With only 12 days left until the end of this election season, we’ll be hearing a lot more talk (from both parties) about how happy they are that it’s almost over. And while I definitely agree, the question that keeps me up at night is, then what?

To know me is to know where my allegiances are. But I woke up this morning thinking about what, actually, will change—regardless of who wins the election? Whether it’s HRC or DJT, their presidency will be plagued by discontent, malcontents, and Bill Maher. And this is why I’m concerned about what the next four years will bring with either of these candidates as POTUS.

I still have a civic duty, however. I firmly believe that if you don’t vote (regardless of who you vote for) then you can seriously STFU. Me? I will be honored to cast my vote for the first female president of the United States. (Okay, only a little bit of a pro-HRG post.)

So while there’s still 12 days of mudslinging to go, let’s think about what the next four years have in store for us. Hang on to your hats. I think it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

It’s hard to believe, but Chris and I will be celebrating our 10^th wedding anniversary this June. There were some who said we wouldn’t make it 6 months (you know who you are). But make it we have!

10 years and 2 kids later, I’m definitely not the svelte vixen I was back then. I am in shape—round is a shape, isn’t it? 😉 Actually, for those who know me, I have lost 35 pounds since last May. The bad news is I still have over 30 pounds to go. Gah! Fortunately, I have the help of modern medicine.

While I enjoy the kickstart my weight loss drugs have provided, I know I also have to modify my behaviors—I won’t be on drugs forever. This is proving to be more difficult than I imagined. It’s not like I go around chowing down on everything in sight. One of my problems is actually the opposite—I don’t eat often enough. As a result, my body conspires against me fights to keep every calorie since it worries there won’t be another meal coming for weeks. ((Thanks to our Neanderthal ancestors for the keep-it-just-in-case gene.))

Another bad habit which is directly related to the problem above is that when I do eat, my portion control is out of control. I eat too much, usually too fast. Oh, and let’s not forget that by the time I realize I’m hungry the evil side of my brain has taken over and a salad just won’t cut it.

Problem #3. Exercise. Between the duties of being a wife, a mother (times 2), an employee, and a zoo keeper, there’s not a lot of time to eek out 30-60 minutes of exercise a week, let alone a day. Sure, I could get up at 6:00 a.m., but I just don’t see that happening anytime soon. To say that I am NOT a morning person is an understatement. I guess I could stop blogging. Hah! My getting up at 6:00 a.m. is more likely to happen. 😉

So that’s where I am. Stuck between a diet drug and bad habits. Something’s gotta give.

This post was generously brought to you by weight loss pills. While these are not the pills I’m taking, different things work for different people. 🙂

If you’ve subscribed to The Web-Betty Blog, please let me know if there are problems. I had no clue what I was doing. It took 5 days and NO help from the WordPress forums to accomplish this. Now I get to do it for 10 things I hate about your site. Hopefully that will go just as smooth. Only quicker.

Maybe this sweeping blog change is a reflection of all the other changes we’ve been going through as a family. 2008 has proved (thus far) to be a very challenging and whirlwind year for the Johnsons.

We’ve had some personal crises to overcome. There are a few of you out there who know what I’m talking about. For those of you who don’t, just know that we are overcoming them and that things are going well. As Longfellow wrote, “Into each life a little rain must fall…“. I also like Lord Byron:

The thorns which I have reap’d are of the tree
I planted; they have torn me, and I bleed.
I should have known what fruit would spring from such a seed.

Of course, if you want better fruit, you simply plant a better tree.

I will not wallow, nor will I expound upon the situation. It’s done and we are moving forward as a family. So, let’s talk about the family in June:

Zachary

Zachary turned 5. We spent the evening at grandma’s pool having a picnic, opening presents, and swimming. It was a great time and Zachary loved his gifts. Then, the next day he got to go to Chuck E. Cheese with his cousins. So far I’d managed to avoid that place for 5 years, but now that he has a taste of it, I’m sure there are more excursions in my future. Is this place one of Dante’s 9 circles of hell?

On the same day as his birthday, Zachary also “graduated” from preschool. He’ll start kindergarten in August. Unbelievable!

Jonah

Jonah continues to be a source of pleasure and a source of frustration. While he is SO smart, and really funny, he does have a temper. There’s usually at least one tantrum a day over taking away something he’s not supposed to have. Thankfully, the tantrums don’t ever last very long and he’s easy to divert. He loves playing with Zachary, and of course all of Zachary’s toys. They do play together well and both love to build with the big legos.

Chris

This year we celebrated Father’s Day at the zoo. It was hot, but it was nice. Zach didn’t want to feed the animals at the petting zoo, but Jonah loved it. Chris loved the elephants, and Zach’s favorite part was riding the train at the end.

Chris and I also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. We went to Universal Citywalk to see the Blue Man Group, then had a wonderful steak dinner. It’s always so odd having an “adult” dinner without the boys. I’m already looking forward to next year. Chris promised that we’d spend our 10th anniversary in the place where it all started—Vegas baby!

As always, there are more pics and slideshows on the Eye Candy page. I’ve uploaded a ton of pictures since the last 2 posts.

Whew, that’s a lot to catch up on. Happy July everyone!