A Bump in the Road ...

Let me state off the top that is is not an attempt to solicit funds but it is a response to the inquiries of many of my family and friends as to an update on my Disney Half-Marathon Journey.

After running 7 miles during my 8th week of training for the Disney Half-Marathon I felt so exhausted that I just wanted to cry. And after 3 days my body still was not recovering from the run so I made a doctor's appointment.
Test results showed that I was suffering from anemia again and those that know me know what that particular battle entails - I won't put that out here on the net because it is a battle I intend to win and I will not give my enemy (anemia) any glory or place in my life. Friends who know how to pray and want the details can call me and get the 411.

My doctor (who is a marathoner - how cool is that?) also said that I needed to see a podiatrist and a cardiologist in addition to my hematologist to address the other physical issues that came up. The great thing about it was none of these physicians said, "Doreen you should not be doing this, you need to stop." Instead everyone came back with a plan to address the physical issues and get me to the finish line. One thing that I had to do was to stop running. But everyone said "But keep walking for now until we can get you back running." To the athletes out there, that might not be a big thing but you need to understand.
Most of my adult life I have been a "big girl" who you might see in the kitchen whipping up gourmet meals but you would not see her in the gym or on a track or in a park. And now, these health professionals were treating me as an athlete with injuries related to her training and like all other athletes we were just going to deal with them and move forward.

Three and a half years ago doctors were telling me if you don't change you will die. You can't climb stairs and you can't run. So in the midst of the disappointment comes the realization that my body may not completely reflect this yet but I have changed (and continued to maintain a 100 lb. weight loss) and I can be proud of myself and own this and see that yes, I have made the choice to live and not die and my body is still going through the process of change along with my mind. Both need time to adjust. But I thank God that I am still here.

My challenge now however that the commitment of the APLA Disney Half-Marathon is two-fold. You have to be able to keep a 16 minute mile pace and you have to raise $2000.00.
And even though the race is not until September 6 you have to have (through pledges and donations) the money raised by July 10. On July 27, if the funds are not raised, you have to guarantee your commitment to raise them by your credit card. And for my family with both David and I racing this would be a substantial commitment for our household. As a fundraiser I know how to raise money and I also have faith in our world and know that if you commit to a God-given vision then provision will follow. But physically, I am using all of my current energy just to keep moving and continuing to train. I literally have to nap every afternoon right now to get through the day.

I had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with my husband last Friday where he was quite frank with me about the financial needs of our household and we both decided that we could put our time, resources and energy to completing this marathon or we could put them to fully meeting our fundraising commitment but we could not do both successfully. And while my plan is to add other forms of exercise such as yoga and pilates to keep my body healthy and agile, I have a commitment to run a half-marathon that I will not back down off of.

There are other Half-marathons being run in southern California before the end of the year without the fundraising constraints of the Disney marathon. David and I will complete a half-marathon before the end of 2009. I am not stopping my training and we have decided to move forward. As the very wise Dr. Charles Phillips once told me, "Every delay is not a denial"

So keep us in your prayers. I will keep you posted as we do our due diligence with the APLA Disney Marathon team. And before I sign off I just want to say a big thank you to my marathon running coach for the Disney Half-Marathon, Biff Campos. First of all, when I discussed my exercise background with him, he never flinched and said, "If you stick with me and stick with the plan you can absolutely do this thing". So I thank him for believing in me before I could believe in myself. And now I also know I can absolutely do this thing. And a big shout out to Linda L. Francisco for her fundraising training and sharing her heart, expertise and her commitment to her runners.

Thanks for taking the time to read about my journey. Thank you to all who have already given me their money or time or prayers as I've gone on this journey - I will honor your sacrifice and I will keep in touch as I complete this commitment.

Back to Business

Okay, it has been too long since I last wrote but I have been really busy. David changed jobs and started working in Glendale CA (a suburb of Los Angeles), and after one week of commuting two hours from Bakersfield, he knew that he would not be doing it for long.



So in the span of two months we made the decision to rent out our home in Bakersfield and to move to Glendale so he could be closer to work. So we staged the Bakersfield home, and within two weeks we found a family to rent the house.






I am thankful because some people have found it difficult to find good tenants in this economy but we have been blessed.

So now we are in Glendale. David is working at Glendale Adventist Medical Center and we are living in a house that is just behind the hospital and a Seventh Day Adventist Church. The neighborhood is tree lined (it looks like there is an orange tree and a lime tree in our backyard - which is funny because I always wanted to plant a lime tree at our Bakersfield home). We are secluded off the main street with a tree lined pathway to the house. The house is older but we are enjoying the neighborhood - lots of nice restaurants, shopping centers and close to everything. Here are some pictures of our new home. And the Whole Foods Store that is close to home...











Most importantly it is good to be closer to the production world here in LA. I'd still like to have a full time editing job so I believe that will be easier to do here in Los Angeles. The house here is close to downtown and after I get the boxes unpacked I will go and see what is out there. I do believe that the best is yet to come.
So, after staying her for a year, (the house we are in belongs to the hospital and they have offered to let us stay here for a year to get a feel for the area in order to find our new home.) It is a great opportunity because we are getting to see all of the suburbs and downtown areas and I can make a better informed choice about where to buy.

I miss my family and friends back home but I feel a new excitement about the move. It is funny because the economy is in a recession, the unemployment rate is up and the markets are wildly fluctuating but I feel like things are getting better every day. Maybe change really has come to America. But I know God still is in charge of my life and I choose to trust in his will. I will say good bye for now and try to do better about keeping you informed about what is going on with us. David, Chachi, and I are doing fine.

Why Hillary Should Be Respected

Today the American people celebrate the end of a primary season that resulted in the awakening of the people to the power of the vote. More people have voted in this primary than ever before in history and we have seen tv ratings for debates that rival the top TV programs and stadiums filled with 18-75 thousand people, wanting to see the candidate for the next president of the USA. And the democratic party has added thousands of new potential voters to the rolls that could show up in November and literally take over the political landscape. That is phenomenal to see.

It was interesting to me that after Obama had racked up 11 victories in the race and the number of delegates appeared to be in his favor a new phenomenon appeared. Women started to vote for Clinton en mass to register a vote for the future, for their daughters, to say that when we had the chance to vote for a qualified woman, we raised our collective voice and did so. But they only came out and did that AFTER it was mathematically impossible for her to win. Her wins in South Dakota and West Virginia were the voices of women comfortable to vote for symbolism without having to worry about that vote damaging their chances of winning in the fall. The powers that be wanted a new voice and a change in the political landscape that Barack Obama currently represents.

My hope is that the Democratic party starts to heal soon and the race is between two individuals who are passionate about their view of the way the country should be run and who engage in telling the American people why they believe they should prevail. My prayer is that it is about the issues and not personality, but I am not naive enough to think that partisan politics will not make an appearance in this race. And I hope that Hillary Clinton answers the question as to what she does want in the future and that the party finds a way to move forward and meet those needs. America does need a saviour at this time in history because the story of its greatness could go either way at this crossroads. Let's hope that we elect a team of people who have its best interests at heart. God bless America.

Master Cleanse - Day 12

Can this really be Day 12? I don't believe it myself but it is true. Do I want to quit? Yes I do. To be planning a weekend that included breaking this fast (slowly, starting with orange juice the first day and adding a homemade vegetable soup the next day)would be awesome. But I did not start out to do a 12 Day fast. In my mind I saw myself doing three weeks and at least doing the 10 days as prescribed by Dr. Stanley Burroughs in his book, The Master Cleanser.



And can I just be myself for a minute here? You should not be doing this fast if you could not spend $7.00 to buy Dr. Burroughs book. It is not a long book by today's standards but he breaks everything down very clearly and tells you the whys and hows of what it is and why it works. Everything else you read on the web is other people's opinions and interpretations of what was his life's work. You can purchase it on Amazon.com - use the title as a keyword.

Okay, enough of my rant. Peter Glickman has also written about the diet in his book Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days but I have not read his book. Other people have said good things about it. And I don't want anyone to read this journal about my time doing this fast and to think, well, this is a great and easy diet - actually it is not. It is not easy to only drink the lemonade for 10 or more days at a time. Our world is not structured that way. Everywhere I drive I see food establishments, and grocery stores - and can we talk about the street vendors with the amazing aromas coming from their carts and vehicles? You have to be doing this for a reason and if it is for more than just the desire to lose a couple of pounds then you can do it and make it to the end.

I had many reasons for doing this fast. I have recently opened my own business after years of pouring my work and efforts into helping other businesses succeed. Last year I spent many days in poor health. Recently I saw my weight start to creep up and in the span of four months I had gained ten pounds. I knew this was because of the cold weather and my lack of motivation to go outside and walk in the cold but it was still a warning sign. And my thought process as a creative and visionary individual was more jumbled and had lost a sense of clarity. So I knew that now was a time to regain my sense of self, including the energy, drive and my love of life. So I needed this break or fast. Fortunately for me, my husband also felt a need in his life to do the same and we are flowing together and in sync.

So that is what I am here, writing about this journey. The aches and pains are gone and my sinuses have stopped clogging up and giving me headaches. Today feels like just another day but I am grateful to be alive, thankful to be in this moment and I expect great things in my future. Now I'm going to have another glass and then get to work...

The Master Cleanse - Day 11

Wow, I am amazed and thankful that I made it to this day. Especially since I am now in the process of cooking an amazing curried chicken dinner to take to a friend. (Yes, I am sipping lemonade and filling my kitchen with the great smells of onion, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, soya sauce and more.) Yes, the scents are enough to drive one crazy. But I'm doing it to give to a really good person so it is worth it.

I've lost 10 lbs during this fast but I gained a new peace and calm that I did not have before and I also have gained a new confidence in myself and in my own self control. It is nice to reaffirm that nothing controls me but my love for my God and my family. For me personally, that is a good thing to know inside my spirit.



Ok, it is 1:45 pm and I have just finished the first part of my meal. I grilled the chicken on my stove top but it released so much fat onto the grill that they almost had a fried texture instead of a grilled one but the skin was crisp and brown and they smelled great. I chopped up 4 Roma tomatoes, one small onion and a half cup of mushrooms and I sauted them with garlic. Then I added 1/2 a can of Campbell's Mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of sour cream and a cup of soy milk (I'm trying to use things in the fridge that will definitely go bad before I finish this fast). I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, a sprig of thyme and a teaspoon of the masala curry powder. This is a Trinidadian curry not an Indian curry so it is a different spice mix than you might be used to. But the creamy spicy mixture was poured all over the chicken and then I covered it all and placed it in the oven to meld the tastes together. My dog is wondering where his portion is. Wait til he hears that it is all leaving the house...



I'm looking at the cupboards to see what else I should cook now that I have the chance to get this food out of the house. I have some red and white potatoes left so I think I will chop them into rustic chunks and let them marinate in a lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, smoked salt, chopped cilantro and fresh thyme vinaigrette for an hour and then I'll roast them in the oven when I take the chicken out. That will get rid of them all in a tasty manner. Then I'll sit down with another glass of my delicious Lemonade...



The potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. At least that is how they look - I can't taste even one. I did put a little of the marinade on my tongue to make sure the seasoning was good and it was. I added some Basmati Rice (cooked with the other half of the can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and some Red Kidney Beans, with steamed mixed vegetables with Lemon Butter as the last side.



I've packed it all up and it is ready to go. Now I'm going to have another glass of my lemonade. That is it for today. I feel good but I do wish I was tearing into one serving of this dinner, lol...

Master Cleanse - Day 9

Hello all. Day nine and going strong but I am a little discouraged about nine days and only nine pounds off - am I being a little unreasonable? I guess because I'm exercising along with my fast (yes, I do have the energy to do an hour of exercise), so I think I should see more. Oh well, getting discouraged does not solve problems and quiting before an assignment is finished is not a behavior pattern that I wish to develop. So I'm going to check the message boards to see if I can find some encouraging news there.
I'll be right back...

12:00 noon - My sinus problem is getting worse and it is very annoying. I'm toughing it out tho. There were many encouraging messages on the boards but surprisingly enough I found alot more messages of failure so I decided to quit while I was ahead

Master Cleanser Detox Fast - Day 8

For some reason today my sinuses are blocked and congested and it feels like I'm in an airplane that is descending rapidly or I'm coming down the Mountains in my car. Ugh! I hate this feeling. I feel tired and sluggish but I know this means my system is finally getting rid of the toxins. I increased my cayenne pepper intake yesterday too so maybe that plays a part here.

I'm thankful that my schedule is light today and I can catch up on my reading and read some editing manuals to keep my knowledge base current. The lemonade is refreshing today and in my break from writing I took a sinus pill and I can feel the pressure in my sinuses easing up.

Chachi the California dog is not very active today. He is getting older (he is 12)and he loves to sleep and eat treats. He does not like to go for long walks or to share confidences. he prefers to be left alone, unless you wanted to brush his coat for an hour. He is a handsome boy though...