult episode and shelved it until the shelf became too full. I learned some valuable tools for dealing with my shelving problem years before my aortic event but this was too big to deal with at once. So I shelved it. No matter how well Valerie had taught me, I reverted. That first year was learning to live with pushing myself to do anything. The medicine I take makes me so tired as it is designed to slow me down and boy does it. My resting heart rate can go as low as 45. My surgeon told me he wants my heart to beat as seldom as possible right before he said it could happen again. </b></div>
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<b>Good Grief....</b></div>
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<b>The first year was filled with tests and more tests. Each doctor visit included a revisit of the whole aortic dissection experience because meeting someone who survived it was so rare. I felt like a medical Balboa, I had traveled to a far away land but returned and everyone wanted to know what I saw, so to speak. I remember a simple visit to the doctor for a colonoscopy that turned into a side show as she gathered all her medical students around me to hear about my “experience”. I wasn’t prepared for the inquisition and spent several days mentally recuperating it. I felt I had surgery PTSD....</b></div>
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<b>I went from not being able to walk to the kitchen to walking to the end of the street as my family and friends encouraged me. Now I walk 3 miles without thinking about it but in the beginning I had to push, prod and plead with myself to do it. I don’t like to push myself and usually stop at the first sign of discomfort, but I kept at it and saw progress. </b><br />
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<b>That whole first year was cathartic - I admit that now. My beliefs were all tied up, my emotions were a mess and I lived with constant guilt that I lived when so many others died. I am better now....not where I want to be, but certainly better. Since my dissection we have squared away our loan modification which kept us in flux (and terror of losing our home) for 5 years, we have a wonderful new daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. Our business continues to pay the bills and Raymond’s health is on track. </b><br />
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<b>We truly have a new lease on life....but it is just a lease and we both know that. </b><br />
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<b>The best part of my dissection is how my faith has changed. And my faith can be interpreted into anyone’s belief system. I am learning to put away the heavy hammers of obedience and replace them with the simple love of Christ. I find the love from Christ, but you can call it anything you want to. I not only offer that love to myself but to those around me as I try and see people as God does. He loves us despite our shortcomings. He loves broken things. </b></div>
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<b>Not long ago I relived a day from my early childhood when I didn’t have religion in my life at all, but I wanted to pray, I wanted to be with God. So He came and walked with me, I remember, as a 6 year old I believed in God with all my heart because somehow I knew Him and knew He was with me. My parents were coming and going, homes were here, there and everywhere but God was always with me. It was a simple faith, a child’s faith. I believed in Him and I knew He loved me and I didn’t have to do anything to deserve that love. Since my surgery I have slowly gone back to that kind of faith. He knows my heart...a heart that was almost broken because of a faulty artery. It’s funny isn’t it? My heart is fine...but what kept it alive was broken. A perfect metaphor for life....you are perfect, but the things that feed you might not be. So surround yourself with good people, good food, go outside and enjoy the rain, or the sunshine....read good books, speak with God....wait for His counsel and follow it. Love...let everything you write, think and say be based in love, think of it as the food you give your heart.</b></div>
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<b>I love you all. </b></div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-39239522198814477332019-10-18T07:48:00.001-07:002019-10-18T07:58:27.067-07:00My life today.....<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97Y9-Os7OMnxpUQSIuH8kYDHoUi9tnEpc2CWBaDPA64IfP0rSn3OnfJCIUqGvlw7YhCEym0bof_ApAy6n2o_5afD20yD6VZ66-9ZA0Iei1YJSXSCtVG5dX635_TEYvMhZq7oHtnRt8-ll/s1600/IMG_3466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97Y9-Os7OMnxpUQSIuH8kYDHoUi9tnEpc2CWBaDPA64IfP0rSn3OnfJCIUqGvlw7YhCEym0bof_ApAy6n2o_5afD20yD6VZ66-9ZA0Iei1YJSXSCtVG5dX635_TEYvMhZq7oHtnRt8-ll/s1600/IMG_3466.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 600;">I am going to enjoy my life today....not when something changes, but today. I am going to enjoy my life right where I am, not where I can be or ought to be...but where I am...with what I have, who I know and who I am. I am going to love people and cherish their stories. I will learn what I can and teach what I may and I will forgive as quickly as my fallen heart will let me - 70 times 7. Please let me remember the Savior of my childhood, a being of light and love, acceptance and kindness....a being that softened my heart and healed my little girl soul when chaos swirled around me. But more than anything I am going to be grateful...grateful for life and for those who choose to walk this life with me.</span><br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(235, 101, 117); font-weight: 600;"><span style="font-size: large;">xoxo</span></span><br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(235, 101, 117); font-weight: 600;"><span style="font-size: large;">Donna</span></span>Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-64187318137704712732019-09-02T17:26:00.001-07:002019-09-02T17:26:19.986-07:00IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!!<div>I started the day off the way I start most days...with a coin toss as to whether or not I will get my can out of bed and answer the call of the work out. Every day I complain,to no one in particular. I guess I enjoy reminiscing about the old days when my children were small and each day was a war of wills. But today I was really curious about how I would react to being older....I guess every day I’m older, but this day was different. </div><div><br></div><div>Today is my birthday and I am 65. </div><div><br></div><div>I have to let that settle on me. </div><div><br></div><div>I’m not complaining, getting older is a blessing - I know that very well, but this birthday is a life change and I need to let it settle on me. I read this statement on aging the other day and it gave me such a feeling of peace about the cycle of life, and it works for any belief system. </div><div>.</div><div>“God consigned a gift to our bodies. It is the blessing of aging, with visible reminders that we are mortal beings destined one day to leave this “frail existence”.</div><div>Our bodies change every day, To remind us that we are mortal children of God, with a guarantee that we shall not be stranded upon the earth forever.</div><div>Aging and physical death are essential to God’s great plan of happiness. Mortal life, glorious as it is, was never the ultimate objective of God’s plan.” </div><div>Russell M. Nelson</div><div><br></div><div>There are so many more things I want to see and do during my life so following logic that means I will be getting older and older!! </div><div><br></div><div>The lessons I have learned so far are many but only a few are worth repeating..Here are a few...</div><div><br></div><div>Everyone is doing the best they can, forgive as you go.</div><div>Every day has so much to be grateful for, look for it, write it down, celebrate it!</div><div>Look for ways to help folks around you, might be as simple as a smile or as big as a kidney...</div><div>Fill your life with light and energy because that is the best way to dispel anxiety, worry and stress - it also provides the best possible way to remain creative. </div><div><br></div><div>Three years ago my body had enough of the stress I was inflicting on it and one of my arteries exploded but against all possible odds I lived and being a slow learner, I am just now starting to understand how precious life is. There is much more I want to do during my trek through mortality and because of that I will not waste any time with negativity or the need to be right. I am going to be a peaceful traveler for the rest of my time and enjoy the life I have been given. I will look for ways to help others with whatever I can and be incredibly grateful for the journey. That is the gift I am giving to myself this wonderful birthday!!</div><div>My love to all xxoo</div><img id="id_878b_36a5_c2e2_9b3a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/83AV_-3I58v9opa9KmfZMLD98y9xT5qXz7KdAiPsS6jS6-TGN9MZy32wUmo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 746px; height: auto;"><br><br> Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-4898346875604029062019-07-25T14:10:00.001-07:002019-07-25T14:34:22.266-07:00Back Surgery and Dexascans
<img id="id_272a_330e_b537_5a67" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/MvyxHx5O7VVEObaTKyQ7pODH9daMTq-DJAeBXg_Vy_akp9-KSgGAYkFeMss" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 746px; height: auto;"><br><br><p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week we have been in Dallas with our daughter. She had some very extensive back surgery. I am happy to say she is doing well and it is for several reasons. One, she is in an amazing hospital with the best doctor for her back issue in the country, and two, she is in great physical shape. 5 years ago she had a discectomy (gymnastic pounding and then simple wear and tear left her with real problems) then last year the discectomy failed and she was left with bone on bone in her back and a lot of pain...constant pain. So she went in search of a cure but she had decided against any kind of surgery...no, never...nope, no surgery. EVER!! </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then as we were crowded around the TV watching the Masters this last April the announcer mentioned Tiger Wood’s back. His injury was exactly like Ashleigh’s. Same place, same problems, same pain....immediately she started researching and by Friday morning of that week she had found all the information on his surgery and his doctor. By Friday afternoon she had sent all her x-rays and history to the doctor to find out if she was a candidate. By Monday the doctor determined she was a very good candidate. Things going fast? A little too fast because she was determined to never have surgery again. But then, the pain that was always there got worse and after several consultations she decided to go ahead with it. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The surgery and everything connected with it was a success. From the front office to the nursing staff things ran like clockwork. Everyone involved kept remarking on her quick recovery...over and over they said it was because she was in great physical shape. For the last year even though she was in terrible pain she never stopped eating well and using her Peloton. </span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Once again life comes down to being proactive and not reactive.</span></p>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Two of my friends had some serious falls in the recent past. One tripped over a hose while she was pumping gas, the other slipped and fell at work, both told me they werent doing anything out of the ordinary but from the resulting injuries both needed shoulder surgery. Simple falls that have turned into a year long recovery. I am not saying we can prevent every injury in life, accidents occur, but we can be in better shape to mitigate such a long, long recovery. A simple fact is more muscle around our bones and then just stronger bones helps us recover faster and get injured less.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Muscle buildup and stronger bones comes from exercise...weight training is the best thing you can do to build up your muscles and bones that will help prevent an injury. There is a test called a DEXA scan that I highly recommend. The technical definition is “Two x-ray beams with different energy levels, are aimed at the patients bones. When soft tissue absorption is subtracted out, the bone mineral density can be determined from the absorption of each beam by bone.” Or in Donna terms you can find out your bone density, muscle mass and total body fat. We all need to know those numbers to be able to prepare for better futures. The owner of my gym, Gene Carrillo, is offering a free DEXA scan test to anyone who calls and mentions my little blog and takes a tour of the facilities. What a great way to bribe my friends to come in and see all the fun stuff and get a painless test for free? Call Paula at <a dir="ltr" href="tel:702-750-9420" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">702-750-9420</a> then mention my name and get this great test so that you will have more information about your body that can help you have a better future. </span></p> Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-1721877754238344242019-07-11T10:00:00.001-07:002019-07-11T18:30:33.709-07:00Great ExpectationsThe novel Great Expectations centers around a character named Pip. I am not sure if I like the title best, the names of the characters involved or the story itself. But who wouldn't want to live in a world populated by people named Pip, Miss Havisham, Abel Magwitch, Jaggers, Wemmick, Biddy and Uncle Pumblechook? Thats not even a full list - just all I am willing to list. However it's the title that has always intrigued me - Great Expectations, because I expect great things to happen.<br />
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Until they don't.<br />
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Then I don't know quite what to do. I know things don't always work out the way I plan, but I still take it as a personal affront when they don't.<br />
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While in the course of living my life I have discovered frogs stay frogs, the end of the rainbow is often just the end of the rainbow and a handsome prince comes with a mortgage, diapers and occasional mayhem.<br />
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Again, not what I thought. My Great Expectations have always been just a tad (or a mile) above what actually occurs. Which leaves me breathlessly critiquing everything I do using my third grade teachers BIG red pencil to correct mistakes so everyone knows I fell short.<br />
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My life is covered with big red pencil marks....self inflicted.....for all the world to see.<br />
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So is anyone surprised that after almost a year of working out with weights, straps, machines, wall balls, slam balls, pushing boxes across the floor, holding a plank and slamming heavy ropes I am DISAPPOINTED that my weight loss can be measured with a teaspoon?<br />
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And this is where it gets dicey. I am so much stronger, my lab numbers are good, my knee doesn't hurt, in fact nothing hurts. When I get up from a chair I spring up from the chair. But my weight hasn't budged. Not being a science denier I know the formula, less calories in more calories out equals weight loss. I do a lot of calories out...but I also do a lot of calories in. That's right, I eat too much and with medication that slows me down to sloth pace, being older and surrounded by food all the time are reasons why it has been so hard.<br />
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I felt like I failed....<br />
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But did I?<br />
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I have stuck with an exercise program for almost a year and experienced leg strength to a point my knee no longer hurts. I can pick up heavy trays, crates and boxes I couldn't even budge a year after my surgery. When I started exercising my core was non existent. I could only do a few setups and now I can do 60 without thinking about it. I can hold a plank over a minute 3 times in a row and literally pop up from a chair due to never-ending squats from a box holding weights. Open heart surgery is a way bigger deal than I thought, and getting my strength back has been hard. When I first got home from the hospital just walking to the kitchen was the impossible dream. Today I am SO MUCH BETTER!! But I am not thin, I'm not even much thinner, and I expected to be thinner and that seems to be my only benchmark. I guess for all my bravado being thin was what I really wanted, not just being healthy and strong. My expectations certainly ruled the day. Although I did want to be stronger and more fit, I really wanted to LOOK stronger and more fit. The problem with expectations is they tend to be a bit disingenuous. We expect things from a vacation, a marriage, children, friends, or a workout plan that often cannot realistically be delivered. But what we are given in our journey is often much better than what OUR plan was. The last year has been filled with personal accomplishments I thought were behind me. Yet I proved to myself I can still do tough physical things. I can lift heavy weights, I can do squats and push ups and pull ups and and I can work out around people half my age and call it good. And if I can do this I can other things I want to do. It is not too late! I love my trainers and friends at Xuberance who never stop trying to help me and have made sure I am safe every time I work out. I can push myself to the edge of the cliff because I know they will catch me.<br />
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So I am taking this template to everything in my life. What else have I applied an expectation to and then didn't appreciate where the road led me instead? Have I been grateful for my life even though it doesn't include the retirement plan I wanted? Open heart surgery is a pretty big bump in the road, but have I appreciated the fact I survived? And all the experiences connected to that survival? Financial ruin is horrible but do I remember the miracles we have experienced while climbing out of that abyss? Yes difficult things have occurred in my life but tremendous things have won the day each time.<br />
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I believe this is the same for everyone. Each person I know has a story to tell that will inspire and motivate. And I am talking to you....you are an inspiration. Start writing your story and see if I am not right. And while you are writing find the good in every bad thing that has happened to you. See if it doesn't turn your thinking around, if not your life. I love this quote about ships not being made for the Harbor<br />
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You aren't made for the Harbor either....get out there on the open sea and find out what you are made of!!<br />
Carpe Diem!!!!Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-82238222101571833912019-05-20T11:52:00.003-07:002019-05-20T12:00:45.072-07:00Mick Jagger Is My Spirit AnimalMick Jagger has always been "that guy" for me. He has effortlessly gone through life simply being the coolest guy in the room. If you start making a note of his shortcomings, stop. I'm not holding him up as an example of ANYTHING except simply being the coolest guy in the room.<br />
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That is until now.<br />
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Mick Jagger is now the absolute best example of never giving up and not letting an age number chart his course. And this is why Mick Jagger is my spirit animal. </div>
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Let's recap, Mick has not always had the healthiest lifestyle, in the early days of the Stones he was a proper rock star doing all the mischief making rock stars do. I am not advocating any of his mischief making, in fact he is doing what he is doing today in spite of it. </div>
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Here is what I am preaching (cut to inspirational music in the background) </div>
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"Brother Mick is 75 years old and is bringing back the old testament life expectancies of hundreds of years of life. And not just sitting around the tent-life...but a life of performing, exploring, learning, teaching and yes....dancing!" </div>
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I firmly believe that we must shake off the ideas of our parents which regulated them to the couch at 60. They believed all kinds of things that are just not true. They downsized before they wanted to because they were convinced the family home was simply too much for them. They stopped growing, exploring, creating, teaching and well, living, mostly because they stopped believing they were alive. And then they stopped moving....it's hard I know, but we have to move! I have proven that exercise is not the sole answer for the fountain of youth (Speaking of moving I haven't moved the scale much) but it is a component that moves everything else. </div>
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Think of moving as the project manager. Moving your body tells your brain you are alive and it's time to do something. So what do you want to do? Get out that pen and a notebook and let's make some plans. Planning together is the best way to get things done, you need a tribe. If you don't have one, create one, join one...find one! Why do you think chicken is best with a sauce? Nothing is good alone. That's why life coaches are so popular, it's why Oprah was such a guru. It's why we have trainers, event planners and hair stylists ( I tell Crystal everything) ...we need encouragement from people we trust that will help us get out the butt-kicking machine! </div>
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On my list of goals is giving a Ted Talk so I attended a Speech class from Amy Ayoub the <a href="https://www.thezenspeaker.com/about-amy-ayoub" target="_blank">Zen Speaker</a>. Oh my gosh was it incredible! And was I the oldest person in the room? Yes! And aren't they lucky to have my wisdom and acceptance? Yes! And did I have to stomp out the tapes in my head of my father asking me why I would waste time "at my age" to take a speech class? Yes!! Sadly, I did. But I stomped those tapes out, put on some red lipstick and went out the door....it was fabulous. </div>
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Just Move!!!!</div>
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Being stronger and more fit is also a goal because that is how I can achieve all my other goals. I have to be strong both for my life and my business, so I go to a great gym three times a week. (you must contact me for info on Xuberance because it is literally giving me what I need physically) Am I the oldest person at my gym? Yes.....Do I care? Well, at first I did but then I got past it and focused on how much better I felt. But it has not been easy, and sometimes I have to use the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clU3sfKzsbU" target="_blank">5 second rule</a> to get there. Once I am there Sarah, Anthony and Josh encourage me in every way to get the job done. And I know I am stronger for it. Wait..I am MUCH stronger so I am dwelling on that and not the scale, The scale will come along as I continue this process. It's obvious I haven't lost much weight and I know that doesn't make me the best ambassador for the Christie Brinkley award but every other one of my numbers are where they are supposed to be and I am so grateful for that.</div>
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None of us want to do hard things...but we can do it if we do it together. I need some input, one thing this week. What is your morning routine/breakfast/like? I need new breakfasts, new ideas...what do you do??</div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-89844707207183127052019-05-18T18:43:00.001-07:002019-05-20T05:42:07.830-07:00Mick Jagger Is My Spirit AnimalMick Jagger has always been "that guy" to me. He has effortlessly gone through life simply being the coolest guy in the room. If you start making a note of his shortcomings stop right there. I'm not holding him up as an example of ANYTHING except simply being the coolest guy in the room.<br />
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That is until now.<br />
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This is why Mick Jagger is my spirit animal.Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-41863678172278625992019-04-17T21:46:00.001-07:002019-04-18T20:03:57.216-07:00The Journey Continues...<br />
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<b>This morning I showed up promptly at 7:50 for my 8am stress test the cardiologist insists I need along with an ultrasound tomorrow.</b><br />
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<b>Yuk...</b><br />
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<b>However this test will be better because I don't have to go into the cylinder like last year and when they shot me up with something that would have been banned at Woodstock. All to make my heart race...</b><br />
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<b>Hated it....</b><br />
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<b>This time I was taking my act to the bike and I was confident and caffeine free! I didn't drink any diet coke or take an excedrin. I was ready....</b><br />
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<b>Ready, Set....Stop.</b><br />
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<b>I took my medications which includes a pill I cannot pronounce to slow my heart rate. I was not supposed to and when they asked if I read the papers they gave me, I had to say....Papers? Nope.</b><br />
<b>I heard no caffeine and filed everything else away. I mean no caffeine for 24 hours...what would you hear after that?</b><br />
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<b>Regroup and reschedule....sigh, so dumb not to read the instructions, but whatever.</b><br />
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<b>Off to the gym, but on the way I took time to think about my last 8 months and the journey it has been.Whenever I spend time in the cardiologist's office I go into a mental tailspin. There are people from every walk of life sitting in the waiting room with me. Some very, very ill, some on walkers, some on oxygen, some so overweight they can hardly move, some so thin they look like they will break in two...and some that look perfectly normal just like me that have scars only they know about. We are all equal there, none of our equality the same...but equal.</b><br />
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<b>I drove to the gym without the radio...just alone with my thoughts on the journey and I went in to the gym happy because every person there cares about me. They are all invested in my success. They know how hard my road has been because they have my medical records! They see me 3 times a week trying so hard to lift that kettle bell, bang those heavy ropes and sprint on the elliptical. There have been times I really didn't want to go, times that one last circuit was just too much. I have done so many squats, so many sit ups, planks and leg lifts. But getting up from a chair is easier and not being able to made me feel so old. I can lift things, I can lift really heavy things.</b><br />
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<b>I am doing things I thought I would never do again.</b><br />
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<b>I do admit I have called my trainers <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/caligula" target="_blank">Caligula</a></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrIFmcQDP_jtiCkQHaw-ceg0RXTTl61_0cabMIOqpSzWnywqCu7vW1Zw0GeNwLSbpCmelM6vPIzK5O4pXpd5bvCaLpaVzJaTqseFy2bvWzNNHC2DXIgdeTBCQlh-613lw5mfDTq2Zt1Sz/s1600/IMG_7970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrIFmcQDP_jtiCkQHaw-ceg0RXTTl61_0cabMIOqpSzWnywqCu7vW1Zw0GeNwLSbpCmelM6vPIzK5O4pXpd5bvCaLpaVzJaTqseFy2bvWzNNHC2DXIgdeTBCQlh-613lw5mfDTq2Zt1Sz/s320/IMG_7970.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am the biggest complainer....</td></tr>
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<b>And I often I feel like<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus" target="_blank"> Sisyphus</a>. But I am better than I was 8 months ago</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joanne!!!</td></tr>
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<b>This is Joanne one of my workout buddies....not only is she doing a minute plank, but she has a huge weight on her back. Her core is going to be made of stone!! I waited until she did it again and took her picture because she has to keep this near her always as a reminder of how amazing she is.</b><br />
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<b>There are tons of success stories at the gym. My friend Brian is sticking his finger in the eye of age and has recorded 18% body fat. 18%! When he left the gym the other day he went straight to hockey. He can do that because he works out. There is my friend Crystal who is on her feet 10 hours a day, she works out so she can work. When I first started working out my core was nonexistent because of my surgery....today my posture is so much better, my endurance is better, and I know I'm not as worried about getting older. My blood pressure goes from 144/83 before I work out to 119/77 after I work out. (For me lower blood pressure is key -high blood pressure will cause big problems with my aorta.) A combination of lifting weights and cardio is the key....and your life will be so much better!</b><br />
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<b>Then there is Gene Carrejo the owner of the gym...He is a happy, effervescent man in his 60's who is there every day. He doesn't ask anything of us that he doesn't do himself so he works out right along side us, sweating and hoping to make it through the circuit. Our trainers, Caligula (Sarah, Anthony and Joshua) treat him and his lovely wife Lisa, just like us.😓 I asked him today to share his fitness journey. And what a star - he sent it right over!</b><br />
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<b>From Gene:</b><br />
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<b>We have been in business close to 18 months in the beautiful city of Las Vegas. Xuberance has evolved into a home for people who are looking into establishing longevity and vitality to their lives as they move forward in this hectic world we exist in. Lisa and I are not only invested in the financial and operation aspect of our business, but are totally involved in the actual process of adding vitality and longevity to our personal wellbeing. My journey to anti-aging began after the holidays in 2018, I have been very diligent in following the fitness protocol that Sarah and her team have built for me and thoroughly enjoy the creativity and thought that goes into my MWF workouts. Once I established a baseline through the formal evaluation process and realized I had plenty of room for improvement, I made a personal commitment for fitness. The sense of accomplishment in the gym is very important but if you are not entrenched in the rest of the process the results you are looking for will not materialize. (He is so right, food is my nemesis)</b><br />
<b>Our doctor suggested hormone balancing to help with metabolism enhancement and energy along with mental focus. Jeremy (the nutritionist) and I have regular dialogue on what I should be eating also he adds a very creative twist that doesn't not become tedious. I am a sugarholic and have substituted fruit as my sugar fix. I have watched my cravings go away as I watch my energy improve. Simple fixes and a commitment to listen and implement are the keys to success.</b><br />
<b>I started the process at 209 lbs with a 28% body fat ratio, I am now 178 lbs and 20% body fat ration and I added 6 lbs. of muscle. It definitely works and the bottom line for success is a personal commitment. We need that same thing from our clients which gives us the opportunity to guide and counsel them through the process. </b><br />
<b>I'm proud of what we are accomplishing and our clients are reaping the rewards with our recovery methods. Yes, massage and ozone therapy are also part of the process!</b><br />
<b>Thank you Gene....</b><br />
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<b>This process has been such a blessing to me; hard, hard work but a blessing. With so many people invested in my success I know I will eventually get to all my fitness goals. I have achieved a great many so far, but as they say, "Life isn't a destination, it's a journey!" So Wherever you are on your journey please keep moving and don't stop. For me getting older is a blessing that was almost taken away so I don't mind the aging process at all. I also know for a fact that working out is a price I am willing to pay so I can have a few more birthdays. I can validate every excuse you may have because I have used each one, but working out is better, lifting weights is better......it's a better way to live. </b><br />
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<b>Now get out there and move!!!</b><br />
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<br />Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-48135691937955388212019-04-15T13:40:00.001-07:002019-04-17T17:44:23.050-07:00The Masters and Notre Dame....Yesterday I was glued to the television watching one of the most intense and exciting sports moments ever. Tiger Woods made a comeback very, very few people have ever even attempted. Only two years ago he was telling other golfers he didn't think he would ever play again. At that point he couldn't lay down, sit or stand without tremendous pain because of a back injury. My daughter had a similar injury and watching her deal with the pain has been excruciating. But he finally found the right doctor, had the surgery and did the follow up work to be able to golf again.<br />
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We all remember this picture of Tiger and his father who was always by his side, so happy he won the most prestigious golf tournament there is.<br />
Watching Tiger confidently walk the fairways yesterday was inspiring. It made me feel like I could do anything also! He looked like the Tiger of 15 years ago and honestly I felt better just watching him.<br />
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I know if we believe we can, we can.</div>
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And now we have a new picture of a father and son. But this picture, of Tiger and his son, is not just one of redemption, but of grit and determination to come back from an injury that could have ended his ability to ever play again. But he did it. We watched the final round not just to root on Tiger, but to instill hope in our own "injuries". Where do we need to make a comeback? I know all of us have one to hope for. We can indeed make a personal comeback also, regardless what it is.<br />
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Today we are glued to our televisions watching an iconic 900 year old structure beloved by people all around the world burn to the ground. As I watched this beautiful building being destroyed I couldn't help but compare these two stories and gain hope from one triumph for the destruction of another.<br />
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Notre Dame will be rebuilt because it's what people do. When faced with adversity it is our nature to never give up and that is what will happen here. Tiger showed us just one day ago what a refusal to give up looks like. Rebuilding Notre Dame will take great leadership and the ability to infuse in people that it can be done. I am praying for Paris and for the loss they are feeling. </div>
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Vive La France! You have withstood war, pestilence and invasions. You will rebuild...I know it.</div>
Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-36130408517951657412019-04-07T22:46:00.001-07:002019-04-08T08:46:07.418-07:00Book Signing, Conference and Babies!!!<br />
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One minute my home is bursting from the seams...the next minute I can hear the clock tick. It never fails to make me a little sad when a great event is suddenly over and everyone leaves. I am not complaining because this weekend was so much fun, but when it’s over.....what am I saying? We will just plan another!!<br />
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Last weekend started off with a book signing Friday night. And it was gift to me. Joan Snyder, now Joan Moran, was my high school speech teacher, the one teacher who took me seriously. Last year I saw her on facebook and timidly asked if she remembered me. After assuring me she did we had great fun catching up. In January I saw her newest book was about to be published so I mentioned if she was ever in Las Vegas I would love to host a book signing for her. She told me she was coming to town in April to visit family so we quickly arranged a date.<br />
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We all had that “one” teacher, didn’t we? The one that changed how we look at ourselves? Mrs. Snyder was that teacher for me, she was the gold standard at our high school where she taught drama and speech. One day she asked me to be in a county wide speech contest and I was thrilled thinking it would be fun but knowing I didn't have a chance. I worked on the speech in front of her, our class and the mirror! I came in third and called it good, but not Mrs Snyder. After the results she flipped her cape around her shoulders and moved with “loud heavy steps” right up to me. I thought her obvious displeasure was because I hadn't placed higher. She looked me straight in the eye and said, <b>"If you were a boy you would have won!" </b>A moment that forever changed me because someone I looked up to so much thought I should have won. Coming in third was the best thing to happen to me because I wouldn’t have learned nearly as much from a first place finish. Now I knew I was a good speaker and boys had an advantage. I have used my speaking ability throughout my life and I never let the boys get in the way!<br />
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My third place trophy</div>
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Raymond did flowers and provided incredible food...it was a perfect evening. (Thank you Ray Ray!)<br />
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A little bread is always good, right?<br />
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The people who came to celebrate Joan and her book were fascinating.....it was the Algonquin Round Table!<br />
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We had a fascinating discussion about Cuba.<br />
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Joan read from her book, discussed some of her strategies for writing and gave us all hope to have a book signing of our own one day!<br />
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High School pals together again....it was really a great evening.</div>
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But the weekend wasn't nearly over!! My darling daughter Emma, her husband Kacy and their perfect baby Scout, my first grandchild came to town for the book signing and conference.</div>
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My other 3 children Ashleigh, Trey his wife Heidi and their perfect baby my little Fallon, Mikey and his wife Alexi came over Saturday and Sunday for food, laughs, watching conference and just being together...It was the best! Having a family like this was the one blessing I truly wanted in my life and I am beyond grateful for them. Forgive me for the over abundance of pictures, but this was a great weekend for so many reasons. I just feel like celebrating!! I wish you the very best, I pray the windows of heaven open up for you in every way you need. </div>
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Little Fallon<br />
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And little Scout..<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEgCswhyTz_0dL3-44vMgQi0SWvOc42iEw3JoHLH7j8HFNuzM93lVt-99WiMvdEg2uEDQd8g26hPv8r3Y1hsR9zRpOEEb6_xtTeXSxLfdFwxkTFvderiytNtBZkTmqhr5cwF0csf8yJY7/s1600/DSC_0535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEgCswhyTz_0dL3-44vMgQi0SWvOc42iEw3JoHLH7j8HFNuzM93lVt-99WiMvdEg2uEDQd8g26hPv8r3Y1hsR9zRpOEEb6_xtTeXSxLfdFwxkTFvderiytNtBZkTmqhr5cwF0csf8yJY7/s320/DSC_0535.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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First golf lesson.....<br />
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From our family to yours....xxoo</div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-82585782418021070762019-03-04T10:19:00.000-08:002019-03-04T10:19:09.290-08:00Releasing the Energy Inside....<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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What a ghastly couple of weeks I have had health wise...a truly nasty sinus infection that I made worse by not going to the doctor until almost a week into the nausea, hacking cough and over all feeling of yukdom. And then guess what? After I got better I was faced with the daunting task of what seemed like climbing mountains to start over with exercise. I hear from people all the time, “why does it take months to get into some kind of better shape only to have it dissolve in a matter of weeks?” But there I was with no physical excuses left doing the last thing I wanted to do which was getting up at 6, tying on the sneaks and trundling back into the gym...</div>
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Can I hear an Amen? </div>
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In my journey I have discovered we are all made up of energy, and maybe you want to argue that point as you struggle from the desk to the couch to the toilet and back and feel anything but energized, but it is true ....we are made up of energy and all we need to do is release it.</div>
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Physics is on my side....</div>
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Newton's first law of motion is often stated as:</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an</i><a href="https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/newtlaws/u2l1d.cfm#balanced"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><i> unbalanced force.</i></span></a><i> (</i>The definition for unbalanced force is pretty long so I included a link for all my information seeking readers. )</span></b></div>
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What I gained from this is if you move your Arse you will keep moving unless you bump into another immovable object…a couch, bed, any place for me to just sit down, or even lay down. You get the picture. My watch seems to be in on this since every once in a while I get a notice to stand up. Holy cats, this is what we are reduced to, our watches telling us to stand up.(Oh, by the way, my watch also tells me to breathe...) I get it, if I am sitting at the computer for any length of time I do forget, but seriously how lame is that? </div>
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So if we are made of energy...we need to release it, how do we do that? </div>
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Easy.....Just move, and move as fast as you can. A friend told me the thought of getting up and moving was more than she could handle. Think about that because it is a Red flag for sure. If you haven't been moving then get up and go, don't even think about it, just move, for 20 minutes....move. The other day a woman told me her doctor said if she walked just 20 minutes a day she would diminish her chances for <a href="http://www.agemattersclinic.com/Could-Walking-Reduce-Your-Risk-of-Dementia.php"><span style="color: #dca10d;">dementia</span></a> by 40%. Incredibly important don't you think? By the way there are other things you can do to help that number be even higher.</div>
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Just move....</div>
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Another way to release energy to heal and support your body is through massage therapy. Now to be sure I am not speaking of a regular run of the mill massage, I am talking about massage therapy from someone who has been carefully trained and knows what muscle is connected to what muscle and can truly get to the bottom of things. I went in with a pain on my entire side that radiated all the way up and down. My massage therapist, Jeff (who is brilliant) was able to find the starting point and literally fixed it. I am grateful that he has amazing tools to "fix me". These tools include my complete medical history, my dexascan which unlocks lots of answers with my muscle tissues. He is aware of my workouts, so he knows what large muscles I have been working and through his amazing skills he can combat all sorts of problems I might have from my work. We have a great relationship based on complete communication so he knows I sit at the computer sometimes whole days, and also he knows I sometimes stand for 16 hours straight. A therapeutic massage provides more energy through increased blood flow which releases the energy I need! After a massage I have more clarity of thought, my aches and pains from life are worked through faster, and I bounce back much quicker. The last 2 weeks with the unfortunate infection I had have been super hard, but a massage gave me much needed energy and I know it was easier to get back to exercise. In the past this illness would have thrown me off for weeks as I found excuse after excuse for staying away from exercise. But Jeff, muscle memory and trainers Anthony and Sarah got me back fast! </div>
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Reality is this, you have to move, you have to pick up heavy things, you have to do squats and you have to forget the diet and eat healthy. Consider an incredible massage that will release the energy you need to have better health. There are so many tools we have available to us, they aren't luxuries they are how we stay healthy, so please find them, use them and remember to never give up. </div>
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If you can tell me what you did to move today I would love it. We are all looking for fun ways to move!!!</div>
Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-21921315668470876122019-02-01T15:36:00.001-08:002019-02-01T15:50:47.705-08:00And the Journey Continues......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And The Journey Continues......</div>
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I am posting these pictures of things I couldn't do 6 months ago because I am focusing on progress and not on images I have in my head of where I should be today with my fitness journey. </div>
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I have only lost 10 pounds so if you are looking for a quick fix this won't work for you. But my path is authentic. I have consistently exercised during this time and for that I am stronger, my numbers (except for weight) are right where they should be, cholesterol, heart rate, blood pressure, blood work and ekg. The endless squats have made walking and moving around in general, easier. My knee - the one with the torn meniscus 5 years ago - is not nearly as sore and I rarely think about it. And lifting things? Which in my business is every day and a lot, is a piece of cake. I wish I could tell you my memory is better but the power of a kettle bell only goes so far. </div>
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My metabolism, always a glacier, since my surgery is slower because of the medication I take. And being constantly surrounded by food (and really good food) makes eating a challenge. </div>
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I did the calculations in my head and reasoned that I would be 93 before I reached "bikini ready" and a 93 year old woman in a bikini is only appropriate for the Enquirer....so you can understand my discouragement. </div>
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I thought about quitting. I mean if my purpose is to look good (and who doesn't want to look good?) then what is the point? </div>
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What is the point indeed...</div>
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I feel better and at the end of the day that is the point. Two years ago I was at deaths door, surviving was the goal of each day not a waistline. I didn't even think about my core because I could barely walk to the end of the street. I am not exaggerating, walking was a chore and I always felt like I moving through mud with each step being a challenge. If truth be told I did not think I would ever improve. </div>
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The top picture is of me and 20lb dumbbells...I started with 5lbs.....that is true progress.</div>
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I am competing with myself and that's all I have to worry about. But I still remained so discouraged last week that I began looking for ways to quit. I wanted to, I really, really did but I knew I would regret it. I would be back to aching legs and knees, fatigue and even more weight gain. I would miss the flat out head-clearing-exhaustion exercise provides for me. But mostly I would know I gave up. </div>
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Being honest I have not lost the weight I wanted to but giving up is not something I am willing to do right now. My friends are not letting me give up...Gene, Lisa, Sarah, Anthony and Josh just stared at me when I told them all I had considered giving up. They won't stop so why should I? And don't we want to take this as far as it will go? </div>
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For the record I have not been hurt one time during this journey and I usually have experienced some kind of injury in the past that caused time off. Because of not being hurt or too sore I have been able to progress. I have enjoyed the therapeutic massages that actually work out the old kinks and knots and let me feel so much better and I am relieved that someone takes my heart rate at least 4 times during the workout. After my surgery I felt like it could happen again...there wasn't any warning before, why would there be now? Exercise seemed too risky...</div>
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I am going to keep going, I truly am blessed to have such a fine group behind me...they don't think quit, they think next workout, next meal, get better...come back. </div>
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And I will, because this will be me soon!!</div>
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<i>For more information about Xuberance call 702-750-9420 Better yet come to an open house next Thursday the 7th from 5:30-7:30 to check everything out! 4280 S. Hualapai Way Suite 104, Las Vegas, Nevada 89147</i></div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-22997598200363657382019-01-15T17:45:00.001-08:002019-01-15T17:45:10.606-08:00What does you the greatest good?Recently a dear friend went to see Elton John and she told me he spoke about the healing power of music. That got me to thinking what else in our everyday lives gives us power to heal ourselves? Call it whatever you will there are things in our everyday lives that get us over the hump and convinces us not to slide down next to the wagon and just let the wolves eat us.<br />
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Play your favorite <b>music.</b>.the music that gets you moving if you need that, or music that relaxes you, or makes you feel young... . but think about taking some time to discern your best music and make a playlist and then just enjoy it.<br />
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<b>Laugh - </b> Who makes you laugh? Can you stay sad or stressed if you are laughing? There is a comic, sadly he passed a few years ago, but he just makes me laugh and through the magic of youtube I can watch John Pinette any time. Every time he says, "Get out of the line!" I roar!<br />
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<b>Hold a Baby. </b>Is there anything better? And with so many babies in the hospital who need someone to hold them babies are easy to find. A sweet baby right from heaven...it is just joy!<br />
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<b>Essential oils</b>....there is one called Whisper by Doterra that completely relaxes me and never fails to make me feel better all over, I love it.<br />
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<b>Inspirational talks</b>...I am a sucker for Ted Talks, Les Brown and Tony Robbins. And about a million in between...I also have become a big fan of Mel Robbins and her 5-Second Rule, admittedly well after the crowd, but I still love it.<br />
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<b>Scriptures - </b>There is a healing power for sure in words that edify. I find something rewarding every time.<br />
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<b>Exercise</b>...the folks at <a href="http://Xuberance Las Vegas" target="_blank">Xuberance </a>will be the first to tell you moving around regularly is the best anti-anxiety drug there is. There is something amazing about holding a plank for a minute when you could barely get in the position 6 months ago...then do it 3 times! Feeling yourself get stronger while you continue to challenge yourself is simply inspiring. I have had lots of conversations with people who tell me they really want to get stronger, feel better and challenge themselves. This is the place to do it.<br />
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<b>Contacting someone who has helped you</b> - write a note, make a call, send some flowers...but contact someone who has made a difference in your life and let them know how much it meant to you. You will feel amazing not to mention how happy you will make the the person you contact.<br />
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<b>Pet a dog or a cat - </b>it forces you to sit down, breath and relax....you love it and the dog/cat loves it!<br />
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<b>Take a nap - </b>So many people tell me its a luxury but is it? You could be on your phone or shut your eyes for 20 minutes...I offer you, the nap!<br />
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<b>Believe with all your heart it will be ok - </b>yes you had a disagreement, or you were misunderstood, you were cut off or your pants don't fit...you burned the toast, forgot the bill, left the water running in the tub and didn't water your geranium....it will be ok. All will be forgiven, folks will see what occurred, traffic is traffic and tomorrow don't eat the cake...you will have another chance to make toast and you can afford the late fee, mop up the water and buy a new plant....it will all be ok.<br />
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<b>Enjoy Great Friends!</b> This picture is of one of the best days I have had in a long time. Having dear friends from High School come over for lunch. We haven't done that in a long time and I adore these women! We laughed, we cried and we counted our blessings.<br />
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<b>Breathe - </b>My phone tells me to stand up and tells me to breathe, I didn't think I would have to be reminded but I do. Yesterday I was so stressed and my short breathing made it worse...I stopped, I started focusing on my breathing (I swear this works) I began to feel better. one minute of walking around and 1 minute of breathing....it works.<br />
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You are going to have disappointments and successes, great days and not so great days....but when you find ways to take care of yourself even the worst days have some great moments<br />
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<br />Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-70594100443631163792019-01-03T12:49:00.001-08:002019-01-03T12:55:38.028-08:00Everything was ok until a pot fell on my head....Not many sentences begin with, "And then a pot fell on my head..." but this one will. December is our gloriously busy month. We get the opportunity to bring sweet things to sweet people all month and things truly go quickly. I admit I am like Bambi on the ice when I get moving too fast..<br />
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It all started when I had an important meeting with Channel 13 and the Golden Knights about a lunch we were helping with at a local Elementary School. I was putting things away and not really thinking. I didn't see it coming at all when a 5 gallon cast iron pot fell on my head from the top shelf. The first moment all I could think of was how stupid that was, the next second? oh my gosh! That hurt so much!!! Luckily for the first 2 days I just had a numb face and a huge bump on my head, I got through the meeting and the lunch without frightening small children..but the third day? 2 black eyes that just kept getting worse! A couple of days later the headaches started and it was enough for me to get a cat scan...no brain bleed (yikes) but a pretty bad concussion. During this time I lost my debit card (finally found it in a plant, luckily I had to water it) and my only car key...I looked for 3 days until I absolutely needed my car and the second the locksmith pulled into the driveway I found it in my apron in the clothes hamper.<br />
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I went into this season knowing (hoping) we would be busy so I decorated early. I put up the new Snowman tree<br />
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As I take things down this year I vow to reduce...I vow to reduce....I vow to reduce...<br />
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What I also learned this season is how much more energy and strength I have. Although eating is my bailiwick (Oh how I wish I were that person who said, "I'm full" and then moved on...however I seem to be this person...that tastes good and that tastes good and that tastes good...urgh!!!) However I will not give up and I take as a win the fact it was easy to keep exercising - (until I couldn't exercise while my head was repairing from the concussion) The pattern I have started with exercise has served me well, and when I went back after a couple of weeks it wasn't painful. Exercise is such a great deterrent to so many things that make us feel old. I will be the first to admit I get depressed when I don't do something physical. And I am excited that I have become the queen of squats! So much so that people send me information on squats which I pass along to everyone. My mantra is-<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Squats will keep me out of the nursing home!!!</span></div>
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The last one sent to me was from a crossfit post Chelle sent me.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"The squat (sit to stand) is essential to your well-being. The squat can both greatly improve your athleticism and keep your hips, back, and knees sound and functioning in your senior years."</span></b><br />
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So I guess my mantra is a good one. Go and do some squats! And if you don't have the discipline to do them on your own go to a class, find a trainer, hop on youtube, but do some squats every day!!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Every day.....</span></b><br />
Water<br />
Vitamins<br />
Veggies and fruit<br />
10 minutes of sunshine<br />
40 squats<br />
Learn something new...it can be anything even if you have to go online to "Obscure facts"!!!<br />
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It's a new year and although I am not big on resolutions (usually broken by January 16th accompanied by a feeling of failure) I am a big fan of starting over, new day, new way of thinking, forget the past...<br />
We can do anything we set our mind to...But you must believe you can do it. Until now I have not believed I can lose weight. I have been negligent of my health for so long that it is taking me a bit of time to dig out of this hole. But after proving to myself I can exercise, lift heavy weights and bring<br />
down all my numbers I now realize I can also lose weight. I do believe I can do it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">I can do this...Watch me...</span></b><br />
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I am amazed at the changes so many of my friends have made at Xuberance, they are thinner, stronger and much healthier. A dear friend that we do a Christmas party for every year told me how intrigued she is with what I am doing. Although she is very thin she admitted she isn't very strong and she wants to be stronger. I hope she comes down to Xuberance (702-750-9420) to meet the amazing people there, people who want to help, guide, encourage and teach everyone who comes in. I know how hard it is to get started, so let someone else do the hard work of figuring out what is best for you. It is an experience that is worth every effort to get there.<br />
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Happy New Year, my wish for you is you achieve everything you want. Believe it!!!<br />
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<br />Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-1086506752310603112018-12-11T22:08:00.002-08:002018-12-11T22:08:47.048-08:00Squats Will Keep You Out Of The Nursing Home...Again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other day I was bringing some things into a building through a really heavy door, I mean really heavy. So no flies on me I wanted to prop open the door. Back and forth back and forth through the heavy door was nuts. I saw a huge rock just a few feet away from the door and it looked as though it had been used as a solution for my very problem previously. I went over and picked up the rock and propped open the door, it was heavy but I handled it. Done.<br />
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Then this woman walked up to me and said, "I saw what you did." Boy did my mind go to a million different places...what did she see me do? I didn't offer a confession and let her finish....<br />
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"I saw you pick up that rock and move it. You really are getting stronger, I never could have done that." <br />
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All of a sudden I realized what she was saying. The kettle bell, the squats, the heavy rope and the heavier rope, that damn heavy ball were all making a difference. I am stronger and I moved that rock, all by myself, I didn't think about it, I picked it up and I moved it. I could not have done that 6 months ago and now I am out there in the world moving big heavy rocks!<br />
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I am amazing!!<br />
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There are a lot of aspects to getting in shape but one of the most rewarding has to be getting stronger.<br />
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I am getting stronger, I can do 60 squats in one round of the circuit....and I can add the kettle bell to it. I hold a 20 pound kettle bell and do squats....or as my trainer says Sumo deadlift high pull...that's right I am doing a sumo deadlift high pull (take that #ageisjustanumber) without even blinking.<br />
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I have not hurt myself, my bad knee is better, my mind is clearer (stop laughing) I am not as depressed in the morning, I am not sore......<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am stronger </span><br />
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All my numbers are where they should be.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I am stronger!</span><br />
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The psycholgical lift from exercise is I look at hard things in my life and think, well it's not a Sumo deadlift high pull I have to do 60 times. I can do that.<br />
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There was a time walking from my bedroom to the kitchen was a job of epic proportions, now I hope on the rower and head for the shore...<br />
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Hold a plank, lift those weights, do some pushups, hit the heavy ropes.....and by the way no one cares that you are in your 60's.<br />
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Want to stave off joint issues? Get stronger<br />
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Want to have less depression? Get stronger<br />
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Want to walk faster? sleep better? Better balance? Get stronger<br />
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Walking is great but add some weights...not just every once in a while...do it regularly<br />
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Get stronger....<br />
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Want to stay out of the nursing home?<br />
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Do squats...the number one reason people have to go to a nursing home is because they cannot get off the toilet.<br />
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Squats will keep you out of the nursing home.<br />
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Get stronger!!<br />
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<br />Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-63625563380033569362018-11-27T23:22:00.001-08:002018-11-27T23:31:33.618-08:00What do you want? <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Women are not very good at accepting compliments but we are very good at shrinking...we are also not very good at thinking we can BE anything...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">How come? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I would like to know because I suck so badly at accepting compliments I could move the curtains in a room. And giving myself permission to think I can be anything I want has not been in my wheelhouse. Reality is we have all been given gifts and talents...all of us. But when complimented on a talent or gift women notoriusly act small. We take compliments and store them away rarely looking or appreciating them. Instead of being grateful for what compliments are, an acknowledgment of a gift from God, we hit them back to the sender like a down-the-line tennis shot. Somehow it seems noble to stick our toe in the sand and engage in "mock humility". </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Marianne Williamson wrote my all time favorite quote. (It's long and can be found in its entirety in "Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "a Course in Miracles") I am just using only a bit of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as Children do....as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Notice this part, "W<b>e are all meant to shine, as children do."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;">As Children do....When I think of my children as little people they were such intrepid little performers! And talent wasn't a prerequisite - who cared if they had talent? They just wanted to experience everything! They used every part of their being and did it fearlessly. They drew pictures, wrote stories, performed cannonballs, danced, did cartwheels, played ball, they sang, they dressed up and performed monologues, they made movies starring themselves, they invented games, built forts, jumps and obstacle courses. W</span><span style="font-size: large;">e watched it, over and over and over. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But then as we get older our inner critic gets louder and suddenly all we can hear is what we cannot do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another Marianne Williamson quote....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Think about that, <b>"Who are you not to be?"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And if you are brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous can't you do anything? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So first <u>believe</u> then think about <u>what you want.</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you know what you want? I became so filled with fear over the course of my life that I actually stopped thinking about what I wanted, I stopped asking for anything, I didn't know what I wanted because I stopped thinking I could have anything...I did all I could to shrink. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are not where you want to be.... <b>what are you waiting for?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;">I believe you can do anything you can envision. And nothing was anything before it was a thought. Think about that....everything starts off as a thought...everything. From the chair I am sitting in to the food I eat everything started off as a thought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What do you want?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Noah keeps asking Allie what she wants and she says it isn't that easy. But it was that easy wasn't it? When she let herself really think about what she wanted, well she wanted Noah. And it was that easy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What do you want? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For me I wanted to feel better and be stronger because I want to give a Ted Talk...but I decided I was too old and it was all too late. I thought I was always going to feel old and out of shape. But then I started working out and that has been the first step to doing what I really want. When you physically push yourself it is amazing how that seeps into everything else. Find something that really challenges you, that forces you to get out of your rut and then you can do the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. For me doing something physical is almost magic. I don't know how to describe it except exercise has been medicinal, it clears my brain...my stamina is better, my balance is better and because of those things I am less fearful. Exercise helps me realize I'm not too old and there is still time to do the things I want to do. When I pound those heavy ropes I'm kind of a badass...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What do you want? Today, this day, sit down and write it out, because I know you know, just like Allie knew...because it's simple. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You know what you want....write it down and send it to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Xuberance has changed my life and it can change yours also. Put yourself in the hands of a team dedicated to your health. From personal trainers that know more about you than you do, to a massage therapist who can literally take your pains away, to a dietician dedicated to your food health they all work together for your good. There is even a doctor who monitors your over all health. To be sure there are other ways to achieve this effect but I just don't know of a place that has everything under one roof the way Xuberance does. Call for a tour 702-750-9420. You won't regret it. </i></span></div>
Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-83221368290212916972018-11-19T22:19:00.002-08:002018-11-20T06:36:54.087-08:00New Season! New Ideas! More Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I gathered my kitchen cabinet, my brain trust...the folks I love the most, the people who know me with make-up and without, My people...and I explained to them I have some fitness momentum but I am staring Thanksgiving right in the gobble-gobble. Heck I'm staring the holidays right in the Ho-Ho-Ho.<br />
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What's a girl to do?<br />
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With my fitness/eating momentum humming along I am understandably.....SCARED TO DEATH!!<br />
The previous "after Thanksgiving system" has simply been eat yourself into a coma, get up the next morning and curse if someone has used all the gravy - (because in the hierarchy of leftovers gravy is practically golden because who will make that again?) and then start over...this system is the regular deal until January 1.....I have been incredibly loyal to this system, I don't even know another system.<br />
That's why I approached my people and asked them to help me come up with an alternate plan<br />
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Here are some of the things we came up with...<br />
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Thanksgiving week....Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are full on exercise days.<br />
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are careful eating days. What I mean by that is a good breakfast (today was 2 slices of bacon and 2 eggs - it got me through to dinner, happily. And that includes no samples at Costco) then a good dinner. No snacking, no sweets.<br />
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And then to Thanksgiving...we aren't going to have dinner? Of course we are, but that is where I am going clever. Instead of lounging around and having our usual bagels after the Turkey Bowl (football game in the morning) I am going to get some serious walking in. Then I am going to enjoy my dinner. I am going to enjoy my pie...But we have added some fun vegetables previously uneaten by the Tag clan before and I intend to make them a bigger part of the feast.<br />
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Friday I want to gather up the troops and go to a local state park called Red Rock Canyon and hike around...I'm shaking everything up. And then back to my warm, cozy house where we can put up the Christmas Tree while watching football. And yes I am going to have leftovers. But I am not going to stand in front of the fridge and just randomly eat things, like turning the whipped cream can upside down in my mouth,....I will have a plan to enjoy everything. Intentional living...<br />
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After having enjoyed the holidays for 2 days on Saturday I am back! Lots of water, exercise and going outside more.<br />
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December will be intentional each day. I will have a treat on the weekend but not through the week. Since we are caterers and around rich food all the time I have been unconsciously eating, I get so tired during the month that I think eating will give me energy when in fact it takes energy away.<br />
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I will go over my plan each morning...I will repeat it to myself...that is how we make things real and keep them in front of us by saying it all out loud.<br />
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Sleep, water, exercise and planning. Nothing crazy, just a plan...a realistic plan.<br />
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I am also going to remind myself I can do this. I am going to say it, not just think it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQdC5TrbN0_cNoHmraxjT3eNHPRwgUh7-85j2aTykwPtO4liCv8LEbD9Kg5IbZlFBnG7wTvu3cUgSv_H3tZSsALkrNY6188sGq5aY8YFw9GNH9I2rEG_Mn5-63RDRy1cSM95JJ3QXq3Ux/s1600/Hospital+kissing+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQdC5TrbN0_cNoHmraxjT3eNHPRwgUh7-85j2aTykwPtO4liCv8LEbD9Kg5IbZlFBnG7wTvu3cUgSv_H3tZSsALkrNY6188sGq5aY8YFw9GNH9I2rEG_Mn5-63RDRy1cSM95JJ3QXq3Ux/s320/Hospital+kissing+picture.jpg" width="320" /></a>Another reason I am so intent on staying the course is a very important anniversary is tomorrow....two years ago I almost died from an aortic dissection. Very few people survive that little number and I realize I have been given another chance so I am intent, finally, on taking care of my health and my life. It took me a long time to process the entire event, but I am starting to understand a whole lot. Xuberance has helped me so much, my friend Patrice who guided me to this amazing place told me that Xuberance showed her things she never knew about herself. I know what she means now. When you really push yourself, when you finally get to that place where real change can occur, you realize how far you can go. I let preconceived ideas of aging cloud my potential. I thought since I was older that older people don't push themselves that hard. But if I can survive almost dying then I can swing that dang kettlebell, those ghastly heavy ropes and anything else I am challenged with. I intend to age...the alternative is a bit bleak, but I am not going to let conventionality tell me what aging will be like. Happy Anniversary to me!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after they knew I would be ok a friend of the family took this picture of two of my children</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fallon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scout and Emma</td></tr>
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These precious little girls are in my life now and I am so happy things worked out 2 years ago!!</div>
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<i>I am happy to share the incredible news of Xuberance a new wellness center in Las Vegas Nevada. A full service center dedicated to helping you reach your highest health potential. With a doctor on staff, regular blood work, fitness testing, weekly therapeutic massage, a dietician on staff, and expert fitness trainers you cannot go wrong on becoming your best and healthiest you.</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">4280 S. Hualapai Way Ste. 104 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Las Vegas, Nevada 89147</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(702) 750-9420</span></div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-11641336751051782852018-11-12T22:34:00.000-08:002018-11-13T06:38:12.892-08:00Some Thoughts On The Wellness JourneyA friend asked me the other day about my wellness journey....<br />
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It has been a soul searching experience. What I don't like is how hard it is to eat the food the dietician proscribes. The food is great, it is doable on every level and his support is amazing, but I haven't followed an actual plan in years so to suddenly be accountable has been challenging.<br />
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So what am I doing to meet this challenge?<br />
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I work at it everyday and I experiment with food. When I find balance in a meal I don't crave food that makes me feel lousy. This week the mid morning snack was Greek yogurt with agave and blueberries. It was a great feeling of balance.<br />
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I took that as a "win". A small victory but a win.<br />
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Part of my journey has been becoming <b>aware. </b>It's a simple thing yet so important. It's why the act of writing down what you eat is so important. We unconsciously do so many things that of course we lose track. I made a goal of writing down what I ate so that I could be aware of what I was eating. We are caterers and we taste food all the time<i>. </i>But when I am aware of what I am doing I eat <b>intentionally.</b><br />
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Another part of my journey has been accepting the new "normal" that is my life. I take medication that slows down my heart and makes me so tired....so very, very tired, an offshoot of that is it also slows down my metabolism also. My metabolism before the surgery was already sloth like, now I take medication designed to put cement in my shoes and you can understand how I feel. I accept I will feel tired, but I do not accept a "tired" life. I lift weights, do push-ups, I sling a heavy ball around and I am fierce with those damn heavy ropes. I do accept wellness is a challenge, but I do not accept it is a challenge I cannot handle.<br />
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I admit I assumed a lot of things when I started this, I assumed I was too old and too out of shape. If you feel this way you must find different voices to listen to. I know it isn't true because I am getting better. Even if this week it is just finding out Greek yogurt with blueberries is better than a bagel you win, write it down and celebrate!<br />
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Write down a specific goal for the day.<br />
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The do it.<br />
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Then feel great about yourself!<br />
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When my son was in college he played football for a team that had a very long losing streak...very long. When they hired a new coach his first job was to teach each player how to win again because they had forgotten. He made them race to get water and then enjoy the feeling of being first. They raced on the field, in the weight room, they raced to see who could be first at breakfast, who got the best grades. Nothing was too small to compete over. They began to remember what the feeling of winning was like again along with a feeling of success and accomplishment. I have forgotten what it feels like to be in shape, to be able "to run and not be weary". I have forgotten what it feels like to say, "I'm full." But just like my son's coach made his players aware of what winning/success/accomplishment felt like I can remember what it feels like to make a goal and achieve it, to be aware of what I eat and to set reasonable boundaries. To feel that accomplishment, to revel in success. Those feelings build on each other and you begin to see who you can really be...what you can truly accomplish.<br />
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You are way bigger than you imagine, and you can do way more than you ever thought.<br />
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Every morning dedicate the day....write a reasonable goal in 3 categories each day for health, mind and spirit. Health could be drinking enough water, mind could be reading something challenging and spirit could be forgiving everyone you come in contact with.<br />
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Ponder for a moment before you write your challenge down.....then as you write it down commit to doing it. Then do it.<br />
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At the end of the day "return and report". When you succeed, honor it with joy! When things don't go as planned examine what went wrong and how you could have done better. You are the project manager of your life so treat this journey as a job. That idea annoyed me at first but then I realized how seriously I take my work and how causal I was with my health. I have been on this journey for only 3 months and many, many things are better. I am a work in progress and realize I have not taken care of myself for a long time.<br />
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But I am getting better.<br />
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<i>My wellness center, Xuberance, has been instrumental in helping me regain physical confidence after a very difficult recovery from an aortic dissection. The trainers have been patient, incredibly instructional and never let me do more than I can...but then they never let me do less than I can either. I feel safe there and that feeling is paramount in my life right now. </i><br />
<i>For more information call 702-750-9420</i><br />
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<br />Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-62534068524088892622018-11-06T07:09:00.002-08:002018-11-06T07:09:29.392-08:00Some Days Are Just Wonderful!Voting Day was a big deal in my home growing up. My father always took me along. I went right in the voting booth with him, the curtain closed and there were levers to pull. My father let me pull those levers, we did that together. Everyone knew us at the polling place, people named Old Tom, and Shirley...Aunt Stuff and Billy Joe, Billy Bob and Bubba. People who worked so hard for the little they had. They were mostly fishermen as we lived on the Gulf. But there were car mechanics, and plumbers, there were landscapers and bartenders. My dad knew them all, from the man who ran the feed store to the folks who ran the small grocery we were a group of folks who leaned on each other and helped each other. We rooted for the small high school team on Friday nights, laughed and argued with each other at the county fair over who made the best chocolate cake. We attended weddings and funerals...we were a true small town in Texas. And all of those people were accounted for at the polling place every Election Day. No one missed....<br />
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I hope my chidlren have those kind of memories of Election Day. I have only missed one election that I can remember. But I do know that it is my responsibility to vote...it is my “burden of the community to bear” and I do it happily with honor. Most of those people who surrounded me at the polling place had been in one war or another and I do it for them and for all the ones who have gone since.<br />
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I am so grateful to live in America. So grateful to cast my vote...I hope all the winners do the best job they can, they are responsible to us.<br />
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So please go Vote!!!!Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4969669656958290240.post-15476708291863458272018-11-01T11:29:00.000-07:002018-11-01T11:29:31.160-07:00A New Day...New Start<div>
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Remember how you felt the first day of school? Everything was new and possibilities were endless? Your shoes were new and your lunch box was filled with great food because mom wasn't burnt out yet. There were new people to meet, a new teacher to torture...the possibilities were endless!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the same when the year is new, another opportunity to start over and renew. Remember the feeling you had to write down goals? Make resolutions? The idea of a "new year" was thrilling...the possibilities were endless!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's in all of us to renew, to reassess, to simply start over, because we want to try n</span><span style="font-size: large;">ew things, we want to learn new things. We want to break bad habits and create new great habits. As I said it is part of who we are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then that little voice pops up, the one that whispers in our ear.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"you have tried this before and failed"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then the endless possibilities floats away when we decide to listen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are all hard wired to fail, expect it, because first we are hardwired to learn, grow and progress. One of my favorite quotes comes from Thomas Monson..who said, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the clouds, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests felled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we are solving problems, inventing things, creating things, writing songs, painting pictures and just thinking of things to do. We will fail...sometimes many many times. But we must start over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Starting over, facing a new day, picking yourself up is <b>joy!</b>...not failure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have you faced the same problem a hundred times until you just want to give up? Vincent Van Gogh said, <b>" If you hear a voice in your head that says you cannot paint, then paint! That voice will be silenced." </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have to start over too, just like everyone else. So when my vacation interrupted my "wellness routine". I became discouraged and I have found it so hard to get back on track. When we returned it was to the blessing of work but...work is also a great excuse not to exercise and with holidays approaching certainly not a time to eat well. I assessed this journey yesterday....strapped on my big girl pants and went to Xuberance to work out. Did I want to? No, because I knew how hard it was going to be. And I wasn't wrong..but I cannot give up, I cannot go back where I was when I am not even close to where I want to be. My trainer Anthony and I spoke honestly to each other. I told him what I wanted to do...nothing. He told me I had to decide right then what I wanted to do. I could live through a few hard days and be back on track, or stop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Give up? Never!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This quote embodies my truth...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering." - Dr. Steve Maraboli</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Without health I cannot do the things I want to do. Without losing weight I will not be able to chase grandbabies, I won't be able to MOVE!! Moving is getting easier..do I give up now? </span><span style="font-size: large;">Last yea</span><span style="font-size: large;">r I would have, this break would have given me the excuse to start over in January and I would have struggled </span><span style="font-size: large;">through</span><span style="font-size: large;"> the holidays. No! So I went back, it was hard but I did it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anthony believes I can do this, and I only need one person to believe in me, but I have a whole team who believe in me. Jeremy the dietician at Xuberance believes in me (no reason why, because I am his worst client - he is almost a counselor embodied in his nutrition knowledge with me) Paula who greets me every day encourages me to work out, eat well and get a massage! Dr. Docasar who carefully devised a list of supplements I need and gave me the good news that since I have started at Xuberance all my numbers are within range. Darling Gene and Lisa Carrejo who own Xuberance are personally invested in my success, they know everything I am doing. (They followed me on facebook during my vacation and asked how my cheesesteak was...red face) I have incredible support at Xuberance, but I have to plan my food, I have to go to the gym and work out....I still have to work this plan. And w</span><span style="font-size: large;">hy has food been my achilles heel? I don't know, but I intend to make it my greatest achievement</span><span style="font-size: large;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition." - Zen Parable</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I never really thought of myself as courageous, but after reading this quote I saw myself and then realized it does take courage to reach your goals, to believe in yourself and to accept a life without constant comfort. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will forever be grateful to my friends at Xuberance who have given me every opportunity to get healthy, my most important job. Some health problems occur out of the blue, but many are preventable. Dr. Docasar gave me the good news that my blood work is great so I am off and running! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What challenges are you facing that just a good shove won't cure?</span></div>
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Donna Tagliaferrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13705679077073780322noreply@blogger.com5