A 3 year inventory and Game on! update

It is now approaching three years since we moved from Illinois, land of wind, snow and water, to Arizona, the land of five seasons--fall, winter, spring, summer, and hell.  We thought we had just thrown off the last chains tying us down to Illinois by changing our cell phone numbers to give Arizona our sales tax.  However, the Illinois Department of Incompetence, I mean Unemployment, has us going through hoops due to a clerical error initiated by Motorola paperwork and compounded by the state.  If you want to read full details, read my husband's blog.  We have been having glorious weather--cool, spring-like weather in the morning and warm, summer like weather in the afternoon.  The orange and lemon trees are blooming, filling the air with a perfume more potent than lilac bushes and giving misery to those who have allergies.  One realization that I made this week is how few wild critters I see flattened on the side of the road.  I do see some dogs and cats and an occasional bird, but nothing like the native equivalent to raccoon, squirrels, or rabbits.  We live in the center of a huge metropolitan area, where main roads are 5 lanes minimum, including a middle turn lane.  It's funny how I used to get sad whenever I saw a dead animal on the side of the road when we lived in Illinois and now I get sad that I don't see dead wild animals at the side of the road because it means we are in a big city where wildlife is kept in a zoo or preserve.   I think if we lived more in the outskirts of the area, we would see more wildlife, probably of the scorpion and black widow variety.  So maybe I should consider myself blessed :-).

I just finished week two of Game On! with my SIL and many Minnesotans who are either her friends or family.  We are playing it as an individual competition. I am not in danger of winning the game at this point, unless the two lead people crumble at the end  (which I really don't want to happen) and my last two weeks are perfect.  That is the "bad" news.  The good news is that I am losing weight, getting more sleep, and no longer feel as lethargic.  I have discovered that sometimes healthy food is fast food if you stock up on it.  nuts and cheese sticks are my go-to foods for snacks.  The other good news is that I am working out six days a week for about 20 minutes a day doing things around the house.  I am checking out yoga DVDs from the library for stretching and strengthening and doing interval training three times a week.  And there is a high intensity training program on the Game On! website that caused the muscles in my body to yell at  me and almost go on strike for two days at the torture I put them through the first time I did it.  This week, they merely grumbled.  Ultimately, I am feeling stronger and have more energy.  I would like to bring in some Arizona friends to challenge the Minnesotans in an April challenge.  I figure that if I play the game five or six times, I will be able to win at least one of them and maybe even get down to my pre-baby weight.  That is better than winning a prize.  So the question is, does anyone else want to play?