Adventures on Friday-In W's

      

     Nah, I don't really have any adventures but it is time for my weekly wrap up, done in question form. I need to do this quick as I overslept this morning and will answer why in the headings to come. So without further thought, here is my week in W's. . 

What's top of mind:  DH and I had out Pfizer Boosters. I have more arm soreness than I remember with the last one, and did I sleep hard last night-and way past when my body normally wakes me up! Otherwise, we both feel fine. Now that I am up and moving, I don't even feel groggy or fatigued, so hoping that was the bulk of my side effects.  

Where I've been: Just now, a gust of wind truly howled. It's 38 degrees this morning, and I had a blast of cold taking pup out. Tuesday when it was so cold when I went to vote, I decided enough was enough and I needed a warm fall jacket. My daughter went with me, and we ended up just stopping at Walmart as I had been looking for  second hand or trying to make due for weeks. I'm happy for the warner hooded jacket, and while I technically broke my challenge of not buying any brand new clothes after the two dresses for weddings, sometimes not all challenges are meant to be met. I did a valiant effort looking for second hand or making do, but these old bones need warmth, but not yet the warmth of my winter coat. I can guarantee I'll have this coat, unless I put on a lot of weight (part of the issue was jackets I had that were already snug, really were uncomfortable now with shifting weight, even if I haven't gained.)

     The other outing  was to Sam's Club. I went ahead and purchased the one year membership for the $19.99 price,with free cupcakes and a rotisserie chicken. I could give DD2 the  other membership card. I showed some restraint, but still managed to spend $98, in a low spend challenge month, though some was household items. DH is well positioned for snacks for his desk and grab and go breakfast items like instant oatmeal and yogurt, and we've got at least two week sof deli meat and cheese that I won't put on my list Sunday. We're going to track over the course of the year and see if we think it works out to save over $50, the price the membership will be to renew. They were out of rotisserie chickens by the time we got there and that is not something my daughter would pick up, so I'll  pick up next week when I am out and about on my week off of work.We haven't had a membership in over 10 years, letting it expire after  the final big use, DH's parents 50th wedding anniversary/combined 70th birthday party 11 years ago. If you have small household like ours, tell me if you think a Sam's or Costco membership is worth it to you. I can see it will be good for cabin weekends and stocking up for summer and for the holidays.

Where I'm going: It's my sister's weekend, so I'll be up to all kinds of shenanigans. Well, we're pretty tame really. We're starting with breakfast then on to shopping, and browsing, and chatting, and liley a happy hour drink. We're meeting up with cousins for supper and card playing. We no longer are going to the cabin, so likely will just be at the cousins for the night. I think no one wanted to (or probably should) drive after supper and cards! 

What I'm reading: In my effort to shave grocery spending, I've once again just gone to the recipe areas of the Tightwad Gazette, looking for  some of the "universal" recipes she has noted. Muffins and casseroles stand out and they give me ideas of combinations we might like. I bought a huge punnet of sliced mushrooms last night at Sam's Club, so think tonight I'll turn them with ground beef into a mushroom cottage pie. I have to check the library to see where I am in the cue for my book club book, but I have more time as we needed to push to December. 

What I'm listening to: I feel like I shouldn't even have this category anymore. The only thing I seem to listen to is the car radio on my short trips out, youTube  videos while making supper, and occasionally BBC world Service when I have head down time to work. I keep saying I'm going to listen to podcasts, bookmark them, then that's where they stay.

What I've been watching: I'd like to, in honor of Guy Fawkes night, watch the episode of Sherlock where he comes back after all thought he killed himself after Moriarty did the same. It's no longer on any of our streaming services. I don't know if I'll watch anything tonight, but earlier in the week I skipped to the last episode of Ashes to Ashes. It was getting a bit redundant and I wanted to see if the ending was going to be worth continuing to watch. I think it might be, though I think they could have done a cleaner  job with clues along the way. I will say, it made the ending of Life on Mars make more sense. 

What I'm eating: I've been actually cooking meals this week-i shared my version of  Gyros for one. I also made spaghetti and meatballs, and tuna hotdish. Last night was fend for yourself. I meant to share my  butternut squash mac and cheese I made for my daughter on Sunday, but will share the recipe on Wednesday in my pantry post. For lunches, I've been enjoying hummus and olives on pita bread, and avocado on toasted naan, along with clementines that need eating up. I had meant to send more back with  the college kid. 

Who I'm paying attention to: Rather who am I not paying attention to, and they are the same ones that need to be slapped. As happy as I am to not have to look at the last president ever again behind a presidential podium, I'm none to thrilled with how any one in Federal leadership of any party are acting. Just get your crap together and work to fix things to help us all. Why is that such a hard concept? Other than the uber rich, most of us really do have the same expectations, even if the angle we come from are different. 

Who needs to be (figuratively) slapped: We had a tight race in the school board election, but the three that were saying "kids before politics", but had the most political effort and an external  conservative PAC making 10,000 calls on their behalf, came out on top. I think all three need to be slapped and be woken up before they take office, to learn what exactly a school board does and does not do, and remember that not all students have the same means and life resources their little cherubs do. When one doesn't see the difference between equal and equitable when  talking about children's learning needs, one thinks the social studies curriculum revisions are about hating white people, and the third thinks she's going to solve the budget needs through nothing but making cuts, it's going to be a long four years. As a parent of children that benefited from special education, the arts, non-revenue generating sports, after school clubs and programs, college in the highschool, and PSEO, I worry for my nieces and nephews and neighbors families. 

What's Making Me Smile:  I've been in a virtual conference or convening of a national technical assistance organization. We had a state planning meeting Monday, Wednesday was the opening  plenary, yesterday was "think alike" where people from different states, but doing similar work, convene around a topic. Today will be the final key note, with the same dynamic speaker who led the plenary, a true treasure in early childhood education. The  same 10 states have been participating since 2018, first convening in Minneapolis. Since then, we've been to Kansas City twice, Memphis, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, the last in person session, and have had three remote. While there has been some change in people participating, we've had 5 shifts of our team of 10, seeing cross country colleagues every six months is really nice. I got to be in a small group with a colleague I met  three years ago from South Carolina who I stay in touch with. 

     Another quirky individual who I met at the first convening in Minneapolis was in attendance as well. She's the type that bursts to be able to speak in groups-something I steer away form unless I really have something to say. She gets people thinking on different paths, sometimes off tangent, but she means well, had her hairless cat wrapped up in her sweater through one of the session. It was funny seeing his head poking out from under her chin. It was only  polite that he should be introduced to us all, and that made me smile. 

     

     I'm going to go to bed early so I' ready for the weekend festivities. My sister is playing  hotel and taxi service as my sister that lives out of town is sleeping over tonight then she is making four stops to pick up me, my sister-in-law, and two sisters. The other two sisters both have a morning work commitment so are meeting later at our cousins. I'm hoping that since I slept so many hours last night and if I go to bed early tonight, that will knock the last of the fatigue  aftermath from my system. Play along in the comments if you want. I'd love to know the W's of your world.

Sam's World in W's

     I was a much more homebody this week than last. The exhaustion after work and the Covid variant kept me from Trivia. I might put it on pause until we get a few weeks past the start of the school year and see how the case rates are at. We did go to a family party and I brought my daughter corn, and pup came with for an outside visit. That excitement aside, here's the rest of the week in review and I guess ahead. 

What's top of mind: My "To Do" list for fall is on my brain, but without strong physical motivation and stamina to tackle. I guess I just need to get it one and not think about it, and then I'll see progress. I need to get my thrifted new to me outfit washed. It is still sitting where I left it two weeks ago. (which means I have not dusted or vacuumed that particular spot of the house either.) September is going to be a low spend month, so that is top of mind and coming up with a few self imposed challenges to make a game out of it. 

Where I've been: Family birthday and my daughters porch, neighborhood walks, and a brief run in an out of the Dollar Tree. I glanced around but they were busy so did not linger. They had so many cute Halloween, Thanksgiving, and fall items. I need some apple and fall-not harvest, not Halloween things. No-I don't need, but I want these things. The lure of cheap décor at DT is a bad habit I am guilty of indulging in. 

Where I'm going:  My daughter and I have an outing today-matinee movie, so theater should be pretty empty. We'll get to the lake at some point for things that typically happen Labor Day weekend. I need to grocery shop, but I have some planning I want to do first. While I think grocery planning, I'll add both the farmers market and the roadside stand to my list. 

What I'm reading: The Sunday  paper-front to back and all the sections. It has been ages since I did that but I brought the newspaper along to the cabin and sat on the pontoon with a Diet Coke and relaxed. 

What I'm listening to: I listened to the last issue of Trader Joe's podcast-Summer Sparkle last night. I'm only a bit late, but no time like the end of summer to get ideas on what is in the store. "Delicate rolled wafers filled with lemon" sounds like summer to me. My favorite is their sparkling lemonade-any time of year. 

What I've been watching: Because of a Vlog reference, I checked out the Netflix show, Dash and Lily. It was cute-a sort of twist on a pen pal between two teens who meet through a red journal found on the book shelf of the Strand Book Store. It was a short series that took place the two weeks before Christmas through New Years Day, obviously not in the time of Covid. . 

What I'm eating:  I have been using the meal plan to a point but with some variations. I ended up making green bean casserole (the only time we say casserole in Minnesota) because I had more than 1/2 a cannister of the French fried onions. We at this a couple nights as our vegetable. We also had more corn than we could eat on Sunday, so had again last night. 

Who I'm paying attention to: I could repeat the current new events, but I will look beyond the world mess. DH hurt his foot again-the place with the soft tissue  damage flared up and he came home Wednesday night in agony. This time he did take ibuprofen right away, and stayed off it and it felt better on Thursday. I'm paying attention, but man is his lack of listening to his body, and following up on getting care when needed, really irking me off. He has had dry eyes and is obsessed with eye drops-the ones that say if the dryness persist for 72 hours, seek medical help. Well, how about 5 times 72 hours? This goes with the next one, but I'm paying attention to those in harms way from natural weather events as well as the fires. If you've been impacted, you have my sympathies. 

What I'm planning:  My colleague that retired has me looking again at potential relocation places for  6 years from now. I've been exploring the real estate market in North Carolina. Who knows anything about it? Where's the best communities to look in North Carolina? We do not need to be near the ocean, in fact I'd prefer being driving distance for a beach day but not to live in hurricane danger zone. We have extended family in North Carolina. The only other place with better weather than Minnesota that we have family is Florida, but that is a no go for me. 

What's Making Me Smile: Our birthday gifts were hits with the kids, but my SIL hit it out of the park finding a Simone Biles t-shirt for my gymnast niece. It was cute seeing her eyes shine when she saw it. Our nephew was over the top excited with his cash gifts as he was putting it towards new fishing gear. This kid bounces of the walls even more than my son with ADHD ever did, but put a fishing pole in his hand at the lake, and you won't hear a word for hours. 

     We had a good rain soaking overnight and I am ready to be productive this morning. I have a list a mile long of work work items, but I think I might actually give myself the Friday off  and tackle Monday while DH is at work. I already shared a small splurge with my daughter is a movie outing. It's the new Marvel, and I have no idea if I will enjoy, but it has the fabulous Michelle Yeoh. She's done with her quarantining, but we will wear masks in the theater and have seats spread wide from others. I'm feeling like we are back to 2020, but I hope there is a light on the horizon. Play along if you'd like. What are the W's in your world right now?

Feeling Good Friday-Norming Edition

Has it only been six days since I was eating croissants and baguettes with heavily milked deep French roast coffee? It feels like I have been back and fully immersed in real life again...and it feels good. Two weeks is enough of a vacation to totally forget about work, household stuff, and life stressors, but also enough time to gain an appreciation for the life I set aside. Vacations are wonderful for that. Home takes on fresh meaning again. Granted, if I had the opportunity, no money or time issues to deal with, I'd vacation again next month. In my late spring and early summer mental funk, I realized I struggle with detaching from stress and let it consume me instead of dealing with what I can, and leaving the rest for the ones directly responsible to deal with. Vacations that force you to let things rest are good for people like me. I feel relatively healthy, mind and body, so will end my weekdays with a summary of the things I'm feeling good about. 

Family-I truly love mine, in spite of or maybe because of the varied personalities, the different temperaments, and the strengths each of us bring to problem solving. Sure, we all had our melt down moments, except for maybe not my son, who has a vary lasissez faire attitude about life in general, but overall vacationing together went as well as I hoped for. I loved seeing my kids interacting as adults, intervening with us as "aging" parents to slow down. Hmmm on that one though. 

Work-My colleagues and immediate team really carried a portion of my water while I was out, which greatly aided my re-entry without putting in 10 hour+ days upon return. I remember four years ago when we went to the UK when I still worked at my last employer. I paid dearly for a month after by working late and cleaning up issues. On top of the great support, I finally got the result of my bid to have my past job experiences credited to my vacation accrual. I now accrue double the vacation per pay period as of August 7th. This means I am back up to 5.5 weeks of paid vacation, plus my 26 flex days. With DH still planning to retire in five years, but me not for 9 or 10, this extra time will be a blessing in being able to take meaningful chunks of time off in the future. 

Weight and physical appearance-Despite the daily croissant, decadent cheese, wine, and chocolate, I actually lost four pounds on vacation. This is the motivation I need to keep at it. I know some people think weight is all about food and portion control, but I firmly believe physical exercise (while not eating crap) is my key. Walking miles a day and climbing massive numbers of stairs did this body good. Adding yoga and some strengthening in a consistent manner should help my momentum. I do agree though quality of food matters because I was more readily satisfied when the food is of better standards. 

Money-I'm still number crunching, and while I think we will be over my revised budget due to some decision made about ground travel, We are within that 4% margin of budgeting error that is statistically acceptable to me! We paid a lot of DD2's school expenses before leaving, so won't face those in September. Will we meet our 2018 financial goals. Absolutely not, but we are managing to reshape our plan of action and priorities to adjust to what was achieved financially. 

New Opportunities-Finally, I am pleased and excited to share DD1 will be moving back to the Twin Cities area. She interviewed the Thursday before we left and had a job offer, meeting her terms, a week later. She gave notice at her current job and for her apartment lease, though is locked in until November 1. That's OK as she needs to find housing near her job and it will give her time to pack and purge. She starts on September 17th so will just stay with us until she finds a place and fully moves. They gave her a hiring bonus, so even if she has to cover overlapping months if it means losing out on a great apartment here, the bonus offsets that, though of course she would rather not pay two rents.While the cost of rent is higher here, she will still net 30% more in take home even after factoring a significant rent increase. Other costs of living are relatively the same, and might be lower depending on what is included in a new apartment as her utilities were quite high. We are pleased for her and very proud. It sounds like she knocked their socks off in her interview/presentation and was the unanimous top candidate. 

That is life of Sam right now. Tomorrow is September 1st,;my goal list is ready. I'll have a quiet day in the office since it is a long weekend and most people are taking today off. I'll plug in my ear buds and clear my task list, maybe treating myself mid-day to a coffee and croissant to catch that vacation vibe one last time. 

Feeling Good Friday-Keeping My Head Up Edition

I'm not going to lie. This week was a rough one for me mentally, physically, professionally and personnally. The week started out frustrating in all areas. A couple minor issues not dealt properly with have escalated and need a major intervention at work. I wrote about the teen angst and yesterday was another home kerfuffle, though caused by DH, not DD2. Communication really does solve a host of issies and I would like my family to understand this. I can't be the major ball juggler of the household and have either new balls thrown at me when I'm not looking or one yanked away without my knowledge, wrecking the balalnce of the rest of the balls. 

Still, I know some weeks are like this and I must keep my head up. The show choir end of year finale show was Tuesday, though was not technically the finale for DD2 as she and team head to Branson on April 5th. It will be a long drive in the car for DH and I, but DH's mom may have invited herself along. I'm a little worried how to raise it, so am choosing to assume she was just making an off handed comment. The car ride is going to be long enough, but it would triple in length having to keep her occupied (lots of stories about people I do not know about things that aren't very interesting to begin with), not to mention the long day at the competition. Ironically, at the show choir finale, the all girls prep group sang the Andy Grammer song, "Keep Your Head Up." It's been buzzing around in my head all week. Thank you girls! Without further whining, time to list five things that were good this week to support my health and well being. 

• The concert was a nice respite from the crazy entry back to work and school. Despite the rocky start to DD2's week, she put her heart and soul in this performance. I captured an in motion shot of their last song with last costume. 

• Despite the frazzled week, it was very lovely that so many family members came to DD2's show. Having a family, even though they can drive us nuts, that supports each other, is a blessing I need to remember to show my gratefulness for. 
• I think I have pretty good job security. As mentioned above, such minor things escalated because people did not know, or chose to ignore, how to intervene. Ignorance is not a virtue. While two things ate up half a day each, they are resolved and parties have moved on. 
• I managed not to eat or drink my weight in chocolate and wine. I did have a few chocolate nibbles, but the wine bottles stayed put until this weekend. 
• Not eating too much chocolate, not drinking wine, I managed to lose a hole .5 of a pound. I'll take it. My March weight loss is 2.5 pounds

We're all in the home stretch of March. It did not feel like the start of spring despite what the calendar said. Snow flakes blowing around, another round of freezing night temperatures make me think we are still a long ways from spring, green, and flowers. Still, it will come. The weekend is soon here and I am happy for that. 

Feeling Good Friday-Don't Get Discouraged Edition

Lilacs are all gone now, so one last picture for Friday.

 Thank you to those that read and read and commented yesterday. I wasn't necessarily thinking I would have everyone agreeing with me and my point of view, but I was surprised that the turn went from me sharing my work and concerns about the effect of homelessness on school success to a discussion about bad decisions people make in becoming parents and expectations of society. I'm going to start my Feeling Good Friday there. 

1. I feel good that I can have conversations with people that both agree and disagree with me, with respect. I've been fortunate that even when I've touched on what may be controversial, I've not been criticized or attacked, yet those that disagree or have a different thought, felt comfortable commenting. When we stop talking, things really are not going to turn out well-even through discourse, I am encouraged. 

2. My shoes DD1 gave me at Christmas have officially been converted to walking and they are so nice on my feet. While taking pup for a walk is not much of a work out for me,(sniff and whiz at every tree and corner) when I can slip away and leave him behind (I make him sound like a two year old child), I can get some serious miles out of these shoes as they have just the right support, but are not heavy and clunky like other shoes I've used for walking.  Thanks again, kid! I just updated to add these are the Nike Flex Exepreince RN5 in blue and pink. I had a question.

NYtimes.com

3. Cherries are in the grocery store now! I don't know how often you can get cherries where you live, but in Minnesota late May, to about mid June seems to be the only time we get decent and somewhat affordable cherries in the stores. These are my absolute, ultimate, favorites, probably because I only get them one time a year. I can pass by any chocolate for a nice bowl of cherries. OK. Dip a few in dark chocolate and I truly will be in heaven. 

4. DD2 had her last choir concert of the season and again, did not disappoint. As she gets older, I know more of the graduating seniors so it was a bit bitter sweet during the slide show to see so many of her friends that will graduate. I buy the recording or DVD's of the concerts. Not frugal, but supports the school, plus I can enjoy in the moment rather than try and record.

5 And last, bummer to report, but I actually put back on a .8 of a pound in the last week. I know it was bound to happen, have a weight loss set back, so I truly am not surprised. I'm not going to get discouraged this time. I'm still at a 1.8 average loss per week, 8.2 pounds total; my original goal was 1.5 per week. I review in my head and can pinpoint where my stumbles were-too many evening calories, more simple carbs than I want, and a few sneaky nibbles. In the past, I would pretend in my head I did everything "right" so take on a why bother attitude. 

I'll try and jump start my plan again today. I may not use the daily weigh in for this week. I might be getting discouraged and instead, wait to see all my progress all on one day. I think I'll try at least for the week. And with that, I'll close my Friday update. Please share your successes, and as always, ideas that might help me and others on our getting healthy journey. 

Feeling Good Friday-4 Day Weekend Edition

My Friday off and Monday a holiday. I'm breaking the weekend into three segments. Today will be focused on the mundane housework, laundry, meal planning and prep for the weekend, and baking. Early tomorrow through Sunday night DD2 and I are heading to the lake place to continue putting it to rights so the family can enjoy the rest of summer. I'll probably indulge in a glass of wine or two and a cold beer perhaps. DH went up yesterday to take care of a few things and check on some poured cement. He stayed over but has to work today, Saturday, and Monday so no extra time for him, but will come up Saturday night again. Monday, memorial day, I'll spend a bit of time in the morning in memorial. No doubt I'll still have some remaining housework and laundry from the weekend, but I like to take at least half of the Monday holidays for self down time, with no list. 

This week was pretty successful on the weight part, blah, but not terrible on mental well being, and poor on physical exercise. I had a boost this morning through a Caring Bridge update. Here's a few highlights of the week.

1. My friend A posted her own Caring Bridge update. To remind you, my friend A found out she had a cancerous brain tumor after traveling in late March on college tour trips with her daughter. After a successful surgery to remove it, she is now halfway through radiation, finding some improved strength to take short unassisted walks. She is fighting a head ache all the time, but feels her walks outdoors are helping. Her spirit of fight motivates me.  
2. I went ahead and threw my hat into the ring for another position, a sizable promotion, at the organization that a few weeks back hired my friend for the job which we had both applied. I don't feel positive or negative about my chances, but when I got the "rejection" call, this position was specifically mentioned as being posted soon and that she hoped I might consider applying. 
3. On my own job, I was added to a leadership team that if the work is clear and sustaining, will add a lot personal fulfillment to me in my job. Of course, unlike the other, no pay increase, no benefit increase, but with the climate in the office right now, this is a good thing.
4. The weather was Minnesota chaos this week as well, finally getting nominally nicer yesterday. Poor pup hasn't even wanted to be outside unless with DD2, bundled up to try and do her homework on the porch or deck. My walking has suffered. But, a new week and I will be sure to burn a lot of calories working this weekend. I'm hoping to reengage a former walking buddy next week.
5. And finally, on the scales, I was rewarded for my planned eating and avoiding junk with another 2 pound weight loss. Total four weeks loss is 9 pounds, and still on track to my original 20 pound loss goal by July 28th. Dare I push a new goal, 25 pound loss? Best not to get ahead of myself as there is a lot of challenging events ahead to derail me.

 Congrats to my cyber buddies on losing and maintaining their weight loss goals. Let's all remember though, no matter where we are in the process, we are lovely at the size we are now. I keep telling myself that as the move to bare skin clothing is imminent. Enjoy your weekend. 

Me and pup, two summers ago, 4th of July.

 

Feeling Good Friday:Reengaging

I reengaged with my blog and my lovely cyber friends this week. I'm spending an hour or two before I start work reading posts I have missed and getting caught up in the world. Hang in their Mama Fish! I love that you fight for your guppies. Also congrats on holding steady on the weight loss, and congrats to Rachel, Anne, and Anna on achieving your success. I've had up days and down days. I don't know if spreading out the memorial so many weeks after the death of someone is good in the long run, but it feels really difficult right now to have not said my good byes, yet my friend is not here. Still, my Friday posts are for looking back at my week of health, physically, emotionally, and mentally and noting my success and challenges. All things considered, it hasn't been bad.

1. I posted my 1.8 pound weight loss from last week on my Tuesday post. I am please to have stepped on the scale this morning and I've dropped another 2.2 pounds bringing my three week weight loss to 7 pounds. Not Biggest Loser type numbers where they shed that in a week, but slow and steady. While week one might have been over a pound of water weight, it seems my 1.5 pound a week target might inch closer to 2 pounds.  I don't want to get ahead of myself but if I keep this pace, I may lose an additional 20 pounds by my nieces wedding in 10 weeks. 

2. Enjoyed a few decadent meals and treats, but in moderation. DH and I went to our favorite wine bar for dinner last Friday night. I just didn't want to eat a salad, but opted for a leaner turkey burger, which is phenomenal as they top with a lingonberry jam, sunflower sprouts, and a white wine aioli. I even ate the bun, however, left most of the french fries untouched. I nibbled at the desert bar crawl at work-some really delicious items, ate pizza one night and penne alfredo another. I had chicken and mashed potatoes! I still need to do a better job of building my meals around vegetables, but happy that I could eat like a regular person and still lose a bit of weight. 

3. DD2 had her first practice for show choir tryouts for next season and had the dance number on her iPad. Being silly, I told her I could definitely nail the tryouts and proceeded to try the dance. In teenager style, she was both embarrassed and pleased and snap chatted to her friends, "So this just happened. My mom  just danced our try out." Her friend posted back, "Your mom is awesome." Melted my heart. Plus, the dancing was pretty fun, if pathetic, and I need to get some old fashion jazzercise into my exercise routine. I still need an exercise routine. Where is Richard Simmons?


4. I sat and meditated, a lot. I normally spend a few minutes each morning just lying awake before getting up, my quiet mind time. This week, I intentionally found additional moments to do so. Did I mention we have a zen room at work? After a particularly intense meeting, I went to the low light, soft room (unlike the starch office cubicles everywhere else) and sat listening to the rain before heading back to my desk. 

5. A wedding guest/informal photographer at DD1's friends wedding posted a picture of DH and I from the wedding. At first I wasn't going to accept it being posted on my wall. I felt I looked worn, tired, fat. Then, I got over myself. I look how I look, and it is rare that I have a picture of DH and myself alone. Self acceptance has to start, right?

These are general and need more specificity, but my goals for wellness for the following week include:

• More vegetable based meals
• Increase walking-the rainy weather put dampers on this
• Develop an exercise routine-core and strength focus to go with walking
• Continue to take a work day meditation break, even if just a few minutes 
• Take some pictures this week, capture the lilacs before they are gone

If you are focusing on your own health and well being, tell me about it. If you post, please feel free to leave a link to your latest update. Enjoy your weekend.

Feeling Good Friday Week 1 Three Pounds!

While I don't want to reach my first 20 pound goal and stop, the first week of my 13 week target until my nieces wedding is a wrap. I was hopeful week one of my refocused healthy living strategies would see good payoffs. I was rewarded with a three pound weight loss. This is typical of me historically whenever I've started  traditional diets. I'll have a few weeks of good steady weigh loss, then plateau, then get set backs, then frustration, and I get back to 0. I don't feel though like I've dieted this week, but made better eating decisions. Despite the stupid snow and cold weather at the beginning of the week, I got outside a bit more. I'm grateful for all the support and comments from you all, particularly the other bloggers that have joined in on weekly health and weight check-ins, sharing their ups and downs. I have not been brave enough to post my actual weight, but I will post "before" pictures, and you can see why I need to focus on my health. The full view was from our trip last August (oh the cankles), and the close up is from late September (oh the chins and bust area). 

I didn't have any real health slips this week, so here is my summary of my feeling good efforts and challenges. 

1. Greatly increased my water consumption. I kept a pitcher filled on the weekend with ice and lemon. At the office I drank two fills of my 16 ounce water bottle. 

2. Stopping for gas on Tuesday, I realized I was hungry and didn't have anything in my desk. I bought coffee, and was going to give in and grab a muffin. Muffins from bakeries and C stores, calorie and fat wise, are worse than  deep fried donuts. Instead, I grabbed a couple Special K protein bars, eating one, and tossing the other in my purse for a future time. I saved at least 200 calories, and didn't have a late morning carb crash. 

3. I've focused on healthy, but filling meals. My breakfasts have been whole grain or protein based in general, and not a reliance on simple carbs and sugars. I still don't eat for a couple hours after being up other than coffee, but have avoided mindless desk snacking. Both my lunches and dinners have focused first on fruit and veg and protein. I'm worried I might not be getting enough calcium, so added cottage cheese and yogurts into my lunches. I've had things like white rice for curry, a roll for my fish last night, and pizza crust on pizza, but have reduced my white grain consumption to less than half of previous menus. 

4. I mentioned both of these in an earlier comments but I splurged on two items that were needed,but will also aid in overall weight loss. First, I spent more than I ever have on a good quality swim suit, one meant for actual swimming for when we join the Y for the summer (fingers crossed they have the summer membership deal again). I also bought, on 70% clearance, but still pricey, a Columbia puffy coat with a hood. I desperately did need a casual, cold weather coat, and this one will help me extend my outdoor walking, even when I want to make weather an excuse. 

5. DD2 was home last night as her wedding duties and festivities start today. We took a very long walk together instead of a going out for coffee or a retail therapy tour of Target. She has been stressed, carrying a lot of the emotional baggage for her friend. There's a lot to the back story, but let's just say weddings bring out the worst behaviors in some people.

I'm trying to keep politics out of this blog, but let's face it, the health insurance system is going to penalize the unhealthy and the old. I can't do anything about getting older. I already have a boatload of pre-existing conditions that will make it difficult to find affordable private insurance premiums if I retire early and no longer have my employer benefits. The best I can hope for is that I keep my mind and body as healthy as possible so that I am not  burning through my deductible and co-payments every year. Week one toward this rest of life goal is in the books.