I'm trying to work on my cross stitch a little, but I'm stuck in a boring black section of the chart right now. I think I'll work on it a little more once I get that part finished. Of course, I'd get it finished much faster if I actually worked on it more, right?

I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately, both in hardcopy and online. A lot of it has been blogs, focusing on exercise (runners and triathletes) and weight loss. I've also been reading through some copies of Inside Triathlon and Triathlete magazine, and I'm reading a Star Wars book at the gym right now.

I'm really enjoying the gym right now! I'm also pretty focused on trying to lose weight. The show The Biggest Loser really caught my attention, as has Dr. Phil's Weight Loss Challenge. I have purchased a copy of Dr. Phil's book, and that's next on my reading list. In the meantime, I'm using the treadmill, stationary bike, weight machines, and pool, and actually enjoying breaking a sweat! Like many other times I've tried to exercise, I'm having major problems with shin splints on the treadmill, but everything else is going well. I've actually lost six pounds since I quit smoking, instead of gaining! It's not much, but it's a start!

One of the other big changes we had to make recently was my vehicle. I purchased my silver 1996 GMC Safari as a used vehicle in 1998, and it served me well. It was up to 189,000 miles, and had lived a long and useful life. It got to the point, though, where it was no longer a trustworthy vehicle, and then to the point where repairs would cost more than the vehicle was worth. This happened last week, unfortunately.

I was very, very attached to that van, and it was also one of the few vehicles that 6'6" DH had no problems fitting into. We were very fortunate, while car shopping, to find a low-mileage, white 2001 Chevy Astro (Chevy's version of the Safari, but basically the same van). It's almost like having my van back, only younger! (And cleaner!) We picked it up last Monday. Other than the fact that we will not enjoy having car payments again (our last car payment was made in 2001), I have been enjoying having a vehicle that I know can get me there and back safely!