I'm married, work full time and have 2 small boys. My oldest is special needs with multiple health issues and Classic non verbal Autism. My youngest is a total mamma’s boy.
I'm just a mom who is trying to find herself while keeping up with the pressures of working full time while raising a family.
This is the last item remaining from my original bucket list that I made back in high school of all the things I wanted to do after I graduated. Everest base camp. Given that I’m about to turn 50 let’s just say given the physical demands of the trek that I probably shouldn’t put it off much longer. So I planned. I trained. I went. I made it. I lived to tell the story.
I’m a big believer in bucket lists and setting goals in life. I’m always working toward something. I always hear how lucky I am to do things. Luck doesn’t have anything to do with it. I set a goal, came up with a plan and made it happen. I don’t have a genie in my house granting me wishes. I made it happen.
Everything takes work and a sacrifice of some kind to achieve. It does not matter what it is. You sacrifice your time for money. Your money for things. You get up an hour earlier to work out, you just sacrificed sleep for fitness. Little fairies didn’t poof you a fit body. You put in the work and made it happen.
I flat out refuse to be one of the masses just existing and going through the motions of living. Why? We only get so much time on this planet. Why not make it amazing? Why not accomplish your dreams? Why not see the world, run the marathon or climb the mountain?
So I went. It was hard, but I made it. I accomplished my last goal from my high school list. It took me a while to get there, but I made it.
Don’t be afraid to do hard things. Prepare yourself and make it happen. You CAN do it.
The highest pass in Tibet A lake on the wayMaking my way to base campAt base camp pointing at Everest. There was 13 of us in the group but only 5 made it to base camp. Here we are with our guide.
It is offical… I am down 100 lbs since I started getting in shape on October 16th. Nothing fancy. No magic medicine. No surgery. Just diet and exercise.
I know… How BORING. When I told people my plan of loosing at least 100 lbs in a year they all laughed…except my husband who was super supportive and joined in on January 1st and is now down 60 lbs himself.
So how did I do it? I started SLOW. I made changes in my diet first. Small changes. I switched to lower carb options of the foods I already loved. I used my CGM to monitor how differnt foods/combos of foods changed my blood sugars. My goal…Stay in my goal range 100% of the time. I also started logging my foods to see how much I was actually eating in a day. Everything that went in my mouth was logged. Then I started making changes to stay in my calorie range (based off my BMR from a weight loss clinic test where I breathe into a tube on a machine first thing in the morning. It is weird, but gives you a lot of good information if you are looking into loosing weight with diet and exercise). I am still keeping a food log. I started with MYNETDIARY and just switched to MYFITNESSPAL since it syncs with my garmin watch about a month ago or so.
The next change was adding in exercise to get myself from “couch potato” to “hot tamale”. I started simple by going for a walk around the building I work in one lap before work and one lap at lunch. It is a fast 5-10 min walk. Then I moved to 2 laps and eventually 3 laps. I finally joined the gym again so I can get in a longer walk before work when it is still dark out and get access to the pool for my triathlon training. I am now up to walking 2-4 miles a day depending on how much time I have every morning. Starting Monday I will be adding in evening workouts (Monday, Wednesday and some Fridays) of swimming laps and (Tuesdays and Thursdays) riding the exercise bike. I am also still training for my Everest base camp trek so I hike on Saturdays and to help with my triathlon training I do brick workouts (bike then run or in my case, walk fast) on Sundays.
It may sound like a lot but it really isn’t that bad. My walks are 30-60 min in the mornings. Swims are 30 min and the bike is 30-60 min. Hiking depends on where I am going and how far and how steep. My Sunday brick workouts are about an hour. It depends on how much time I have and what we have going on. I meal prep on Sunday afternoons/evenings. No problems with grabbing fast food, take out or a frozen pizza because I’m tired. All the prep is already done and in most cases Dinner is in the crock pot ready to go or fridge just needing a quick zap in the microwave.
It is really all about making small changes one at a time so the changes stick. I didn’t change my diet slashing calories while adding in a boot camp workout at the same time. I eased in. I made changes in my diet to be healthier and make better choices while slowly adding in more activity. Now I can run up the stairs without getting winded (unless I just got home from a ride. I’m not winded. I just have trouble getting my legs to move that way). I am off insulin and 2 pills for my diabeetes. My A1C levels are almost in the “normal” range. Seriously, I am off by 0.1. I told my MD I am aiming to be in the normal range and I was bummed that I missed it by 0.1 but she insists that my results are amazing concidering where I was just over 6 months ago.
I am not at my goal yet, but I have had to purchase all new clothes. I didn’t want to, but there was no avoiding it. Armpit holes on tops and dresses sag to my waist. The crotch on my pants is at my knees and if I put it where it goes the waist of my pants is to my armpits. My first workout with pants that actually fit and are not tucked into my bra was amazing. I got 2 more packs so I have enough pants to last me a week. I have to admit, when the pants came and I took them out of the package and I saw how small they were I really didn’t think they would fit.
Lets talk about the struggle of getting your jeans on. When I started I could not get the size 28 jeans zipped. I tried everything. It was a struggle to get them up and I broke a sweat trying. Peeling them off as an exhausted hot, sweaty mess was no picnic either. I needed to find some jeans that fit me so I pulled out the stack of Levis I got in Summer last year for $7 each. I got every size from 28 (the largest they made) to a 14 (my goal). I started with the 28. It was WAY too big. So I tossed it in my “donation” bin in my room along with the 26 since the 28 was so big and tried the 24. It was also WAY too big so I tossed it and the 22 in the bin and grabbed the 20. The 20 would not even stay up so it got binned. I went for the 18. It was comfortable but a little loose. I tried the 16. It fit but was a little tight. I felt like Goldilocks. I decided to just go with the 18’s. They got binned after the 2nd wear because they would not stay up even after washing and drying. I’m happy to say my 16s are now comfortable and I have my eye on the 14s. I’m so close! I can get them on, but they are just not super comfortable yet. I’m thinking when I get to my goal I may actually fit a 10 or 12 if they have stretch in them to go over my calves. I don’t think I have been that small since I was in Jr. High.
So that’s my progress post. I have added a side by side photo so you can see what a difference 100 lbs makes.
Set goals. Make a plan and stick to it editing as needed.
The difference a year makesWhen you loose that much weight you get a lot of hanging skin. I had a consult with a medical spa about skin tightening. Apparently it’s more than they can handle and I’ll need to see a plastic surgeon when I get to my goal in another 50 lbs. let’s just say I have a lot of loose skin.
Wow! It seems so weird that the time is almost here! I started planing this adventure shortly after my 45th birthday. I wanted to do something EPIC for my 50th birthday. I knew something the scale of what I had in mind was going to take some work. I already had my plan to see the Northern Lights but wanted to start work on my epic adventure.
I started by reading some books on the Everest base camp trek. This was back in 2019 just before the pandemic started when I got back from my solo trip to the UK to see Stonehenge and Scotland.
Up next was going to see the Northern lights in Feb 2021… Lets just say that didn’t happen with the pandemic travel restrictions still in full swing. But I eventually got there. I saw the lights dancing accross the sky. I could then focus on my next goal… Everest.
The books I read were on the training and gear needed to make the trek. With all the pandemic restrictions I was watching things closely to see if I could even make it happen especially after my Northern Lights trip got bumped from 2021, to 2022 and finally happened 2023. I finally booked my trek WAY in advance since I was working so much overtime I wanted it to go toward something fun. I booked Everest. With all the overtime I also booked a trip to the UK with my husband as well.
I needed to make some changes. I picked 1 year prior to my trip and put my foot down at work. I started getting in shape. My family and friends freaked out as I told them of my plans. But one thing they all agreed with… You can’t get more epic than Everest.
Of course my Mom wanted to know why I can’t just be normal and go to Hawaii to celebrate my birthday or something. Mom, I have never been that person. You know that. If you want “normal” look at my siblings. I will forever keep you on your toes. What is “normal” anyway? Work, go home, watch TV, go to bed repeat ad-nauseum? Pass.
I want to go new places, see new things and try things I have never tried before. I want to experience other cultures. I don’t mind working hard to do those things either. I am fine with sacrificing some “normal” things for experiences. For example… I don’t have cable and I have not had it since 2005 when I left my ex-husband who cared more about booze, drugs and his TV shows than me. I make my own coffee at home rather than grabbing starbucks on the way to work. I pack my lunch every day. We make dinner at home rather than grabbing take out or going out to eat. Now, I’m not saying that I never go out because we do. It is just the exception rather than the rule.
Back to Everest… Here I am almost 100 lbs lighter. Now I still have a ways to go but I am better than when I started. Lets talk gear… I have needed to acquire some different things for this trip. A special duffel bag for the Sherpas to take from tea house to tea house in Tibet. A special sleeping bag for the tea houses. Water purification tablets, shots, anti altitude sickness medication and antibiotics just incase something gets through my water purification efforts. With my weight loss I have also needed a new coat and new pants. I have gone back and forth between my hiking boots or trail running shoes and I am more comfortable in my trail running shoes so I’ll probably take those. Many places have spotty power so they recommend a battery to charge your devices. I got a solar one just incase it is a while before we find reliable power in the Himalayas. I’ll charge everything up in Kathmandu before I head out to Tibet.
Overall, I think I am set. I will be going through my checklist and starting to pack this week so I have time to get anything else I need. I never pack this early, but when I am going to be so remote that power and clean water are hard to find and it is reccomended that I bring my own toilet paper for the squat toilets and body wipes since showers will be rare. I added in a really cool hand washing bag thing for laundry and my favorite travel clothesline so I can do laundry in the evenings if I have access to water. I like to travel light so I am hoping the laundry bag thing works good. It may come with me on all my trips that are longer than a few days if it works well.
On a training hike with my husband. I’m not sunburnt. I’m hot and hiking in a sundress. We picked the day and got a sitter for the kids. Then the weather was over 100 degrees. We should have just gone kayaking.
So here I am. Almost a year after deciding to change my life and how did I do so far?
The first change I made was to stop working all the overtime. Going from working 6 days a week and 10-12 hours a day to only 40 hours a week like a normal person. A year later I have stuck to my guns and when I am asked to do overtime I simply say I am just one person so maybe they should hire enough staff to work all the hours they need. That has not stopped my job from trying to work us to death in our regular work hours. That lasted up until I injured my shoulder. While investigating this work injury it came out that a job that should be done by at least 6 people is being handled by 2.5 people and 2 of the 3 of us there got pulled to do other things leaving me to cover the work of 6 people and per my many, many emails that is how mistakes get made and how people get injured. With me being on modified while my shoulder heals things have gotten interesting now that other entities have gotten involved and the many, many complaints I have logged in regards to safety in the past years now have come to light. I am hoping that by the end of the year things change to make it a safe work enviroment with a reasonable workload.
The second change I made was to get my health back. Things slipped with me working so much and I wanted to get in shape and get back to exercising again. I’m happy to say that I have done great things there too. With diet and exercise I have lost almost 100 lbs in the last year…OK, I am officially down 97 lbs for a year of hard work, but I’m soooo close to 100 that I’ll just call it 100. I should hit 100 in just another 2-3 weeks. I look and feel so much better even though I still have a long way to go. When I started I could not fasten my size 28 jeans. I am now a solid size 14/16 depending on the brand. My favorite lounge pants are so big on me I can wear them as a strapless romper because the waist comes all the way up to my armpits. I still find it shocking when I get something new and it looks so small but actually fits me perfectly and things that use to fit just fall off. I have turned my favorite old t-shirts into nightshirts. All the bottoms had to go. There was no way to save those. Then I have a bin of favorite dresses and tops that I will alter once I get to my goal.
The only things I have not gotten worked out for my health is a daily yoga practice and a daily skincare routine. But overall, I’m calling the year a win.
I am AWFUL at taking care of my skin. I just wash my face in the shower in the morning. I almost never remember to put on my moisturizer in the morning and I pretty much only remember the evening one maybe once every other month. I am horrible at it. I guess it’s OK since I rarely wear makeup either.
Now in regards to yoga, I LOVE it! I really want to have a daily practice to wind down and stretch in the evenings. I just can’t seem to get it together. For starters, I need a place to practice. We have a great space in our living room, but between my husband, 2 active boys and a german sheppard me pulling out my mat and having a nice, relaxing session just is not going to happen in there. I have tried going into the garage but it is usually in some form of a disaster and the floor is always dirty. So my last option is our bedroom but since I am inside It is just not relaxing because I can hear the kids fighting and my husband yelling at them downstairs and frankly, most of the time it sounds like someone is loosing at Jimunji and the heard of wild animals is running through my house. I’ll figure it out.
So far I have made good progress. As I near my 50th Birthday in October I will be setting more goals for the next year, 5 years and 10 years. Health and wellness is still going to be a focus. I have found a local crochet group and will try to learn to crochet. It is suppose to be good for stress. It will also help with my creative outlet. Along the line of managing my stress I will still try to get that regular yoga practice going. The 3rd thing I will be doing to manage my stress is I will be leaving the gallery. I was at 2 galleries. Then I dropped to 1. Looking at things it is just not a good time for me. Working the monthly shift is super inconvienent as all of the shifts are in the middle of the day. It is a giant time suck at a time when I don’t have much time to spare. So I am letting it go.
I am sticking with my diet and exercise plan. I have enjoyed the hikes while I prepared for Everest so I’ll keep hiking. I’ll also add in more kayaking. That will also be good for stress relief. I love being out in nature on the water and living so close to it I have wanted a kayak since we moved here 8 years ago. I finally got one at the end of the summer as they clear out the summer goods to make room for Christmas.
The whole time I have been typing this out I have been debating on releasing my big secret I have been keeping. As I have been pondering my next steps and what bucket list item I want to tick off my list next I have decided to train for my 1st triathalon. I was going to do it in 2025, but when I was researching what one I wanted to be my 1st I saw one on my actual 50th birthday. The temptation was too much. I signed up and I have kept it quiet. My husband knows, obviously. But with me already getting in shape no one I know has noticed that I tweaked what I was doing to make this possible. I plan on announcing to to the world the day after my birthday. I am already signed up for 4 more races in 2025. The multisport training will help me get and stay in shape and works my whole body so it is right in line with my fitness goals.
I have not forgot travel. My husband and I had a fantastic time in the UK in the spring. I took him outside of his comfort zone and he actually enjoied it. A month after we got back he asked me if I would be OK changing our plans on Hawaii in 2025 to going back to Cabo San Lucas in 2025… Um, yes! He is ready to do it my way so we are staying in a small family owned hotel with I think 8 rooms Where I had to make the reservations in Spanish. The location is awesome and I’m taking my husband outside his comfort zone again to experience a bunch of things he has never done before. I am excited to ramp up his sense of adventure…hopefully.
It isn’t just my husband… I take my kids outside their comfort zones too to try new things as well. They show fear much better than my husband. It isn’t like I drag them out to go skydiving and push them out of the plane or anything. I just taken them to new places and have them try new things. My boys are 9 and 12 now and have their Dad’s sense of adventure. Once they try something they usually have fun.
I still have my long solo trip to Nepal and Tibet coming up soon where I am doing all kinds of things. I’m excited about some of the things I have planned. It is one hell of a way to end my 1st 50 years with an epic adventure that has taken me at least 3 years to plan… and it is quite the epic adventure that I have planned. Then I will start my next 50 years with a triathalon ticking yet one more item off my bucket list with my triathalon.
Overall, not a bad year and I have a lot more adventure coming up.
I was reviewing my bucket list after returning from my latest trip to the UK where I could check off a few more items.
Stay the night in a castle-check
See the Crown Jewels-check
Ok, what else is on here? Everest… I’m doing that in September. Let’s see… do a triathlon. Ok, let’s look at races and maybe find one nearby sometime in 2025 since I’ll already be in shape from Everest.
So I start looking and lo and behold I find one. It’s 3 hours away and on my actual 50th birthday. So I got a book about training for your first triathlon. I read it. I looked at the course. Lake swim vs ocean. That’s easy. I can easily do each of the distances solo now but one after the other will be the challenge. The temptation was too much for me. I signed up.
I’m a paper girl despite this digital age so I got myself a small notebook and drew out my training plan. I joined the gym to have access to a pool for conditioning and convenience despite living so close to the water. I got another book on triathlon training and read that one too. Today I officially started my training.
Part of me thinks I have probably lost my mind. Maybe I’m having a mid life crisis of some kind. But, if I’m going to do something crazy at least it’s health and fitness oriented. Ok maybe the crazy part is doing the Everest base camp trek a month before the triathlon and not the triathlon.
Either way, I made the most of my first 50 years and I’ll be doing everything I can to make the next 50 even better!
My training log book and inspirational stickers. Yes, I’m really doing this.
I’m back! Ok, I didn’t say I was actually going anywhere but I did. My husband and I took our annual vacation together for our anniversary and did the trip we didn’t get to do on our 10th anniversary (thanks covid travel restrictions). We went to the UK!
This was my 6th trip there and my husband’s 1st time there. We have only VACATIONED together and have never TRAVELED together before. So this was a learning experience. I have traveled a lot…solo. My husband has never traveled before. So I had to try to adapt my style taking someone else’s wants, needs and desires into account. He had to learn how to travel and not just lounge and relax. It was weird. But after a few days we fell into a groove and started to really enjoy it. We figured out what works for us and by the end of the trip we were really in a groove and had it down.
On the flight home we decided to alternate years and do a chill vacation followed by an active travel experience. Both options have merit and we enjoy both. For us 2025 will be local-ish and we are looking at a spa day and lots of lounging poolside. 2026 will be a couple weeks in Japan. We have barely unpacked and are already started trying to figure out what we want to see there and make a plan.
Travel has always been important to me. It’s really nice to be able to share that love with my husband. There are so many women who miss out because their husbands will not travel with them and they will not go on their own or their husbands are not ok with them traveling alone. Now, I’m quite a bit more adventurous than my husband but he is supportive when I want to go somewhere he has zero interest in going to. When I mention an idea that he doesn’t want to do he will often tell me either “yeah, have fun with that.” Or “That sounds like a good idea for a girls trip.” As in… there is no way in hell I want to do that and I’m totally supportive of you going without me rather than forcing me to go with you.
Thanks bud. I love you too.
So, my next trip is in the fall. I’ll be going to Nepal and Tibet. This is a “have fun with that” trip. I wanted to do something epic for my 50th birthday so I’m ticking off another item off my bucket list and doing the Everest base camp trek. I started getting in shape for it 8 months ago. I’m down a total of 69 lbs so far. I have been a busy girl. I’m still not where I want to be but I’ll get there.
Our first day in the UKMe on my anniversary trip in 2023 vs 2024
I am actually fairly happy to see 2023 behind me. It was a hard year, granted I have had worse. 2023 was tough because of how much overtime I worked. I felt as if it stole my life away. I was working 10-12 hours a day Monday-Friday and another 8-10 on Saturday… I did this for 5 months straight. I was completely exhausted at the end in mid-October and didn’t start to feel human again until around Thanksgiving.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom. We did fix up some things around the house and booked a nice trip to the UK for our anniversary in 2024 with the overtime. Pretty much every time I got paid I’d look at how much I made in OT and book another part of the trip so everything is paid in full except food, drink and our train tickets that I can only book 2 months out. It was nice to have something to look forward to while working so much.
With all that extra work some things slipped. I am back on track working on my mental and physical health. I even joined a stress management program. I feel like I lost out on a lot of family time so I have also booked some fun stuff to do with the kids in 2024 as well as an epic solo trip for my 50th birthday in the fall.
I am choosing to be positive as I enter 2024. I have a lot to look forward to as I spend more time with friends and family but I am especially excited about the travel. From the short overnight and day trips with the kids, to taking my husband to the UK for our anniversary (a trip he is very excited about and it will be the farthest he has ever been from home) to my epic birthday trip to see Nepal and Tibet where I will trek to Everest base camp, enjoy a helicopter ride to Annapurna base camp and end with a safari in the Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
As most of you know I am BIG into making a bucket list and ticking off items on it as you can. I have done “this”bucket lists” since before “bucket lists” were a thing. My first one was just a list of things I wanted to do by the end of the summer back when I was in high school. It was awesome! I had my list and crossed items off as I went along. Beach-Check, Lake-Check, White water rafting-Check… You get the idea. By the end of the summer I had checked off everything on my list and had an amazing summer while many of my friends just hung out and didn;t do anything. I learned then that making a list and checking things off makes your life much more interesting.
Needless to say, I was an ambitious teenager. I had goals and dreams. In the decades since I was a teenager not much has changed. I am still ambitious and I still have goals and dreams. I set annual goals every year around my birthday for things I want to accomplish or changes I want to make in the next year. Think of it like a New Year’s resolution, but with more finesse. Then on the big birthdays (the ones that end in 0 or 5) I set 5 year goals and on the 0’s I set 10 year goals. I started this way back in high school and it has served me well.
People always tell me “you are so lucky you (fill in the blank)”. Luck has nothing to do with it. I make a list. I pick a goal. I make a plan and I follow through. My life is different from others because I am willing to make changes they are not willing to make to achieve their goals. I am willing to put in the work. I am willing to make the changes. I am also willing to edit my goal or plan if it is not working and not just give up on everything. I make my own “luck”.
When it comes to travel it all comes down to time and money. I save up both.
Some trips take longer to save up for than others. I hoard my time off. Many of my co-workers take random time off here and there just to get a break and never seem to have enough time off on the books to actually take a vacation longer than a long weekend. I let my time off build up until I get close to maxing out, granted that has only happened once. I prefer to save up my time off and do something amazing rather than just sit around the house in my PJ’s watching TV.
Other trips cost more than others. I save up for those too. Even when I was living paycheck to paycheck I would still find a way to stash away a little bit to save up for a trip. The biggest changes I made to save money are 1. I make my coffee at home rather than picking it up on the way to work (savings at least $5/day or $25/week or $100/month) 2. I eat at home rather than eating out and pack my lunch for work. We will go out occasionally, but never more than once a week. It is not only healthier, but easier on your wallet. and 3. I don’t have cable or satalite TV and have not had it since 2005. Honestly, watching TV is a huge waste of time. If I want to watch something I get it on Amazon or Netflix. Even if you buy 4 movies a month at $20 each it is still cheaper than cable and Netflix is less than $20 a month. I rarely buy movies.
It is all about looking to see what changes you can make to save money. I buy staples like pasta when on sale and buy produce that is in season. I grow my own herbs to cook with and have fruit trees and grapevines (table grapes) in my yard. Not everyone has a yard to grow a bunch of fruit trees, but there are still things you can do. I barter and trade with friends to save money on things. I may trade fruit for veggies (a deal I have with a neighbor to get zucchini and tomatoes for my peaches, plums and lemons) or trade my sewing skills for something they do well. I also buy used when possible. Not only is it better for the enviroment, but it is easier on the wallet. Maybe your contractor neighbor needs your computer skills to fix their computer in exchange for putting up some shelves… You get the idea.
While it might be hard to drag yourself in to work when the weather is beautiful outside and it may be a pain to make your morning coffee instead of stopping at starbucks in the end it will be worth it. After all that $100 a month in coffee savings is $1200 at the end of the year and that is only coffee! Imagine if you packed a lunch instead of going out for another $10-$20 a day…
That is how I made my 1st trip abroad work. I saved. I researched. I planned. Then I went. I wasn’t lucky. I set a goal, made a plan and followed through.
It is my second holiday season as a diabetic. As I enter into it I’m still pretty bitter about being mandated to get the covid booster that almost killed me and every time I stick myself I’m reminded of this fact. I’m trying NOT to be bitter and move on but it is difficult as the holidays approach and I’m constantly checking my sugars to make sure I didn’t go overboard with all the fatty, carb filled bits of deliciousness that make the holidays so decadent.
The holidays start in October in my family. The month starts with my Mom’s birthday, Followed by mine the next week and my dad’s the week after that and Halloween to end the month. Then as you run out of Halloween candy my Sister’s birthday hits followed by Thanksgiving and on to my husbands birthday and all the holiday parties until New Years finally hits and we can all come down from our 3 months of indulgence.
So far I’m managing pretty well. I managed to get off insulin. It is hard to tell if it is just because the inflammation went down or because my diet is different with me watching my sugar and carb intake. Year 2 is proving to be harder than year 1 to stay on track. For starters, I feel better with the inflammation from my covid shot gone. It was easy to avoid the “bad” food when you honestly felt like death may be taking you at any moment and everything hurt. When you feel great it is all to easy to say “Yes” to both cake and ice cream rather than just a small taste of one or refusing it all together.
My other challenge is I got braces for the first time in my life. I just got the bottom ones on back in march but just got the top ones on in August. Now things are harder to eat. So what is easy to eat? All the soft, processed foods that I am suppose to be avoiding. What should I be eating? The protein that gets stuck in my braces and is hard to bite through and chew. I miss my snacks of mixed nuts.
It is an adjustment. So far I have only knocked off 2 brackets trying to eat. I swear the next time I go in and they take the wire off I am going to floss. I never thought I would miss flossing my teeth but I do.
I miss popcorn. I love popcorn.
Ok, enough about food. I still need to get back into exercising. It is a constant struggle. For decades getting up early to go to the gym was not a problem for me at all…but I have struggled with getting back to it since the pandemic threw me off my game. My new plan is if I can’t manage to get a full workout in I will break it up into sections. So I currently take a 15-20 min walk before work. I will be adding in a 2nd walk when I get home from work too starting November 6th…Rain or shine. If I get all wet, oh well. I’ll change into something warm and dry when I get home.
It isn’t much but it is a plan. We will need to see how it is going 3 months from now.
I don’t know what it is about the change from summer to fall that is so satisfying. I don’t seem to be as moved by any of the other season changes but that first crisp evening and cool morning I just want to pull out a cozy blanket and curl up on the couch with a good book and hot drink. Today was that day but instead of being cozy on the couch I am at work.
I work in the center of the building, in a dark room with no windows. This first cold day not only starts the beginning of my favorite season (ok, truth be told, its mostly the harvest parties and fall flavors) but that the hardest part of the year is coming as well…Winter. Winter is when I come into work and it is dark. I go home and its dark and I also work in the dark. I go months without seeing the sun. It is really hard on me so I search out positive things to keep myself going.
For the transition from winter to spring while I love all the flowers and how green everything is my allergies hate it. The constant sneezing and itchy eyes kinda ruin the season for me. I still try to enjoy the sunshine and the wildflowers as much as I can.
Summer use to be my favorite season growing up. School was out and I just went to the pool every day and swam and hung out with my friends. As I got older that moved to hanging out at the lake or beach and into white water rafting, surfing and other summer water sports. Summer was all about fun. Summer is not fun as an adult. Summer is hot. Summer is full of working. In summer we are short staffed because so many people take off for vacation so you are always working extra if you are not on vacation. If you do go on vacation you work extra before you go and when you get back so it really isn’t worth it to take time off because you end up making it up and then some anyway. Even if you decide to do something like take the kids to the beach you still have to load up the car, unpack and haul everything when you get there then when you are done you have to load it all back up again only to have to unload and clean everything when you get home…all in the heat. Summer is too much work…and it’s hot.
Summer and I are no longer friends.
I miss the long lazy days of summer I had growing up before I became a responsible adult. If all I had to do was lounge poolside and work on my tan while reading a book for 3 months It would probably still be my favorite season. If I was only responsible for myself and not two kids as well the beach would involve less stuff and would be much more relaxing rather than breaking up fights between siblings.
That leads us to fall. Nice weather. Not too hot. Not too cold. Lots of harvest parties to go to. No allergies. Fall is my new favorite.
Working Mom - Travel Dreams 