I'm Spreading My Wings!

GONNA FLY NOW!

A Boatload of Fun

I went out with our young women to go boating/tubing.  Boat tubing is to water skiing what snow tubing is to snow skiing.  All the fun, none of the learning curve!

At first I just wanted to ride in the boat, but finally I agreed to ride on the tube, if he would go "really slow."  Well, apparently we have different ideas of slow.  That turned out the be the most exhilarating thing I have done in a long time!  As expected, my neck and shoulders are pretty sore today, but it was so worth it.  I'd go back out right now if they invited me.

It was also thrilling to see how much the young women enjoyed it. They came out of their shells and had a great time.  The girl who wasn't sure she wanted to go ended up having the most dramatic spill off the tube, and loving every minute of it.  My own eventual spill was pretty mild; I just waited for a calm spot and let go when my arms got too tired. The river was warm and I just floated there lightly treading water (in my lifejacket) until the boat came back around for me.

One of our girls was very immature when I met her in January.  If things upset her, she would sit and cry and pout.  It was so great to see all the changes manifest in her over the last 7 months. She went straight into the water face-first  her first time and then came back up for another try.  She was so thrilled at the whole activity, patiently waited her turn, and encouraged me to try it too.

All of these girls are amazing. I think it's good for them to see their adult leaders participate and enjoy ourselves. I don't want them to grow up thinking there is nothing to look forward to because life is dull as an adult.  Anyway, hey, Johnsons, want to invite me back on your inner tube?  Any time!

Where Am I?

A friend wrote because she was concerned that I have been off blogger all summer. She was right to be concerned.  I'm just trying to get my life together and barely know where to start.

Lest this sound totally depressed, I don't think I am.  I have just been having a low summer healthwise, and getting very little done as a result.  I totally gave up on Slimmer This Summer.  I've gained back what I lost and had no energy to exercise.

I know I need to exercise to have energy, but when I hit wipeout mode I just can't get to it.

I need to do better in so many areas--health, housework, spiritual life, church work, that I feel like if I start in any one area, I am shortchanging the others.

On the plus side, work is going well, and I have taken up knitting which is very relaxing, and I am nearly done with a little-boy sweater for my grandson. Which he will probably hate but I will never know, right?

I realized I am shortchanging all the others anyway, by not doing at least one, so I am trying to decide on priority.  I have almost two weeks off starting on Tuesday, so I need to pick at least one daily goal to focus on.  Besides actually getting out of bed each day.

Sorry for the downer, but that's where I am right now. On the downside, looking up. Just writing this gives me perspective.  Now if I could just find those room-darkening curtains, I'd put them up and try to get a better night's sleep. That may have been the start of the problem...changing bedrooms when an adult child returned for the summer, and never getting the windows darkened.  Hopefully said child will know where they are.

So you see, I am not just wallowing, I am looking for a constructive way out of the pit.  Just so you know.

Daily Challenge Walk & Photos

Yesterday's Daily Challenge was to go for a walk and take at least three pictures with a camera or cellphone.  Here are my pictures:

This rock puzzled me for a while. That house was not built in 1846! 

The whole neighborhood is post-WWII Tract homes. 

I finally figured out it is the house number.

With the telephoto and flash I was able to get a pretty nice view of the lilies. They would look white in the daytime but the darkness brought out the yellow in them.

I like the contrast between the dark tree and the evening sky.

It's kind of hard to see, but the siding on this house is two colors. 

Did they run out of time and money, or do they just like it that way?  

Notice that the side door is blue.

Water, Water, Everywhere

I started this post at about 9 a.m., retaining water, having regained back the 1.4 pounds I lost, putting me at 200 even again.  And how did this happen?

I spent Thursday and Friday at a church conference with some very awesome Mormon youth!  Thursday evening there was a dance. Fun!  

We spent three hours on Friday cleaning up a historical village, pulling weeds, picking up trash, and clearing out dead brush.  We even got on the news! 

After a short lunch, we had an afternoon of games at the park, followed by a luau (dinner/dance) at a different park pavilion. It was a long, hot day on my feet, and my whole body protested by retaining water again!  











Saturday morning was also spent with the youth, and I think Saturday afternoon disappeared in a wave of fatigue.  Sunday I got up too tired to do much, so I skipped church and slept from 10 until about 3.  I had a 4:00 meeting, so I  quickly showered, and on impulse weighed again, finding myself a whopping 2.2 pounds lighter than 6 hours earlier!  So that puts my weight at 197.8.  I'll take it!

The other effect of the fatigue is that I'm a basket case.  My 4:00 meeting was canceled but I didn't know it so I showed up, (dragged myself out of bed, showered, had a quick snack, and drove over there, for nothing) and the whole thing made me cry. How stupid is that? 

So I'm a waterworks. Water, Water, Everywhere.  I think I'll go make some lemonade just for a change!

Weekly Update, Slimmer this Summer

After the swelling from the poor overworked feet went down, I lost 4.2 pounds, for a total of 4.6 for the challenge, if I remember right.  I am excited to be making progress and I am trying hard not to overeat.

I am not remembering my pedometer much; I really need to just stick it with my phone or something. I have not been fairy logging; I just try to pay attention to whether I am really hungry or not.  Sometimes that's hard because the food is just there.

We ran out of bottled water; I wish I at least had a lemon to put in the tap water.  Maybe ice will help.  I don't shop on Sunday but first thing tomorrow we will run to the grocery for a refill.

Happy Independence Day Everyone!   Let's celebrate--and continue--our independence from overeating and the health problems it brings as we pursue our STS challenge! 

Farmer's Market Foray

I decided to walk to the local Farmer's Market. Healthy, fresh produce, locally grown, and it's right down the same street as my house. Then I realized it's actually about 2.5 miles down the street!  So I drove.

I think this particular market is more flea than farmer.  There were about ten craft booths for every one produce booth.  Overall I thought it was too expensive and time-consuming, but it was fun to see.  $7.00 for a loaf of bread? $5.00 for a quart of berries?  I could have had a breakfast burrito for "only" $5.00.  

I had gone with the determination not to spend more than $20, and I stuck with it.  

After spending an hour and fifteen minutes, this is what I got at the Farmer's Market: 

Two splendid tomatoes, $1.00

1 nice cauliflower, $2.00

5 average-looking radishes, $0.50
1 tasty loaf of whole wheat bread, $3.00.
1 smaller loaf of butter bread, $1.50
1 crepe filled with mashed potatoes and a touch of mushroom, which I ate on the spot, $1.00.  It wasn't all that good.





1 yellow squash and 1 cousa squash (something new to try) $1.50.
 1 dollar donation to the Girl Scouts to help the people of Joplin--$1.00.

Free Stuff:
1 tip on a bicycle club for beginners
1 reusable grocery bag with a credit union logo
1 coupon for $7 off the haircut I was planning to get later in the day
Several "taste" samples--cheese, granola, a strawberry, etc.
A very red face from the heat and sun.

1 compliment on my hat! 

1 long wait for a train to move slowly through the middle of the market. Priceless.

I used to wonder how in the world hobos ever got on a moving train, but I was sorely tempted to try it myself--up one side and down the other--just because the wait was so long and the train so slow.

Total Spent: $11.50.

When I went to get the haircut, there was about a 25-minute wait, so I went to the discount grocery next door and spent the rest of my $20 on a cantaloupe, a pint of blueberries, a bunch of bananas, 3 peaches, and a 16-oz. bottle of cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil.

Not bad for a couple hours of shopping. I got in quite a bit of strolling at the farmer's market, plus a 3-block walk each way to my car.

Will I do it again? Maybe. They had some cute bracelets that would make a good gift for someone on my list, or maybe even myself, at a really good price.  It wasn't on my list to buy things like that today.  Over all though, I think I can write it off my list of things I've always wanted to do. It's a shorter walk to go to my local air-conditioned grocery store, and perhaps the gas used offsets the benefits of buying local. Not to mention that I am not too wild about crowds. The picture below is from last year's market.