Rapier's Wit

Yes, slightly less big girls do cry. This isn't baseball! On March 27, 2010 I promised that when I reached 90 days I would post my before and after photos. This wasn't an easy task because my vanity often gets the better of me. Honestly, it wasn't my trite sense of narcissism that held me back from posting full length photos. I just never wanted anyone to know exactly how fat I was. This journey is a lifelong quest for improved health. Thank you for coming along for the ride and, quite possibly, joining me on your own path toward healthfulness. Now, enjoy the video and pardon the mess.

Every time a birthday approaches -- my own -- I tend to paint a mental picture of how grandiose it will pan out.  As it unfolds, reality doesn't meet the fantasy hopes and dreams. But I manage to turn a year older and deal with the fact that for most people, a birthday is just another day of the year.  Expecting other people to treat my birthday like a national holiday is utter nonsense and it is up to me to make it spectacular even if I am the only one attending the party. What better ensemble to celebrate, not only the anniversary of my birth (I'll be 45 this August), but also the mid transformation of my body than with an exquisite red dress ! I've never owned a red dress other than my junior year, polyester show choir dress.  At least I know red is a color that suits me. When I was younger my modesty stood in the way.  I thought red was an ostentatious hue. As I aged my weight was my excuse. Mislead, I believed such a brilliant tone would make me look bigger. N...

Our household was always filled with music.  Whether it be records being played, Mom's lovely voice trickling from the kitchen or Dad blowing the harmonica or strumming his ukulele.  Song was a huge part of my childhood. Today is Father's Day and I am missing my Dad no less than I did when he passed away in 1999.  Harold Lester Rapier left behind a legacy with his ten children.  I am his youngest daughter.  We had a very special relationship. Of course my other siblings might argue that they were his favorite, but I know deep down I was the one held dearest *snort*.  He always made time to make me feel special amongst the fiery brood of children in the house.  He'd take me to his barbershop on Sundays to help him clean.  Most often I dilly dallied with a broom while he wrote to the Daily Journal's Voice of the People column.  When he had a motorcycle I'd willfully tag along no matter where he went.  He told me I was the perfect riding ...

Late nights and early mornings provide an assault of infomercials from that steamer sanitizer gadget and hair care products to workout programs guaranteed to get you in the best shape of your life.  In the past, I have been guilty of ordering the weight loss products only to try them a couple of times and when the fat didn't instantly melt away those dvds with all the diet inserts would find a home nestled away with dust bunnies on the back of my book shelf. Then, as most of you know, I was bitten with the fitness bug.  Basically what that means is that, mentally, I was ready to get in shape, lose weight and be committed to it for a lifetime.  It wasn't until then I began seeing remarkable results.  I had to overcome the pitfall period that usually got the better of me in the past with other diets.  The only way this was accomplished was by having support and encouragement from friends and my online support system of Beachbody.  Initially the weight wasn'...

Ya know how you'll be going about your business and not really looking for a song that speaks to you? You hear the introduction and it grabs you. Then, the lyrics start to trickle into your ears and *click*. You'd swear the lyricist knows you better than you know yourself.  So, you hop on the Internet and look for the song to find, as you suspected, that it's by one of your favorite recording artists.  Sarah McLachlan has done it again.  She's recorded some songs that seem to get me.  One in particular really seems to have been written for little ol' me.  I've featured her new release Laws of Illusion in the widget over yonder to the right.  That's the deluxe edition complete with videos. To make life less complicated and to relieve you of the task of searching for the lyrics or song I speak of today, here you go. It's a simple little diddy.  But in life, sometimes it is the simplest things that give the greatest pleasure.

OK, it's no secret that I'm on a journey to get fit; get healthy; lose weight.  Jeepers! I talk about it ad nauseam. On March 27 I made a commitment to help rid the world of obesity.  Naturally that vow had to start at home.  Yesterday was one day past laundry day.  That means I had run out of pants to wear to work.  EEK! With that mind, it meant having to wear that one pair of trousers that I dislike.  This particular pair was always just shy of being high-waters. Additionally, they sit just below the natural waistline which, unfortunately at my weight, caused the spectacular cascade of muffin toppery.  Yes, such a lovely look on a 44 year old woman.  In wintery sweater weather it wasn't so bad because bulky cable knits or a jacket covered up the embarrassing feature. Alas, I couldn't call in sick from work or wear jeans because everything else was dirty.  At least I had clean underpants.  First I was able to pull the pants up witho...

Whether or not you want your birthday acknowledged, it still comes around year after year.  Even after people pass away we tend to celebrate the birth of the loved one.  For me, what it all boils down to is giving thanks that someone I care about was put on this earth and is part of my life.  At work, I buy birthday cards for every employee and pass it around for others to sign.  It's not much, but at least their day isn't overlooked.  One of my co-workers humorously proclaimed herself a BIRTHZILLA.  She celebrates her birthday weeks before and after the actual date.  While I teased her greatly for it, I think to a certain level it is up to us to make sure the world knows we're here another year and the anniversary of our first slap on the ass needs to be glorified.  June 10th marks a very special birth.  The person who will turn 45 has become one of the dearest people in my life.  He's not a newcomer but his re-entry into my realm ha...

Excitement is buzzing all over Team Beachbody for a new fitness program that can burn 9X the fat and calories of traditional aerobic programs.  It's called TURBO FIRE⌐ . Creator Chalene Johnson has brought us booty shakin', high kicking and punching Turbo Jam (a personal favorite) and ChaLEAN Extreme .  This new fat blasting 10 dvd set consists of 12 workouts guaranteed to melt away the pounds of stubborn weight.  Chalene and her team pick out some of the best music to keep you motivated while the sweat drips down your back. The key component of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It will also contain everything you need to get started toward your ultimate beach body.  Couple this phenomenal program with Shakeology , Team Beachbody Meal Plan (newly updated for Club members) and in no time you'll be calling Goodwill to pick up all your clothes because you'll be shopping for smaller ensembles that show off your head turning physique! Check out the link for Tu...

Once again I was checking out amazon.com for MP3 bargains and freebies when the soundtrack to " Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory " soundtrack caught my eye.  Not long ago I was searching high and low for the song "Pure Imagination" after it was used in a commercial for a product I cannot recall.  It's a cute commercial ... for something.  Adorable, child like creatures parading around the city ... not a clue. I do know that I love the song and was at a loss because it wasn't available for legal digital download anywhere that I poked around on the web.  Now it is!! I'm willing to bet my last dollar that the use of the song for the product that does not ring a bell at the moment demanded release of the soundtrack.  According to the information on Amazon.com it was just made available digitally June 1, 2010.  It was always a wonderful family time at the Rapier household when the movie aired once a year.  Television, if you recall, wasn't like it ...