Day 2 was an early start with breakfast down on the beach that left us running to catch our shuttle off to our day of adventure UTV, camel ride, and boat to see lands end.
My husband had never done any of the above before. Up first was the UTV, think ATV, but 2 people sitting side by side. I let him drive. He drives like an old lady. Slow and super safe, also why he was driving and not me. Because I’d be jumping sand dunes and doing all kinds of crazy things that would likely end up in us needing to use that optional insurance we purchased.
From there it was off to ride the camels. Now last time I rode camels it was in Egypt at the Giza pyramids. It was a much different experience here. To start with I didn’t have to haul myself up on the back of a kneeling camel and try not to fall off when it stood up, I simply got on an already standing camel from an elevated platform. Sooo much easier! But, although the beach was a beautiful setting…the pyramids were much cooler.
After a beautiful lunch overlooking the beach we had yet another tequila tasting and then it was off to catch our boat to lands end. It was beautiful as always. But when we returned to the dock is when things went a bit off the plan. While looking for a bathroom in the marina I decided I was hot and thirsty and said “Hey! There is Senior Frogs. They will have a bathroom and even better…cold drinks!”
My husband has never been to Senior Frogs. It was not in the plan so he had no idea and figured it was just another place to eat. Well, several cold drinks and the famous shots poured into your mouth straight from the bottle and we stumbled back to our hotel to get cleaned up for dinner.
Dinner was on the beach to watch the sun set. I don’t know why, but sun sets just seem so pretty in the tropics. Don’t get me wrong, we get some stunning sunsets at home, but I just love watching the sun set over the ocean. Long story short… somehow we ended up with a sand problem in our room for the rest of the trip. The most annoying was all the sand in our bed. Yes, in the bed. Apparently our walk in the water followed by a walk in the sand created sand sticking to our feet that we apparently did not notice (probably due to the cocktails consumed waiting for the sunset)
Sand problem aside…it was a full day of adventure!
If you have followed me for a while you know that my husband and I try to get away every year for our anniversary. This year for #14 we went back to Cabo San Lucas Mexico.
Why go back when there is so much of the world to see? Well, although I have been here 20-something times, this is my husbands 3rd trip. But he kinda got ripped off on the first 2. Our 1st trip to Cabo was on a cruise for our 1st anniversary. I was big and pregnant with our 1st son at the time and waddling around. I couldn’t really do any of the excursions on the ship because I was pregnant. So, he kinda got ripped off.
Enter trip to Cabo #2. This was during Covid in an attempt to get away from CA that was closed for 3 years. Because it was covid there were still weird rules and not everything was open so we pretty much just stayed in the resort and lounged in the pool.
So trip #3…the real one where we are finally able to do it all, and do it all we did! The day we arrived we checked into our hotel then ventured out for something to eat and walk around the area after we ate. We ended up at the town square where it looked like they were setting up for something. So we hung out, did a tequila tasting and eventually joined the crowd of locals enjoying the beautiful evening with an art walk and street fair. My husband tried his 1st real churro. It did not disappoint. Then we ended up doing another tequila tasting. And finally wandering back to our hotel.
Take the trip. Time will pass anyway you may as well make it memorable.
So you may be wondering what the plans are for 2025. It’s going to be a full year!
Starting out, my husband has decided to start running again with his old running group with a goal of doing a few half-marathons this year and moving up to full marathons again in 2026. I have agreed to do the half marathon when he does the full at races in fun destinations to make a mini getaway for us. I’m NOT joining the running group. I hate running. But I walk faster than most people jog so I’m walking them. I figure my triathlon training is enough to keep me in shape to do a half marathon without any extra work specific to those races. I may be wrong, but since I already have “running” as part of my triathlon training and I’m use to endurance races I’m just going to go with it. 😁
Now let’s talk travel… we are starting 2025 by taking the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. May the odds be ever in our favor while traveling with 2 kids with Autism and taking them away from their routine.
Up next is Cabo San Lucas sans-kids for our anniversary. This will be a different trip there for my husband who is ready to step out of his comfort zone and try some new things. Our previous trips to Cabo together started with 2 days there on a cruise where I was super big and pregnant with our 1st son. We made it back home with 3 days to spare before I was too far along in my pregnancy to travel internationally. I may have freaked him out a bit by doing pretty much all the stuff they tell you NOT to do on the cruise ship. But I was too big and too hot to care and have been to Cabo more times than I can count prior to that trip. The 2nd trip there was for our anniversary during Covid where we only left the resort once. But we left it and survived and I didn’t freak him out too much probably due to the tequila tasting I took him to first before venturing out. Liquid courage did wonders for his nerves.
So this trip he said he is ready to travel my way and try new things. I asked him if he was sure because once I book it he is stuck. He thought about it and the next day he said he was ready. I immediately booked us in a small boutique hotel with only 8 rooms with a great location. I had to book it all in Spanish. Thankfully, I speak “travel” in many languages and Spanish is my strongest. Up next was choosing activities. Since he apparently grew up under a rock he really has not done much so we are doing it all! ATVs in the desert, riding camels, parasailing, glass bottom boat tour, glass blowing, shopping, bar hopping, a cooking class, hiking to El Arco, a street food tour… it will be a trip full of adventure by day and relaxing evenings sipping margaritas and laughing the night away.
If you follow my blog you know my husband is NOT a traveler but very much wants to be one. Getting him to this point has not been easy. He slowly learning how to pack (although I can’t seem to get him to travel light as I do so every time we go somewhere I get annoyed waiting for him to 1. Check his bag and 2. Get his bag after the flight) I will occasionally need to check a bag because I have something that I can’t put in my carry on bag like when I had several knives to bring home from Nepal. Or when I have a bit too much to drink and go shopping and purchase bottles of booze that I need to bring home. (Or a case or two plus loose bottles) It annoys me when I have to check a bag or more too.
Enough about Mexico. Let’s talk about the couples trip for special needs parents that my husband and I are leading. We started out by hosting a monthly “parents night out” for the special needs parents group we are part of locally. It has gone really well for a few years now but have been asked for more. There is a Moms retreat. But not much else. It’s difficult to get away as a couple when you have typical kids but with special needs kids it is almost impossible. So with the success of parents night out, we are attempting a getaway for parents to be themselves among others who “get it”. We chose Catalina Island off the coast of California as our destination for a long weekend getaway. It’s far enough to be “away” but close enough that if things go really bad at home we can all make it back fairly easy. So far we have 7 couples excited about going with rooms already booked.
The day after we get home from Catalina I leave to go to the UK with one of my best friends to celebrate her 50th birthday. She watches our kids for us when we go out of town so we don’t have to pay a sitter to sleep and without her help, we would never be able to go anywhere overnight together. Going to the UK has been at the top of her bucket list for as long as I have known her. So as her 50th birthday approached I asked my husband if it would be ok if I took her as a thank you for watching the kids. I usually take her out somewhere for her birthday every year even if it’s just lunch but with it being 50 I wanted to do something big. He agreed *if* I could stay within a budget and not get crazy. Honestly, I think he thought I couldn’t make it work. But as an old school budget traveler and backpacker I got this! When I told her she cried she was so happy. I told her to stay within the budget she would need to pay for her own airfare (that may be as much as $1200, but I’ll look for the best deal I can find for a direct flight…actual total $662.81 each round trip from San Francisco to London 😎) but I got the rest. We are working on what to do with our week there now. I have a plan that I think she will love but told her to give me her top “must see” list soon so I can get started booking and fit in as many of those places as I can.
With 2025 plans looking good so far I was talking to my friend in Australia about our next meet up and when and where to go. My 2025 is pretty full but 2026 is open. We each looked at a world map and decided that we want warmer over colder and somewhere cheap and not too touristy that was not over 24 hours of travel for each of us to get there. Things always get weird when we try to get together since we live on complete opposite sides of the planet I don’t think we could be farther apart from each other. After a couple days of crossing off countries from our list we finally decided on Indonesia. (Yeah, we are both very well traveled and actually met in Egypt. So, while most people could not even tell us where Indonesia is we were both into the idea.) Today I approached my husband with the idea of me going solo to Indonesia to meet up with my friend from the land down under. Cringing because I’m already going to the UK…again with another friend this year and expecting a lecture about saving money and trying to pay off the house early…but surprisingly he was great with it. He said it has been too long since we got together and are well overdue for it. And apparently he was watching a video on YouTube recently that said Indonesia is a totally underrated and affordable travel destination (as apparently are several other places I keep talking about going to. Apparently I have good taste.) So, I sent her a quick message and told her “project Indonesia 2026 is a go”.
So that wraps up 2025 plans and gives you a sneak peek at 2026 plans starting to form. I know 2026 seems far away but it will be here sooner than you think and I find that I do more and see more if I have a plan. So, with 2025 mostly booked it’s time to start my general outline for 2026.
Happy New Year to all my readers. I hope if you don’t have plans for 2025 and beyond yet that I have inspired you to make some. After all… life is what happens when you get off the couch.
When you look into your ideal future what do you see?
This is the question I ask myself every year around my birthday. I don’t do New years resolutions. I set goals every year to be achieved by the next year and on the 5’s and the 0’s I set 5 year goals too and if I am making a big change that is when it happens. I will sometimes fall a bit short of my goals but I almost always meet them. These goals are not the typical “loose weight” or “quit smoking” ect that so many people resolve to do. My goals are more…well…They are just different.
My annual goals tend to be achieving something on my bucket list before my next birthday, starting or finishing something. These are goals that I can achieve in a year or less. I have set goals like getting SCUBA certified, getting my passport and booking my first international trip, learn to play the piano ect. All of those I have achieved. Some (like learning to fold a fitted sheet) are just beyond my capabilities. Some were really hard like learning to walk without my cane after shattering my leg and spending 6 months in a wheelchair and another 6 months learning to walk again. 12 years later I am still really slow going down stairs and need the handrail but I can walk without a cane.
As for my 5 year goals they are bigger, life changing things. I dropped all my friends that I felt were pulling me down and got new friends. I purchased a house…twice. My 5 year goals are things that change my life and take a while to accomplish.
So why this talk of goals? I turned 50 this year. It is a massive milestone birthday. I celebrated with an epic adventure but that has me thinking…What changes do I want to make in my life? Overall, I am pretty happy with things. Of course I LOVE to win the lottery and spend my days lounging on tropical beaches but that isn’t really a goal I can set for myself. I did set a goal a while back to invest more into my retirement so I can retire well when I finally do. I’m still on track there and my retirement should include some lounging in the tropics. But that leaves me wondering what do I want to achieve between 50 and 55?
Write a book? Kids book, novel, how to? Learn a new language? What language? Learn a new skill? What skill? Honestly, I am hoping to come up with something new soon. Because I don’t just decide “I’m going to learn to play the piano!” My goal also comes with a plan. It is not just a statement. I need to figure it out. I need to make a plan.
I’m actually pretty happy with my life and don’t need any big changes. I’ll keep working on my health. I’ll keep working on being debt free…including paying my mortgage off early. My retirement savings is actually ahead of where I need to be thanks to early plans there.
So for the first time I’m a bit stuck. it looks like I’ll just be refining my current goals and tweaking them a bit.
Pay off my car and house are in the plan (car in the next 3 years, house in I think 6 more years. I don’t think I can cram it into 5.) Not bad goals since I just got my car in March and we got our house in 2016.
I’m still working on getting in shape but I’m down 100 lbs and have about 40 more to go. I want to add in yoga and strength training…somehow.
I want some social goals maybe a date day, family day and a friend day each once a month. It’s easy to get busy and just let the fun stuff slide. Something creative too… I think I’m going to try to learn to crochet. I found a local group that meets 5 min from my house once a month. I think I’ll start there.
Travel goals are always fun to work on. I think the next big trip will be to Japan. There will be other smaller ones before that, but I can start figuring out what we want to do and getting an idea of how much time we will need and a general budget.
I’ll be meeting with a friend next week who is also working on goal setting to talk about our plans. It will be interesting since I have never worked on my goals with anyone but my husband when working on our shared goals like buying the house and paying off the credit cards or things we need help with like working out our training plans (marathons for him and triathlons for me) so one of us is home with the kids…although I think we are both going to do our long runs/long rides on Saturday mornings and get a sitter to leave Sundays free for us to do stuff together as a family. It’s an idea we are working on vs one going early and the other going later or one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I like to wait until the sun is up and the fog has cleared before I get out there on my bike. I prefer NOT to crash into potholes or get hit by cars.
Anyway, so that is the start of the plan. It all starts with general ideas. Then I form a plan on what changes need to happen to make it real. I choose steps and set goals and get a plan in place. It eventually all comes together. That is the part I’m working on with my friend. She has the ideas, but figuring out the steps to make those dreams a reality is what is hard for her.
I have never been good at being thankful for what I have because I am so focused on my goals for the future that I often do not take a minute to appreciate what I have or all I have accomplished to this point. The exception… Thanksgiving. Maybe it is the forced relaxation after the feast is over and I settle in on the couch with my 2nd helping of pie… Because lets face it, I just do not have space for all the desserts in one sitting. Maybe it is just the holiday in general that makes me reflect. One thing is sure, I will look at my life and be thankful of what I have on this one day out of the year.
I can’t even tell you how many gratitude journals I have purchased in all different forms through the years to help me be more in the moment and appreciate what I have. Not that I have actually used any of them… But the intention is there. I want to be that person. I want to journal about my day. I want to reflect and be thankful for what I have. I want to be all zen and in the moment thankful for the life I have… But my mind will not let me.
My mind goes 100 MPH zipping through goals and to do lists and thinking about what is next to the point that I have a hard time being in the now. Breathe in… Did I put bread on my grocery list? I need to texture that hole I patched in the wall… Where is the paint? Oh that’s right… Breathe out. I am in the moment. I should really book an oil change…
Yeah, my husband says my mind is like a crowded bar on a Friday night with a band playing. He isn’t far off. There is a lot going on in there to the point that I am surprised that I get anything done. No matter how many meditation or mindfulness classes I take I can’t ever seem to achieve that clear mind I have heard so much about. The closest I can get is to picture I am at a beach and I’m focusing on the waves rolling in. Wave rolls in, Wave rolls out. Breathe in, Breathe out to the sound of the ocean in my mind. Even focusing on that is a struggle.
It isn’t that I’m NOT thankful for what I have… I am. I have fought hard to get where I am in life. I have a wonderful husband (who may annoy the hell out of me at times) but I adore him even when he is annoying. I have 2 boys that come with their own challenges…Especially my pre-teen. Uggg…Teenagers. But I love them dearly, even if one of them may be possessed until he finds his true self and the other one is a bottomless pit who is ALWAYS hungry but still skinny despite eating probably 10,000 calories a day. He may be training for an eating competition. I have a roof over my head and a job that pays the bills. I can still get around on my own two feet and still have my vision (with my contacts on) and I can still mostly hear (despite all those concerts in the 1980’s). Overall, I am doing pretty good. But we always want more.
Why is that? I am always working on something. Why settle when I can upgrade with a little more effort? Could I just stay local and enjoy a Stay-cation in El-Backyardo? Absolutely. But why when there is a whole world out there to see full of unique foods and experiences? Why settle when I can work a little harder for an upgrade? I have put in a lot of work to get in shape over the last year why not just settle in and be happy with my new size 16 self? Well, With a little more work I can be a size 14 or 12 or even a 10 (Honestly, I don’t think I have fit a 10 since I was 10). I can weigh that much less and be in much better shape not only look better but feel better as well.
I have learned that I can still be thankful for what I have and what I have accomplished through the years AND still want more. Wanting more does not negate what you already have. You can be thankful that you have a roof over your head while still dreaming that it was by the beach instead of in the suburbs. You can be thankful that you are able to walk the 5K Turkey Trot while wishing you could run it. You can be thankful that you have food you have while wishing you didn’t eat so much.
From my home to yours… I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
Well, it’s official. I’m 50. I ended my 1st 50 years by ticking Everest off my bucket list. I wanted to do something epic to celebrate and I could not think of anything bigger than Everest. So I finally did it. I ended my 1st 50 years at Everest base camp.
Now how to sent the tone for my next 50 years? So I have already been working on getting in shape and my next item up on my bucket list was to do a triathlon and wouldn’t you know there was one on my actual 50th birthday. The temptation was too much for me so I signed up.
After all the negative comments I got from friends and family in regards to my Everest trip I decided to keep my triathlon a secret so they would not be in my head come race day. I trained. I got a new bike because the two I had were just not suited for what I wanted to do. I absolutely love my new bike.
So race day came and not only did I finish my 1st triathlon but I came in 1st in my age group! Not bad for 50.
The other racers were amazing and so encouraging especially as I struggled in the heat pretty much completely fixated on the fact that there is cold water at the finish line. (The run was a trail run in the heat with no shade or breeze and let’s just say my water was gone in the 1st k of the 5k it was so hot and I usually don’t bring any water with me on a 5k)
So this is 50. Cheers to 50 more years!
Pre-raceMy gear all set up in the transition areaMe on the podium alone because I was way across the parking lot in the shade drinking water and stuffing my face with watermelon when they called my name. 🤣🤣🤣
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.
Working Mom - Travel Dreams 