Saturday, I’m attending a meet and greet for our 3-Day team that our lovely team captain has put together. I know a few people on the team, but a few I don’t know, so it should be interesting. I don’t know if any of the newbies have walked before, so it may be a chance for me to pass on some knowledge, as well as learn from the people who walked in Tampa last year.

My husband is a golfer. Not serious, but for recreation. When you have a full time job, a wife, 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a house to take care of, you can’t be a serious golfer…but he still finds time now and then to carve out a few hours for 18 holes. And of course, he follows all of the big tournaments on TV. When you get limited time on the links like Jim does, you want your game to be at it’s best. This CD, called
Mental Golf, helps golfers to focus on the mental aspect of their games. By being able to drop our the distractions (uhh…I guess that would be me, the kids, the dogs, and the house) you can focus on your game while you’re playing, and drop your score. Mental Golf can also assist you in developing a swing which is constant and reliable…no more crazy shots into the woods.

I was curled up in bed last night with my latest edition of Reader’s Digest - yes, I am a 95 year old women inside the body of a 30 year old. I read an article about a woman not much older than me, having a stroke. A stroke! I always thought that was something that happened to older people, not healthy women in their 30’s. She recovered due to new clot busting therapy that was delivered to her within 8 hours, but she still had to relearn how to speak and write. Can you imagine? Scary stuff there.

One of my online friends in Texas has vision that’s just about as bad as mine. Or rather, she HAD vision that bad. She finally went through with Lasik last fall with a doctor specializing in Houston Lasik. I’m so jealous! I know she’s very pleased overall with the whole process, and wishes she had done it sooner. I don’t know how she found her doctor, but this website offers advice on how to choose a doctor certified in Lasik. You can read reviews from patients there too, which would be a big deal for me. I would want to make sure that the doctor I chose wasn’t just the cheapest, but that he was the BEST. Those two things don’t always go hand in hand. What I really love about this Lasik website is that they’re non-profit, and they put patients FIRST. They care about helping you, not promoting a certain doctor.

I found a really neat website that sells things made from recycled goods. Great Green Goods has a vase made from recycled glass, a purse made from an old vinyl record, and an angel pin created from recycled metal. What a neat way to showcase what can be made out of old junk. By recycling, these discarded bottles, pieces of scrap metal, or old records are reborn into something usable for today’s generation.

When my sister and I were in the Philadelphia airport after the 3-Day walk in October, we had some time to kill, so we walked around the shops. They had a mini mall! We found a Brookstone and stopped to use calf and foot massager that they had on display. After walking 60 miles in 3 days, it was PURE bliss. I would have sat there for hours, had I not had a plane to catch. I’m not on my feet daily, but my husband is - he’d love coming home and using this for iSqueez® to take a load off his feet. I’d tuck it away in a corner of the family room, out of site, and when he came home, we could pull it out so that he could sit in the recliner and enjoy it. It’s unreal how good something like this feels when you’ve got tired legs and feet!

My poor husband. He’s been working out in the cold and wind this week at a fair event that his company has a spot at. He’s used to being inside where it’s warm and dry! Weather like we’ve had seems to make your muscles ache that much worse. He’s been coming home every night and warming up with a hot shower and a small serving of Scotch.

I remember when colored contact lenses first appeared on the scene. I was at the eye doctors one day, getting my eye exam, and decided to test out the new colored contact lenses to see how they looked. I didn’t even stop to think that my dark brown eyes would still show through under the tinted lenses. Now there are opaque colored contact lenses which allow those with dark eye colors, like me, to change their eye color. I wonder how I’d look with green eyes? Or violet, a la Liz Taylor?

When you’re buying contacts online, compare price and brand. You may want to go with the brand and style your eye doctor recommended. He may feel it’s a better fit for your eye or your vision problem. Your eye issues may require you wearing daily lenses, or weekly. Make sure you know what you’re ordering!

I know you all have been anxiously waiting to find out if I won the sneakers I bid on. Yes, I did - your day can go on now, safe and secure in the knowledge that I got my sneakers for only $50! What a deal! If you know the style and size of the sneakers you want, eBay is definitely a great place to look for deals on new shoes.

I know a little something about being pregnant. After all, I’ve been through it three times. Mention pregnancy and it’s things like Morning sickness, stretch marks, bed rest, labor, delivery that come to mind. For me, health insurance comes to mind as well. You see, when I got pregnant with my oldest, I wasn’t married to my husband, so I had no coverage on his insurance. I was covered on my mom’s insurance (I was 18, but living at home and a student) but it didn’t cover pregnancy. Suddenly, this middle class college student was an uninsured pregnant woman. I had never dreamed I’d need to know about choosing pregnancy insurance at the age of 18, but happy accidents do happen! According to this article on choosing pregnancy insurance, I was one of the 13% of women without insurance. The article has some great tips on what to do if you find yourself in the same situation, such as, applying for Medicaid. I did, and while I did have to jump through a few hoops (including taking a leave of absense from my job so I wouldn’t have an income), I got coverage and found a fantastic doctor. The financial coverage at HealthAdel.com has lots of other tips on insurance as well - worthwhile reading for anyone, pregnant or not.