Happy Belated Christmas!

Happy Belated Christmas! This year my family gathered at my house for Christmas Day brunch. As you can see from the pictures below we had plenty of food to go around. I made my infamous Orange-Mango Mimosa's. They were quite tasty! On a serious note, I have one more week before I start my diet. I guess rice cakes will have to be my comfort food. I'm dreading it, but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do!

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EA SPORTS Active 2 Fitness

Hello All,

I must admit that staying motivated is my biggest problem on this journey to weight loss. Therefore, I've alerted my family and we are all trying to get or stay fit. With that being said, my cousin hosted an EA SPORTS Active 2 Fitness House Party. We were all excited and she had the works: Resistance Bands, Healthy snacks, Weight Scale, and a Blood Pressure machine. Oh how I like themed parties! Anyway, the game is fairly expensive, but it's worth the $99.00. As you can see from the pictures, you get a great work-out and have fun while doing so. This game gets you up and moving. Check it out!

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It's the Holiday, but that's no reason to drive drunk

WRAP's 2010 Holiday SoberRide program will be offered from 10:00 pm, Friday, December 17 to 6:00 am, Saturday, January 1, 2011. To receive a free cab ride home (up to a $30.00 fare), please call 800-200-8294 (TAXI) or #8294 (TAXI) on your AT&T wireless phone. Please refer to the SoberRide information listed below for important details concerning this program. You must be 21 or older to use the SoberRide service
Important note:  All requests for SoberRide service must be called to and dispatched from 1-800-200-8294.  Do not call a taxi company directly for SoberRide service as the ride will not be covered under this program.

General SoberRide Information

WRAP's SoberRide , called one of the nation's most successful free cab ride programs for would-be impaired drivers, has helped to ensure greater Washington, DC residents have a safe way home on high-risk holidays. Since 1993, WRAP has provided over 49,000 safe rides home.
Currently, SoberRide operates during the December/January holiday season, St. Patrick's Day, Independence Day and Halloween.
WRAP's SoberRide provides a free cab ride home up to a $30 fare.
Callers are financially responsible for anything over $30.
You must be 21 or older to use the SoberRide service. All calls must originate in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland; the Cities of Rockville, Bowie, College Park, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt and Takoma Park in Maryland; the District of Columbia; Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and Eastern Loudoun Counties in Virginia; and the Cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas and Manassas Park in Virginia.
You cannot reserve a SoberRide or schedule a pickup in advance. To receive a ride, you must call 1-800-200-8294 (TAXI) or #8294 (TAXI) on your AT&T wireless phone during the program hours. A SoberRide call operator will direct your request to the correct participating cab company.
Participating Taxi Companies:
Alexandria Yellow Cab (Alexandria)
Barwood, Inc. (Montgomery County)
Fairfax Yellow Cab (Fairfax County)
Loudoun Yellow Cab (Eastern Loudoun County)
Manassas Cab Company (Prince William County)
Red Top Cab Company (Arlington County)
Silver Cab of Prince George's County (Prince George's County)
Yellow Cab of District of Columbia (District of Columbia)
Yellow Cab of Prince William County (Prince William County)
When waiting for a SoberRide, please watch for a cab from the participating taxi company in the area from which you are calling.

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Obese, Not Me!

According to my Body Mass Index (BMI) - I'm Obese! I say to myself that I've seen Obese people and I'm not one of them. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm thick in all the right place! I find that as I surf the net for someone to agree with me that I'm not obese and it's not happening. They can't really think that I'm obese. They are crazy! What is wrong with them? Maybe, I will try the easy way out. I can't afford Liposuction, nor can I afford to stay put during the recovery time. I could try injection lipolysis (nonsurgical solution to stubborn, localized fat). Oops, I can't afford that either.

In my own words, I had to tell myself: GIRL, YOU TRIPPING!

I've always heard: The first step to recovery is admiting that you have a problem. I AM OBESE, ARE YOU?

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is an estimate of your body fat, based on your height and weight.
The higher your BMI, the higher your risk of developing such conditions as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes.

BMI For Adults Widget

 

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AIDS awareness & Keep A Child Alive

December is AIDS Awareness Month!

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), attacks the immune system, and is spread by sexual contact with infected persons, needle sharing, or through transfusions with infected blood. Infected women can transmit the virus to their newborns before, during, or after birth.
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Keep A Child Alive (KCA) is dedicated to providing life-saving AIDS treatment, care and support services to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS. KCA currently funds 10 orphan care and clinical sites in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa.

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Borders Offers Free $15 Gift Cards to Patrons on December 4th and 5th

E Harmon, Yahoo! Contributor Network

If your holiday shopping plans include any book or other media purchases, consider shopping at Borders on December 4^th and 5^th. Customers making purchases at Borders book stores on December 4^th and 5^th will be provided with a $15 gift card to donate to the public school of their choice.

The documentary "Waiting for Superman" takes a harsh look at the state of America's public school system. In an effort to support and improve the status of America's public schools, Borders is teaming up with the DonorsChoose.org to offer the $15 gift cards as an incentive for patrons to support whichever public school they choose.

The $15 gift card will be provided for any customer making an in-store purchase at Borders on December 4^th or 5^th. The purchase may be books, a coffee drink at the coffee bar, or any number of other items Borders offers. The $15 gift card will be donated to the school of choice via the website DonorsChoose.org.

The Associated Press has reported that patrons purchasing the documentary companion book, "Waiting for Superman: How we can Save America's Failing Public Schools," will be entitled to an additional $15 gift card to donate.

Patrons making purchases at Borders book stores on December 4^th and 5^th can not only specify which public school they would like their $15 gift card to be donated to, but even which classroom to donate the gift card to.

With the large selection of media items, lattes and sweet treats, games, and more offered at Borders everyone should be able to find something on their holiday gift list to purchase on December 4^th and 5^th. This effort by Borders to support public schools is commendable and will hopefully spark other companies to be as involved in supporting our nation's all-important public schools.

References:

http://tweentribune.com/borders

Associated Press

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Red Light Ticket for turning on red

I received a $150 ticket in the mail a couple of months ago. Anyway, I admit that I made a right on red at the intersection. To my defense, my drivers manual said that you can make a right turn on right. I don't remember, but I thought that I came to a complete stop. I'm a good driver, so I can't imagine that I didn't stop. Also, there wasn't a No Turn On Red sign posted. Long story short, I decided to fight the ticket. Check out a picture of my so-called illegal maneuver and tell me what you think.

As you can see there is a gray Volkswagen Bug in front of my car. They are going through the red light. They should have received the ticket. Now you see why I thought that the ticket was sent to me in error. Also did you notice that the camera took a picture of my car behind the line. How do you get a ticket before you commit the crime. I was tagged before I went through the light. I denied the ticket through the mail-in Adjudication Service. Yesterday, I received a hearing record saying that I'm liable for the ticket. Did they even look at the picture? Adjudication's response was that I didn't come to a complete stop. WHAT THE???? How does a camera tell if I came to a complete stop. This is crazy! My next thought was to appeal the decision. Unfortunately, you can't appeal it in person. You have to send in the amount of the ticket and a $10 appeal fee, which brings the total up to $160. Absolutely Ridiculous! What type of craziness is this? There goes the money for my new digital camera. :-(

The moral of the story is make sure you come to a complete stop before proceeding right on red, or expect a red light camera ticket in the mail.

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Happy Belated Thanksgiving

Hello All,

It's been awhile since I've wrote anything and unfortunately this entry will be really quick. Anyway, I hope that you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I did! This year I house-hopped (went to several houses). As always my best friend's family cooked like it was their last supper. Below is a picture of some of their food! As you can see there is no such thing as Guilt-Free Gluttony!

 

I tasted a little bit of this and that. My Aunt Mari's GUMBO was on point. Mmm Mmm Good! I starved myself all week just to get a spoonful of Ma Rita's gravy. Everything that Mrs. Carol cooks is good (no need to name her dishes).  Bad News: The holiday is always hard for someone that is trying to lose weight. Good News: I didn't gain any extra weight. I guess I'm keeping it steady. 

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Who Rang Us? - Find out who just called you

Lately, I've been getting a lot of wrong number and heavy breathing phone calls! At first I assumed that it was crazy people who just had the wrong number but didn't have enough sense to just say so. Unfortunately, it turns out that most of the calls were for my daughter and they just were too afraid to ask for her. Like you, I'm still confused as to why she gave her friends my number. These kids even call me to pick them up from school when they miss their bus. As if I don't have a life! Anyway, If you would like to find out who's on the other end check out this site. Not bad, it was also able to trace a cell phone number.

Who Rang Us? - Find out who just called you

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Don't WEIGHT-hate! Grab a plate, and participate!

Hello Everyone,

I'm trying very hard to change my eating habits and maintain a healthy lifestyle. My co-worker's have been very helpful, sometimes too helpful. Actually, they've turned into the Food Police. They always want to know what I'm eating, how I'm cooking it, etc. They are really getting on my nerves, but I love them for caring and staying on me. Anyway, one of them recommended that I use http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. It's a free online calorie counter and diet plan. It helps me lose weight by tracking my caloric intake.  Below is my maximum calorie intake in order to get to my ideal weight.

• Calories:  1,720
• Carbs:   237
• Fat:   57
• Protein:  65

The first day that I enter my stats the darn program told me that I had eaten 600 calories over my recommended daily calorie intake. I felt so bad, so the rest of this week I've really been watching what I eat. Below is a list of items that i've been eating.

• Green Tea with Mint
• Strawberry Honey Bunches of Oats
• 2% milk
• Bananas
• Tuna
• Fruit and Grain Cereal Bar
• Salad with Balsamic Vingerette
• Cracker Crisps
• Vitamin Water
• Water
• Cranberry Juice
• Salmon
• Roasted Broccoli

 These aren't the healthiest items, but the calories are much lower than I'm use to. Seriously, It's a big change for me! If I eat another salad, I'm going to pass out. To make matters worst, I've only had one cup of coffee this week. This is the worst!

Check out my lastest picture. I'm no Kim Kardasian, but I'm getting there! LOL!

Smooches,

Felicia

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Black Tea Rinse - Does it really stop hair shedding?

Ladies,

I ran across this You Tube video and decided to share it. Thanks to my stylist, my hair is not shedding and is what I consider healthly. With that being said, it still seems interesting enough to try!

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What Happened To My Girlish Figure?

Hello It's Felicia signing on,

I must say that I've gained a lot of weight over the years. It's unfortunate that I didn't care until last week when my daughter came prancing out of her room in her homecoming dress.

Jasmine (15 years old) 98 pounds!

I thought to myself: Dag, I use to be skinny! So, as I chomped down on a Little Debbie's honey bun. I said enough is enough. I decided that I'm going to start my journey to lose weight.  As I look at myself in the mirror, I tell myself that I look good, but I know that I can look better. I notice that most of my weight is in my mid-section, but my focus is to get rid of my three stomachs and two necks. My fat butt weigh 240 pounds! I need to lose 40 pounds. Of course, i'm not going to stop there, but losing 40 pounds is all that I can commit to at the present time. For pete's sake, Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner! I know that I'm going to break down and eat turkey,macaroni and cheese, stuffing, etc. Please be patient with me as I stop and start my diet. As I moan and cry about straving. Even though the doctor didn't tell me, but I have to get it together before I give myself a heart attack!

Stay tuned! If you don't hear from me in a couple of days then more than likely, I'm standing in the line at Cold Stone ordering a Strawberry Shortcake! Um, Um, Good! Don't let the photo fool you. Black is slimming!

Me (34 years old) 240 pounds!

Smooches,

Felicia

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